My KLR

[nutpantz]

After 11 years on a klr all my bike buddies have moved over 10 hours away. I am looking at a dl 1000 in the new year.but the klr goes into storage because it is just too good locally to get rid of...and I have regretted selling every bike I have sold over the years.

written in your mud with my stick

 

[HenryJ]

I have to say I can almost see the tear in the corner of your eye when you talk about getting rid of the KLR. Does my heart good to hear that sort of stuff. Happy to have a pair of KLR all fixed up and tucked away in the garage for a long winters sleep.

 

[Frank]

I wasn't super excited to get rid of the klr but couldn't afford 2 bikes and a bigger bike was almost a need for me.

I shook hands on a KTM 950 Adventure about 3 hours ago. Not a real pretty bike, but I won't be afraid to ride it like its meant to be ridden, either. I'm really looking forward to it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Cody1771]

awsome, everyone i know who has those is super happy!

 

[HenryJ]

I wasn't super excited to get rid of the klr but couldn't afford 2 bikes and a bigger bike was almost a need for me.

I completely understand. I held on to my V65 Sabre for road trips. I think that satisfies my need for more cc.
My wife rides the second KLR , so I am confident we will have them around for quite a while.

...I shook hands on a KTM 950 Adventure about 3 hours ago. Not a real pretty bike, but I won't be afraid to ride it like its meant to be ridden, either. I'm really looking forward to it.

Look forward to seeing the new ride.

 

[blacktruck]

I like seeing the good comments on the KLR. Been riding for decades and for the last ten years or so on an HD. I'm in the market for a KLR just for the stuff I see posted on here and other forums about them. Great looking bike you had.
Stay safe man..

 

[Frank]

The gentleman who bought my KLR sold his Fatboy (Harley) to buy my KLR. He simply said, Harley riders are good for riding to dinner and thats about it. lol

The KLR is a great bike. -just not one to run 100mph down a dirt road on...which is what I am likely going to be doing on my 950. I feel the KLR needs A LOT to make it a decent bike. If I could own two bikes, I likely would have never sold my KLR.

Just like I did to my KLR when I first got it...the KTM is currently sitting in pieces in my garage at the moment. Today, I ordered a bunch of stuff for it and hopefully, within the next 3 weeks or so, she will be ready to rock.

 

[HenryJ]

Pics of the process would be GREAT!

 

[Frank]

Here is a link to my new thread which I will update tonight.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/93786-My-KTM-950-Adventure-thread

 

[Frank]

Another KLR? What!

Do I start a new thread or continue this one? I think I will continue this thread. Can someone ring the round 2 bell please?

The KTM has a new owner and I am back in the saddle of a KLR again!

Why must you ask? First and foremost, the KTM 950 Adventure is one hell of a motorcycle. It is very easy to ride, and was a complete blast every time I was on it. The unfortunate part is, in addition to a few other life changing events, I think it was just a bit too much bike for me. In addition to the added cost of such a machine, it was trouble waiting to happen and I have a wife and 4 year old daughter who need me. Ok, enough with the sob story...the bike loved wide open throttle it wasn't happy unless it was running 80+ mph and it didn't care what terrain it was on. It loved to spin the rear wheel. It loved to go fast. -maybe that was all me, who knows. Anyways...

The KLR is simple. Its a tractor that will take you anywhere. Point your curser in the direction of the internet and there is a community of people who will tell you anything you want to know about the bike. Need parts for the KLR? There is a plethora of those as well. Its a KISS kinda bike and thats what I have come to the realization that I need. Not to mention, with my military training on a KLR, I just feel at home on one. I know I mentioned a BMW in my KTM thread, but the truth be had...Im scared of the electronics those new bikes have. They are wonderful when they work but what happens when they don't?

So anyways, I picked this up today. Depending on how you look at it, 'built not bought' can be thrown out the window and I am 100% okay with that. The only thing this bike hasn't had touched are the brake lines and brake pads. Complete with a Cogent suspension, Schnitz 685 kit, 100% LED lighting throughout the bike, a decent pannier system...the bike has essentially totally been rebuilt. Mind you the previous owner was an employee of NASA as a Electrical Engineer so needless to say, this bike is as about as thorough as it can possibly get.


Another KLR. by Frank Vest, on Flickr

I rode it 170 miles home without one single glitch. -that is a good thing since I am destined for the UP of Michigan in only a few short days. The one major reason I left my old KLR was that at 70+ mph, the bike felt like it was ready to fall apart. Not the case with this machine. I cruised almost the complete 170 miles at 75mph and it was super smooth. I praise the 685 kit for that. A different front sprocket would have been a little helpful, but 75 on a stock front sprocket was comfortable.

IN preparation for the UP trip, I picked up a Kenda 270 for the rear and a Shinko 244 for the front that are spooning on tomorrow as are a few other odds and ends to check out. The GS sticker has to go. The mouth is awesome and my wife and daughter say it must stay. -oh and of course I need to wire up my GPS and build a tool kit for this beast.

More to come.

 

[RHINO]

congrats on the bike frank,,,, i dont know if you've noticed, but alot of us are going back to smaller less complicated bikes. i just wanna go fishin and i dont need 100hp to do that.

 

[Cabrito]

Keep the teeth..

Sounds like a good acquisition.

Welcome back to the fold..

 

[Frank]

The GS is gone but the teeth are staying! haha!

I began prepping the bike for the UP trip yesterday. -like the other KLR, I tore into it double checking everything. -let me tell you, when you buy a motorcycle from a NASA engineer, lots of details get addressed.

My GPS is wired in and I spooned on a rear Kenda K270 and a front Shinko 244. The Avons that came on it were an absolute bear to remove! Tonight I will address a few other items like oil and re-position my handlebars...and she will be ready to go!

I am very excited to be heading to the UP in less than 72 hours!

 

[Mechanical]

Bike looks great Frank!

 

[Frank]

Finally, a few extra minutes to tell my tale about my new bikes maiden voyage!

I picked her up on a Saturday morning and on the following Wednesday, set out for a decent little 5 day trip with 3 other KLR's and a KTM 990adv. Fortunately, the 990- survived just fine. haha!

First up, a few checks for my own sake.
This new bike has a plethora of modifications. One thing that really bothered me was that the previous owner did not change out the stock shift lever. Not to my surprise though, its not a hot topic on the forums. When I did my training on the USMC KLR, I snapped two of them in a weeks time. This has me paranoid. On my previous KLR I installed a shift lever offered by Happy-Trail (stock length, plastic toe pad thingy) and this time I picked up a new MSR lever from Motorcycle Super Store. For whatever reason, I was under the impression it was a bit longer. No such luck.

Untitled by Frank Vest, on Flickr

In this photo you can see the stock KLR shift lever (on the left) next to the new MSR. As you can see, the stock lever is welded aluminum and the new is steel. The weld is what snapped on me previously. The new is very stout and I have a lot of confidence in it.

Untitled by Frank Vest, on Flickr

Also, I modified the front fender. The previous one was set up for road touring, which I think the PO did a fantastic job of fabricating. I changed it to a KTM super moto fender, part number 5030801020030. This is WAY stronger than the stock KLR fender and doesnt flop around in the wind. It does NOT do a good job at keeping the mud down. -ask me how I know

Previous fender which I plan to put back on once I spoon on my road tires

Untitled by Frank Vest, on Flickr

New fender

Untitled by Frank Vest, on Flickr

The new fender did require me to drill out the rear two bolt holes a bit.

Untitled by Frank Vest, on Flickr

Not pictured, but I did spoon on a Kenda 270 on the rear and a Shinko 244 to the front for the sole purpose of having a bit of traction on some dirt and gravel roads while venturing around Michigan. Some reviews seriously hate on these tires. I personally think they are GREAT on both gravel and street. Once they warm up, they stick to the road like glue. The only draw back is they took about 600 miles to really break in and they are very loud.

I also hard wired my GPS and ran a 9v cig lighter into my top case. Battery Tender makes a 9v outlet that plugs into the battery tender plug which works fantastic. I just drilled a hole in the bottom of my top case, poked it through and tied it up with zip ties. This works great to charge devices and such via a USB adapter.

More to come...