My First Bike!

Two days after I got my motorcycle licence I was off to Bow Cycle to buy a motorcycle. Dylan and I had spent a number of hours researching various bikes to take on the trip. We felt the BMW 1150GS bikes that Ewan and Charlie took on Long Way Round were too big and cumbersome for us. The pricetag also put them out of range as they were more expensive than our current vehicles. We considered the KTM and, again, felt the price was a little high for what you get. Then, doing a lot of research on the internet, we found a bike with a strong cult following - the Kawasaki KLR 650. The main resources for KLRs are located at www.klr650.net and http://www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html there is a great network of folks who know seemingly as much (if not more about some things) than does Kawasaki about these bikes.

One of the main reasons this was the one we wanted was that it was foolproof, proven technology. The first KLRs rolled off the assembly line in 1987 and there have been few changes since.
So, off to the dealer and I bought a brand new KLR. Later that day, Dylan came by to pick it up. There was no way I was ready to ride it on the street yet.

He rode it to his house and was immediately disappointed in the bike. Firstly, at 5'6", coming to a stop on the bike was like a Cirque de Soleil maneuver. Dylan has about a 28" inseam. (He might correct me on this.) The KLR has a 34" seat height. That makes for an awkard situation every time he stopped. Basically, riding the KLR for him (and me as it turned out) was like getting a big wedgie at every stop light.

Undeterred, and a little angry that perhaps we made a mistake, I vowed to enjoy the KLR and prove it was the right bike for the trip. But first I had to ride it.

More to come...