introduction - new rider and new klr 650 owner in northern color

[Bill Watson]

Just a quick note to tell the group that Thermo-Bob kits are available for all years of the KLR250 as well. The 650 kits have been out since 2007, and there have been requests for a 250 kit which is finally complete. The photos in the Installation Manual are from Revmaaatin's KLR250. I finally got a chance to meet him in person in South Dakota (at Jeff Saline's house!) in September - we did his install and got some 650 riding in as well. We had a great time! Both the Rev and Jeff are a blast to be around, as expected. No shocker there. Jeff's shop was amazing. Thermo-Bob information is at www.xanga.com/watt_man . I'm updating the site to have an ordering option for the 250 kit - in the meantime, just write the model year in the "special instructions" area of the order form or contact me at watt-man@.... [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Jeff Saline]

On Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:20:21 -0000 "jsharmer222" writes:

> Hi Everyone! > > Just wanted to introduce myself and say Hi. Im a new rider, I > finished my MSF class a few weeks ago

SNIP

> Thanks for the time everyone! Im really excited about my KLR and > hope to put a lot of miles on it over the years. > > Joe

<><><><><><><><><> <><><><><><><><><> Joe, Welcome to the group, riding, KLR ownership and maybe most importantly in my eyes congratulations for becoming a graduate of the MSF course. Well done! The MSF course might be one of the best things you can do for your early motorcycling experience survival next to wearing your gear all the time you ride. Here are a few comments based on your introduction post. I think a smaller bike is a very good choice when you first start out. They tend to be a bit more forgiving of your mistakes (and you will make them if you ride) than more powerful/performance bikes. Leaned over in a corner and grab too much throttle and on the KLR you'll probably have time to realize it's not a good idea and back off a bit. On a more powerful/performance bike the rear very well may break loose and allow you to test your new riding gear. If I may suggest... take it easy in the twisties as well as other places. Just enjoy the ride and control of the motorcycle. Look where you want to go. I'd like to repeat that... Look where you want to go. I mean turn your head to look where you want to go if you need to and watch where you want to go. Do not look at the tree, rock, deer, car etc you want to avoid. Look where you want to go and the bike will probably go there. Also try to plan ahead for what might happen and signal your intentions to other road users by using your turn signals and brakelight. Re the Torrent air mesh jacket by First Gear. I bought one last April/May for $120 and thought I was getting a pretty good deal. You should feel like a criminal getting it for $65. : ) I've been looking for a couple of years for a replacement for my First Gear Air Mesh Kilimanjaro which I did the superman slide on asphalt during the Great Divide Ride in 2004. I'm still using that Kili and it's got 5 seasons of use since the slide. So do the pants. The Torrent is pretty much a replacement for the air mesh Kili which has been discontinued. My First Gear gear with good riding boots, gloves and an HJC Sy-Max helmet allowed me to walk away from that incident in great shape. Mike, who was riding in front of me and actually got run over by the pick up truck crossed over into our lane totalling his bike, was also ok. The ambulance crew that showed 4 1/2 minutes after we both hit the pavement was sure they'd be scraping pavement of body parts was amazed when neither of us really wanted them to check us out. We explained that we were dressed properly and were fine. For those concerned, we both let them check our vitals. My heart rate was 62 bpm about 6 minutes after the event. Anyway, good gear helped keep us ok. I put the Torrent jacket in the category of good gear. Please remember the gear will only do you any good if you are wearing it. : ) I don't want to get into an oil thread but since you asked I'll voice my opinion. I've done some oil analysis after Blake Sobiloff first brought it up on this list maybe 5 years ago. First I used Valvoline auto oil which just didn't hold up. It was really only good for about 1,000 miles and then was sheared from a 40 to a 20 weight. I switched to Rotella T 15w/40 and did oil analysis on it. So did a few guys I was riding with and naming them if it's helpful to folks... Martin Earl (aka RevMaaatin), GDR and many Black Hills rides together and Steve Rankin, GDR, De Tour, local hills rides, and sometimes Airhead riding partner from West Texas. We all got similar results under similar conditions with the Rotella T holding up well for oil change intervals of 1,750 to 2,000 smiles. At the same time we all use No Toil air filters and filter maintenance products and those have been shown to work well in dusty conditions based on oil analysis too. At the time I was doing oil analysis we all had stock cooling systems. Near the middle of the tests I added a Thermo-Bob type stat by-pass system to my bike. Later I also added a second radiator. Results stayed the same with the Rotella. I also use Emgo oil filters as they are inexpensive and easy to get through a local independent shop through Parts Unlimited. Part number for those interested is 10-30000 and you get ten to a carton although you can buy them one at a time if you want. I use a stock seat on my KLR which is a 2003. Longest day in the saddle is 812 smiles from Albuquerque, NM to Rapid City, South Dakota at the end of the GDR in early August 2004. You'll have to figure out what works for you. : ) Again, welcome, congratulations and safe riding. 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 . ____________________________________________________________ House Rescue Bill Passed $133,000 mortgage under $679/mo. Compare rates and save! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/c?cp=HJ1vyUZawfMEcUzsUl5kzAAAJ1DWfJIDP-R0_NC3mMpGFS0kAAQAAAAFAAAAAN79Mj8AAAMlAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaTcQAAAAA=