From: owner-klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com (klr650-digest) To: klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: klr650-digest V2 #143 Reply-To: klr650 Sender: owner-klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk klr650-digest Wednesday, March 17 1999 Volume 02 : Number 143 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 05:36:18 +1000 From: Ted Palmer Subject: Re: (klr650) KLR longevity Joes4570@aol.com wrote: [...] > Also, I noticed the scoops that attach below the tank appear to be somewhat > vulnerable in the event of a crash. Is there a way of protecting these or how > do you deal with it? I've had an unpleasant experience with the RH air scoop on my 600. I was riding along a fire trail when I crashed it at fairly low speed, maybe 50kmh. The scoop dug right into the ground and pulled the RH radiator back far enough to hit the fan on the cyl head. The fan was locked so I had to disconnect it. Luckily, the radiator didn't leak so I could finish my day in the bush. More luckily, the radiator still didn't leak are I very carefully straightened it. There was a Z bend on the rear of the airscoop where it attached onto the tank, so I replaced the scoop. I still like the scoops, they are a handy place to prop my legs on long trips, better than highway pegs. All I did to fix the scoop problem was not ride in the dirt anymore. Mister_T ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 12:01:35 -0700 From: "Kurt Simpson" Subject: (klr650) Reprint of article MCN - Motorcycle Mailing Lists...Part I Motorcycle Mailing Lists: FAQ's & Answers by LT Snyder March, 1999 (Reprinted with permission from Motorcycle Consumer News, www.mcnews.com for subscription info) Part I Do you know what Concours@Concours.org, ST1100@ST11OO.com, HawkGT@HawkGT.com and Ducati@Ducati.net are? If you're a savvy computer user, you'll recognize them as e-mail addresses to the Kawasaki Concours, Honda ST1100, Honda Hawk and Ducati Electronic mailing lists. If these cryptic words mean nothing to you, you may just be missing out on something that could make you a better rider. You may also be missing out on perhaps the best places to find new and used parts and accessories, get the best maintenance tips (other than MCN, of course), and find out every quirk and positive attribute of bikes you own or are interested in. The international electronic mailing list of lists is held by Carl Paukstis, and was published in the September and October 1998 issues of MCN. Carl updates his mailing list monthly due to the transient nature of the internet. As of January 1999, it includes some 174 electronic mailing lists. Electronic mail in general has revolutionized the way that many of us communicate with one another. It is no wonder that it is also revolutionizing riding. Whatever type of bike that you own or type of riding that you do, the odds are that an electronic mailing list exists to satisfy your informational and entertainment needs. To get involved with e-mail lists or "listserv," you don't need to own the latest and greatest computer. In fact, you don't even need to pay for e-mail service, or for most of the motorcycle mailing lists on the internet. What you will need is a Pentium-class machine (or a PowerMac or I-Mac for you Apple users), and at least a 28K modem. An older modem is sufficient for getting your mail, but to download pictures and see rich-text and formatting, a faster modem connection is nice to have. For around $700, you can have a budget multimedia system and be ready to go online. If the start-up cost of a computer scares you, keep in mind that the money you'll save on being able to do things yourself on your bike may soon recoup the money invested in the purchase of the computer. If you want to receive free e-mail to test the waters of the internet, there are several companies that provide free e-mail. Juno is the most popular. With local connection dial-ups in most metropolitan areas, Juno offers free e-mail and doesn't require that you have an internet connection. Juno makes its money through advertisers who pay to have their scrolling advertisements at the top and bottom of your computer screen. If you don't mind looking at these advertisements each time you access your e-mail, then Juno is a good free way to get on-line. A set-up disk is all you need to get involved. Within minutes you will have your own unique e-mail address and be ready to subscribe to all the bike mailing lists that you desire. The downside to using a basic free Juno account is the inability to send attachments to your e-mail. Attachments include image or text files, and are used to send on motorcycle mailing lists to show each other parts or bikes. The Gold edition of Juno charges $2.95 per month for the ability to send and receive attachments and a $19.95 charge for Web Juno, which is similar to the rate charged by most commercial local, regional and national internet providers. If you desire more than e-mail, and also want to peruse the realm of the World Wide Web, you can sign up with a national or local internet service provider (ISP) that, for around $20/month, provides you with unlimited internet access and an e-mail account. If you have internet access from the office, there are also free e-mail account providers available on-line. Hotmail, Netscape and other e-mail web servers offer free e-mail that you can check anywhere in the world. However, you do need an internet connection to check mail in this fashion. The convenience is that the e-mail is housed on the server, meaning that you can access it from anybody's machine. Joining a List There are probably a wide variety of listservs existing that appeal to both the type of bike you ride and the type of riding you do. Joining a mailing list is straightforward. First, look at the list published in MCN, or do a search on the internet for the motorcycle mailing list that you want to join. You then send a message to the bike list's server asking to subscribe. A confirmation is then sent to your e-mail address to ensure that a third party didn't try to subscribe for you. Once you reply to this automatic message, you become a member of that bike mailing list's community. It is important to save this response from the mailing server, since it includes directions for how to unsubscribe or change your settings on the mailing list server. Subscription and unsubscription addresses are typically different from the mail address that is used to send to the entire mailing list community. Sending subscription and unsubscription requests to the mailing list posting address will meet with no reply, and will probably result in angry replies from mailing list members telling you to send to the proper address. Most mailing lists are run by computer-automated commands, which means that you can subscribe and unsubscribe 24 hours a day, seven days a week. End of Part I ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 11:03:22 -0800 (PST) From: Alex Jomarron Subject: (klr650) Reno 200 Here's the website for the Reno 200 Dual Sport Run June 25-26. http://rl.lemke.com/ Kurt Simpson and I are considering this......Oh what the hell, I'm DOING it!! AJ == Alex Jomarron Oak Park, IL USA _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 14:23:12 EST From: FTabor231@aol.com Subject: Re: (klr650) Chase Harper Tank Bags In a message dated 3/16/99 10:44:40 PM Central Standard Time, jlwalk@prodigy.net writes: << How does the magnetic attachment perform? I'm a little concerned that bouncing off road would bounce the bag off without any straps to secure it >> The strongest magnetic tank bag I've ever used is the Marsee. The magnets are so strong, if you leave the tank bag on the tank for more than a few days, it causes crinkle patterns in the paint. It is well made and very durable, but doesnt fit the KLR very well. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 12:36:58 -0700 From: "Vik Banerjee" Subject: Re: (klr650) Chase Harper Tank Bags ><< How does the magnetic attachment perform? I'm a little concerned that > bouncing off road would bounce the bag off without any straps to secure it >> >The strongest magnetic tank bag I've ever used is the Marsee. The magnets are >so strong, if you leave the tank bag on the tank for more than a few days, it >causes crinkle patterns in the paint. It is well made and very durable, but >doesnt fit the KLR very well. My Teknic tank bag is very secure and needs two hands to remove it. I can only see it coming off if: 1. you put something crazy heavy in it - not a problem if you have sunglasses, snacks and a camera etc....in your bag 2. you put it on so the magnetic base can catch air and fill up like a sail sort of peeling it off - not likely but not impossible to do Cheers, Vik ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 19:37:08 +0000 From: Sarah Barwig Subject: Re: (klr650) Chase Harper Tank Bags > The strongest magnetic tank bag I've ever used is the Marsee. The magnets are > so strong, if you leave the tank bag on the tank for more than a few days, it > causes crinkle patterns in the paint. It is well made and very durable, but > doesnt fit the KLR very well. I have to second the Marsee's strength. It works great on my CBR. But the plastic tank on my KLR doesn't care for it very much... Sarah - -- Beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, There is a field. I'll meet you there. -Rumi ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 13:06:13 -0700 From: "Kurt Simpson" Subject: (klr650) Reprint of article MCN - Motorcycle Mailing Lists...Part II Motorcycle Mailing Lists: FAQ's & Answers by LT Snyder March, 1999 (Reprinted with permission from Motorcycle Consumer News, www.mcnews.com for subscription info) Part II of IV If you are ignorant of the ways of electronic mail lists, there are a few things you need to get started. First, most motorcycle listservs have something called a FAQ-a Frequently Asked Questions list. Access to this FAQ typically requires access to the World Wide Web, so that you can go to the web page where the FAQ resides. However, if you don't have internet access, some FAQs are available in e-mail format. This FAQ consists of the collective memory of commonly asked questions to the list. Questions like, "What is the best oil to put in the bike?", "What tires work the best on the bike?" and "What jetting settings are recommended on the bike?" are pervasive on any bike listserv. FAQs are designed to head off redundant questions and keep subscribers from getting junk mail. Without a FAQ, bike lists have no collective memory and the same topics continue to come up over and over. There are many appealing facets of motorcycle listservs. On-line, you will find friends who share not only a passion for the bike you own or the type of riding that you do, but who also want to help you make your bike better and at the same time make you a better rider. If you hang out on a list long enough, you will see the various personalities behind the e-mail addresses and nicknames that abound on each list. You may even find yourself making friends. At the very least, you will solve many maintenance puzzles you face or find fixes to things you find unappealing about your bike. Some mailing lists that charge fees for membership even have newsletters so that you have something tangible to look at when you're not sitting at your computer. Most mail lists offer two forms of subscription. The first is the standard subscription whereby each message sent to the mailing list server is automatically sent out to all the subscribers. The second form of subscription is called the digest subscription. Digests are based either on a set number of messages or period of time. Under a number-of-message setups, the digest option on the mailing list server gathers messages from subscribers, puts them all together one after the other in one long message, and sends out this composite e-mail to digest subscribers periodically. Digest emails also have a long subject line recap at the beginning of the mailing list, so that you can scroll down quickly to messages that may interest you. If you are a first-time mailing list user, it is recommended that you subscribe under the digest mode. Some lists generate hundreds of e-mails per day and can clog up your in-box. Inexperienced subscribers continually crop up on mailing lists, and then try frantically to unsubscribe by sending pleas to the entire list for unsubscription guidelines. Under the standard or normal mode of mailing list subscription, you will receive an e-mail any time a subscriber sends one to the mailing list server. Traffic on most listservs is heaviest in the evening, when most folks have the time to peruse the internet. The truly dedicated flash out e-mails throughout the day while at the office. In general, the listserv only sleeps late at night. A word of caution on subscriptions is needed-do not subscribe to motorcycle mailing lists using addresses other than your own or in such a way that you download messages from computers that you yourself do not own. Your employer or friend may take offense to having hundreds of e-mails turn up on their computers. Some lists generate hundreds of messages each day, and can swamp unsuspecting subscribers. If you have your e-mail through a world wide web site such as Netscape, then you may be able to sneak a look at your e-mail throughout the day using somebody else's machine. Since the files reside on the web server, you won't pollute your friend's or employer's hard drive with e-mail files and attachments. List Discipline The toughest thing to master for mailing list neophytes is what is called "list discipline." Listserv discipline means you must be aware that every word you type is being read by everyone on the list. Some listservs have hundreds of subscribers, all of whom dislike nothing more than irrelevant messages. You should keep your messages short, to the point, and include only pertinent information. Not all readers want to hear what kind of a weekend ride you had or what you ate for lunch. Part of this discipline also means making the subject line of your message meaningful. The two major parts of any e-mail message are the subject line and the body of the message. Simply typing in "Help" in the subject line does little to inform readers what your e-mail will be about. This is particularly important to digest mode subscribers, because they browse the index of their digests. Maintaining listserv discipline usually rests in the hands of a person called the "majordomo" or ruler of the list. This person ensures that those transgressing the rules of the list are kicked off. The majordomo also maintains the list by ensuring that the server programs don't crash and that everyone is informed of list and procedures. Listserv rules usually only forbid profanity and slander. Most other forms of free expression are available. The majordomo's job is a thankless one. However it usually instantly brings with it respect, because everyone's e-mail is in the hands of this one person. When sending e-mail to a listserv for the first time, introduce yourself and give the reason why you joined the list. You will probably receive some personal e-mails welcoming you. While new people view the list as an outlet for their thoughts and as an opportunity to have questions asked, those experienced on the list cringe at the sight of every new e-mail address. Every new person on the list means that the same questions that have been answered a thousand times will be asked again. Most mailing lists are very patient with new people however, and rarely does a cry for information or help go unanswered. Listserv Personalities There are distinct categories of listserv personalities. It is important for a new subscriber to recognize this, because the culture of any mailing list is based on the personalities involved. You may wish to observe the culture of the list before you actually post to it. A quick scan of a few digests will indicate the direction and attitude of the listserv. The first group of subscribers can be coined the "technical experts." Each list has a group of experienced people who are reputed to know most things about the given list. They have the names, phone numbers and web site locations for most of the relevant vendors for a given list. These brave souls also assist people with problems, make aftermarket product recommendations, and push the intellectual limits of the list with innovative fixes or untested ideas. Technical experts even go so far as to design products on occasion. Exotic exhausts and footpegs are a few of the engineering feats of these would-be engineers. End of Part II ------------------------------ End of klr650-digest V2 #143 ****************************