digest number 7630

[a14@att.net]

That would depend on how you define the continental US. Isn't Alaska also on the North American continent? That would make Mount McKinley in Alaska (elevation 20,320 feet) the highest. It would be better to refer to Mt. Whitney, CA as the highest point in the 48 contiguous states. Don't expect to see any photos of a KLR on top of Mount McKinley though. Walt

> FWIW that is Mt. Whitney, CA highest point in the continental US, just > off the riders helmet visor. > > http://photos.motorcycle-usa.com/KL650E8F_93454.jpg > > I'll be looking for an '07 old style model myself. > --Jim > A-15 > >

[Mike Frey]

I thought that looked familiar. Alabama Hills area just west of Lone Pine? Jim wrote:

> FWIW that is Mt. Whitney, CA highest point in the continental US, just > off the riders helmet visor. > > http://photos.motorcycle-usa.com/KL650E8F_93454.jpg > http://photos.motorcycle-usa.com/KL650E8F_93454.jpg> > > I'll be looking for an '07 old style model myself. > --Jim > A-15 > > > Just finished looking at the big pictures of the new KLR at: > > > > > http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Galleries_Featured.aspx?Gallery=855&Main=2&Sub=19&PostBack=1&Media=1 > http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Galleries_Featured.aspx?Gallery=855&Main=2&Sub=19&PostBack=1&Media=1> > > > -E > > > >

[Alan L Henderson]

Someone may have already mentioned this but the 36 watts they refer to is probably the amount they increased the capacity of the system. Original 14.5 amps x 13.5 volts = 196 New 17 amps x 13.5 volts = 231 difference is 35 amps Alan Henderson A13 Iowa

[Thor Lancelot Simon]

On Mon, Sep 25, 2006 at 03:44:46PM -0000, kestrelfal wrote:

> > Note the new fully transistorized ignition unit and carburetor > throttle position sensor.

Yes, I heard that when they did this on the ZRX (at the 1100-1200 change, I think) it gave a nice little bump in horsepower and an improvement in rideability. Thor

[Russell Scott]

Big Kawi dealer show in Anaheim today . Waiting for Chris Shepard to fill me in on the details. He said this bike was actually supposed to be the 2007 model, but was delayed because the doohickey kept breaking. R -----Original Message----- From: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com [mailto:DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of CA Stu Sent: Saturday, September 23, 2006 9:59 AM To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Kawasaki updates the KLR for 2008? http://www.motorcycledaily.com/23september06_klr650.htm [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Ronald Criswell]

The only negative I have heard about fuel injection is it really doesn't like dust of which KLR's usually see quite a bit. Criswell

On Sep 24, 2006, at 8:28 AM, Bogdan Swider wrote: > > > On 9/23/06 10:58 AM, "CA Stu" wrote: > > > http://www.motorcycledaily.com/23september06_klr650.htm > > I don't understand why in this day and time they didn't go for fuel > injection. BMW singles - thus fitted - get 70 mpg. > > Bogdan > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Ronald Criswell]

I'm sold (mostly). If they keep the price down, I'll buy one. Don't know why on the less travel suspension though .... but if it is a better fork and rear maybe no big deal. And wish they would have put a 6 gear in. Like the color. It matches my Concourse. Criswell

On Sep 23, 2006, at 11:58 AM, CA Stu wrote: > http://www.motorcycledaily.com/23september06_klr650.htm > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[RM]

On Mon, 25 Sep 2006 15:44:46 -0000, "kestrelfal" said:

>Note the new fully transistorized ignition unit and carburetor >throttle position sensor.

Hmm! Part throttle ignition advance! Could this make for a KLR with a consistent 60mpg? RM

[E.L. Green]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Ronald Criswell wrote:

> I'm sold (mostly). If they keep the price down, I'll buy one. Don't > know why on the less travel suspension though .... but if it is a > better fork and rear maybe no big deal. And wish they would have put > a 6 gear in. Like the color. It matches my Concourse.

The reason the front suspension has less travel is that it is a direct transplant off the KLE500, from what I can tell. That means it should also be cheaper than the old front suspension, since the KLE is a much more popular bike world-wide and thus they have the economies of scale at work with the KLE forks. The "new" dual-pot front calipers came from the KLE too. As for the 6th gear, they haven't touched the engine or transmission except to do the minimum needed to get it to pass emissions. That's both good and bad -- it means it still won't meet modern standards of vibration control or shift operation, but on the other hand, the current engine is well understood and its only weakness well known and easy to fix, so if you're going to do an around-the-world trip, this is still the right bike. All in all, it's the same old KLR with a head job, a fork transplant and some new (cheap) farkles lifted from other bikes in their stable. Expect it to be pretty similar to the old one in everything that matters -- simple, cheap, reliable, will go pretty much anywhere -- except with probably around 10% more power due to the head and valve and piston and igniton work. 4 more horsepower isn't a lot, but hey, anything's better than nothing, and the new head ought to flow far better and be far more amenable to increasing power via exhaust and intake changes... -E

[Thor Lancelot Simon]

On Tue, Sep 26, 2006 at 07:06:35AM -0000, E.L. Green wrote:

> --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Ronald Criswell > wrote: > > I'm sold (mostly). If they keep the price down, I'll buy one. Don't > > know why on the less travel suspension though .... but if it is a > > better fork and rear maybe no big deal. And wish they would have put > > a 6 gear in. Like the color. It matches my Concourse. > > The reason the front suspension has less travel is that it is a direct > transplant off the KLE500, from what I can tell. That means it should > also be cheaper than the old front suspension, since the KLE is a much > more popular bike world-wide and thus they have the economies of scale > at work with the KLE forks. The "new" dual-pot front calipers came > from the KLE too.

The Israeli Army uses the KLE -- that says good things to me about the suitability of its suspension for off-road work. I guess we'll see! There seems to be a certain tendency towards stiffening and shortening the suspensions of dual-sport bikes. Even the 'S' model of the KTM 950 lost a couple of inches of suspension travel in the last model year (of course, perhaps they are not as worried about race homologation now that it is excluded from the Dakar rally by the rule changes). Thor