french connection?

[Gregory Caruso]

Hi James Going very well I might add, yes I remember you and the day we changed out the doohickey. Unfortunatly, I do not own the KLR. It was shipped to France via household goods. Me and wife spent 9 months in that country and I did not get to ride the bike once. According to the police and government the KLR 650 does not conform to French road standards. I took it to Kawasaki dealer and tried to get it to conform and he said that with all the paper work and and rebuilding of the frame it still would not meet the homologation standards of France. It sat on my back patio for 8 months until we decided to leave and come back to the States. I could not sell it, barter it, trade it, period. If you do not have the d'marticalation from France it will not be done. So, I wanted to ship it back to my son in law house, the cost range from 3,000 to 6,000 usd and not including port fees etc. I know there have been a lot of people write to me and say different, but until you've been there, it's not a good feeling knowing your bike is setting on the dock somewhere in bum*5&%& egypt. On the lighter side of things I met a fellow from U.K. there and we got along well. He knew a lot of contacts that dealt with vehicles and the such, so I gave it to him. I know, I know, I didn't have many choices. To bad I already back in the States living in Plano, Texas. I have no idea about that area James. I would do research on the internet before you go. The cost when I was there to rent or lease bikes depending on length of time and make of bike was reasonable. To purchase a bike equal to KLR is about 7,500 Euros in the Kawasaki dealership, I know cause I saw and touched the bike. If you go riding just get on a small 2 lane highway out of the city and just have fun and ride. I would like to ride with you but I am back in the states at this time. I would like to talk to you to fill in some of the details. My number is 972-335-6603 Here is a site that is one of many??? http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/RidingInFrance.htm

--- On Sun, 6/29/08, James Buck wrote: From: James Buck Subject: french connection? To: illartein1@... Date: Sunday, June 29, 2008, 12:40 PM Greg - How's it going? James Buck, here. We (you, actually) changed out the doohickey in your KLR in my garage in Dallas. I noticed you were unsubscribing from the DSN_KLR group. Do you still own the KLR? I saw your posts a coupla months ago about trying to import it to France and the ensuing bureaucracy. It's a shame..... Anyway, I wanted to touch base with you and see if y'all had made the big move yet. My wife took a job earlier this year with a furniture showroom in Dallas that is HQ'd in France - Briord, to be exact. The company is called Ligne Roset, or Roset SA. She (we) will be travelling to Briord in mid-September so that she can attend some training at the HQ, and I'm just gonna be going along for the ride. Speaking of ride, I wanted to contact you to see if you had any ideas about touring that area (and others) on 2 wheels. Briord is ENE of Lyon, on the Rhone river. As far as I can tell, it's not too far from the Swiss border and Geneva. I just wanted to pick your brain to see if you had any ideas on touring the countryside by motorcycle. Do you know what's involved in renting a motorcycle over there? If you're in France, would you be interested in getting together for some rides? Would there be a significant advantage to buying and then reselling a motorcycle, as opposed to renting one? These are just a sampling of the questions I have. I'd love to hear from you and get an update on your situation. Thanks! James Buck [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[fasteddiecopeman]

My other bike is an '03 Bandit 1200. In '01 a lot of B12s had an issue with oil consumption which Suzuki wouldn't acknowledge. After some research into it, someone discovered that the little holes drilled thru the pistons to let oil onto the skirts, had been drilled INCORRECTLY, and were actually BEHIND the oil- control rings and 'peeking' over the top of it, which allowed oil to get into the combustion area instead of where it would drain back into the crankcase. When this was pointed out, Suzuki had to deal with the problem. My .02$. Ed