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Adventure riding short rides and BS thread

I'm laughing at you johnny. But with two dr650s i have no room to point fingers.
 
two wheel tramp said:
I'm laughing at you johnny.
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must ...
... resist. :facepalm

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:nerd
 
SFMCjohn said:
Moto Mike at MotoJava, at their new location on S. Van Ness, next to the Dainese San Francisco store, has a '96 KLR with a big aftermarket tank with only 5000(!) original miles.

asking just south of $4000, maybe. Low milage first gen or pre, pre gens or whatever we're calling them now are getting pretty rare. it's the "right" one, anyway, imo. he says it's otherwise stock, and maybe a single-owner, which are also the correct answers.

if I didn't have a garage full of KLRs, I'd be tempted to run, not walk, down there and buy this one, just based on the low miles. :laughing

anyway, just a heads up for folks who may be looking for one of these old ADV bikes. :angel
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Why buy a KLR? I had a DR650 for about 4 month before I hated it so much and upgraded to my current GSA (about 10 years ago). Couldn't imagine owning a KLR, what benefits does it have other than being basic and workable?
 
Tom G said:
Why buy a KLR? I had a DR650 for about 4 month before I hated it so much and upgraded to my current GSA (about 10 years ago). Couldn't imagine owning a KLR, what benefits does it have other than being basic and workable?
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:thumbup

I actually owned a purple and teal KLR (see pic above) and rode it until I wore it out ...
my joke about that bike is I didn’t really have to look at it while I was riding it, but all my GSA and KTM riding buddies did ... :laughing:toothless

the other joke about my KLRs is I got into them because they were cheap to walk away from if I ever had to abandon one south of the border ... :nerd

KLR riders joke that its biggest benefit is that we don’t really care when we drop them.

the truth is, I got my KLR because I had milk crates left over from my college record collection I needed to put to good use.

but seriously ... the KLR: the for bike for people that don’t really like themselves. :facepalm

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all in good fun. :gsxrgrl
anyway, at least my KLR isn’t a Honda. :p
 
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If I win the lottery I'm signing over my 690 to you John just to see you own something orange.
 
oobus said:
If I win the lottery I'm signing over my 690 to you John just to see you own something orange.
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I'd just hurt myself ... :laughing:thumbup

your 690 is sweet, and I love KTM and the GSA, too. would be neat to own a 640 Adventure or the 950SE, someday. always liked the BMW R1150GS, too, for their looks, and as mile-eaters.

Tom G is correct though, the KLR is a tough bike to recommend ...

I didn't post about the 5000 original miles bike thinking someone here that's new to ADV riding would be interested. mostly just for the already-initiated who would appreciate finding a low mileage example.

otherwise, it's kind of like recommending an XT500 13 years after they stopped making it. :toothless

I do have a friend who is currently looking for three "first" gen KLRs for a group ride he's planning down to South America. intends to put them on a sailboat to get to Columbia. Says now he's sorry he ever sold his old KLR. :party

guess he's looking for abandon-ability, the large stock tank/long stock range, the large stock rear rack. Kawasaki made a bunch, so that's good.

will be fun to see if he follows through with the KLR/South America plan, or if some other idea becomes more sensible. :ride
 
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Hah! I have enjoyed the KLR conversation! I have to chime in that one main reason to buy one is, THEY ARE CHEAP! I had an '07, my first street bike after racing dirt for years. Yes they are underpowered and not the best at either dirt or street, but in the twisties a good rider can make them sing!!!

Have to say though that I only had it a few months before i got an '07 GS and loved it!

Hats off to all the KLR guys! Solid dependable and maybe boring, but good fun!!
 
I dig these older dual sports, and have fun on my DRZ every time I take it out, more so once I get it off the highway and onto back roads, or, ideally dirt. I like that I can drop it and just chuckle as well as working on it be very approachable. Also, it goes braap and I enjoy that as well.
 
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out and about in Mendo this week, on my way to the BARF Hoho Weaverville Rally next weekend.

here’s a Relive vid of the Anthony Peak, Mina, Ruth Lake, Horse Ridge route:

https://www.relive.cc/view/vKv2yMJwYoq

Reama first showed me Mina Road ... :hail

the lady in the vid is Kay, who’s the live-in watchtower person in the east watchtower on Horse Ridge.

I took the Mina Road way because I thought it would be cooler, temp wise. oobus and HeatXfer have been the way I usually head north from Anthony Peak, along M4 and M21 to gas in Red Bluff, but I didn’t want to do triple digit heat. :laughing

anyway, got lucky with the Picket Peak watchtower, it’s unlocked and vacant.

off to Bully Choop today, maybe. :party
 
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SFMCjohn said:
off to Bully Choop today, maybe. :party
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Looks like a great ride so far!! Thanks for the pics and vid! Cant wait for next weekend! WOOT!!
 
I had a couple of KLRs and while I might not say I miss them enjoyed them both. I was surprised how well number one handled and rode number two to the bay from the Midwest, at 73 mph. Did that Barstow Vegas thing and came to believe I wasn’t a dirty guy and that I couldn’t pick up the KLR more than 7 times a day in sand. I did the GS 1150 for more asphalt miles. A wonderful advantage to owning a KLR is when you find leftover boxes of parts there’s always someone to take them! Thank you John :rofl :ride
 
SFMCjohn said:
:thumbup

Mr D showed me some of your planned route, looks awesome!

you kids have fun ... :ride
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It's only 100 here today John, the smoke keeps it cooler! If you to hideout/shower, stop by. I'm having issues with my Ag pump and have to stay close to home until that gets fixed.
 
bikewanker said:
I had a couple of KLRs and while I might not say I miss them enjoyed them both. I was surprised how well number one handled and rode number two to the bay from the Midwest, at 73 mph. Did that Barstow Vegas thing and came to believe I wasn’t a dirty guy and that I couldn’t pick up the KLR more than 7 times a day in sand. I did the GS 1150 for more asphalt miles. A wonderful advantage to owning a KLR is when you find leftover boxes of parts there’s always someone to take them! Thank you John :rofl :ride
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:thumbup

yes, 74 mph is the KLR highway sweet spot ... :laughing

if I have to try to pick my KLR up more than twice, I’m in trouble. :facepalm

oobus said:
It's only 100 here today John, the smoke keeps it cooler! If you to hideout/shower, stop by. I'm having issues with my Ag pump and have to stay close to home until that gets fixed.
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Sounds good, and good luck with the pump. 100 degrees sounds bearable, think I’ve been dealing with 104 and hotter maybe. We’ll get up to Square Lake someday soon. can’t believe the forest fire devistatation I saw up here yesterday.

my route from Horse Ridge to Bully Choop on Relive:

https://www.relive.cc/view/vdORwAgDkK6

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best $2000 for a bike I ever spent ... :ride
 
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spent the night last night on Blue Ridge at the abandoned watch tower, my new favorite place, which was a total motorcycle message board thing ... anytwowilldo had posted a pic of it and told me where it was. I was all like, ok, gotta try to find that. :ride

I’ve always just navigated with AAA maps (that I don’t bother to look at), so I get lost a lot, and usually rely on signs to find watchtowers ... no sign for Blue Ridge, and I’d given up, thinking I’d find it next time, and just stared heading up a random road that looked like I’d find a spot to camp, and it turned out to be the very road I needed! :laughing

anyway, cool spot, thanks, Tom!:

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Blue Ridge is north of the Trinity Alps, above Cecileville, Forks of the Salmon and Sawyers Bar ... fun big ADV bike suitable place, surrounded by big mountains. :party

cell service, to boot ... :toothless
 
What's it look like to the East John? Air maps show the area around Cedarville to be really smokey but those pics look like the coastal range is fine.
 
N4teTheGreat said:
Wow, looks like an awesome spot for sure!
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you’d love it, I’d bet ... :thumbup

elemetal said:
What's it look like to the East John? Air maps show the area around Cedarville to be really smokey but those pics look like the coastal range is fine.
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I’m at the FH-17 summit (near Mt Eddy ... ParkCreek/Summit Rd?) ... here’s the view to the East, towards Weed/I-5:

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and west, towards the Trinity Alps:

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idk ... pics don’t do it justice. feels beautiful up here, not smokey, just a little hazy?
 
just west of Castle Craigs SP, near Boulder Peak/Echo Lake/Mt Eddy this morning:

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short Relive computer animation w/ a couple pics of my route from Blue Ridge to Boulder Peak ...

never ridden this area before, super beautiful with many little lakes ... where this pic of Mt Shasta was taken from is part of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, and overlooks the Seven Lakes Basin ... :ride

from Hwy 3, I took FH-17 to 40N45 to FR26. hope to take 26 to 25 to Hwy 3 to get out. see if I can find East Fork Road, if I’m lucky ... think m0t0_rider showed my the south end of East Fork Rd a few years ago, but it had a locked gate at the time.
 
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Looks really pretty, Castle Crags is on of my favorite rock formations. It just seems so out of place where it is...

Thanks for the pics, last one shows a bit of the smoke, hope it blows away in the next week or so.
 
elemetal said:
Looks really pretty, Castle Crags is on of my favorite rock formations. It just seems so out of place where it is...

Thanks for the pics, last one shows a bit of the smoke, hope it blows away in the next week or so.
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:thumbup

after I took the Shasta pic this am, some smoke seemed to start to appear ... think you’re right about it being an issue for a while.

here’s a Castle Craig pic with a bit of alpine glow, taken from the same spot last night:

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I was sweating getting the KLR up the last little OHV trail, and worried all night about getting back down. always think to myself “I’ll just turn around if it gets scary” and always kind of forget that I’m sort of committed once I start up, and that “just” turning around isn’t always as easy as it sounds. :laughing

amazing part of the world. :angel
 
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