Alaska Tour Set Up & Journal on a 2009 KLRHi Gang, after re

[TORQUER]

Well, I don't have the opportunity to ride all day everyday for weeks on end like that. Im 26, school loans, mortgage, have a stay at home wife with a 2 year old and one on the way. The most free time I can muster is the occasional Saturday morning ride down to the lake dam for some ATV trails. It'll get better as the kids get older and they can come with me!

[Gruf Rude]

Originally Posted by TORQUER

Well, I don't have the opportunity to ride all day everyday for weeks on end like that. Im 26, school loans, mortgage, have a stay at home wife with a 2 year old and one on the way. The most free time I can muster is the occasional Saturday morning ride down to the lake dam for some ATV trails. It'll get better as the kids get older and they can come with me!

I hear that. I was in my 60s when I got my chance to ride to Alaska a few years ago and the last month-long ride I had before that was in 1975, right after I got out of the Marine Corps and just before I started my first professional job.

Took 35 years in-between to clear the mortgage, have and raise the two kids and get them through college and retire from the profession before I got back the time to do long rides. Not that I didn't have a wonderful time raising the kids and practicing the profession - but there is only so much time in a life and once parenting enters the picture, a guy has to use the time he has wisely. I didn't mind at all waiting for the ride to Alaska - life has always been an adventure!

[TORQUER]

Originally Posted by Gruf Rude

I hear that. I was in my 60s when I got my chance to ride to Alaska a few years ago and the last month-long ride I had before that was in 1975, right after I got out of the Marine Corps and just before I started my first professional job.

Took 35 years in-between to clear the mortgage, have and raise the two kids and get them through college and retire from the profession before I got back the time to do long rides. Not that I didn't have a wonderful time raising the kids and practicing the profession - but there is only so much time in a life and once parenting enters the picture, a guy has to use the time he has wisely. I didn't mind at all waiting for the ride to Alaska - life has always been an adventure!

I love my son! And I hope to have another son. We won't discover the gender of this child until he/she is born. I am going to get my boy on bikes as soon as possible so we can adventure ride together. My wife wants to ride also. So maybe by the time both children can legally ride on the streets, all four of us can go adventure riding! My wife is awesome and I would bring her along with the guys any day.

[salty_monk]

I put some YZ425 ones on mine. Cost was about $15! The pin is a different size so you have to shim the Kawi pin or drill out the mounting holes & shorten the YZ pin

The Motech ones with the removeable rubber pads like Wyman has are nice. more spendy though.

[Gruf Rude]

Originally Posted by salty_monk

I put some YZ425 ones on mine. Cost was about $15! The pin is a different size so you have to shim the Kawi pin or drill out the mounting holes & shorten the YZ pin

The Motech ones with the removeable rubber pads like Wyman has are nice. more spendy though.

The DR650 pegs and springs were a direct fit for my '06; not sure if they work on the '08s and up, but cost was under $40 at the Suzuki dealer when I bought mine.

[KLR916]

Originally Posted by salty_monk

I put some YZ425 ones on mine. Cost was about $15! The pin is a different size so you have to shim the Kawi pin or drill out the mounting holes & shorten the YZ pin

The Motech ones with the removeable rubber pads like Wyman has are nice. more spendy though.

$150 for the Motech, ouch!

[KLR916]

1. $20 Throttle lock (pictured)
2. 16 Tooth front sprocket
3. MadStad Engineering 20" Adventure shield $269
4. Doohickey
5. Front Suspension $300
6. 688 Kit (installed price at about $600)
7. Rear Suspension (Ricor Model C with 400lbs Eibach spring $550)
8. Heated Grips (under grip strips) $44.95 (about $50 with a relay and wiring)
9. Sargent Seat $3691. $20 Throttle lock (pictured)
10. Happy Trails Tetons & SU Racks $679

#10

So what is an adventure touring klr without luggage???

The top 10 farkles then must include some sort of luggage! After going back and forth and considering many options, I finally landed on a set of Happy Trials 7.5” Tetons Powder Coated pre mounted set that was on sale in combination with the SU racks.

I went with this setup over many other choices mainly because of size and simplicity. Many of the other options including the Caribou setup were just too wide, in fact wider than the handlebars and that just seemed like a big no-no to me at the time. Also the Caribou system has a horizontal crossbar that connects below the rear fender and is in my opinion somewhat less than cool looking. The SU rack meanwhile tucks in nicely behind the fender, this was in important consideration since I knew I wanted to get rid of some of the black plastic associated with stock license plate frame.

I received my set and I was very satisfied with the build quality of both the racks and the boxes. The bike has been down a couple of times lightly in dirt and nothing has tweaked yet. The seals also seem to keep out dust. I am also happy with the minimalist adventure motorcycle look.

I also ended up going with the HT top box but I am not as happy with that decision/value as I am with the Tetons so those did not make my top 10.


So here is a unique angle of the Happy Trails Tetons! ;)

photo by 916Glass, on Flickr

[MudBoy916]

I kind of thought we would need the rubber for vibration dampening? Has anyone tried to "sipe" the original rubber pegs? In the mean time, I was able to add my 450 lbs eibach spring and bumped the dial on the bottom of the shock from 1 to 4. Haven't touched the per-load yet but the spring seems much stiffer. Almost zero sag without a rider.

[Gruf Rude]

Your riding boots will provide all the vibration control you need. What you REALLY need down there is a no-slip connection between your boots and your bike. First time your foot slips off a peg and gets sucked under that metal pannier box, you are going to be cursing that rubber peg (and the cast on your tibia) . . .

[KLR916]

Originally Posted by Gruf Rude

Your riding boots will provide all the vibration control you need. What you REALLY need down there is a no-slip connection between your boots and your bike. First time your foot slips off a peg and gets sucked under that metal pannier box, you are going to be cursing that rubber peg (and the cast on your tibia) . . .

Anything under $100 that is built to last and does not require mods?

[KLR916]

Dunlop 606s on order
Aerostich heated vest on order
Kermit chair on order
spare spark plug and brake pads packed, oil & filter changed, new uni installed. Is it time to go yet?

Any consensus out there on what the max oil change interval is? What would you stretch it to on this trip considering most of this will be easy cruising speed with not much stop & go and most likely very moderate temps.

I am running Mobile 15-50 synthetic and the Kawi oil filter.

Thanks!

[Gruf Rude]

Originally Posted by KLR916

Anything under $100 that is built to last and does not require mods?

I have had a set of stock Suzuki DR650 pegs and springs on my '06, since I purchased the bike new in '07. On the '06, the DR650 pegs mount right up using the stock Kawasaki pivot pins. I do not know if the '08 and later pegs are the same as the '07 and earlier KLRs. Anybody out there know?

If they still fit, I think I paid $38 for the set at the local Suzuki dealer, brand new in the bag. Back then then part numbers were: 43550-44B10-019, footrest, right; 43560-44B10-019, footrest, left; and 2 springs, 0944-15008.

[Gruf Rude]

Originally Posted by KLR916

Dunlop 606s on order


Any consensus out there on what the max oil change interval is? What would you stretch it to on this trip considering most of this will be easy cruising speed with not much stop & go and most likely very moderate temps.

I am running Mobile 15-50 synthetic and the Kawi oil filter.

Thanks!

On my Alaska trip I changed oil twice, at about 3,000 mile intervals. I was using the old standby, Rotella T 15-40w dino oil which is available most everywhere. I ignored the oil filter for the month and the 9,000 miles and changed it when I got home. I figure the less fooling with something that really doesn't need fooling with is better on long trips . . .

Turned out that I was hitting that 3,000 mile mark near enough to a WalMart each time that all I had to do was pull in, buy three quarts of oil, roll around to the automotive bay and the guys would lend me a drain pan and recycle the old oil while they asked about the bike, the trip, the usual . . .

[KLR916]

Happy independence day!

We got out this morning for some "glamour shots" prior to the trip. The KLRs will never new this clean again after the Dalton/Dempster! :bang head:



_MG_5516 by 916Glass, on Flickr

[KLR916]

More photos

_MG_5388 by 916Glass, on Flickr

[HutchPhoto]

Awesome photos! Lucky Bastards!

You just don't know how I WISH I was tagging along with y'all!

I see you didn't put on the new front fender ? The vinyl trick didn't work for ya?


Tim

[KLR916]

I went riding instead... can you blame me? :love it:

I still have 9 days to make it happen...

[KLR916]

_MG_3666 by 916Glass, on Flickr

[KLR916]

MudBoy is all business in this pic. (see his boots, hence his name)

_MG_3729 by 916Glass, on Flickr

[KLR916]

I think Inuvik is that way...

_MG_3551 by 916Glass, on Flickr