general questions??- - hornet ds on klr

[ftw1956]

Any of you guys running the Caribou stuff? I've narrowed down the tax return to Caribou or Happy Trail Alum boxes. I've heard that people think the Caribou stuff is over priced, the rack system is so-so, and others swear by it. Any advice would be awesome! Thank you. -Lilman '03 650

[David Bell]

I think that the caribou boxes are great. I've had them for 6 months, two major dual sport rides to Big Bend of Texas and mountains of Mexico. I've dropped the bike twice at low speed. One fall bent the rack, which did not affect the operation of the case in any way. I pulled it out with a come-along when I got home. The boxes actually protect the bike. The boxes are Pelican boxes. I've used them for tools and equipment on airplanes and ??. They are almost literally indestructible. They will not break, crack, or bend. Aluminum boxes will bend, break, and crack at the welds. You will need to use lock-tite on the frame when you put it together, as you would with any bolt together items on a KLR. The issue I have with any hard boxes is that it is possible to catch the heel of the foot under the box, probably with very bad results. I will continue to use them for travel but plan on not using them off road any more if at all feasible. ________________________________ From: ftw1956 To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 6:07:21 PM Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Caribou Luggage Any of you guys running the Caribou stuff? I've narrowed down the tax return to Caribou or Happy Trail Alum boxes. I've heard that people think the Caribou stuff is over priced, the rack system is so-so, and others swear by it. Any advice would be awesome! Thank you. -Lilman '03 650 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Kevin Powers]

I recently picked up an AFX dual sport helmet. http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/product_catalog/Product.jsp?skuId=3303121M&store=&catId=&productId=prod2270001&leafCatId=&mmyId= I've used it for two weeks in a variety of conditions and don't have any complaints. Tough to beat the price at a little over $100; heck you could buy one in each color they offer and still spend less than one of the Aria or Shoei DS helmets. I usually wear a modular helmet. I don't like that for dual sporting because the hinge mechanism gets filled with dust and grit and becomes balky, and the anti-fog insert provides another layer for dust to accumulate on. The AFX helmet is quieter than my modular helmet. Visor lifting doesn't become a problem until >76 mph. Kevin

On Tue, Feb 24, 2009 at 5:21 PM, Arden Kysely wrote: > I've worn both the Arai XD and the Shoei Hornet DS over many miles of > freeway on a KLR without a problem. I've also gone well over 100 on > an F800GS and R1200GS in a Hornet with no trouble. While it would > appear that the visor would catch the wind and tear your head off, > just a little bit of awareness will prevent that from happening (i.e. > don't do any bird watching or be checking for the CHP airplane while > you're humming along), and it's not much of a threat until you're > going 70+. What I noticed more was that the side of the DS style > helmets catch more wind that a standard full-face helmet when turning > my head to check for cars before changing lanes. > > The DS helmets are a great concept if you ride both street and dirt > on the same trip. I wish they'd made them years ago. The only thing I > don't like is that they let in more wind noise that a normal full- > face. > > __Arden > > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com , Martin > Polach > wrote: > > > > > > Has any one in the group any first hand experience wearing the > Shoei Hornet Dual Sport Helmets? > > > > I am curious as to how noisy they might be at highway speeds? > > > > > > > > Also is there any consensus as to the best upgrade to the lighting > system? I read of wondrous bulbs that promise twice the illumination > yet use half the wattage? How much is reality and how much is hype? > > > > > > > > Thinking of trying the Dusty Butt 1,000 and would kind of like to > see down the road a piece come the night? > > > > > > > > Cheers > > > > > > > > Martin (Canada...a couple of inches of new snow last night and more > to come?) > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > -- Kevin Powers White Bear Lake, MN [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]