From: owner-klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com (klr650-digest) To: klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: klr650-digest V2 #149 Reply-To: klr650 Sender: owner-klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk klr650-digest Thursday, March 18 1999 Volume 02 : Number 149 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 20:01:37 +0000 From: Jeffrey Doyle Subject: Re: (klr650) Magnet in Oil I haven't pulled the filter cover off yet and looked behind there so > I thought I'd ask the list if there is enough room to slip the magnet in > there, and if so, would there be a danger of the magnet disappearing into > some deep, dark place. > > If this works, I think it would be beneficial as well as neat to see how > muck "stuff" ends up being stuck to the magnet at my first oil change. > > Arne - who believes that a day without sunshine is, well... night. Arne, I think you have a good idea but the oil filter does fit pretty snug into the oil filter cavity. The filter is approximately 2.125" (plus or minus) in diameter and the distance from the outside diameter of the mounting pin grommet to the outside diameter of the filter is less than an inch. A magnetized oil drain plug may be a better way to go. If anybody knows of any sold for the KLR it is worth mentioning. When you pry the oil filter cover off you will notice that the filter fits in pretty snug and is centered on a mounting pin. Basically you pull the filter and pin out, ditch the filter and clean the pin. Use a rag or something to reach into the filter cavity to clean out the remaining material and inspect for cleanliness. Apply a light coat of oil to the pin and turn it as you push it into the new filter element. Make sure the filter element grommets at each end don't slip out. Then try to find home (the hole the mouting pin fits into) when you insert the filter element back into the filter cavity. It's kind of like trying to get the pin into the center of a clock without being able to see it. You may encounter some difficulty and find that the filter just kind of wants to lay in the cavity so that when you go to put the cap on it won't go all the way (check the cap oring to see of it needs replacement before you button things up...I've only gone through 3 in 11 years). To get around this little 10 cent problem I make sure the mounting pin seems to be at least partially into the hole and let the filter lay in there. Then as I position the cap over the filter and in pretty good alignment with the screw holes and arrow up, I give it a moderate whack with a rubber mallet (or my hand) and it sends that baby home....you'll get used to how much pressure to exert after you've done it a couple of times if you choose to as this is a method that works for me but may not be accepted universally (it's a quick pop....nothing close enough to knock the bike over!). Jeff A2 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 20:08:53 +0000 From: Jeffrey Doyle Subject: Re: (klr650) helmet lock cosmo bojinski wrote: > > Hi Listers, can the factory helmet lock be used to safely carry a spare > brain-bucket at freeway speeds? It doesn't look too strong to > me,has anyone had it pop open? thanks, cosmo > Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com I would never ever do that! Jeff A2 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 18:08:24 -0700 From: "Vik Banerjee" Subject: Re: (klr650) Brake noises -" bad dealer" stats - NKLR Here is a good "bad dealer" story. I buy a brand new bike from a local dealer recently (Blackfoot Motorsports in Calgary) and as I am leaving with it I ask if there was gas in it. He says yup I filled it up myself. Being the fool I am I believed him. So I park the bike inside at work till the snow melts and drive it home - 100kms on the highway......after about 60kms...it sputters and hesitates....I am thinking WTF I made it to a gas station on reserve - barely. I mean saving $6 on $6000 sale....now that's cheap! Cheers, Vik - -----Original Message----- From: don roger To: Klr650 Mail List (E-mail) Date: Thursday, March 18, 1999 5:48 PM Subject: RE: (klr650) Brake noises -" bad dealer" stats Kurt wrote "...we've had 1 good story for every 30 bad on Kaw dealers...." Any Newbie reading this would be very put off on a purchase, and I think the ratio is wrong. I personally get good service and treatment from my Kawa dealer, and I think there are more like him out there. We may have had a few bad dealers mentioned several times. Possibly often by the same unhappy customers/list members. Can anyone provide hard statistics on "bad" "neutral" and "good" dealer comment in the list's history? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 17:27:20 -0800 From: "Arne Larsen" Subject: Re: (klr650) NKLR Self-defence explanation...."fork seal band-aid" - -----Original Message----- From: don roger To: Klr650 Mail List (E-mail) Date: Thursday, March 18, 1999 4:29 PM Subject: (klr650) NKLR Self-defence explanation...."fork seal band-aid" >Eeek! > >Someone has misread my note on emergency fork-leak band-aid, and inferred that I ride with a supply of the aforementioned "emergency supplies"!! I've heard that a tampon can also come in handy if you've got a bleeding nose... Arne - whose nose never bleeds... ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 20:19:04 EST From: S2Mumford@aol.com Subject: (klr650) NKLR - bad dealer stories. "...we've had 1 good story for every 30 bad on Kaw dealers.... Any Newbie reading this would be very put off on a purchase, and I think = the ratio is wrong." Let me share a bad dealer story. I bought my 99 after researching the available literature, including the dealer puff piece. One thing I noticed in the dealer's literature was that the rear shock was adjustable, and I thought that was something I would need. However, after 500 miles I realized the bike was set up for the average Japanese body weight of ~150 lbs (about the size of my leg), and I really did need it! I took it to my dealer for the 500 mile inspection / oil change (which was completed really quick, considering they should have checked the valve clearances). When I went to pick up the bike, I asked the owner of the dealership to have the rear suspension adjusted to fit me. After looking at the shock, the " mechanic " said that it was completely non adjustable. I was p.o. ed, and even showed him the part in the brochure that says they are adjustable. The guy kind of shrugged and left me blowing in the wind. Well needless to say I went home, kicked the cat, and read the owners manual. After a whole 30 seconds, I found out how to adjust it to my liking, I went back and let the owner know his "mechanic" was a flake, and how much I appreciated this treatment less than a month after releiving me of about $5000 of my hard earned cash. The sales dept. treated me fair, but I forced them to do it. The service dept. at my local dealer stinks... I should say at least 2 guys in the place are lazy, incompetent jerks. So I guess the ratio is now 31-1? Stuart Mumford A13 " The bike that came from the land of the rising sun to pop your eardrums, dazzle your eyeballs, and leave a big donut in the grass in front of the local dealership really really late on Saturday night." >:-) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 18:24:07 -0700 From: "Vik Banerjee" Subject: Re: (klr650) NKLR Self-defence explanation...."fork seal band-aid" Arne, I'll buy you two pitchers of beer if you provide the list photographic evidence of you employing this life saving technique..=) Vik >I've heard that a tampon can also come in handy if you've got a bleeding >nose... > >Arne - whose nose never bleeds... > > ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 17:36:41 -0800 From: "Arne Larsen" Subject: Re: (klr650) " bad dealer" stats - NKLR - -----Original Message----- From: Vik Banerjee To: don roger ; Klr650 Mail List (E-mail) Date: Thursday, March 18, 1999 5:23 PM Subject: Re: (klr650) Brake noises -" bad dealer" stats - NKLR >Here is a good "bad dealer" story. I buy a brand new bike from a local >dealer recently (Blackfoot Motorsports in Calgary) and as I am leaving with >it I ask if there was gas in it. He says yup I filled it up myself. Being >the fool I am I believed him. So I park the bike inside at work till the >snow melts and drive it home - 100kms on the highway......after about >60kms...it sputters and hesitates....I am thinking WTF I made it to a gas >station on reserve - barely. I mean saving $6 on $6000 sale....now that's >cheap! > >Cheers, > >Vik When I bought my new Valkyrie a couple years ago, the dealer gave me a $10.00 bill for a fill up at the station down the street from him, and also told me to keep the change, which was a couple bucks - even though he knew I only had about a 30 kilometer trip to home. Arne ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 01:38:56 +0000 From: Sarah Barwig Subject: Re: (klr650) NKLR - bad dealer stories. S2Mumford@aol.com wrote: > "...we've had 1 good story for every 30 bad on Kaw dealers.... > Any Newbie reading this would be very put off on a purchase, and I think = > the ratio is wrong." Well, I bought my KLR used from a dealer who specializes in other brands of bikes. So he doesn't exactly count as a Kaw dealer. But he cut me a real deal (knocked $695 off the advertised price after being asked only once "So is the price negotiable?"), plus, when I was about to leave with it, he gave it one final once over, noticed one of the taillights was loose (I'd noticed it, but figured I'd fix it after I got home) and had his mechanics (who were in the process of closing up shop so they could go home for the evening) stop what they were doing and fix it. Haven't gone back to see him because he's a bit far away, but I have the feeling he'd provide good general service. unconfirmed, but I got good vibes from him. Sarah - -- Beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, There is a field. I'll meet you there. -Rumi ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 17:51:17 -0800 From: "Arne Larsen" Subject: Re: (klr650) NKLR Self-defence explanation...."fork seal band-aid" Will both nostrils buy me 4??? (I'm laughing right now) - -----Original Message----- From: Vik Banerjee To: Arne Larsen ; Klr650 Mail List (E-mail) Date: Thursday, March 18, 1999 5:38 PM Subject: Re: (klr650) NKLR Self-defence explanation...."fork seal band-aid" >Arne, > >I'll buy you two pitchers of beer if you provide the list photographic >evidence of you employing this life saving technique..=) > >Vik > > >>I've heard that a tampon can also come in handy if you've got a bleeding >>nose... >> >>Arne - whose nose never bleeds... >> >> > ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 19:27:32 -0000 From: "Eric Jasniewicz" Subject: (klr650) NKLR - Good dealers, bad dealers I offer no explanation, but all four Kawasaki dealers I dealt with in CT were great, unfortunately, two of them are no longer in business. A thanks to Bridgsches (RIP), Old Saybrook (RIP), Willows, and Midtown (even though Kurt and John can have a attitude!;). Extremely helpful, knew their stuff, they shared an interest with you, and were kind of like Fred Hink. My initial experiences in GA have been the complete opposite. The first dealers I have visited (2 Kawi, several other dealers with other makes) were more like a Walmart, didn't seem to know much about the bikes they were selling, nor did they care. I walked into one dealer, ready to buy a KLR. After waiting around for a while, with no other customers in the building, I decided maybe I should try a different shop. I had to get Dynojet and Supertrapp part numbers from the respective websites because the dealer where I bought my bike kept telling me they didn't make stuff for the KLR! I gave up trying to order the Kawi luggage from them. Since my purchase, I have found two dealers that seem alright, they talk motorcycle talk, they seem to be one of "us". Be wary, but give a dealer a chance, even a few chances before you give up on them. Also, Kawasaki Corp position is each dealer is an independent enterprise, responsible for their respective business. I had other more serious problems with my initial purchase, and received the previous info in writing from a Kawi spokesperson. Consider yourself on your own, it may be worth it to check out that dealer who is three hours away. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 20:49:28 EST From: Ztib@aol.com Subject: (klr650) bad dealers It is incredible to me how many incompetent dealers there are in the motorcycle market in North America. And the bottom line is that it is our fault for tolerating it. When you have a bad dealer experieice, you should tell the manager, owner, or both. And you should tell them in person and in writing. And you should tell the service arm of the manufacture, Kaw, Honda, BMW, whoever it is. We are too tolerant of bad dealers. We need to learn how to do most of the basics ourselves, just to know the bike is mechanically sound and safe. This web site is a great place to post your honest experiences with dealers. I beleive that the dealers should be named . And we should also post positive experiences with dealers so that the good ones can be identified and proud. More dealers should be on line with us. I wonder how the Concours Group guys handle dealer incompetence. Face it, it won't get better until the consumer hurts the dealers pocket book. If you have a good dealer, treasure him and support him. If you have a bad dealer, tell him and ask him if he intends to get better in the area that concerns you. Give him a second chance if you are comfortable. But if he displays incompetence again, find someone else. Mr. Do it yourself ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 20:52:25 -0500 From: Tim Bootle Subject: Re: (klr650) Pelican case alternative - --------------1732EECBE69CD5FCA7F7DF7E Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Folks, here is the Sears address as one hyperlink. -Tim > > h > tp://shop.sears.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce/;execmacro/dispProdsSCS.d2w/report?prrfnbr=13522&prmenbr=6970 > > - --------------1732EECBE69CD5FCA7F7DF7E Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Folks, here is the Sears address as one hyperlink. -Tim
 
http://shop.sears.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce/;execmacro/dispProdsSCS.d2w/report?prrfnbr=13522&prmenbr=6970
 
- --------------1732EECBE69CD5FCA7F7DF7E-- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 21:04:47 -0500 From: Bryan Moody Subject: Re: (klr650) NKLR - Good dealers, bad dealers Eric Jasniewicz wrote: > > snip > Also, Kawasaki Corp position is each dealer is an independent > enterprise, responsible for their respective business. I had other more > serious problems with my initial purchase, and received the previous info in > writing from a Kawi spokesperson. Consider yourself on your own, it may be > worth it to check out that dealer who is three hours away. Kawasaki does need to clean up it's dealer network. I got the same response from the Kawasaki corporate representative. As much as I like to pick on the Milwaukee Vibrator crowd, I have to admit that their dealers are MUCH more customer oriented. - -- Bryan Moody Greensboro, NC 86 Concours, 94 KLR650 COG Southeast Area Director http://www.concours.org/se IBA: BBG, CCC Gold ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 18:15:16 -0800 (PST) From: KLR650@webtv.net (Conall O'Brien) Subject: (klr650) Re: Helmet Lock Cosmo- I totally agree with Juan not to hang a spare helmet on the helmet lock while underway. This would be a sure way to mess up the helmet and worse make your bike unstable. If available, the luggage rack is the place to carry a spare lid. Like Juan, I use a bungee net and since I use a offroad helmet I turn the open face pointing backwards, so the helmet doesn't catch too much air. Conall http://www.angelfire.com/co/klr650/index.html ------------------------------ End of klr650-digest V2 #149 ****************************