Poverty Spec ADV Bike
 

I've always wanted an adv bike similar to a BMW/KTM But I don't wanna pay to keep one on the road or even invest in the msrp of one. So I am now the lucky owner of a 2007 Kawasaki KLR 650. She has 3010 miles on her, is in decent shape, and I got her for $2000 bucks.
I know the bike was strapped down wrong in the pic so don't worry I made it home safe and looked up how to do it correctly if I need in the future. lol

1. Mods
Does anybody know of any good front end streamlining kits?
I'm thinking for the most part this 20" tinted one looks like the best option right now.
https://procycle.us/sites/default/fi...1-2%5B1%5D.jpg
https://procycle.us/sites/default/fi...1-1%5B1%5D.jpg
2. I will probably throw in all of my backpacking gear I have which fits in a single backpack, maybe a hard case from harbor freight, an amazon waterproof usb plug in, and a isolated ram mount for GPS/Phone etc...

Anybody in the NWA area(Arkansas)?
Looking to forward to doing a lot of motorcycle camping as my knees at the age of 24 can't really do any hiking anymore.

https://ecomodder.com/forum/member-m...602-162115.jpg

I forget what size exactly this one is, but it's a harbor freight "pelican" case. I added some u-bolts to make strapping things down on the lid or strapping the lid itself down easier. I also have givi quick release side cases. I think they are really convenient, but I wouldn't mind something a little bit larger.

Have you read about the trans-america trail? I don't live near you, but if you were considering riding it maybe we can meet up for it.

$2000 is poverty spec?

Too rich for my blood! So what's that make me? :(

Actually sounds like a decent price though. I love riding. Enjoy your new ride! :thumbup:

I live about an hour from it actually. I was just looking it up yesterday when i saw it being mentioned in Arkansas. Starting to sound like a good trip for some upcoming free time.

Anything above 500cc is far from povertry spec for me.

BTW you complained about your knees not being great for hiking, so, how did you prevent knee injuries while riding a bike which is quite heavier than what I usually see?

On a sidenote, the closest to what could be deemed streamlining for your motorcycle might be the same approach fitted to Dakar racing motorcycles.

How does one injure the knees? I have ground things flat, usually the ends of extremities but never knees or elbows. I can appreciate that one can possibly bang knees against pavement, but once again, I haven't seen that. Road rash I can say. My son took out a knee by using the brake lever as a dull knife while launching over the hood of a car. Is that the scenario?

Stepping with one foot on the ground while cornering, which is quite usual.

https://external-content.duckduckgo....e3c&ipo=images
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?...&ipo=images

No, im pretty sure he means jamming the lower leg bone up into the knee, although I don't understand the how or why. I think I remember doing something like hanging a foot out for corners perhaps 60 years ago ( kind of a then trendy thing) but it's so far back the whole process is lost to me except I recall loose surfaces being involved.

It's a meme:

Three Decades of Akira Slide Homages

Ahhh that caused me to recall my brother had a steel capped left boot they drug when he did flat track dirt racing around the turns

For me its just repetitive movements. I think I have pre-arthritis at this point. Knees, hips, back, wrist.

Congrats on the new bike. Craig Vetter did a fairing for the KLR. I don't know if it made it to production as a kit.

https://thekneeslider.com/images/201...an-fairing.jpg

Not for street riding. That is a flat-tracking / supermoto / motocross technique

Since the OP mentioned motorcycle camping, maybe that technique would still be occasionally required while riding on rough terrain.

Talk to Schultz Engineering about Craig Vetter fairings. A front fairing and a tail section give the best drag reduction. An e-bike will start about $3000.

For any of you KLR owners out there, the KLR has a cheaply designed cooling setup without a bypass. So the thermostat cycles open and closed constantly, causing the cold radiator coolant to get introduced to the bottom of the engine and sit there until the coolant at the top of the engine gets hot enough to open the thermostat where the cycle repeats again.

If you've done any reading about the fancy dual circuit cooling systems on some newer car engines that run a separate engine block circuit at a higher temperature than the head for fuel economy purposes, you should know where this is going. Cold coolant in the block is the opposite of what you want, and can lead to worse fuel economy and the cylinder not wearing evenly, thus oil consumption.



The "Thermobob" from wattman solves these problems, adding an external thermostat with a proper bypass, and a hotter thermostat than the stock bike.

https://watt-man.com/new-shop/thermo...0-model-years/

There is also a great breakdown article on testing the thermobob in the 'Thermo-Bob FAQ' tab up at the top. A very nice technical analysis of why the stock system sucks and how much a proper bypass circuit improves things.

I drove my best friend out to Eastern Oregon one night in my parents Toyota Camry to pick up a KLR650. The car overheated and most of the coolant was lost, so we debated if we should drink the emergency water and pee into it, or just put the emergency water in the radiator. We decided to use the water directly in the radiator and that got us to the destination filling it a couple times.

The next day, we went to the parts store and got a new radiator cap, then picked up the bike. My friend didn't have his endorsement yet, so I rode it back while he drove the car. He's still got the thumper.

You know I've always heard this but the bikes already last too long.