Wilsons Sandbox

I ride alone, always. Mostly because I ride on highways, and I love to move about three hours between fill-ups, and most people don't. The feeling of freedom to do your own thing is marvellous, you can stop and go, or stop for as long as you like. Mechanized stress relief. One of the joys of biking is the ability to do as you please, and we are all different. DC Rick McCauley wrote:

> > A sad thing has happened. My riding buddy got divorced about 3 years > ago. He has bounced from girl to girl since then. The last 2 took him > to the cleaners so bad that he was unable to make the payments on his > KLR. The bank just came and got it. > Do most of you ride alone, or do you all have friends that share your > KLR adventures. I have done a lot of riding alone, but mostly local. > Darren and I used to ride all over the place looking for the most > secluded roads, and paths we could find. It was always nice to have > someone along to help you push your bike out of a rut, or ultra muddy > section of road. It will be different riding alone on those nice > Saturdays. > > Rick A17 > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > >

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

Fair enough. I ride solo all the time. I am a hefty guy weighing in at 280. I am also a bit over 6' 3" tall. Between my long arms, long legs, and long? belly, there isn't much room for anyone else on my bike. My wife isn't much on riding anyway. When I say alone, I mean with no other riders on their own bike. Rick A17

--- On Tue, 3/17/09, Mike Hansen wrote: From: Mike Hansen Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] The Lone Rider To: ramachm12@... Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2009, 4:20 PM I ride Solo !!! not Alone : ) there's a difference From: Rick McCauley To: dsn_klr650@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 1:57:32 PM Subject: [DSN_KLR650] The Lone Rider A sad thing has happened. My riding buddy got divorced about 3 years ago. He has bounced from girl to girl since then. The last 2 took him to the cleaners so bad that he was unable to make the payments on his KLR. The bank just came and got it. Do most of you ride alone, or do you all have friends that share your KLR adventures. I have done a lot of riding alone, but mostly local. Darren and I used to ride all over the place looking for the most secluded roads, and paths we could find. It was always nice to have someone along to help you push your bike out of a rut, or ultra muddy section of road. It will be different riding alone on those nice Saturdays. Rick A17 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

About 25% of my riding is alone, no other bikers along with me. The rest of the time there is at least one other person along on their bike. Usually it's my son, my wife, my brother, nephew(s), casual friends or all of the above. For the first 27 years of his life, my son showed little interest in bikes. 2 years ago, he surprised my by showing up with his license and newly minted MSF certificate. Now he appears to be addicted. He has a 650 Ninja. My daughter and her husband are also riders, but they live 800 miles away so I don't get much opportunity to ride with them. I enjoy both types of riding - alone, and with others. Typically, when I am in California on my west coast KLR, I ride alone. Usually, I rejoin my family when the sun goes down. When my wife is in CA (which is often), that's when I ride alone here on the east coast, excepting for the aforementioned brother, son, and nephew(s) Mike Rick McCauley wrote:

> > A sad thing has happened. My riding buddy got divorced about 3 years > ago. He has bounced from girl to girl since then. The last 2 took him > to the cleaners so bad that he was unable to make the payments on his > KLR. The bank just came and got it. > Do most of you ride alone, or do you all have friends that share your > KLR adventures. I have done a lot of riding alone, but mostly local. > Darren and I used to ride all over the place looking for the most > secluded roads, and paths we could find. It was always nice to have > someone along to help you push your bike out of a rut, or ultra muddy > section of road. It will be different riding alone on those nice > Saturdays. > > Rick A17 > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > >

On Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:57:32 -0700 (PDT) Rick McCauley writes:

> A sad thing has happened. My riding buddy got divorced about 3 years > ago. He has bounced from girl to girl since then. The last 2 took > him to the cleaners so bad that he was unable to make the payments > on his KLR. The bank just came and got it. > Do most of you ride alone, or do you all have friends that share > your KLR adventures. I have done a lot of riding alone, but mostly > local. Darren and I used to ride all over the place looking for the > most secluded roads, and paths we could find. It was always nice to > have someone along to help you push your bike out of a rut, or ultra > muddy section of road. It will be different riding alone on those > nice Saturdays. > > Rick A17

<><><><><><> <><><><><><> Rick, Bummer about you and your friend's situations. Hope stuff improves for both of you. : ) I often ride alone for a multitude of reasons. I like being able to make a ride decision without consulting anyone else. I feel comfortable riding at whatever speed I feel is reasonable for conditions and my pleasure. No wondering if you are going too fast or holding up the ride when you're alone. I'm comfortable repairing a flat tire by myself on the side of the road in the rain at night if needed. Riding logging roads I usually try to keep to the ones that are regularly used if I'm by myself just incase something not good happens. I've been known to ride solo in places I probably shouldn't be riding. Nobody has any idea where I might be or when I might return. Last year I got my KLR stuck on a logging road and it took me about an hour to get it free. Having a friend alone might have got it out in 45 minutes. It was really stuck and unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me on that ride. I enjoy longer off pavement trips with a riding partner. Steve and I ride really well together whether on or off paved surfaces. We have similar habits, skills, likes and dislikes. And we respect each other's views, wants and needs. It's always been a pleasure riding with him. Taking a day ride, or maybe a bit longer, with a small group of folks can be fun sometimes. But when you get lots of folks together it can clog the road making it more difficult for other road users. And often when you get more than two riders together somebody isn't gonna get their needs met for fuel, food, route selection, rate of travel, daily mileage etc. I've ridden or taken trips with Hugh, Martin, Mike, Bill, AJ and others. Groups of more than 2 were more challenging when making decisions. But the rides were still all good to great. I think day rides with groups are easier than trips. Having said that, some of the best riding I've done has been when it's a shared experience with someone I care about and enjoy being around. Exploring a new area, a special destination or just the shared event while on two wheels has sometimes been better than great. Ken and I had a wonderful trip in the UK back in the 80s until he crashed in Scotland. Then I had a wonderful adventure returning to Germany solo. Karen and Ken and I had wonderful rides together in Switzerland and Germany. Karen and I had a great trip in Florida right after she got her motorcycle license and a bike. If you ever get the chance to visit Cedar Key on the gulf coast it's worth it. My nephew Matt and I have ridden together just a bit and we've always had very fun rides. Watching him develop as a rider, mechanic and man has been a wonderful experience. When I used to scuba dive I'd say I'd dive with anyone once. I've quickly figured out once is too much with some folks. : ) I think riding can be the same way. I like to know a person just a bit before I accept or make a ride invitation and make sure I think we'll be compatible on the road. I don't go much for showing off, doing stuff that endangers me or other road users or gives motorcyclists negative publicity. I've left group rides when the conduct of the group or even a single member of the group didn't meet my standards. And I've never felt bad about being true to myself. So solo, or with a partner(s) can be good for me. I'm glad I don't have to make a choice of one or the other. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT . ____________________________________________________________ Digital Photography - Click Now. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/BLSrjpTDvmTiXiZQvRlMS1v9VhXoV3DRQ697NWFVYtN5grQADfSO43yC9cU/

I usually ride alone on pavement. There always seems to be a lot of testosterone come out in a group and see who can be the fastest. I ride at a good clip on dirt with a group as I am more comfortable sliding on gravel than dragging the pegs. The danger is some what less also. I am getting older and starting to slow down but hell, I have survived 50 years of 2 motorcycling with only 2 broken bones ...... but lucky a few times getting hit by cars. My son doesn't ride and I am kinda glad. He used to be a heck of a sailboarder, snow skier and is a very fine composer and pianist so that is fine by me. Criswell

On Mar 17, 2009, at 5:22 PM, Mike Frey wrote: > About 25% of my riding is alone, no other bikers along with me. > > The rest of the time there is at least one other person along on their > bike. > Usually it's my son, my wife, my brother, nephew(s), casual friends > or all > of the above. > > For the first 27 years of his life, my son showed little interest in > bikes. 2 > years ago, he surprised my by showing up with his license and newly > minted > MSF certificate. Now he appears to be addicted. He has a 650 Ninja. > > My daughter and her husband are also riders, but they live 800 > miles away > so I don't get much opportunity to ride with them. > > I enjoy both types of riding - alone, and with others. Typically, > when I > am in California on my west coast KLR, I ride alone. Usually, I rejoin > my family when the sun goes down. > > When my wife is in CA (which is often), that's when I ride alone > here on > the east coast, excepting for the aforementioned brother, son, and > nephew(s) > > Mike > > Rick McCauley wrote: > > > > A sad thing has happened. My riding buddy got divorced about 3 years > > ago. He has bounced from girl to girl since then. The last 2 took > him > > to the cleaners so bad that he was unable to make the payments on > his > > KLR. The bank just came and got it. > > Do most of you ride alone, or do you all have friends that share > your > > KLR adventures. I have done a lot of riding alone, but mostly local. > > Darren and I used to ride all over the place looking for the most > > secluded roads, and paths we could find. It was always nice to have > > someone along to help you push your bike out of a rut, or ultra > muddy > > section of road. It will be different riding alone on those nice > > Saturdays. > > > > Rick A17 > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I am investing in a SPOT. It gives peace of mind to your family and friends and could save your life. ________________________________ From: Jeff Saline To: ramachm12@... Cc: dsn_klr650@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 5:46:17 PM Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] The Lone Rider On Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:57:32 -0700 (PDT) Rick McCauley writes:

> A sad thing has happened. My riding buddy got divorced about 3 years > ago. He has bounced from girl to girl since then. The last 2 took > him to the cleaners so bad that he was unable to make the payments > on his KLR. The bank just came and got it. > Do most of you ride alone, or do you all have friends that share > your KLR adventures. I have done a lot of riding alone, but mostly > local. Darren and I used to ride all over the place looking for the > most secluded roads, and paths we could find. It was always nice to > have someone along to help you push your bike out of a rut, or ultra > muddy section of road. It will be different riding alone on those > nice Saturdays. > > Rick A17

<><><><><><> <><><><><><> Rick, Bummer about you and your friend's situations. Hope stuff improves for both of you. : ) I often ride alone for a multitude of reasons. I like being able to make a ride decision without consulting anyone else. I feel comfortable riding at whatever speed I feel is reasonable for conditions and my pleasure. No wondering if you are going too fast or holding up the ride when you're alone. I'm comfortable repairing a flat tire by myself on the side of the road in the rain at night if needed. Riding logging roads I usually try to keep to the ones that are regularly used if I'm by myself just incase something not good happens. I've been known to ride solo in places I probably shouldn't be riding. Nobody has any idea where I might be or when I might return. Last year I got my KLR stuck on a logging road and it took me about an hour to get it free. Having a friend alone might have got it out in 45 minutes. It was really stuck and unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me on that ride. I enjoy longer off pavement trips with a riding partner. Steve and I ride really well together whether on or off paved surfaces. We have similar habits, skills, likes and dislikes. And we respect each other's views, wants and needs. It's always been a pleasure riding with him. Taking a day ride, or maybe a bit longer, with a small group of folks can be fun sometimes. But when you get lots of folks together it can clog the road making it more difficult for other road users. And often when you get more than two riders together somebody isn't gonna get their needs met for fuel, food, route selection, rate of travel, daily mileage etc. I've ridden or taken trips with Hugh, Martin, Mike, Bill, AJ and others. Groups of more than 2 were more challenging when making decisions. But the rides were still all good to great. I think day rides with groups are easier than trips. Having said that, some of the best riding I've done has been when it's a shared experience with someone I care about and enjoy being around. Exploring a new area, a special destination or just the shared event while on two wheels has sometimes been better than great. Ken and I had a wonderful trip in the UK back in the 80s until he crashed in Scotland. Then I had a wonderful adventure returning to Germany solo. Karen and Ken and I had wonderful rides together in Switzerland and Germany. Karen and I had a great trip in Florida right after she got her motorcycle license and a bike. If you ever get the chance to visit Cedar Key on the gulf coast it's worth it. My nephew Matt and I have ridden together just a bit and we've always had very fun rides. Watching him develop as a rider, mechanic and man has been a wonderful experience. When I used to scuba dive I'd say I'd dive with anyone once. I've quickly figured out once is too much with some folks. : ) I think riding can be the same way. I like to know a person just a bit before I accept or make a ride invitation and make sure I think we'll be compatible on the road. I don't go much for showing off, doing stuff that endangers me or other road users or gives motorcyclists negative publicity. I've left group rides when the conduct of the group or even a single member of the group didn't meet my standards. And I've never felt bad about being true to myself. So solo, or with a partner(s) can be good for me. I'm glad I don't have to make a choice of one or the other. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads. org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT . ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ Digital Photography - Click Now. http://thirdpartyof fers.juno. com/TGL2141/ fc/BLSrjpTDvmTiX iZQvRlMS1v9VhXoV 3DRQ697NWFVYtN5g rQADfSO43yC9cU/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

If you research cheapest prices for a SPOT would you please share them here? I ride a 550,000 acre national forest alone a LOT and my wife has pointed out that they would hardly know where to start looking if I failed to show up back home one of these times.... $bob$ _____ From: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com [mailto:DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of E Hines Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 8:12 AM To: Jeff Saline; ramachm12@... Cc: dsn_klr650@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] The Lone Rider I am investing in a SPOT. It gives peace of mind to your family and friends and could save your life. ________________________________ From: Jeff Saline com> To: ramachm12@yahoo. com Cc: dsn_klr650@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 5:46:17 PM Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] The Lone Rider On Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:57:32 -0700 (PDT) Rick McCauley writes:

> A sad thing has happened. My riding buddy got divorced about 3 years > ago. He has bounced from girl to girl since then. The last 2 took > him to the cleaners so bad that he was unable to make the payments > on his KLR. The bank just came and got it. > Do most of you ride alone, or do you all have friends that share > your KLR adventures. I have done a lot of riding alone, but mostly > local. Darren and I used to ride all over the place looking for the > most secluded roads, and paths we could find. It was always nice to > have someone along to help you push your bike out of a rut, or ultra > muddy section of road. It will be different riding alone on those > nice Saturdays. > > Rick A17

<><><><><><> <><><><><><> Rick, Bummer about you and your friend's situations. Hope stuff improves for both of you. : ) I often ride alone for a multitude of reasons. I like being able to make a ride decision without consulting anyone else. I feel comfortable riding at whatever speed I feel is reasonable for conditions and my pleasure. No wondering if you are going too fast or holding up the ride when you're alone. I'm comfortable repairing a flat tire by myself on the side of the road in the rain at night if needed. Riding logging roads I usually try to keep to the ones that are regularly used if I'm by myself just incase something not good happens. I've been known to ride solo in places I probably shouldn't be riding. Nobody has any idea where I might be or when I might return. Last year I got my KLR stuck on a logging road and it took me about an hour to get it free. Having a friend alone might have got it out in 45 minutes. It was really stuck and unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me on that ride. I enjoy longer off pavement trips with a riding partner. Steve and I ride really well together whether on or off paved surfaces. We have similar habits, skills, likes and dislikes. And we respect each other's views, wants and needs. It's always been a pleasure riding with him. Taking a day ride, or maybe a bit longer, with a small group of folks can be fun sometimes. But when you get lots of folks together it can clog the road making it more difficult for other road users. And often when you get more than two riders together somebody isn't gonna get their needs met for fuel, food, route selection, rate of travel, daily mileage etc. I've ridden or taken trips with Hugh, Martin, Mike, Bill, AJ and others. Groups of more than 2 were more challenging when making decisions. But the rides were still all good to great. I think day rides with groups are easier than trips. Having said that, some of the best riding I've done has been when it's a shared experience with someone I care about and enjoy being around. Exploring a new area, a special destination or just the shared event while on two wheels has sometimes been better than great. Ken and I had a wonderful trip in the UK back in the 80s until he crashed in Scotland. Then I had a wonderful adventure returning to Germany solo. Karen and Ken and I had wonderful rides together in Switzerland and Germany. Karen and I had a great trip in Florida right after she got her motorcycle license and a bike. If you ever get the chance to visit Cedar Key on the gulf coast it's worth it. My nephew Matt and I have ridden together just a bit and we've always had very fun rides. Watching him develop as a rider, mechanic and man has been a wonderful experience. When I used to scuba dive I'd say I'd dive with anyone once. I've quickly figured out once is too much with some folks. : ) I think riding can be the same way. I like to know a person just a bit before I accept or make a ride invitation and make sure I think we'll be compatible on the road. I don't go much for showing off, doing stuff that endangers me or other road users or gives motorcyclists negative publicity. I've left group rides when the conduct of the group or even a single member of the group didn't meet my standards. And I've never felt bad about being true to myself. So solo, or with a partner(s) can be good for me. I'm glad I don't have to make a choice of one or the other. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads. org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT . ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ Digital Photography - Click Now. http://thirdpartyof fers.juno. com/TGL2141/ fc/BLSrjpTDvmTiX iZQvRlMS1v9VhXoV 3DRQ697NWFVYtN5g rQADfSO43yC9cU/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

AMA members get a discount, plus they have a $25.00 rebate. Here is their link: http://www.findmespot.com/en/ ________________________________ From: LDHunter To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 7:15:26 AM Subject: RE: [DSN_KLR650] The Lone Rider If you research cheapest prices for a SPOT would you please share them here? I ride a 550,000 acre national forest alone a LOT and my wife has pointed out that they would hardly know where to start looking if I failed to show up back home one of these times.... $bob$ _____ From: DSN_KLR650@yahoogro ups.com [mailto:DSN_KLR650@yahoogro ups.com] On Behalf Of E Hines Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 8:12 AM To: Jeff Saline; ramachm12@yahoo. com Cc: dsn_klr650@yahoogro ups.com Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] The Lone Rider I am investing in a SPOT. It gives peace of mind to your family and friends and could save your life. ____________ _________ _________ __ From: Jeff Saline com> To: ramachm12@yahoo. com Cc: dsn_klr650@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 5:46:17 PM Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] The Lone Rider On Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:57:32 -0700 (PDT) Rick McCauley writes:

> A sad thing has happened. My riding buddy got divorced about 3 years > ago. He has bounced from girl to girl since then. The last 2 took > him to the cleaners so bad that he was unable to make the payments > on his KLR. The bank just came and got it. > Do most of you ride alone, or do you all have friends that share > your KLR adventures. I have done a lot of riding alone, but mostly > local. Darren and I used to ride all over the place looking for the > most secluded roads, and paths we could find. It was always nice to > have someone along to help you push your bike out of a rut, or ultra > muddy section of road. It will be different riding alone on those > nice Saturdays. > > Rick A17

<><><><><><> <><><><><><> Rick, Bummer about you and your friend's situations. Hope stuff improves for both of you. : ) I often ride alone for a multitude of reasons. I like being able to make a ride decision without consulting anyone else. I feel comfortable riding at whatever speed I feel is reasonable for conditions and my pleasure. No wondering if you are going too fast or holding up the ride when you're alone. I'm comfortable repairing a flat tire by myself on the side of the road in the rain at night if needed. Riding logging roads I usually try to keep to the ones that are regularly used if I'm by myself just incase something not good happens. I've been known to ride solo in places I probably shouldn't be riding. Nobody has any idea where I might be or when I might return. Last year I got my KLR stuck on a logging road and it took me about an hour to get it free. Having a friend alone might have got it out in 45 minutes. It was really stuck and unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me on that ride. I enjoy longer off pavement trips with a riding partner. Steve and I ride really well together whether on or off paved surfaces. We have similar habits, skills, likes and dislikes. And we respect each other's views, wants and needs. It's always been a pleasure riding with him. Taking a day ride, or maybe a bit longer, with a small group of folks can be fun sometimes. But when you get lots of folks together it can clog the road making it more difficult for other road users. And often when you get more than two riders together somebody isn't gonna get their needs met for fuel, food, route selection, rate of travel, daily mileage etc. I've ridden or taken trips with Hugh, Martin, Mike, Bill, AJ and others. Groups of more than 2 were more challenging when making decisions. But the rides were still all good to great. I think day rides with groups are easier than trips. Having said that, some of the best riding I've done has been when it's a shared experience with someone I care about and enjoy being around. Exploring a new area, a special destination or just the shared event while on two wheels has sometimes been better than great. Ken and I had a wonderful trip in the UK back in the 80s until he crashed in Scotland. Then I had a wonderful adventure returning to Germany solo. Karen and Ken and I had wonderful rides together in Switzerland and Germany. Karen and I had a great trip in Florida right after she got her motorcycle license and a bike. If you ever get the chance to visit Cedar Key on the gulf coast it's worth it. My nephew Matt and I have ridden together just a bit and we've always had very fun rides. Watching him develop as a rider, mechanic and man has been a wonderful experience. When I used to scuba dive I'd say I'd dive with anyone once. I've quickly figured out once is too much with some folks. : ) I think riding can be the same way. I like to know a person just a bit before I accept or make a ride invitation and make sure I think we'll be compatible on the road. I don't go much for showing off, doing stuff that endangers me or other road users or gives motorcyclists negative publicity. I've left group rides when the conduct of the group or even a single member of the group didn't meet my standards. And I've never felt bad about being true to myself. So solo, or with a partner(s) can be good for me. I'm glad I don't have to make a choice of one or the other. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads. org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT . ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ Digital Photography - Click Now. http://thirdpartyof fers.juno. com/TGL2141/ fc/BLSrjpTDvmTiX iZQvRlMS1v9VhXoV 3DRQ697NWFVYtN5g rQADfSO43yC9cU/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Lets see if this reply works !! haha, thanks for the hint. ________________________________ The first thing I do when I reply is remove the name of the sender, and put the DSN address in. Thanks for the info for the sidecar. I always wondered how it faired with the extra weight Rick A17

--- On Wed, 3/18/09, Vernon Wade wrote: From: Vernon Wade Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Re: Adventure Sidecar Classes 2009 To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogro ups.com Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2009, 12:44 PM The darn reply default on this board alwys catches me out- do you guys really prefer it set to private email? The short answer to this is: the stock KLR has hadequate power to haul a sidecar. It is great fun below about 55mph and you can flog 65-70 out of it if you don't have a hil, headwind or heavy load. You might need to drop a gear occasionally to maintain it, but you can do it. Performance is very similar to a Ural 650. Stock gearing is fine. One of my bikes had a 16 up front. It could haul a sidecar with that but wasn't happy. The best dualsport combo for this bike seems to be 14 front and stock rear. One of my bikes is a 685- it is happier at all speeds and performance is comparable to a Ural 750 The KLR is an excellent bike for teaching the classes. It is big enough you feel like you are on a real bike, not a toy, but tractable enough not to run away with a beginner. --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogro ups.com, Rick McCauley wrote: > > More knowledge/experienc e is always good.. > > I am curious. We all know the KLR is no power house. How does it handle the added weight of a sidecar. Do you change final gearing ? > > Rick > A17 > > --- On Wed, 3/18/09, Vernon Wade wrote: > > From: Vernon Wade > Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Adventure Sidecar Classes 2009 > To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogro ups.com > Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2009, 11:51 AM > > > > > > > I am a firm believer that drivers education is the best way to > improve ones safety and enjoyment regardless if you are driving a > car, an ATV, motorcycle or sidecar. > > There are only a handful of sidecar classes offered in the US and as > far as I know the Adventure Sidecar classes are the only ones using > KLR 650s and the only ones done on dirt. The techniques taught > translate directly into street skills-the dirt surface requires > finesse. If you can do it here you can do it on the street, in the > rain or in gravel! > > Adventure Sidecar Novice S/TEP classes for the 2009 season will be > available through Hood River Community Education on the following > weekends: > > May 8, 9 & 10 > > June 19,20 & 21 > > July 17,18 & 19 > > August 7,8 & 9 > > The course fee is $225. Call Hood River Community Education (541)386-2055 to register. More information > can be found on our website adventuresidecar. com > > Prior motorcycle experience is not needed for the novice class. We > will cover basic motorcycle operation as part of the class. You must > be at least 16 years old and have a valid driver's license to take > the class. If you are under 18 years old you must have a waiver > signed by a parent or legal guardian. Each class is limited to 12 > students for safety and quality reasons. > > You may take the class using your sidecar or trike or one of ours. If > you choose to use your own rig for the class, you must have proof of > insurance and the machine must be in a safe operating condition. > > Be aware the driving exercises will be conducted on a grass lot. > > By the way, the glow in the dark KLR sidecar I am working on will be one of the class bikes- I am still looking for white tank shrouds and a white front fender! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]