Great first post Richard; many people come in with a "hello here I am" type of thing but you have contributed immediately.

Good looking bike there with some very useful add-ons. You are all set to go touring!
How effective do you find the MRA screen compared with the original and/or as a screen in its own right?

__________________
Dave

hi dave, thanks for the reply, yes I'm ready to go touring I've only done small trips so far, weekend camping down to cornwall (not more than 120 miles one way) and the odd trip here and there. My plans for future after more riding experience will be the lands end to john o'groats The screen is a great piece of kit, with the 'flap' all the way down it acts the same as the standard screen, fully upright when it gets to 70+ mph you can feel it slightly but being 6ft 2inches I'm always going to get wind, smaller men/woman would find minimal wind turbulance upto 60mph at least. It has enabled to me to beable to keep a much more relaxed posture on my bike - reducing energy useage therefore can enjoy the ride more

Excellent information Richard and thanks for that: the MRA screen looks well designed.

Good luck with your travelling and camping - try to get abroad on the KLE and do some (legal) riding on the wrong side of the road!

__________________
Dave

excelent post richard. it was really the info what i need.

i have a small question. can you mount the side panniers without the top-box rack? i dont think i am going to use top-box. also can you use this rack with zega alu-panniers?

another question is about the bike? is it really bullet-proof? do you have serious problems especially with engine?

I am between KLE500 and XL650

thanks

__________________
ozhan u.
website under construction

thanks for the questions ozhanu.

The pannier racks has 2 fixings that fit to the original rear carrier. This means you do not have to have a topbox.
As with regards to the zega-alu panniers I am not too sure, but i will try and find out.

Before I decided to buy a big bike (and have restricted) I researched for months on the most reliable and obviously most suited for my own purposes. I looked on reviews and read about the KLE having the renowned GPZ500 engine. So far I've had not a single problem with the bike. It starts in any weather, after any period of time - first time. It's incredibly smooth and responsive, I don't have a single bad word to say about it. I use it nearly everyday and average 1000 miles a month.
My brother has a honda xl 650 transalp and we've both been quite some distances together. So far he has experienced no problems, with it being a honda its of a build quality that is trusted worldwide. The obvious differences between our bikes is the size. The KLE is slightly taller, thinner and lighter whereas the transalp is more expensive, heavier, has a larger fuel tank, wider seat, faster and has more available aftermarket accessories. But I chose the KLE over the Transalp because of the rugged look and it was alot more cheaper (which matters when your a student with minimal income).

cheers

richard

thanks for all the info richard.

I you could just give me the inner diameter of the racks that would really help. I can measure my pannier mounts and see whether they fit or not.

This weekend I'll go to see the KLE on the dealer. As you said it is cheap and gives you the enough power. Even with the accessories it is cheaper then XL650 or 650GS.

Thanks

__________________
ozhan u.
website under construction

You got the bike set up very well there Richard.

Ive just sold my fireblade and so I have some spare cash to spend on my KLE. Im gonna get the rack and side boxes and also the centre stand.

I fitted the oxford heated grips last winter and they work well. Also I got a taller screen but not the wing type like yours, I just thought they were too expensive.

How do you find the centre stand, is it of solid construction and do u have any ground clearance problems now?

Cheers
Roy

__________________
"Whats in that thing??", An R1 owner said.

hi sorry for late reply I have been busy the past few days.

ozhanu:

the pannier racks diameter is 16mm

royzx7r:

The centre stand is very solid construction and does the job brilliantly. here are a couple of pics showing the main fixings. Also note that you will have to use a longer bolt for the left hand side pannier fixing if you are going to buy both items (pannier racks and centre stand). I used a 45mm, size 8 bolt, and always use loctite.

Also the ground clearance is pretty much the same.







^ showing ground clearance with centre stand fitted on KLE ^

cheers