OB's motorcycle travels, projects, ideas

Okay, so in 2006, when Mike and I decided we were doing this Arctic Circle trip, we agreed that the choice of motorcycle was crucial to our success, and given that we had to be virtually self-sufficient for long distances in remote areas, it made absolute sense for us to purchase the same make and mode bike, so as to be able to share parts and knowledge of the machines, in case we had to affect some road-side repairs without outside assistance.

Also, given that our budgets were both rather limited, we quickly excluded the more expensive machines such as the wonderfully capable BMW GS series bikes, and looked at other, less expensive choices.

Some contenders quickly popped up in our discussions, including;

• the Suzuki V-strom dual-purpose bike with a V-twin 650cc motor DL650 V-Strom
• the Kawasaki KLR650 dual-purpose bike with a single cylinder 650cc motor Klr650
• the Suzuki DR650 dual-purpose bike with a single cylinder 650cc motor DR650
• the Triumph Tiger dual-purpose bike with a powerful triple cylinder 955cc motor Tiger

All of these bikes are of the type of bike called "dual-purpose", which means they can be ridden in the dirt as well as the street. They have longer suspension and bigger wheels and are generally lighter and more "basic" than regular, luxurious street cruisers, to be off-road capable.

Out of these bikes, the KLR650 and the DR650 are the most dirt capable, but also less comfortable on the street and highways.

We finally decided on the KLR650, as it is a simple, economical bike with a simple carburetor (no complex fuel injection to potentially break down), and a very large gas tank which provides a very good standard range of about 250-280 miles with the bike’s good fuel consumption of around 50 MPG.

We would need every bit of this range for the long trek up the Dempster highway!

These are the two KLR650s I purchased used through E-Bay, for Jaryd and myself (yes, I had to buy TWO bikes, of course!)

Now, we had the basic platform, but we needed to modify these bikes to strengthen them and improve the comfort to allow us to not only get there and back, but also with a minimum of pain (yeah, right!!!)

So, after the bikes were ensconced safely in my garage, I set about stripping them down to rebuild them with some stronger bits and pieces, and to fix some known issues with these bikes, including the following:

• Reliability modifications
  • Replace the weak engine balancer adjuster with a stronger aftermarket item, to keep the motor reliable.
    Engine balance adjuster (commonly called the "Doohickey!")
    Some info on installation of the Doohickey
  • Installed the "Thermobob" radiator bypass unit, to keep the motor at constant temperatures and speed-up warm-up in cold weather
    "Thermobob" radiator bypass unit info
  • replace the rear sub-frame bolts with much stronger items, to avoid the frame breaking with heavy loads over rough roads
    Stronger sub-frame bolt kit and install info
    Sub-frame upgrade kit
  • ScottOiler touring kit, for automatic chain oiling
    ScottOiler touring kit
• Comfort and Performance modifications
  • Installed heated grips, to keep hands warm in cold temps
    Heated Grips
  • Upgraded hand guards, for better hand and crash protection
    Hand guards
  • Manual cruise control (friction type), for constant throttle assistance
    Vista cruise control
  • Sheepskin butt pad, for added seat comfort
    Sheepskin Butt Pad

Picture of the cockpit of the one KLR, showing the extra driving lamp with left-handed switch, the GPS, the cell-phone and mount, the 2-way radio and mount, the aluminum hand guards, the throttle lock, the anti-vibration mirror mounts, the anti-vibration handlebar-ends, the 3 x automotive cigar lighter adaptors for electrical power to the accessories, the taller screen, the add-on electrical switch panel, the tank bag and the tank panniers.

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