If you are going to do a lot of road riding then i wouldn't get an MT21 front. Best value adv knob out there IMHO, but have weird issues under heavy braking on the road and tend to make the steering very heavy feeling.
What's the front rim width on the KLR? The TT with a worn MT21 was very neutral on the road but has a 1.6" rim.
I put 705's on the Africa Twin for the TT2000 and they were bloody good. Lots better on the twisties than the nobbly sort and they are actually quite good on the gravel.Look like a long laster too as they've worn bugger all in 3,500km. Havent ridden them on any kind of a wet surface tho....... it doesnt seem to rain anymore
Mark, when are you going to deal with these Nelson people using your "I want" thread to talk about tyres....? If you don't do something soon it will be an oil thread before you know it. Regards, Michael PS - serviced the Pampera today and used Motul synthetic 10W30 2T gearbox oil. I find this greatly reduces clutch drag relative to standard mineral engine oil....................
Ohh, oil, now you're talking! Mark, do an inventory and find out which type of oil you have the most of in stock and buy the bike that takes that type of oil......problem solved!!
Now thats a truely profound statement there Michael. I suffer the same 'jeckyl n hyde' feelings about my bloody Dumpster Reject 650!! Carnt Love it and dare'nt hate it!:huh Best of luck with your 'hunt' Mark.
You've described the Weestrom to a T. I think they look fine, not nearly as ugly as the 11xx/1200 gs. That said they did good work with the new ones I think. I haven't ridden one of the new Transalps but my '89 alp was just too much of a compromise in every direction. Not as good as a KLR off road, motor needed to be revved too much for slow stuff, no tractor ability at all. Buzzy at speeds over 65 mph and pretty gutless as well. Get over what you think of the looks of the Strom, mine looks fantastic from the cockpit.
Bummer - we'll have forgotten what you look like by then Thanks for the info Very very good point - in fact there are so many things to consider that my head hurts problem is for me emotional involvement is directly related to available horsepower ( I'm a simple soul) and horsepower is inversely proportional to my likely survival rate.. I could just about turn all of this into some sort of giant calculation... amount of wood generated divided lack of self control = likelihood of muddy undies I have a mt21 on at the moment and while its okayish the knobs are wearing triangular from hard(ish) braking - its been on about 3000k and is not far from done so a 705 might be cheaper per km... good to hear - did you put the 130/80 or 130/90 on the rear? If we want the participation of the Nelson guys we have to accept that they have limited thought pattern choices - in fact when they get together as a group most communication consists of a single syllable or grunt. I have to confess I recently started using car oil in the klr so I might end up with a bike with 4 wheels.... You sir must be exceptional and should at the very least be the mayor of Nelson. I didn't know George Clooney had got his face caught in a blender Thanks Yes Michael's not just a pretty face - I suppose when you own as many bikes as he does you have to think about such things. I love the klr in the same way you love the old Labrador that sits under the dinner table farting. Its more to do with shared history than any particular qualities it has. So so true but what makes a bike give you wood? - that is the question saying something is less ugly than something else doesn't stop it from being ugly. I have a horrible feeling that ,as you say, a weestrom would suit me fine but none of the new ones are withing my budget and the headlights and dash of the old ones make me want to claw my eyes out. cheers Mark
That's the ultimate question. Where is Deep Thought when you need it? Here's a suggestion. Buy something that vaguely rings your bell that you could re-sell in 3-6 months without taking a major hit in the wallet. See how you like actually riding it, rather than riding the spec sheet. Rinse. Repeat. Try a few. I know what I like... and it's orange
I think you're probably right - if I don't step up and buy something being prepared to make a mistake I will probably sit in a limbo of indecision while the KLR continues to self destruct (just had a look at why there has been a puddle underneath it lately - bloody water pump seal has gone and coolant is mixing with the oil drips from the leaky countershaft seal....) I'm going to try something way out left field this weekend and take a 1250 bandit for a ride - a lot of tidy 07-08 lowish km ones around in the $6-8k range and I like lazy motors. I'm way too lazy to do that - although it probably makes good sense.
Actually I've always wanted to take a Harley for a ride - always thought of the KLR as the harley of adventure bikes - just didn't expect it to have harley durability. BTW You are both bitches check out this awesome site - it lets you compare riding position ergonomics of different bikes - has helped me eliminate a few bikes that would fold my aging knees up too tight.
WTF?! Where did that come from?? BTDT, didn't get the tee-shirt. The one I rode for a day wasn't particularly flash, a fairly basic model, didn't fit me well (likely correctable if it was adjusted for me) and lived up to the H-D rep - from both sides of the fence. I can see why people like them, I can see why people don't. I'm in the latter camp, but if I lived in a bigger, more open land I'd... nah, who am I kidding? I just wouldn't.
Before getting the adv bike I was thinking about maybe a Harley. I like the full dressers so hired a Heritage Softail for a ride around Queenstown for the day. After half an hour I was really over the vibrations which made the riding quite uncomfortable. Apparently the newer models have rubber mounts on the engine. Anyway I may go the cruiser way at a later stage of my life but like the Kawasaki Nomad more than Harleys. I i said i would like a back rest would that make me a wuss? In contrast I've never understood the naked bikes like the hornet, bandit etc... Actually this is quite a cool thread - we're living our bike purchasing fantasies vicariously thru you Mark