product endorsement - seafoam 2nd notion

[Ronald Criswell]

I'm with you on the 606's. Expensive but better than any I have tried. It is amazing how far you can lean them on pavement and they are better than any DOT knobby I have tried for dirt (kenda 270's, IRC GP1's, Grpsters etc.). Criswell

On Mar 13, 2008, at 3:56 PM, Tumu Rock wrote: > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Bob Monahan" > wrote: > > > > I am picking up my used but not abused '07 KLR 650 today and it will > be needing tires pretty soon. It'll be my first Kawasaki I ever owned > since I used to be a Honda and Yamaha guy but this and KLR Net have > convinced me that I'd be happier with a KLR 650. > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > > Welcome to the asylum! > > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > > I'm 57yrs old and I suspect that 70% of my riding will be on > pavement, 25% on sand and dirt roads with almost no rocks or gravel, > and 5% will be trail riding in the National Forest near here with > mostly sand, very little mud, and some creek crossings. > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > > Really depends where you want to make the sacrifice on handling. I > have a fair amount of experience with the KLR in deep sand (Pine > Barrens in S. NJ). I always traded my street capability for offroad > ability because I like to ride more aggressively offroad and more > conservatively on road. I found that a Kenda K760 Trakmaster II Rear > combined with Dunlop D606 front handled the sand better than anything > else I'd tried (Kenda K270 f/r, Pirelli MT21 f/r, D606 f/r, K760 f/r, > MT21 front with a K760 rear, D606 front with a TKC 80 rear). The rear > does not have great traction on the road but it is very predictable > and actually fun once you get used to it. The 606 front holds > pavement incredibly well for such an aggressive knobby. I never had a > problem leaning the bike over on the pavement (but of course there are > limitations). Some people like the 270 front for float in the sand, > but I found the 606 to track better. > > The Pirelli MT 21s handle a little bit better than the 606 on the > pavement but not quite as good in the deep stuff. That said, you > might want to try the K760 rear with an MT21 front. > > Either way, for the rear, nothing beats the K760 in the sand. The > wide 3-knob center knob is practically a paddle. > > da Vermonster > > Haven't tried any of the new Excella DOT knobbies, but I'm thinking > about it... Dunlop also has a few new offerings including the 908RR if > you want to spend the big bucks (I think the rears are upwards of > $150) > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Jud Jones]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Mike Frey wrote:

> > Almost everyone has their favorites..... > My vote goes for: > > 1) IRC GP-1 Inexpensive but good. Better than the stock > tires, which aren't really as bad as some people say - till you > get in mud. GP-1s are better all around, on and off road > > 2) Kenda K270 - more expensive than the IRC but about the > same performance. > > 3) The stock tires. People pick on them, but they're OK. > > I have Cheng Shin C858 on one of my KLRs, it has pretty > aggressive knobs, rides OK on the street, great off road. Cheap. > Actually not bad at all on the road other than it wanders on > grooved pavement. Not sure I'll go back to that one again unless > I spend more time off road. > > Whatever tire you choose, run your air pressures in the low > 30s for street riding, then air down to low 20s (or less) for > off road. >

I would agree with those choices almost completely, except I have found that the K270s, a clone of the GP1, are cheaper, and do not work quite as well on pavement. However, for me, they outlast everything else (except some street tires, which I do not use). For a more aggressive DOT knobby, I have found that the D606 works well, and outlasts MT21, Karoo and TKC80, while being moderately priced.

[Tumu Rock]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Mike Frey wrote:

> > > What tires did you use for your cross country trip? > > I'm still waiting to hear about what you WORE during that trip!

I used D607's for the cross country part and switched out to a 606 fornt and TKC 80 rear in Las Vegas(I wanted a 606 rear but they didn't have any in stock in the whole freaakin' town!) I'm still writing up my final evaluation of gear and things that I learned along the way (some of which are fairly obvious but I'm a slow learner). I've been caught up in trying to rebuild the top end of my KTM 640 before me and the missus leave for a Colorado trip at the end of this month (sadly she wants to bring the dog so we're trailering out there. Ecccchhhh! My dog ain't no Punky). Between that and work, I haven't had a lot of time where I could focus on the report. Anyway, I hope to finish up the final report before too much longer. da Vermonster

[Steve Milum]

Bob, I live in Niceville and ride on the Eglin reservation here in sugar sand NW Florida. I originally bought a used KLR650 with an Avon Distanzia on the front and an Avon Gripster on the rear. They were pretty bad off-road and tended to slide on asphalt with even a dusting of sand. I replaced them with Bridgestones. The front is a TW21 and the rear is a TW22 (TW = Trailwing), recommended by http://www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html (KLR 650 FAQ). I bought them for a little over $225, I think, with free shipping from http://www.cycleshopusa.com/tuckerrocky/st0205c/st0205c0820i.htm No, I have no interest in the company. They are good dual purpose tires, but frankly, the fine sand we have here can confound the best tires. The forest roads can switch rapidly from packed sand to deep, loose sand traps as you travel along. Plus, a road that is great one day will suck you in the next after it dries and a couple of trucks have plowed it up. The KLR650 is not dainty in this fine, loose sand and you can exhaust yourself trying to lift it after a spill. Keep in mind that before I came here I routinely rode the dirt roads of inland and costal south Texas with no problems from my Honda CB650 Nighthawk (street bike) and Yamaha RT2 360 (enduro). Call me a wimp, but due to the sand here, now my riding off the pavement is with my KLR250. It's far easier to handle and a lot more fun. Although it costs more than a set of tires, I figure I've saved more than enough in medical bills and replacemet parts to pay for it several times. I use the 650 for paved roads, and two-up riding now. The 250 is great for most of my purposes and has far less vibration than the 650. Although it will do over 80mph with my carcass on it, it's best comfortable speed range is 55 to 65mph. It is also more reactive to wind gusts, but not dangerously so. - Steve in Niceville --------------------------------- Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[dooden]

Not me. I have ran the rear around 18 without a problem, but with Kenda 270's I found up north I just left them around 22~25 psi since it was a remote area which I could point just about in any direction and be off pavement. Of course when I knew I would be on pavement for commute or whatever I would air them back up. D606 on front now and a new K270 on the rear and have had them airred up tight since install since I was highway running couple hours a day commuting. Looking maybe at more street tires now, wish I had a spare set of rims, but just cannot justify that amount of cash. But the Concurs is getting prettier all the time also. Dooden A15 Green Ape --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Ronald Criswell wrote:

> > So when you air down (in the 20's) do you back off the nut where

the

> valve stem / rim is to the air cap as some suggest? > > Criswell > On Mar 13, 2008, at 2:19 PM, Mike Frey wrote: > > > Almost everyone has their favorites..... > > My vote goes for: > > > > 1) IRC GP-1 Inexpensive but good. Better than the stock > > tires, which aren't really as bad as some people say - till you > > get in mud. GP-1s are better all around, on and off road > > > > 2) Kenda K270 - more expensive than the IRC but about the > > same performance. > > > > 3) The stock tires. People pick on them, but they're OK. > > > > I have Cheng Shin C858 on one of my KLRs, it has pretty > > aggressive knobs, rides OK on the street, great off road. Cheap. > > Actually not bad at all on the road other than it wanders on > > grooved pavement. Not sure I'll go back to that one again unless > > I spend more time off road. > > > > Whatever tire you choose, run your air pressures in the low > > 30s for street riding, then air down to low 20s (or less) for > > off road. > > > > Mike > > > > Bob Monahan wrote: > > > > > > I am picking up my used but not abused '07 KLR 650 today and

it

> > will be > > > needing tires pretty soon. It'll be my first Kawasaki I ever > > owned since I > > > used to be a Honda and Yamaha guy but this and KLR Net have > > convinced me > > > that I'd be happier with a KLR 650. > > > > > > I'm 57yrs old and I suspect that 70% of my riding will be on > > pavement, 25% > > > on sand and dirt roads with almost no rocks or gravel, and 5% > > will be > > > trail > > > riding in the National Forest near here with mostly sand, very > > little mud, > > > and some creek crossings. > > > > > > I'm an experienced rider with about a 100K miles under my belt

about

> > > 25K of > > > which was on "enduro" bikes which are now termed duo sport. I > > haven't > > > ridden > > > in about 10 years but don't expect any issues other than a

fair

> > amount of > > > natural caution at first. > > > > > > I live in NW Florida and will probably ride about 2K-4K miles

a

> > year. > > > > > > Anyone have any suggestions as to what the ultimate tires

would

> > be for my > > > use? > > > > > > $bob$ > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >

[Bob Monahan]

I really want to thank EVERYONE for the excellent input on tires for my KLR 650. I took it for a 2 hour ride yesterday and had more fun than I've had in years. They certainly aren't built for loose sand riding but then almost ANY heavy bike with my 235 pounds on it won't be either... I'm probably going to order some Conti's for it. Anyone have any idea where the best tire prices might be? Mail order is fine with me.... $bob$ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[David Giuliani]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Mike Frey wrote:

> > Almost everyone has their favorites..... > My vote goes for: > > 1) IRC GP-1 Inexpensive but good. Better than the stock > tires, which aren't really as bad as some people say - till you > get in mud. GP-1s are better all around, on and off road

.......... I've been running the IRC GP-110 front and rear 80% road 20% gravel/dirt (not wet). I'm thinking of switching to the TKC80 next time, but they're expensive. Can anyone report on the difference between the GP-1 and the GP-110? Dave

[Jake Wilson]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Bob Monahan" wrote:

> > I really want to thank EVERYONE for the excellent input on tires

for my KLR

> 650. I took it for a 2 hour ride yesterday and had more fun than

I've had in

> years. They certainly aren't built for loose sand riding but then

almost ANY

> heavy bike with my 235 pounds on it won't be either... >

~~~Hey Bob, I rode my 08' KLR off road (first time riding anything off road in 30 years) up at TdA 3 in Jan http://www.supernet.net/~gerald/tda.htm I ran through a lot of sand and felt quite stable after airing the oe dunlops down to 20 PSI. I weighed 280 lbs. then. Been dieting (intentionally trying to lose weight) and am down to 255 currently. Anyways, as some have indicated, a lighter smaller bike is better off road but then the KLR is a dual purpose bike

> > > I'm probably going to order some Conti's for it. Anyone have any

idea where

> the best tire prices might be? Mail order is fine with me.... > > > > $bob$ > >

~~~Amercian moto tire is pretty competitive. There's also south west moto tire. I've done business with both through the years and have been satisfied with multiple transactions I'm also in the market for tires. Soon I'll be needing a rear tire to replace the oe dunlop. I'm thinking of going with a set of the Pirelli Scorpion ST's, save the oe front DOT knobby and pair it with another type of DOT knobby for the rear when I run another dedicated off road weekend (D606 rear?) Jake Reddick Fla.

[fasteddiecopeman]

Ron, IF you only loosen the nut when you 'air-down' I believe you're making a BIG mistake! There're many factors that can lead to the tire moving on the rim and tearing out the stem from the tube, so my STRONG SUGGESTION to all who haven't yet done it: loosen the nut on the valve stem and either unscrew it till it meets and locks the cap (what I do); or REMOVE IT TOTALLY. It's TOO late to do it once your stem has pulled out! Ed

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Ronald Criswell wrote: > > So when you air down (in the 20's) do you back off the nut where the > valve stem / rim is to the air cap as some suggest? > > Criswell

[dooden]

Been saying "SeaFoam" for years.... Seafoam makes a couple different products so make sure its the fuel treatment can. love the stuff, I keep it handly all the time. However I think you really REALLY over mixed it... 16 oz to 1 gal ? Bet your exhaust stinks and has a blue hue to it hey ? Have heard that over use can cause other problems with exhaust systems (catalatic converter) which is not there on a KLR, but figured I would toss that rumor/story out there. SNAKE OIL !!! if you read the can, but add it to your fuel and it really works. Have seen it take older RV Generators (which almost never get used enough to keep the carbs clean) take a genset that will not idle/run almost at all, and just hooking up a separate fuel supply (Outboard tank modified) with treated fuel (Seafoam) we could just start the Genset and let it run under light/moderate load and TADA.... maybe .. maybe it might need a minor adjustment. Oh also... Have used Sta-bil before and honestly.. will not use it again, knowing that "SEAFOAM" will also stabilze fuel also, pretty sure its on the can. When my 4.3L Vortec 170,000+ miles gets kinda rough running, in goes Seafoam and it smoothes right out. Dooden A15 Green Ape (Gets a sip of SeaFoam normally in the spring)

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, tch@... wrote: > > Hi all. I just took one of my bikes (a new 2008 Kawasaki KLR 650 with 400 miles on the clock) out of storage -- I filled the tank with fresh gas and added Stabil back in November. It ran well at that time. Today, though, it wouldn't start or idle unless the choke was full on, and it ran poorly -- backfiring, stalling, and etc. Sooooo, I drained the gas (leaving about a gallon in the tank) and added a full 16-ounce can of Seafoam gas treatment. It took about 2- minutes for the bike to begin running normally again -- no running only on full choke, no backfiring, and full power. BTW, the gas that I used in November was from the same batch that was used in several of my other bikes with no ill effects. > > IMHO, Seafoam is the best carb cleaner that I've used to-date. It sure beat partially disassembling the carb to spray/blow out the pilot jets, and etc. Perhaps I just got lucky because the KLR 650 has only one carb but, for the Vmaxer's out there, I'd try this approach before the "Shotgun Technique" of removing the A/F mixture screws/vacuum diaphragms/squirting jets with carb cleaner/blowing them out with compressed air. If the simple add of Seafoam in high concentration fails, then by all means, use the "Shotgun Technique". If that fails, pull the carb racks and do a complete disassembly and cleaning -- with Seafoam. LOL. > > > > > > TC > > ________________________________________ > PeoplePC Online > A better way to Internet > http://www.peoplepc.com >