cougar chases bikers

[Ed Chait]

Except for the occasional fire road, I ride my KLR pretty much exclusively on-road so I decided to try a set of 100% street tires. Before you flame me or question why I would own a KLR, it's pretty much perfect for my needs as my favorite bikes are large thumpers and twins and this town I live in has fairly deep drainage dips all over the place that you have to slow down for on anything that doesn't have greater than average suspension travel. I didn't want to spend a whole lot so I ordered a set of Cheng Shin Barracudas for just over $100 on sale at J.C. Whitney with free shipping. They are tubeless but mounted just fine with tubes. The rear did not need any weights at all for balancing. The front required 1oz. After riding on them for a couple of weeks, I am very impressed. They stick well and have inspired lean angles never before attempted or even considered. Very smooth and stable on the slabs too without any tendency to wander or track rain grooves. I know Cheng Shin makes some low-end tires also, but these turned out to be very nice. ed A17

[mikeypep]

You'll have to keep us posted. I too am a 100% street KLRista. I just put a Scorpion ST on the rear for $100, and the front Dunlop 607 cost about 85 so you are way ahead of the dollar game. I'm curious on the ride and wet handling. These tires ride great. Keep us posted on the miles too. -- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Ed Chait" wrote:

> > Except for the occasional fire road, I ride my KLR pretty much

exclusively

> on-road so I decided to try a set of 100% street tires. > > Before you flame me or question why I would own a KLR, it's pretty

much

> perfect for my needs as my favorite bikes are large thumpers and

twins and

> this town I live in has fairly deep drainage dips all over the

place that

> you have to slow down for on anything that doesn't have greater

than average

> suspension travel. > > I didn't want to spend a whole lot so I ordered a set of Cheng Shin > Barracudas for just over $100 on sale at J.C. Whitney with free

shipping.

> > They are tubeless but mounted just fine with tubes. The rear did

not need

> any weights at all for balancing. The front required 1oz. > > After riding on them for a couple of weeks, I am very impressed.

They stick

> well and have inspired lean angles never before attempted or even > considered. Very smooth and stable on the slabs too without any

tendency to

> wander or track rain grooves. > > I know Cheng Shin makes some low-end tires also, but these turned

out to be

> very nice. > > ed > A17 >

[Gary LaRue]

Hi Ed; I know how you feel about that. The biggest reason I bought my KLR was because I wanted to go up an occasional rough dirt road. I'm too old and fat to go up the seriouse gnarly stuff, but thirty year old suspensions on my classic Honda street bikes don't much like the rough roads in and of themselves. While I haven't spent too much time in the dirt, I think it's going to be the perfect tool for what I want to do with it. Isn't that the name of the game? Lash ----- Original Message ---- From: Ed Chait To: dsn_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 11:20:51 AM Subject: [DSN_KLR650] full-on street tires Before you flame me or question why I would own a KLR, it's pretty much perfect for my needs Recent Activity * 15 New Members * 16 New PhotosVisit Your Group Y! Sports for TV Game Day Companion Live fantasy league & game stats on TV. Yahoo! News Get it all here Breaking news to entertainment news John McEnroe on Yahoo! Groups Join him for the 10 Day Challenge. . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[fmhilton]

Ed, I'd be courious as to the model of Cheng Shen you purchased? Mike H.

----- Original Message ----- From: Ed Chait To: dsn_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 12:20 PM Subject: [DSN_KLR650] full-on street tires Except for the occasional fire road, I ride my KLR pretty much exclusively on-road so I decided to try a set of 100% street tires. Before you flame me or question why I would own a KLR, it's pretty much perfect for my needs as my favorite bikes are large thumpers and twins and this town I live in has fairly deep drainage dips all over the place that you have to slow down for on anything that doesn't have greater than average suspension travel. I didn't want to spend a whole lot so I ordered a set of Cheng Shin Barracudas for just over $100 on sale at J.C. Whitney with free shipping. They are tubeless but mounted just fine with tubes. The rear did not need any weights at all for balancing. The front required 1oz. After riding on them for a couple of weeks, I am very impressed. They stick well and have inspired lean angles never before attempted or even considered. Very smooth and stable on the slabs too without any tendency to wander or track rain grooves. I know Cheng Shin makes some low-end tires also, but these turned out to be very nice. ed A17 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[roncriswell@sbcglobal.net]

> Reminds me of taking a little hike last winter on a trail in the > snow not far from the Sante Fe ski area in New Mexico. I saw what > might have been cougar tracks and mentioned it to a fellow hiker > just moved there from Oregon. She said if it was, they won't hurt > you anyway as she had a friend who was expert on cougars and she > knew all about it and they leave humans alone. I told her of > cougars attacking joggers and mountain bikers in California and a > couple have died. Also, of some attacks in Big Bend National Park > and on Vancover Island in British Columbia. I could tell she didn't > believe me ....... but hey .... go hike alone in cougar country. > Not a good idea if they are hungry. She didn't even know where Big > Bend Natl Park was. > > When I was in Chili at Torres del Paine last November, our guide > said they have big ones down there (like nine feet from head to > tail but the never bother humans there). They have a lot to eat > there. Guanacos (llamas) are everywhere. >

Criswell

> > Cougar chases bikers > By J.R. Rardon - North Island Gazette - June 17, 2008 > > PORT McNEILL The rumble of his motorcycle was not enough to > protect a > Port McNeill man from the attentions of a cougar during a ride near > town > Sunday afternoon. > > Fortunately, the presence and actions of a second rider did the trick. > > Paul Cann and his son, Ben, were returning from a trip into alpine > country southwest of Port McNeill when the big cat pounced from a > roadside bank between the bikes and gave chase to Paul on the lead > bike. > > My impression was that it did not know I was there, said Ben, 20, > who > was following perhaps 25 feet behind his father. > > After an initial pause to size up the situation, Ben reacted by > hitting > the horn on his Kawasaki KLR 650. At first nothing happened and the > cat > made two quick bounds toward Paul, who was oblivious to the entire > episode. Ben repeated blasts on the horn and said the cat finally > cocked > its head and veered into the bush. > > By this time Paul heard the horn and slowed to see what Ben wanted. > The > latter caught up to his father I looked in the rear-view mirror > as I > went by, he said and yelled over the engines that a cougar had just > jumped out onto the road. > > I m freaking out just listening to this, Paul Cann said. I > emphasize > to always, always ride with a partner. And stay tight. > > The incident occurred just as the two riders turned from a spur onto > Cabin Main, one of the logging arterials near Port McNeill. > > It was the first cougar sighting for Ben, who recently returned > home from > his second year of studies at the University of Victoria. > > My first impression was that it was a juvenile, but not a cub, Ben > said. Its tail was about the (circumference) of a tennis ball. Its > length was maybe four feet. > > The two are not sure if the cougar was about to attack Paul or was > simply > reacting to the sudden appearance and movement of the passing bike. > > They re just responding to the motion, I think, Paul said. > > With a large gear box on the back of his own KLR 650 and kevlar body > armour on his torso, he had some protection. But father and son > are both > glad they didn t have to find out what the cat had in mind. > > If it had stopped, I was thinking what I was gonna do, said Ben. I > covered my brake, but I was still in that stage of, should I stay or > should I go? > __________________________________________________________ > Click for online loan, fast & no lender fee, approval today > http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/ > Ioyw6i3m3WLsiGZPOVXEaMzwATDVuItYdc6tr46A99LeZ4QH9hMjX2/ > >

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]