Walter Colebatch has put together a nice looking DVD from his 2009 Siberian bike trip footage. Watch it in HD fullscreen over at Vimeo to do the trailer justice.
Archive for September, 2011
- White KTM fender installed…
The stock front fender on a KLR650 is huge and not everyone loves how it looks. The size contributes to some instability at highway speeds when the wind is gusting or you are in turbulent air around vehicles.
- She’s a bit smaller…
I had heard the KTM Supermoto fender was a nearly bolt on mod for the KLR.
- New and old…
So I figured I would try it out and see what I think. You can buy these KTM fenders online for as little as $25 + shipping.
- View from below…
The mounting holes on the KTM fender are close, but not exactly where they need to be for the KLR. You’ll need a Dremel tool to enlarge the holes a bit. It’s nothing major – about a 1 beer job if you aren’t anal and a 2 beer job if you want it to look pretty.
- Side view…
I did a rough job and got it on fast. You’ll need to deal with the speedo cable that is running through a bracket riveted on the right side of the stock fender. I just drilled out the front rivet and left the rear part of the bracket on the fender in case I wanted to reinstall it later. You can relocate the bracket to the KTM fender, but it isn’t needed.
- Here is the stock bike for comparison…
So far the KTM fender is working well. I need more time to road test it on the highway and see what I think. I’ve heard that some people prefer the larger stock fender for rain riding as it provides more protection. I’ll have to figure out how I feel about both fenders. Swapping them is a 3-5 min job so I may end up using both of them depending on what sort of riding I’m doing at the moment.
I found this fun tour video on ADVrider.com of a guy’s trip from Vienna to Magdan on the infamous Road of Bones in Siberia. He’s riding a BMW, but the video isn’t ruined by that….hahahaha…j/k…=-) It sounds like he’ll be posting a written account of his trip and/or more detailled videos so check over at his ADVrider.com thread and see what happens…!
For the bike so they are carried by the bike!
Collected my Michelin T63 tires today from Action Motorcycles in Victoria BC. Since my winter plans will either be a trip to Baja or through Baja I’m thinking of sending these tires down to the La Paz area with a friend in his truck. That way I’ll have some fresh rubber waiting for me when I get down there…=-)
A few more teeth than my current rubber...
- Photo – from ADVrider.com
I found this cool looking customized KLR over at ADVrider.com,. Click on the photo to jump to the thread where I scored it. I love seeing what people do to their KLRs…=-)
Olympia X-Moto Jacket and Pants Review
Posted: September 23, 2011 in Gear Reviews, SafetyTags: olympia, x-moto
- Olympia X-Moto Jacket and Pants…
I bought an X-Moto jacket and pants this summer. My primary motivation was the venting. I wanted something that could adapt from cool damp Vancouver Island to hot dry Baja as my travels take me up and down the West Coast.
- Olympia X-Moto Jacket – men’s medium…
I haven’t used it yet in the rain so I won’t talk about that aspect much. I’m hoping the waterproof liner will be fine for a light to moderate shower. I don’t expect this type of system to be great for heavy all day rain.
I checked out the BMW RP3 and the Klim gear. Both were nice, but I got my X-Moto jacket & pants for about the price of just the BMW RP3 jacket. I’ve looked at the Touratech Companero system which is $2500! I’m not cheap, but I can’t afford to buy the best of the best and still have money left to travel.
- Tons of pockets on this jacket…
The X-Moto page on the Olympia website shows all the features:
http://www.olympiamotosports.com/xmo…motojacket.htm
There is an excellent review in the vendor section of ADVrider.com:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=620565
- Several of the pockets are waterproof…
Overall
The quality and detailing of the X-Moto is great.The sewing and materials used all seem high quality and there is a lot of attention to detail. I think there are too many features that add bulk and complexity to the jacket. Some folks will love them and others like me probably won’t use stuff like the zip off shoulder bag built into the jacket. Having said that you’ll appreciate little touches like the soft neoprene used around the collar so it doesn’t chafe your neck. These pieces are robust enough to survive a crash and keep on going.
- Map pocket on left sleeve…
Storage
The jacket has a ton of pockets – a bunch of them are waterproof. It also has a 0.5L hydration bladder which is removable and a large rear pocket which is removable. The hydration bladder is too small to be useful [you’ll be filling it non-stop] and you can’t fit in a bigger one as the pocket is sized for the OEM unit. You can pull it off entirely and leave it at home, but then the back of the jacket has two big goofy looking zippers flapping around. I’m not sure what I’ll do. I may pull the bladder and just leave the empty pocket attached to the jacket. The big removable rear pocket is bulky and I question its value. There is no internal harness so all that stuff carried in the jacket will hang from your shoulders which is tiring. If it was up to me I’d ditch the hydration bladder/rear pocket and streamline the front pockets for a lighter jacket that was less bulky. If a rider needs more storage on the body he can get a decent sized hydration bladder/pack and use that. A real hydration pack offers more liquid and a harness/belt system that will carry the cargo weight better than a jacket.
- Honey does this make my butt look big?
Fit
I’m 5’11” & 175lbs…wide shoulders skinny waist. I tend to fit European cut clothes best. I fit right between the large and medium X-Moto jacket. I got the medium as I didn’t want it to be baggy and flapping around when I removed the waterproof and insulation liners. On the downside I won’t be able to stuff another warm layer in there on cold days. There is some adjustability in the fit at the waist and elbows.
I got 34″ X-Moto pants which is what I wear in street clothes and just like street clothes they are a bit baggy on my skinny chicken legs. Not terrible though and that lets me have enough room to throw a leg over my bike.
I would say the fit is typical for North American clothing and should work for most people. If you have short legs the pants can be tailored easily.
- Handwarmer pocket and adjustment options on each side of jacket…
Style
I got the black/pewter colours which look reasonably understated. The jacket/pants together definitely give you the Paris-Dakar-Lite look. Perfect for an ADV tour, but a little much for a coffee run or a stop at Walmart!… I’ve got a simple black Joe Rocket jacket I use for short trips around town when I don’t want to be mistaken for Ewan or Charlie.
Having looked at the BMW/Klim/Revit stuff The X-Moto is up there for looking decent. It’s not as flashy as some of the other options which will appeal to the Let-my-riding-do-the-talking-crowd.
If it had been available in straight up black I would have bought that.
- Velcto cuff and elbow sizing adjustment…
Venting
The reason to buy the X-Moto is the venting. It’s awesome!… You have vents on the jacket chest, under arms and back as well as on the front of the pants. The vents are easy to operate and provide a huge amount of airflow. I started a ride home in the early AM along the coast when it was really chilly/damp out and by 2pm it was dry/hot. The X-Moto was easy to adapt as the day progressed to keep me comfortable while still giving me some protection if I crashed.
- Under arm vent open…
Rain
As I noted above I haven’t used my X-Moto in the rain yet. If lots of heavy rain is on your menu I don’t think a system with tons of zippers and an inner waterproof liner is ideal. You’re better off with a Gore-tex shell like the Klim. I have a truck so I don’t ride in heavy rain on purpose. I’m not on a RTW trip where I have to ride whatever the weather. So I need protection that is enough to keep me going when I hit some light to moderate rain for a few hours on a ride. I’m expecting the X-Moto will fit the bill on that.
When I ride down to Baja this winter I’ll use a one piece rain suit on top of my X-Moto and leave it with my friends in LA. I’ll ride Baja with just the X-Moto and pick up the rain suit for the soggy ride north.
- Left chest vent open…
When you open a vent the fabric pannel tucks away into the garment out of sight. This is nice so you can’t lose bits of your gear and you can close things up pretty fast if the weather changes.
- Hydration bladder straps and drinking hose…
Hydration
The X-Moto jacket has a built in 0.5L hydration bladder. That’s about 1/3rd more than a can of Coke which is way too small to be useful. If you are on a short trip it’s not worth filling up the bladder and on a long ride it would need to be filled so often it would be a pain in the butt. The hydration sleeve has external shoulder straps and can be removed from the jacket. The external straps are supposed to help you carry the weight of the water, but there is so little capacity they are pointless and just clutter up the jacket. I would just pull the whole thing off, but the hydration bladder sleeve has built in armour I would lose if I did and the zippers that hold it on would be flapping in the wind looking goofy. What I’ll likely do on longer trips is just leave the bladder at home and keep the empty sleeve on the jacket. If I want access to a hydration system while riding I’ll just wear a dedicated hydration pack over the jacket. That way I can get a decent amount of liquid and whatever gear I carry can be supported by a proper set of shoulder straps and waist strap.
I think Olympia should offer a zip in armoured pannel that replaces the hydration pack so you can just leave the whole thing at home or increase the capacity to 1.5L-2L so it’s actually useful.
- Tiny 0.5L bladder…
I’m going to try simply tucking the straps in under the hydration pocket for now. If I get really annoyed with the hydration sleeve straps I may just cut them all off. It won’t affect the jacket in any meaningful way.
- Two waist adjustment options on the side of the jacket…
I like all the sizing adjustment options available. These are useful when you add or remove layers from the jacket.
- Rear removable storage pocket…
There is a really large waterproof storage pocket on the back of the jacket that is removable and can be carried like a shoulder bag. I think it just adds bulk and weight to the jacket and would be happier without it. If you wanted removable storage you can carry around you’d be better off with a decent sized hydration pack. This sort of feature looks great on a product spec sheet, but isn’t that useful in practice.
- Open rear vent…
You need to take the jacket off to operate the underarm or rear vents. You can open/close the front vent without removing the jacket. That’s not too bad and the ventilation is so effective you won’t mind taking the extra time to operate it.
- Waterproof and thermal liners installed…
Liners
The X-Moto deals with cold and/or rainy weather by offering you two liners that zip into the shell jacket. There is a waterproof breathable liner and a thermal liner. They zip to each other as well as to the jacket. This approach to waterproofing is best for light to moderate rain as the outer jacket will get soaked in prolonged heavy rain making you cold and making it hard for the waterproof liner to do its job. The waterproof liner is an unbranded fabric that is not going to work as well as an expensive laminate like Gore-tex. What this system does provide is a reasonable cost option for staying dry, warm or cool in a variety of weather conditions. That’s not a bad thing at all. If you buy the X-Moto for the right reasons and with reasonable expectations the liner system will be very versatile and should make you quite happy.
The waterproof liner and thermal jackets both look decent enough to wear on their own at camp or if you are going for dinner on a trip. They aren’t that nice that I would wear them at home, but you could get by with them in order to travel light.
- View of liners unzipped…
Protection
I’m not an expert in this area so take my opinion with a grain of salt. The adjustable padding in the jacket and pants as well as the fabric itself seems to offer a decent amount of protection. I’ve seen better. I’ve seen worse. I feel comfortable riding in Baja with this gear. I’m not a hardcore ADVrider though. If I was going to ride technical offroad stuff I’d opt for more protection, but for touring and easy dirt it seems up to the task. The biggest issue for me is that with baggy pants the knee armour can move around.
- Have you seen Charlie or Ewan?
Visibility
All X-Moto gear has some 3-M reflective stripping and small patches. Not enough to be useful in my opinion, but it doesn’t hurt. There is a higher visibility colour option with bright yellow panels on the upper chest/back and arms. There is enough high-viz material to be useful without making you look like a traffic cone. Personally I prefer dark motorcycle gear and I’ll add a high-viz vest or backpack cover when I feel the need.
- Olympia X-Moto Pants – size 34…
The X-Moto pants are sized like street pants and come with a removable waterproof liner. They don’t come with any thermal liner.
- Left side front panel vent open…
The venting on the pants works the same way as the jacket. There are just two front vents on the pants which open from the belt down to the knee.
- Zipped side pocket…
The X-Moto pants have two front zip pockets and two rear pockets. Both are big enough to be useful without being too large.
- Leather wear patch…
A leather patch on the inside of each leg protects your pants from your bike.
- Pants open easily for large boots…
The side zips on these pants open from top to bottom making putting them on over dualsport boots a snap. The bottom of each leg can be hemmed without the hassle of relocating zippers to accomodate short legs. My 33″ inseam has enough length to leave the pants stock and the pants don’t ride up when knees are bent on the bike.
- Knee armour…
The knee armour is CE approved and can be moved vertically to account for different leg lengths. The jeans style fit of the pants means the armour can move around. If I was riding offroad a lot I would add some knee armour directly to my leg. Olympia could improve this area of protection with one or two velcro straps to ensure the knee armour stayed in place – similar to what they use in the elbow of the X-Moto jacket.
- Knee armour pocket…
- Velcro hems open easily and allow for simple hemming…
The butt and knees are reinforced with heavy duty fabric for wear protection.
- Reinforced butt…
You can add some armour to the rear pants pockets if you feel the need and the X-Moto pants will zip into the X-Moto jacket so they stay in place when bent over on a bike. The pants have belt loops.
- Velcro tabs on each cuff adjust for different boot sizes…
Would I buy it again?
Yes. For under $700 I haven’t seen anything better. If your riding goes from hot to cool with some rain thrown in the mix you’ll be very happy. If extensive rain riding is going to happen I’d buy something else or be okay with wearing a rain suit on top.
- Elastic panels on the sides allow for all you can eat buffet expansion…
Long Term
I’ve only had the X-Moto for a couple months so these are just my first impressions. When I get back from Baja I should have a pretty good idea of how it’s going to hold up in the longer term and I’ll post some thoughts.
- Hip armour…
The hip armour pads are very thin and only sewn at the top. I’m not sure how well they would stay in place in a crash.
The waterproof breathable liners are decent quality and easy to install/remove.
- Waterproof breathable liners…
Although I see some definite areas for improvement of the X-Moto jacket and pants I can recommend them as quality gear that’s very versatile. I haven’t seen anything that looks better you can buy for under $700. The key for me is the X-Moto’s ability to go from huge venting to cool weather and handle some rain. That means I can go out on tour and no matter what happens that day I can adapt to it well. The expensive Gore-tex shell motorcycle gear is better for extended heavy rain riding, but can’t deal with the heat as well as the X-Moto.
Enjoy some X-Moto video porn…=-)
- Some love for your sub-frame…
Both you and your luggage/passenger are hanging off of 4 bolts on a KLR. If you carry a lot of weight way back at the rear of your bike that’s a lot of leverage on those poor bolts. Now throw in some rough roads and/or no roads at all and Huston we have a problem!
- The stock KLR hardware…
Kawasaki beefed up the top two sub-frame bolts when they redesigned the KLR650 in 2008 so these top 10mm bolts are up to the job and can be left in place. The two lower 8mm stock bolts still need some love on 2008+ KLRs and for older bikes all 4 stock 8mm bolts need to be upgraded.
- New on top – old on the bottom…
The Happy Trail KLR Bolt Upgrade Kit comes with four 8mm bolts and 2 washers. For my 2010 KLR I just used two bolts and both washers for replacing the lower sub-frame hardware.
- The new stronger 8mm bolt installed…
I used Loctite when I installed the new bolts and I kept the two stronger 8mm bolts as well as the two stock bolts. I’ll throw all 4 in my tool kit as spares. This isn’t a sexy mod, but it’s cheap and will let me ride with more confidence in my bike. Hopefully this is one of those products that makes for a crappy review since nothing ever happens you can write about…=-)
Like my KLR - just better looking...=-)
Another bike I’ll never get a shot at buying in Canada is this Yamaha XT660Z Tenere. It looks like a KLR with some better design work!
- From the rear…
Oh well I can dream right?…=-)
- Basic black…
- JNS Engineering radiator guard installed on my KLR…
I’m working my through the protective bits I want to add to my KLR to prevent damage on the road/trail. Crash bars, skid plate and hand guards have all been installed. Next up was protecting the KLR650’s radiator better. The Happy Trail engine bars do a good job of stopping the radiator from being crushed, but all that’s there to protect the rad from rocks thrown up by my front wheel or another vehicle is some flimsy plastic.
- The JNS guard powder coated….
JNS Engineering makes a metal radiator guard for 2008+ KLR650’s so I ordered one up. It looks well made and is strong while being lightweight. It comes in black and I was powder coating a bunch of stuff so I added it in for laughs.
- JNS rad guard mounted to my plastic rad shroud…
Installing the JNS guard is straight forward. You drill 4 3/16″ holes and bolt it to the KLR’s plastic rad shroud. You’ll notice I cut out a bit of the JNS guard. This is because I am running a set of Happy Trail crash bars [aka Paris Dakar Nerf Bars]. They have a cross piece running in front of the rad – see top image – which wold have been touching the JNS guard and in a crash might have pushed back hard enough to damage the rad mounts. Not wanting to damage my bike because I mounted a protective farckle I cut out a bit of the JNS guard so the HT bars can move back a bit without anything happening. Because the HT cross bar is in front of the cut out area the protection from rock is maintained.
- JNS rad guard in place…
You have to remove the left side fairing cover and in my case unbolt the left side crash bars. Once you do that the JNS guard attached to the plastic stock radiator shroud slides right in.
- View from below showing cut out in JNS rad guard…
The JNS guard will do a good job protecting against flying debris. It may clog up with mud, but I don’t ride in mud regularly so I don’t expect that to be an issue. It’s no worse than the stock plastic rad shroud when it comes to mud. I will post a long term review next year.
Respro Hump Hi-Viz Backpack Cover...
This is a backpack cover that adds to your visibility when on the road. It attaches to your regular backpack so you can move it around if you use different ones. Never needs batteries plus you can ride around with the word “HUMP” on your back letting the world know exactly where you stand when it comes to gender relations. They are sold in the UK by Respro and the price includes free worldwide shipping – I assume they use the VAT [now at 20%] that non-UKers don’t have to pay to cover shipping costs.
There are many different colour schemes for every taste. I’ve ordered the version shown above and will review it this winter in Victoria. I like the fact I can deploy it when I feel the need for more visibility and then put it away or leave it at home when I don’t feel the need and want to look like a normal human again.
Michelin T63 Dualsport tires...
I’m excited about replacing the mediocre stock tires on my KLR650. On my old KLR I used Continental TKC80s and liked them a lot. I priced a set out locally and they were expensive so I decided to see what else was available for less $$$. I’m not going to buy tires that suck just to save money, but if I can get an equally good tire for 40% less why not? There is no way to really know how you’ll like a tire without trying it so I’m going to give the contenders a shot and if I don’t love ’em I’ll just go back to the TKC80s.
First up for testing is a set of Michelin T63s. They’ve got a reasonably aggressive tread that should be good on gravel/dirt roads at home and sand/rock down in Baja. I heard good things about these tires and their more dirt worthy cousins the Michelin Desert.
Gotta love the 90's look...
Despite looking a bit goofy with its 90’s Troy Lee decals this old HJC dirt helmet gets lots of use on my KLR. For around town riding I ditch the goggles and just use wide Oakley sunglasses. I like the ventilation and visor for sunny warm days. I don’t need much noise or weather protection for my city riding. For dirt/gravel roads the googles provide excellent dust protection and work well enough on the inevitable highway sections to get anywhere interesting. This helmet was cheap when I bought it 10yrs+ ago and has more than paid for itself with all the use I’ve gotten out of it. Considering its age everything is holding up well – including the interior fabric. Most importantly it fits me well and is comfortable for all day rides and tours.
You don’t need to pay a fortune to get a decent helmet.
- Happy Trail Rallye System with stock KLR screen…
Like a lot of KLR riders I wanted better airflow/protection than the stock windscreen could offer. First I tried a Bajaworx Dakar taller screen and was glad for the improvement, but I still had a lot of noise and turbulence up at the top of my helmet [I’m 5’11” with a 33″ inseam]. So I was looking around for something else and found the Happy Trail Rallye System and decided to give it a shot.
- The Rallye System Kit…
Here’s what you get:
- steel windscreen bracket [comes in black I made it white locally]
- optional dash that mounts above stock KLR instrument cluster
- plastic trim pieces x 2
- all hardware needed
- instructions
Screen bracket and option dash mounted...
The installation instructions are easy to follow and mounting the bracket takes only a few minutes. You’ll noted that the upper stock screen mounting holes are not used and Happy Trail suggests cutting the extra fairing material off. Keep in mind if you do that you can never [easily] go back to using a normal windscreen in the stock location. I had already removed the sharp points that were there when I installed the Bajaworx Dakar screen so I left everything as is.
Optional high dash installed...
I installed the optional dash part of the kit. Eventually I’ll mount my GPS there and a 12V lighter socket. For now it just makes the install look nicer. If you have some DIY skills you could build a handy storage compartment there as well.
Bajaworx Dakar screen mounted on the Rallye bracket...
Mounting your screen back on the bike is as easy as it would be for a stock KLR. Happy Trail provides 4 plastic bolts to use so that if you hit your screen in a crash it breaks free. That’s a nice touch, but it would have been great if they included 4 extra bolts so you can reattach your screen if it comes off on a tour. The extra cost would be minimal and the convenience of having the spares would be nice. As you can see the rear of the screen is raised higher than the front [2.5″ vs 1.25″] tilting the whole thing forward. How this will work with a particular screen and rider is hard to say.
The Dakar from the front...
I tried my Bajaworx Dakar first and took a highway run to test out the new position. I was wearing my motorcross helmet with sunglasses. This is my least protective setup and it does little for debris or noise with the stock KLR screen. It also has a big visor which doesn’t like turbulent airflow. Overall there was a noticeable improvement in airflow and protection. I was effectively shielded from debris and the noise levels were reasonable. I didn’t have any issues with the visor catching wind at all. This would be a good setup for long distance highway rides – especially in bad weather.
Dakar from the rear...
One issue I had with this screen and the Rallye System was that it bounced quite a lot on rough roads. I assume that’s because of the extra weight and rearward bias of the screen’s weight. It wasn’t a huge issue, but I wouldn’t want to take that setup on a long gravel road tour. I’d be afraid it would eventually fail at one of the attachment points.
The stock KLR650 screen mounted...
I figured I should test out the stock KLR windscreen back to back with the Dakar on the Rallye System to compare them while things were fresh in my mind. So I bolted on the stock unit [the swap took 2mins] I covered the same route with this setup.
Stock screen side view on the Rallye System...
I was quite impressed with the way the stock screen worked in this new position. Although I didn’t get as much protection as the taller Dakar it was still excellent and the airflow around my helmet was really smooth.
Stock KLR windscreen from the rear...
The lighter screen didn’t bounce on rough roads and I could see totally over it which was nice. I came away liking this setup the best for most of my riding. It adds enough improvement over the stock position of the screen to make me happy without any of the negatives of having a tall screen you have to look through. I liked it so much I left the stock screen on.
Surprised to be loving the stock screen so much again...
Overall my initial impressions of the Happy Trail Rallye System are quite favourable. The cost is similar to buying a quality tall windscreen and besides the extra protection you get from the higher mounting position you also get a bunch of really useful dash space. As a bonus I think it makes the KLR look pretty sweet!
In terms of improvement I am having one issue with the Rallye System. At higher RPM/speeds [~4K and 90kph+] I get a very loud annoying vibration noise. Loud enough it’s all I can think about. I have been playing around with trying to identify what is causing it and have some ideas, but haven’t nailed it down 100% yet. Two likely culprits are the optional dash [which is only supported at the very bottom] and the outside plastic edge cover [which is not supported at the very front]. I’ll try some DIY solutions to resolve this issue and figure it shouldn’t be too hard to ride in silence again…=-)
Happy Trail Rear Master Cylinder Guard
Posted: September 16, 2011 in Farckles, Gear ReviewsTags: Happy Trails
Happy Trail rear brake cylinder guard...
This rear brake master cylinder guard from Happy Trails bolts on in 20 seconds and offers this important part of your KLR650 a bit more protection for fall and kicks from your boots.
Ewan & Charlie in Africa...
You can read my review of the Long Way Round book that Ewan & Charlie wrote about their RTW BMW GSA trip here. Coles Notes version of that review is I didn’t like the book as it was poorly written and had very little motorcycle or travel content. I had bought this book about their motorcycle tour down the African continent at the same time as the first book. If I hadn’t I would have skipped it, but since it was in my luggage and I was on the road I figured I’d give it a shot. I made it about halfway through before I stopped reading it. There is no improvement in writing style or content from the first book. I hear folks enjoyed the TV shows that are available on DVD. I haven’t seen them so I can’t give you my opinion, but if you are in a book shop thinking about buying either of these books do yourself a favour and don’t bother. You’ll be much happier with one of Ted Simon’s motorcycle tour books.
Just to be fair I’ll say that Ewan and Charlie are actors and they clearly love motorcycles. I can get behind that. I’m not putting them down, but these books aren’t very good.
- Throttle Rocker installed…
Someone [sorry I forgot who…=-(] sent me this Throttle Rocker about ten years ago. It got lost in my various rubbermaid bins and I just found it so I thought I would try it out. It slips onto your throttle and gives you an adjustable way to use your palm to apply force to the controls vs. having to grip and twist the throttle. Bottom line it works, but I don’t love it. It gets in the way when you are in the city so I only install it for highway rides. At constant speeds it can be adjusted to comfortably let you hold one speed without wrapping your hand around the throttle. The trouble is that there is a lot of buggering around each time you want to adjust it and unless you are riding slab at a very steady speed for hours it’s probably not worth the effort.
- Underside view…
Given that it’s a single piece of tough plastic this unit should be cheap and last a long time. I’ll keep mine around and next time I have to bomb down I-5 for California from Canada I’ll try it again. In the meantime It will sit in a spare parts bin.
- JNS side stand plate…
Having your bike’s side stand sink into soft ground and tip your rig over sucks. The solution is a bigger surface area for the stand to sit on. There are lots of DIY options, but I wanted something nicer for my KLR650 so I ordered up a JNS Engineering side stand plate.
- Bottom view…
You need to drill a hole in your stock side stand plate to bolt this unit on.
- JNS plate installed…
Installation takes about 5 mins. The plate bolts on securely with a nylock nut. The bolt is long enough that you’ll hear the plate banging around long before you lose it.
- Double your surface area…
The plate doubles your surface area making soft surfaces less of a hassle when you need to stop and get off your bike. I’ll report back after a few months of use and give you a review.
JNS marketing blurb:
“Double the size of your side stand foot pad, half the chances of your KLR tipping over when parked on soft terrain.
– 0.190″ thick 5052 aluminum
– Laser cut
– TIG welded
– Black powder coated
– Bolts up in minutes using the included stainless steel hardware
– Superior design, materials, construction, and protection
– Made in the USA“
The KLR650 Blog 