I'm pretty sure I'm going with out a rack system. I like the Happy Trails or similar but they add up in price really fast, hell the weight adds up also.

I see it like this, my numbers are from memory so don't hold my feet to the fire...

Rear side racks~200ish
Saddle bags~180 to 260ish a pair
Tail rack~80 to 150ish

That's a good 500 bucks easy, probably closer to 600-650 with shipping and what not. Not to mention the weight, bulk and my biggest annoyance the racks can't be used on any other bike.

I think I'll end up with the GL Coyote, it fits the Kawi good and a larger KTM690 or BMW (looking at a second bike). Also at 340ish bucks it's universal, you pull it out of the box, slap it on, adjust it and your ready to rock. Oh, want to change bikes, no problem.

Wolfman E12s are great, affordable at 165 a pair but I don't think they offer enough space for extra stuff like rain gear or other seansinal necessities.
Wolfman also offers the rollie mount system for 100 bucks and it secures up to 3 rollies. The large rollies max out at 12.5 liters and 78 bucks each. Price per liter comes close but can't beat the Coyote. Plus the Wolfman rollies are a spaghetti mess of straps, someone OCD like me will end up buying all the little clips they sell and that's another 20 bucks worth of crap I don't need.

After writing this I think it's the Coyote that wins in the end. I'd love the E12s just because they are so cost effective but I think I'd end up regretting the size. I guess I could always throw a large bag on top...hmm I dunno man...decisions...

 

I have a GL Coyote.
In my opinion, this is the perfect bag for our KLX for off road riding. And I can take the bag off easily. Put it on the KLR, leave it at camp, put it on the XR, and fall without it breaking my leg like a hard case. Good choice.

I lucked out by finding a blemish model for a good discount. I've yet to find the blemish!

 

Well I haven't posted on here in a while. I got married, went on my honeymoon and been busy with school. Work got a little slow so I took the time to give the KLX some TLC today.

I went riding in Nevada before I got hitched and the Kawi was depressing. I slapped on a 13T sprocket before I left and it could barely climb hills unless you slipped the clutch a lot or kept the revs above 6.5K. I had been battling with the carburetor after I had done the MCM mod, I could never quite get the bike to behave how I liked. Well I fixed the problem! ...I went back to my original mods, I set the cam timing back to stock today, took the 132 out and put back the 128, moved the clip and so on. It starts better, runs like a scolded skunk and with the 13T its easier to lift the front. I'm not discrediting the MCM but I could never find a happy combo on the carb. The MCM did have noticeable gains above 6k but was a dog down low. My bike can be lugged at 3k rpms again and can take a nice roll on and go. I guess now that I've tried to set the bar higher by trying the MCM and that didn't work out for me I might just be ordering a big bore around January. The MCM wasn't all bad but what put me over the top was riding at altitude. I couldn't take it. I live at sea level and with the 128 my bike runs sweeeeeet, barely needs choke to get it fired after it sits and when I go to 5k feet and up it still runs great. The 132 just didn't suit me.

After all that I cleaned the chain, lubed it, and serviced the air filter. Now I've just got one more tank of gas and my bike will hit 10K miles! I love the KLX!

Aww crap I almost forgot the damage report. So I came into a corner way to hot, my best man was taking the lead on his 500EXC and I couldn't allow that, so I took it upon myself to close the gap. I came in hot and late, needless to say I chose to low side rather than go off the mountain, literally into the tree tops, and end up hospitalized less than a month before my big day. My gear saved my ***, my arm got a nice scrape but thats it. I slid literally 20 feet, broke the plastic chain guard, ripped off the front left fork guard, twisted the hand guard (bent it back), and scraped the crap out of the kick stand...but the crummy part is there is the worlds smallest knick on the left tube and it sweats fluid now. I'm going to fix the knick and if the seal keeps leaking then I think I'll slap in some Gold Valves while I'm at it. Soon as I get some time I'll try and post up some vids.

-Alex

 

Congrats on getting hitched-now you can start to save for the divorce

I feel ya on making a decision to ride it into the dirt versus tumbling down the side of a mountain...been there, done that.

 

Well I finally friggn bought a dang "winter" riding jacket. I've been sporting an Alpinestars Air jacket, can't remember the exact model, its similar to the Viper or T-GP Plus Textile. Non the less, that jacket kicks *** in the summer, works decent with a wind blocking North Face sweater on most days and I've used it in the rain with a wind breaker over it. But layering sucks and gets complicated trying to plan. I like having proper gear, keep it simple, throw it on and just roll out. So I bought a jacket...

It started off with me going to Cyclegear and looking to buy the Sedici Ultimo in the H2O proof flavor. Well, it was on sale for 134 and too good to be true. The quality was what I expected, the armor was a pinch better then the Bilt stuff but it just fit like crap. Back on the rack it goes. I've seen people recommend Tourmaster on ADV Rider, its a few bucks more that seem to be well spent. They had the Transition 3, which was similar so I tried it on. I'm 6 foot tall and 140 pounds, apparently I have some what broad shoulders but I'm still a skinny guy. The small was damn near perfect but when I extend my arms out the back got a bit tight, I didn't like the feel. After checking out some other selections I went back and settled on a medium Transition 3.

After a few days of riding I couldn't stand the bulkiness of the jacket. The front lower pockets on the outside were way to thick, the velcro was terrible trying to match up the flap and get it secure. The jacket has a removable liner and a lot of zippered vents, mainly up on the shoulder with additional velcro to make sure they stay water tight when needed. Honestly it wasn't a BAD jacket but it was just to busy and bulky. Another annoyance is on the arms it had some fabric management buttons with elastic so you can keep the arms from ballooning. Well one button on the left arm "clicked" nicely but ALWAYS came undone. No biggie but annoying. The quality of the jacket seemed to be decent although it had a lot of extra threads that needed to be plucked from the seams after manufacturing. The last annoyance I had was the zipper. The teeth were huge, like a meat grinder, you had to start it exactly or have mercy because it would jam up. Then, it went so high that on the freeway it would press on my throat under heavy wind, again, annoying. I did ride in the rain once, it did its job. The jacket was warm and quit honestly with all my little complains it really wasn't bad. Originally I paid 249 plus tax, so 270ish. Since I spent more than 50 bucks I got a free bike cover, worth 30 bucks. I went online after I had gone home and saw that jacket was on sale for 224 so I went back and they gladly credited my card. I tried to give the small jacket another shot but they didn't have any. At that time I felt I've already spent around 250 with tax and wasn't completely satisfied. Time to look around again.

So I ended up at a local shop in San Jose, RoadRider. They had name brand stuff in stock and they were much more helpful. I decided to look at Rev'it or Alpinestars. A pinch more money but right away the jackets are on a completely different level of quality. I was having trouble deciding between the Rev'it Voltiac and the Andes Drystar. After much contemplating, trying on the jackets many times my final decision was the Andes. This jacket is what I wanted all along. It fits excellent, its not bulky, the velcro works way better. The front pockets are easier to use, the zipper works flawless and the armor seems to be a step above the Tourmaster. The neck is fleece lined, comes up higher, is more comfortable. This jacket doesn't have a single draft either. It feels tailor fit compared to the other jacket. Yes I ended up getting a small in the Andes vs the medium Tourmaster I used for a week. Just to give TM the benefit of doubt they actually has a TM in a small while I was there and I tried it on. That one did feel better for sure but after a side by side comparison the choice was clear. I walked out with the Andes and never looked back. I went to Cyclegear to return my TM and since honesty is my best policy I gave them back my "gift" for spending 50 bucks or more, the guy said sorry the jacket didn't work out and ended up letting me keep the bike cover anyway. Turns out the back protector from my other Alpinestars jacket isn't inter changeable with the Andes so I bought a Bio back insert, it was 50 bucks so I got another free gift. The Freezeout face mask, works great BTW. I should have taken some pictures but I had no idea I'd feel like writing a mini review but what the heck, you guys can internet search that stuff anyway. Oh, RoadRider was paying the sales tax so I paid 249 for the Andes, also, upon more searching, the Tourmaster Transition 3 looks to be going for 180ish on most web sites. I would have felt a lot better spending 180 and getting the proper size for the Tourmaster but I'm happy with my current jacket having tried both.

FYI, the Rev'it Voltaic is sweet. Fits great, quality is great and its really a well thought out and manufactured jacket. Its about 20 or 30 bucks more than the Andes.

Anyways, I'm out!

 

Annoying! "Your token expired" stupid, lost my entire post.

Anyway, the wife got me E-12 bags for the KLX. Thought I'd post up a quick sneak peak. I mounted them on the bike and started to get out my backpacking gear just for the hell of it. I'll probably add a medium or large rollie or duffle bag, two MSR bottle holders and maybe, just maybe replace the rear tool bag with the much larger Peak Tail Bag. Anyway, heres a few photos because why not!?

My Jetboil fits sideways inside, nice. That green thing is my silny tarp, its huge and compresses half the size you see there. Plus my hammock with bug net, tree straps and cord all fits inside one bag.

One of the big D rings and the adjusters for the straps.


Little D ring on the rear.


Plenty of room to stand or move.


Just throwing random stuff up top.


They aren't huge but still decent. Its going to take some good planning to maximize the space though.

 

Those look really nice! And your wife bought them for you...even better!
That's some nice gear going in the bags too.

 

So did you get this sorted out? Exactly the same here and the only complaint I have with my bike. From a practical standpoint I have hesitated to explore some new trails for fear I can't rely on the KLX when the trail gets dicey. Would love to get it resolved. Otherwise the bike starts easily, idles smoothly, and plain runs darn well - except for when the throttle is wah-wahed aggressively.

 

Yes, I got it all sorted out. Not sure if your experiencing an issue because you just have a problem with your bike or you've modded it and now have issues. I did the MCM and had issues getting the carb set up nicely but my bike runs great with my current mods.

Thanks! I have a gear fetish I think. I like to hike, climb, four wheel, camp, back pack, you name it I'll do anything out doors. The cool thing about buying camping gear is I'm still using stuff I bought 10 years ago.

 

Typical mods minus MCM. Runs great except for when I really wah-wah the throttle working to make it hiccup. Did you change your float level at all?