The Bikes: Yobo

Growing up on the east coast I wasn't exposed to motorbikes.  Maybe it was because of the weather, maybe it was something else, but I couldn't tell you 2 of all of my friends who actually had motorbikes.  (and that's saying something for a country boy like me)  However, I always wanted one, and always thought they were super cool.

Later in life, I decided to be a superhero.  I needed to have skills to dive, climb, run, fight, shoot, lift, and of course, ride anything and everything that might help me save the day.  I began to feel it was a personal shortcoming that I didn't know how to operate a motorcycle.  So, after moving to the west coast, I took the moto safety course and spent the next year or so ogling at bikes in shops and online.  Finally, I pulled the trigger on my first bike, A Honda CBR 600 RR, and my lifelong romance with the 2 wheeled beauties began.  I knew that before too long I'd have to take the step off the pavement and into the wild...  A dual sport bike was in order.

To anyone not familiar with "Dual Sport" Motorbikes, they are essentially a big dirt bike with a larger engine that's capable of highway cruising speeds and road-worthy appointments like headlights, turn signals, and mirrors.  Some dual sports lean a little more towards the dirt bike side, while some lean more towards the street bike side.  The trick is to know what type of terrain you will be tackling most of the time and get the bike that fits.

I ended up with a 2009 Kawasaki KLR 650e, Yobo Edition.  I've had it on highways doing 90mph and out in the desert chewing up rocky single-track hill climbs.  While it doesn't do either of these things extremely well, no dual sport does, and I'm a firm believer in the bike being secondary to the rider.  Having said that - here she is.  See below for some pics, vids, and other info.

Cosmetic Overhaul
First up was a major cosmetic overhaul.  I think the 2009 KLR is ugly as sin, and while I got what I consider to be the least-ugly model, I still wouldn't want to take it home to meet mom.  SO, I checked out some other ideas online and landed on one I really liked.  A few people have been repainting their bikes with flat-black bedliner.  Bedliner is a durable, non-slip, textured finish that is intended to coat truck beds, and just so happens to suit the attitude of this bike, and it's rider, perfectly.  I got the tools, and the time, and hit it up this last Saturday with phenominal results.

Here are some before and after pics:

  

Updated Pics: Navigation and Cargo Mods

Here are some updated pics of the finished product.  They are admittedly poor quality but I'm too busy to get her out there with a proper camera so this will have to do for now.  It's enough to get the idea anyway...  These were taken on a ridge top in Glendale that overlooks the city.  If you look carefully in the last pic you'll see the LA skyline in all its smoggy glory.

You'll see the following items on the bike:

Garmin GPSMAP 60csx

Touratech RAM Handlebar Mount

Happy-Trail Rear Rack 
Touratech 35L Zega Cases
Rapid Transit Recon 19 Tank Bag

Updated Pics:  Electrical Mods and Center Stand

Electrical mods:  
GPS Hardline: I knew I'd be relying on the GPS for on and off road navigation, so hardwiring it to the battery was a must.  Touratech had everything I needed.  The mod was pretty simple to hook up, and it has a fuse to protect your expensive GPS from surges and blowouts.  

Cigarette Lighter Adapter:  This adapter will allow me to power, and re-charge electrical devices while on the road.  It was also a pretty simple setup.  

Look Ma, No Batteries.  Hardline power is up and running

Cigarette Lighter Adapter

Center Stand: Trail maintenance is a pain when you can't balance your bike.  Rear tire changes would be especially troublesome.  I am a minimalist and like to keep things as simple as possible, but after much debate I decided that a center stand would be a worthy addition.  Simpler repairs = Simpler when you need it most. 

Add caption

Suspension Adjustment:  The KLR is designed for a default rider weight of somewhere around 150 lbs...  I'm a touch over that, coming in at about 210 with protective gear.   The bike sags a great deal when I sit on it, and I wanted to eliminate as much of that as I could before the trip.  The suspension preload adjustment is simply done and thus, I cranked it all the way up to the max allowable value.  I can tell that the bike sags less, and actually seems more stable at highway speeds.  So far so good, but with an additional ~60lbs of luggage on there, I might need a true suspension adjustment.  I'll leave that to the pros when I take her in for a final pre-launch once-over. 


So it looks like I'm nearly done.  Next will be a set of crash-proof handguards, and a carburetor mod to help with air/fuel mix while at altitude and then it'll be as ready as it can be for this trip.  

Here's some complete-for-now pics

Mods Pictured Above:
GPS Hardline
Cigarette Lighter Adapter 
SoWest Motech Center Stand
Totally Awesome Dude Mod

Finally - the reason for the KLR650e "Yobo edition" 

Helpful Links
KLR650.com -technical index and more.
KLR 650.net - web's largest KLR info source
Happy-Trail.com - home of bombproof moto equipment made in the USA