klr "down" and rider too nklr

[Jim Douglas]

I didn't see the move but received the book as a gift. The book was ok and to me reading about it might be better than watching, who knows. Would be nice to have all that support on a ride of that length! There were alot of spots where I would of shi%ed in my pants where they were hassling with border guards and had to pretty much bribe their way through!

> > > Yeah I think you might be missing something, but it could be just me. > > I really like Charlie and Ewan and Alton and they do put on a pretty > good shows. > Not always the perfect shows for me and not always the adventure I > would want but it's still fun to watch. > You picked some good books, and of course there are great motorcycle > blogs and websites, but on the TV there isn't a whole lot of > motorcycling in general, and even less dual sport. > > I don't catch a whole lot of TV, but I would probably pick a show that > had a half hour of just a bike idling on a center stand over most > everything else on TV. I'm just glad these types of guys include bikes > in their adventures, most people don't. > > Dan > A-16 > > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com > , "eddiebmauri" > wrote: > > > > I hope this post does not start a battle to rival the oil thread > wars, or the chain lube battles that we debate on this newsgroup, but > I have to ask, "am I the only one who thinks that Ewan McGregor's Long > Way Round, and Long Way South adventure travel series suck?" > > > > I have seen both series and am highly disappointed, here is why. > McGregor and his riding buddy, Boorman, play their rides off as some > sort of grand adventure. But, they have a support staff that includes > 2 SUV's loaded with every imageable tool, parts, a doctor, > interpreters, a mechanic, security experts, etc. Give me a break, > where is the adventure? > > > > You want adventure? Read "Lois on the Loose", by Lois Pryce. Ms. > Pryce, a Brit., rode a 250cc from Alaska to Ushuaia. Or read Ted > Simon's, "Jupiter's Travels", he went round the world solo in the > 70's. Andres Carlstein's "Odyssey to Ushuaia" is also a pretty good > book. All three of them rode mostly solo, and they were really on > their own. > > > > I can appreciate that a part of McGregor's show is to raise > awareness for some cause or another, but as far an "adventure?" Give > me a break. Also, McGregor's series is like an endorsement, > infomercial, for one motorcycle outfitter or another. > > > > I'd rather watch Alton Brown's, "Feasting on Asphalt" any day. > Better yet, some of the blobs and web sites that some of you have > created, and the tales on the HU website, are way more interesting > than MacGregor, and a real adventure. > > > > So, is my thinking way off base here? Am I missing something? > > > > Eddie (03' KLR650 "la poderosa") > > > >

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[Tim Pruitt]

Well I have to admit I liked the shows and kept close tabs on these guys afterward as well. I understand the sentiment that they had help and support and so on, but part of the purpose of this effort was to film it as a documentary. That took some support. If you read their book on the first trip you'd know they both talked a lot about not wanting to tag along with the support trucks and tried to get away more than they did. You also have to understand that at least in Ewan's position he was probably lucky the Movie Studio even let him go. A lot of these "stars" have clauses in their contracts that they can't do this sort of thing. Yeah, if you are like me that may seem like BS too, but it's reality. I have heard of big-buck athletes with the same sort of contract restrictions. They originally wanted KTM's for the first trip. It was set up and they were preparing to get the bikes, and KTM backed out on them. Scuttle butt was KTM was afraid they'd fail and since they were so high profile it would give KTM bad press. If you have followed some of KTM's other dealing in recent years you can probably believe that - I wasn't surprised. BMW stepped up and said "We'll do it" so BMW it was. In the book (First book) they often discussed the Beemers were too big and the KTM's probably would have been better, but that was KTM's call. All in all it may not have been the hard core man against the wilds motorcycle adventure many would have wanted but, like many others here I believe the positive press the two brought to motorcycling in general was more than worth the trade off. Mix that with Alton Brown's Feasting on Asphalt series and we had two (actually 4) winners for our side. We don't get that very often in the mainstream media.

--- On Sun, 5/31/09, eddiebmauri wrote: From: eddiebmauri Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Ewan McGregor Sux? NKLR To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, May 31, 2009, 4:49 PM I hope this post does not start a battle to rival the oil thread wars, or the chain lube battles that we debate on this newsgroup, but I have to ask, "am I the only one who thinks that Ewan McGregor's Long Way Round, and Long Way South adventure travel series suck?" I have seen both series and am highly disappointed, here is why. McGregor and his riding buddy, Boorman, play their rides off as some sort of grand adventure. But, they have a support staff that includes 2 SUV's loaded with every imageable tool, parts, a doctor, interpreters, a mechanic, security experts, etc. Give me a break, where is the adventure? You want adventure? Read "Lois on the Loose", by Lois Pryce. Ms. Pryce, a Brit., rode a 250cc from Alaska to Ushuaia. Or read Ted Simon's, "Jupiter's Travels", he went round the world solo in the 70's. Andres Carlstein's "Odyssey to Ushuaia" is also a pretty good book. All three of them rode mostly solo, and they were really on their own. I can appreciate that a part of McGregor's show is to raise awareness for some cause or another, but as far an "adventure?" Give me a break. Also, McGregor's series is like an endorsement, infomercial, for one motorcycle outfitter or another. I'd rather watch Alton Brown's, "Feasting on Asphalt" any day. Better yet, some of the blobs and web sites that some of you have created, and the tales on the HU website, are way more interesting than MacGregor, and a real adventure. So, is my thinking way off base here? Am I missing something? Eddie (03' KLR650 "la poderosa") [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Christopher Eckert]

Yes it sux but for a different reason. I am jelous. When I did the AU ride I spent half my vacation patching up the sht box honda 350 I could afford. Mostly non paved roads then so the bike took a serious pounding and didnt fare well. I abandoned it when I came home because nobody wanted it, even for free. A GS would have made it easier. I had an 05 GS until just before my surgery laast June. Picked up the KLR when I knew the surgery didnt permanently criple me. Wouldent go back to a GS just because the money difference is so dramatic, but if I was wealthy!!!! I would be cool grabbing a nice new BMW and having money for hotel rooms most of the way on my next route, which is not a short ride and not in great road conditions. As for Ewan and Charlie, good for them. They went on a cool ride and got someone else to pay them for doing it. Skypilot

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Silver Duck wrote: > > The movie spurred me to do the TAT..... what's so bad about that? They planted a seed, it took root, and I did my own "adventure tour". The movies were well done entertainment. Cheers to Ewan And Charlie... >

[Rick McCauley]

Back in 1987, I tangled with an elderly gentleman in a car, while I was on my 78 KZ1000. I lost. My skull was fractured over my right ear, and I was bleeding from that ear. I have no memory of the events before, during or after the accident until the point where I woke up with a cop holding me down. I remember feeling very very sleepy, but I had no idea what happened. I then blacked out again and woke up in an ambulance on the way to a big city hospital. Woman in the ambulance said she would pray for me. I think I said thank you, then went back to sleep. I woke up later that night in a hospital bed. The skin from the knuckles on my right hand was pretty messed up, my right knee hurt, and I had an abrassion on the back of my head. Still had no idea what happened. Dr. told me the same thing. I may remember, or may not. That was 22 years ago this summer. I still have no idea what happened. I was young, and impatient back then. I probably did something stupid. The KZ was replaced by a V65 Sabre. When in doubt... Go faster. Now I own a KLR, and an old CB360. Older, means slower. Rick A17

--- On Wed, 6/3/09, John wrote: From: John Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] KLR "DOWN" and rider too To: "Tom Zangla" Cc: "KLRGroup" DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 2:32 PM I had the same experience on a bicycle , single vehicle accident. I was found unconscious in the middle of the road by another cyclist, no cars passed him either way so we know it wasn't a car. Small animal, loss of conscious, rock, UFO who knows. Had all test, healed just fine, broke collar bone, couple ribs, split scapula, 5 months out of work, that hurt the most . I'm back cycling and Motorcycling, that was May 2005 . I ride bicycles with a couple of Dr's they assure me that the head impact cleared my memory of the event, they say that the whole event will come back to me or maybe not. It's been 4 years and I don't think about it anymore.Get yourself checked out but don't let it keep you off the bike if they don't find anything. Stuff happens that can't be explained medically, they would like you to believe it's an exact science but it's not. IMHO John 04 KLR 01 Connie 1/2 dozen road and Mtn bikes ----- Original Message ----- From: Tom Zangla To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 2009 1:35 PM Subject: [DSN_KLR650] KLR "DOWN" and rider too Hi Everyone.... May 23rd was a bad day for the A 19 and myself. I was up in the rolling mountains of SW Pennsylvania going about 30 to 40 miles and hour and I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. I was on the bike and the next thing I was on a ambulance stretcher. They life flighted me to Johnstown Pa. hospital because they thought I may have had a brain injury sine I did not know what was going on. I have talked to a few people and they lady that found me was in her private car at the time but she does work on the local ambulance. She told me when she first saw me I was trying to take my helmet off and she kept telling me to leave it on. She also said I was trying to take it off without the chin strap loose. I guess I got a lot of my road rash blood on her, I only had a tee shirt and a safety colored vest on the top, blue jeans on the bottom with heavy boots. I figured I fell off the left side of the bike since most of the heavy damage to me is there. 5 fractured ribs, 2 sets of ribs have fractures on front and back. Left shoulder fracture and scapula fracture. BIG black and blue mark on my left butt. Road rash on both sides. The bike has 2 messed up foot pegs, drivers and one on the crash bars. The fairing is tore up a bit along with the hand guard and rubber on the handle bar. The afermarket luggage rack is bent up but it look like it saved a lot. I started it up a few days ago and it does not leak anywhere. The rear tire was flat.... I do not know it that was the cause of the accident. I will be turning 60 next month and I don,t know if I got the guts enough to get back on this A19, time will tell. Tom [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]