Wilsons Sandbox

I have an 07 KLR650, am 5'9" with a 30" inseam (No this is not a personal ad.} I have an Afrika lower dish seat, 11/2" lowering links, and raised the fork tubes 1". The dished seat did not lower me by 11/2" as advertised, but only 3/4". I confirmed this by putting various thicknesses of lumber under my feet on the garage floor and by hanging a plum bob from the ceiling touching the top of my head. I checked several times with both stock and dished seats. Still 3/4" made a noticeable difference. I could back up and move the bike around much easier than with the stock seat. Adding the lowering links got me down another 11/2" for a total of 21/4". I can now get my heals down if I sit in the dish and stretch. However at a stop light, I am more comfortable on the balls of my feet and haven't found this to be a problem. I gave up on trying to use the KLR650 as a dirt bike and bought a used TW200 for that.   Craig Kahler

--- On [b]Tue, 8/17/10, RobertWichert [i][/i][/b] wrote:

From: RobertWichert Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] Re: How to lower a KLR650 To: "Ian" Cc: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Date: Tuesday, August 17, 2010, 2:16 PM   I "might" be able to ride a Harley off-road, but if it ever fell over, I'd need a tow truck to lift it.  At least I "can" lift the KLR. And Harleys in sand/mud/grass/ are easy to drop.  LOTS easier than the KLR. Robert P. Wichert P.Eng +1 916 966 9060 FAX +1 916 966 9068 ======================================================== On 8/17/2010 10:57 AM, Ian wrote:   I'm 53yo, 5'9" with a 30-31 inch inseam. I can manage alright on the KLR but I am a reasonably experienced rider. I didn't think the seat is anywhere near 39in high - closer to 36in., and once the shock wears in the suspension compresses quite a bit on the 96-07 bikes. It can be alarming to try and reach the ground with a boot and not be able to touch anything in certain situations. On occasion I've had to quickly slide my butt off the seat to the side to get a leg down when attempting to stop. On level asphalt I can get both boots down but toes/balls of the foot only - not the heels. The lowering links are easy to install or remove. Going too low will cause bottoming of the rear suspension in severe conditions or if you and/or your luggage are heavy, and the license plate will be at risk if it's in the stock location. If you are not fairly strong and agile, with a good sense of balance, you might want to consider a different bike. A KLR650 is not for newbs. I've fallen off my KLR three times and it is not much fun. It's a long way down! Middle-aged men don't heal as quickly as the youngsters. The idea of having a go-anywhere bike is appealing, but in two years and 15k miles of ownership I've done less than 100 miles offroad, and some of those dirt roads could have been ridden on a Harley. I find the KLR comfortable and have done as many as 573 miles in one day on the stock seat. My knees like not being folded up. The KLR is only one of five runners in the garage. Nice to have a variety. - ian --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "charlie_hembree" wrote: > > I am a 64 year old male and I am about to purchase 2007 KLR 650. I have one concern. The seat height is about 37-39 inches high. My legs are too short to touch the ground and secure the bike in a safe and secure way. I have been told (By a Kawasaki Dealer) that the bike can be lowered about 3 inches. My question to this group is: (1) Is this a sutable solution for the bike being too high? (2) Are there any adverse side effects to lowering a bike this much? >