Off In The Weeds

[Mr Head]

Ride Report

[Benson]

That is some great scenery Dick.

I'm gonna need to borrow an adventure bike from somewhere during my next visit to Cal, just so I can get out there to the Dez again and see the Moon put on a gun blazin' show for myself. It's been a few years.

I'm over my fear of flying. Next trip to Cal is gonna be planned around some serious Desert time!!!!!

[Mr Head]

You will have to do that. Maybe Crash will still have the Ti-Double-Grr then. Who knows?

[RIFLEMAN]

Tell ya Head,I'm gonna seriously work on getting my hands on either a KLR or a airhead RG and when I do,you gotta show me the ropes!

[Mr Head]

My idea of ropes are somewhat at odds with much of the popular "wisdom", but I'll disclose that early in the process and where I derive my idea of works from fluff. Tigers and Stroms also work but are different to deal with. An airhead GS is almost as much as buying an older 1100 GS.
Though, if it were me I'd go for the bang for the buck. The KLR is always the right choice when BFB is the criteria in this sense. I don't think you can go wrong unless you close your eyes and pick a turd right off. About the only way to kill a KLR is dirt or stupidity. And that's dirt on the inside. Dirt on the outside doesn't seem to matter one bit. They can do a heck of a lot more than most people think. They are heavier than a real dirtbike but a GS Adventure is about as far away from a real dirtbike as a you can get and still dress in knobbies. If I were picking a bike to learn to adventure travel on, a used fully farkled, KLR will run about $4k or so for lightly used and piled dump-truck high with extras. $2000 is about the bottom end of ready to ride. And those things can go more and easier than the big GS, the difference in the price is paid in comfort. But that is workable too. As a point of perspective, at $2000 that used KLR costs about as much as a full rebuild on a GS transmission. The intermediate shaft, sold as a whole only runs around $1,600 and change... Then you get to pay the man to do the work. Personally when it is my time for this part of the adventure I'll be boxing the trans up and shipping it off to a guy I know who knows how to do it right, so it will be better than new for the next 200,000 miles. With a KLR? Just go buy another one.
And the KLR can commute, is fine at highway speeds, yes it is underpowered compared to a big inch multi go too fast machine, but who cares? You're getting 50+ mpg for about what cable with HD and a DVR cost the multitude a year. Not too bad a deal.
As for dirt, I figure you got it covered. Riding across the dry lake at closer to the double ton than most on smooth tires you're miles ahead with the loose thing...

But, I do know some gear things and the whole zen-who-gives-a-damn style of touring is way too much fun to not pursue for at least a bit.

I'll be out of touch for a bit here this year, but maybe toward late summer I'll be able to pull off a few weekends here and there. Next fall should be great riding.

[RIFLEMAN]

I gotta agree with you on the cost to fun ratio of the KLR,but there is something about those old RG's I really like. I recently saw 5 of the diesel KLRs being tested locally. Other than the smell and the fact that they could pull away from a fullstop in top gear,you would have no idea that anything was amiss. Unfortunately the $19K price tag and the fact that they are NEVER going to meet EPA(let alone CARB)certification with the current mechanical injection make the choice moot.
I do recognize the KLR as the best choice-cheap,plenty of available farkles and stone axe reliability. Also the fact that they can run on the slab without getting run over is very attractive. I would never expect a device like this to be fast and I have been impressed by how I've seen several flogged in the twisties.
Is it heavy for a dirtbike? Maybe if I was going to use it competing in a Supercross or hare & hound,but for what I intend to use it for I think its just about right.
All I have to do is make it through my present financial meltdown and next summer I just migh be able to grab one.
You just might have a neophyte to mentor next fall!
Thanx