RantMachine

Neither are you but I don't keep reminding you

[mention]Stu[/mention] That's why I let you off and picked on Craig instead [mention]Westbeef[/mention] Which part of OTHER SIDE OF PLANET are you struggling with

It's not that bad showing up without a bike. Tiggie turned up several years in a row with 3/4 of a bike and some duck tape

Bwahahahahaha I'm sure you knew which post it would be

You're not alone - I just turn on the spot and walk out when people talk about electrical stuff

OOH OOH I missed my chance in the other thread because boring Hoggs McModface locked the thread before I clicked submit: I argue on the internet ALL THE TIME

Relevant .'. not shitposting

You'll have to rev pretty darn loud if you want me to hear you in Colorado Also if you aren't hungover when everyone else is then you're doing it wrong!

If you want to make it cheap then take your own food And a loose chain And a wind up torch. I never saw it, but I just about heard it.

I've got an A-level in psychology if that helps. Well, half of one. Let's approach the issue more directly by discussing the deep-seated parental issues that are clearly behind your desperate need to "top up your battery". For the purpose of this session I'm assuming that "battery" is what kids these days are calling opiates.

I wholeheartedly agree with raesewell on this one - if you don't have a similar style and ability to the people you're riding with it can really spoil the fun. There is literally nothing more infuriating than being on a slower bike while being faster in the corners. Of course they don't all need to be on the same type of bike as you by any means; I most frequently ride with another forum member who rides a Thruxton R and a Z1000SX, but still manage to have a great laugh riding along with my KLX because we stick to the really twisty stuff and avoid long straights where we'll both get bored and I'll get left behind

Seen someone bodge that using part of a crutch, worked pretty well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2dImprgiB8

It wasn't the jack I was dubious of I was just impressed the side stand can take the weight that well - but I guess if it's only tilted onto it ever so slightly then it's not really a shock.

*car falls down hill*

Or just stick a jack underneath the dogbones, rear wheel will lift, and bike is very stable on the tripod created by the jack, sidestand and front wheel, and you can spin the rear. Blimey, I wouldn't have thought to try that on something as big as a Tiger! Done similar on mine before, rocked the bike onto the side stand then turned the wheel a bit and plonked it down again with a different bit of chain exposed. And in reverse when I needed the front wheel off (with the jack under the sump guard), but then mine weighs half as much Trouble with this is that my driveway is clean - push - clean - fall down a hill. Whoops

And in the meanwhile: clean - push - clean - push - clean - push - lube - push - lube - push - lube - push My paddock stand is on its way out so I've been doing that a lot lately

I had some insufferably crap and shouty ar*ehole (Bike Sense) who took us out on the road for a ridiculously short session and spent most of the time berating us. Had my follow up session with Eurorider who were awesome. So, several years later when [strikeout]Mrs [/strikeout]Dr (don't kill me) RantMachine had her CBT, I recommended Eurorider. Sods law they'd just bought out Bike Sense and shouty ar*ehole now works for them, and GUESS WHO she had for her CBT. Can't win!!

My CBT instructor was also incredibly shite, so I did a follow up session with a different place. Not only was the other place absolutely great, but they even managed to fit me in the very next day. Came away from the CBT a complete bag of nerves, came away from the training the following day having great fun. Should've gone to them in the first place!

I like Pink Floyd, but not enough to go to London

Not looking likely!

Better not, the wind could change direction and the flames might reach your bike too...

You mean these? https://www.oponeo.co.uk/moto-tyre-details/dunlop-d605-70-100-19-42-p-front-tt?origin=shopping&gclid=CjwKEAjw4vzKBRCt9Zmg8f2blgESJADN5fDg4hJg3Bib6-lMbYgHQtFqdHOyQHJvVZ1uJuHZu8NRORoC-i7w_wcB Thanks smart arse, I'll say it again: DUNLOP don't import them to the UK. Unsurprisingly my local garage don't buy their stock for Oponeo so it wasn't an option, and to be quite honest I couldn't be bothered with mucking around sourcing a tyre myself when I could just let them deal with it.

UPDATE TIME Many more miles have been done, more modifications have been made, old ones have been improved, tyres have been experimented with, and general dickery has been plentiful. KLX is angry that no updates have been posted in the meanwhile. Or maybe it's just pissed because I parked it beside Glorian's bike. New Mods After getting back from 'Murrica in January I fitted the bike with a little flag bracket for shits and giggles. Bodged it together from some bits in my toolbox: Surprisingly sturdy, hasn't come off on motorways or on green lanes. Or even when I repeatedly kick it when swinging my leg over the bike! And as planned, I replaced the silencer (back in October/November of last year). The new one is a Delkevic 350mm Stubby (the only road legal option they have for the KLX), the styling is exactly what I was after and the sound is absolutely great - significantly louder than stock, but not so obscene that you'll piss off the hikers or startle the horses. Keep it north of 6,000rpm and you get a lovely aggressive rasping sound from it, with a great bark when you blip the throttle and a decent pop/burble when you use some engine braking. EXACTLY how this sort of bike should sound, to my mind. And it was only £115 at the time when I bought it, which is awesome. All parts provided including link pipe and gasket, fitting was pretty easy (gasket wasn't a perfect fit but worked out fine with a bit of elbow grease). Can't say I've noticed any real performance change, but then I wouldn't really expect to on a 250 with no fuelling/airflow mods. The weight reduction is good though, a whole 3kg. Strongly recommended!! Old Mods Finally got round to making up some new supports for the screen, so it's now sitting at a much steeper angle. Obviously the aerodynamics aren't so good, but let's be honest that was never a strong suit for this bike. But it makes one hell of a difference to the buffeting when you take it on a motorway! Also it puts the whole thing a bit further forwards, meaning you have a better view of the clocks when you're sat right at the front of the seat, and more importantly I don't smack my face on it when I'm ducking branches I've also added a plastic sleeve to the lower supports, because they were vibrating against the headlight cowl and making an overwhelmingly irritating buzzing noise at higher RPMs. Aaaaaand while I was at it, I also added a similar (more flexible) sleeve to the section of the brake line where it runs under the bracket for the knuckle guards. It tends to rub a bit when you go through any particularly nasty ruts and the line shoves upwards as the forks dive, so I wanted to help protect it a bit. Tyres Right, so the bike comes with Dunlop D605's, which were really solid. I would've liked to have them again, but apparently they're only available as OEM equipment and Dunlop don't import them to the UK! Add into the mix the tyre I got from my amazing forum Secret Santa, and an unexpected puncture, and I've had the chance to try out a few things in the past few months Dunlop D605 REALLY nice all rounders. Once they were worn in you could get pretty damn aggressive both on and off road, but need to be mindful of a little bit of a death wobble on motorways. As they started to wear down more this went away, but obviously they didn't handle gravel and dirt quite so well either. Also the tread pattern wasn't so good for mud, but to be fair they're a gravel/dirt tyre so that's to be expected. The rear squared off a fair bit thanks to my commuting, but not too bad all things considered. The rear was worn away by ~4500 miles, the front lasted a little longer to ~6000 miles. Pros: Really solid all rounders Handle dirt and gravel with ease Lasted pretty well for a 90/10 tyre! Cons: Death wobble on motorways Not so great for mud (still better than a road tyre obvs) Still don't last long compared to a dualsport tyre I Forget What Brand MX Tyre (rear only) (If I still have the label at home I'll update this) Great fun! Wasn't road legal so OBVIOUSLY only used it on the lanes. Would've been able to do more with it if I'd bothered getting a matching one for the front Way better than the D605 for mud, scary as hell on some sealed sections, and really not very good at broken glass. Thus endeth the MX tyre, thanks very much fly tippers. Pros: Really good at mud, dirt, gravel, you name it Cons: Wore really fast Downright scary on sealed roads when the knobbles at the edge of the tyre BEND underneath you Not road legal Continental TKC80 (front only) This is what replaced the worn out D605 once I found out I couldn't get another one of the same. I was torn between this and the Heidenau K60 Scout, but in the end swung this way on account of the slightly more mud biased tread pattern. The lanes around here can get pretty grim. Haven't had it for that long yet, but it's doing well so far - very similar to the D605 when I first got it. Occasional death wobble on the motorway, but a good all rounder. Seems to handle the loose stuff just as well as the Dunlops, and lasts a little longer in the mud before getting completely clogged up with it. To be honest, I'm struggling to see why the D605 gets sold as a 90/10 and the TKC gets pushed as a 50/50! I guess it's because the TKC is primarily marketed to people on god awful overweight adventure bikes where it'll never perform to the full extent of its ability, and (like the K60) the wider version of the tyre has a very different tread pattern with much bigger knobbles and much narrower troughs. The only trade of against the D605s is that it doesn't feel quite as sturdy in the corners on sealed roads, but to be honest with only a few hundred miles on them so far that could just be because I haven't gotten completely used to them yet. Pros: Spectacular versatility, I really struggle to imagine getting a better balance between mud and sealed roads Supposedly last just as long as the D605s Cons: Little bit vague in the corners Death wobble on motorways Still wears faster than a dualsport tyre and to be honest I don't expect it to last as well as the D605! Seems much softer. Continental Conti Escape (rear only) This is my current back tyre. Certainly not what I would've chosen (I was planning on a TKC or a K60), but it was the only thing my local shop had in stock at short notice after the previous tyre was sliced open! And you know what, it's actually turned out incredibly well. The tread is just aggressive enough to get some decent bite on even the roughest stuff, so long as you know what you're doing and manage your power delivery well. I've taken it across every kind of surface and had no issues so far. The odd slide on mud, but the TKC up front sets a decent line so it's easy enough to kick the tail back in line. And in trade off, it's one hell of a lot more stable on the road. Wears a lot better, too. Pros: Wears far slower than the knobblies More planted on sealed roads Pairs of impressively well with the TKC front on the rough stuff Cons: WOULD NOT want to ride the lanes with one of these on the front So all in all, I can corroborate the tyre wisdom that you'll see all over ADVrider, Thumper Talk, The HUBB, etc... A decent dualsport / adventure tyre at the back paired with something nice and aggressive at the front is absolutely spot on for riding a split of on/off road while pushing your bike as hard as possible on both. Fingers crossed, the rear and front should end up wearing at the same sort of rate and I can replace both at the same time (unless I run into any more nasty crap on the trails). The TKC is sure footed in any terrain and keeps the bike the right way up on slippy stuff, and the rear gets just enough traction on the muck while having bucketloads of confidence on the road. Really solid pairing. General Dickery Bought myself a power ranger suit with matching armor Again, I'll try to add brand names on later today. That being said I got most of it in the Ghostbikes and Sportsbikeshop Christmas sales, because not many people are daft enough to go green laning in the middle of winter The boots have been really great, knee and elbow pads (not pictured) are great too. Sturdy fit, comfortable, reasonable airflow all things considered. Also got a set of SixSixOne knee braces with hyperextension lockouts (also not pictured) because my knee isn't so spectacular since the Lexmoto was written off and I didn't want something silly like being worried about torn ligaments to stop me pushing myself (and the bike) as hard as I can! Again, bought in the sales. Again, awesome. Not so relevant to the KLX though so I'll waffle on elsewhere on the forum when I can be arsed.