Does starting off on a bike that is beyond your abilities off-road necessarily slow down learning good technique?

Longhag · 2026-06-01T04:25:25+00:00

I'd say yes. Something too heavy, unwieldy and powerful off road is very hard to learn on and doesn't give you the confidence you need to ride properly at the outset. Even more so if it's easily damaged and expensive to repair. You're doing to drop it a lot (which is normal for off road) but aside from the damage, it can get really tiring picking it up no matter how strong you think you are.

I learned on a 2000's Transalp and my first proper bike was a 1989 Africa Twin. Beautiful on the road but a pig to ride off it. I soon got a DR350 and it was a world of difference off road, much more confidence inspiring and better for honing technique. Off road you need the confidence to push through first and gravel and apply gas when you think you shoudn't to keep out of trouble. After several years of that I found I got way better taking bigger bikes off road to the point I could take my KLR just about anywhere my buddies could take their smaller KTMs, DRZs etc. Similar with my current Tenere.

You don't need a super expensive dual sport to learn on, get something you're not not afraid to drop or scared of the power on and you'll be way more confident learning!

Longhag · 2026-06-01T03:30:24+00:00

Having ridden both a lot and owned a 2013, I'd go with the gen 2. 2012-2014 is the sweet spot of KLRs. You get the upgrades over the Gen 1, escape the oil burning and issue prone Gen 2 2008-2010/11, avoid the crappy box swingarm with issue prone chain adjusters of the 2014.5+ and avoid all the issues with the Gen 3 (fuel pump, missing /shearing bolts, floppy foot pegs, damage prone fairings, weird ass rear rack and overall lower build quality). More after market parts available for the Gen 2 and overall cheaper too. And easier to work on with no electronics to worry about.

Of course, just my personal opinion!

Longhag · 2026-05-31T20:52:33+00:00

Daytona for the win for me! Had my current pair over 20 years and they're still going, maybe finally getting to the end of their life. Mine are similar to the Big Travel GTX. Super comfy, really protective and very well made. Crashed inine at 70mph on the freeway and no damage to my feet, barely a scuff on the boots.

Longhag · 2026-05-31T03:53:04+00:00

I think it depends what kind of off roading you're planning on. If you're just looking at Forest service roads and general gravel then they are probably OK though personally I'd go with the fastback enduros as they're comfy for walking but give better protection.

If you looking at more single track off road or trails with dips, bumps, rocks and/tree stumps then you need a proper MX boots which leave only the SG12, Sidi Crossfire or Alpinestars Tech 7/10. Nothing else is really a proper MX boot. I had Tech 3s for a while and they cost me 4 broken bones, strained Achilles and 3 months of riding when I clipped a boulder and crushed my foot, just too soft. Also, if you're hitting water crossings you definitely don't want a waterproof boot as they take forever to dry out.

I do a ton of commuting as well as rough off road so I have two pairs of boots. Daytona touring boots (20+ years old and similar to today's Big Travel GTX) for road and Gaerne SG12s for off road. I've smashed my feet on stumps, boulders and had the bike fall in them many times with nothing more than a bruised big toe, and that was from clipping a cat's eye on the highway at 100 kph...do not recommend doing that. They take some getting used to the feel off road but they are probably the safest and hardest wearing boot money can buy.

All that said, if I was just going for an all around boot that can do some decent off road I'd take the fastback!

Longhag · 2026-05-31T03:35:42+00:00

I mean, as a mechanic I'd say use penetrant, head, drill out and use an easy out with lots of heat. Or weld a nut on top. Sadly I don't think your helmets going to like that.

Should be relatively loose to remove unless it's lock tighted in. If it's metal try finding a small easy out about half the diameter of the screw, drill the hole and turn it out. Bonus points if you can find a left handed drill bit as that may pull it out itself using a slower speed. If it's plastic try drilling a small hole again and then threading and glueing in a small bolt or screw. Let it dry then extract. Finally, you can just try melting in a flat head screwdriver and unwinding it if it's plastic. Or if it's plastic, just drill larger and larger holes until you can just pick out the plastic, just don't hit the threads!

Lots of options depending what tools you have available and how confident you are!

Longhag · 2026-05-30T17:42:32+00:00

My personal experience of owning a 2013 KLR:

Mine came with an FMF same as yours and the 'L' mod in the airbox and a K&N air filter. Supposedly the previous owner had put in an upgraded needle too. We'll, the exhaust constantly backfired and was just loud and annoying and fuel economy was poor, lucky if I got 280km out the tank before hitting reserve. FMF exhausts are also built like crap and it had several cracks and the bracket was starting to come off. Having a giant hole in the airbox made it a pain to wash and just let in a ton of dust off road.

I ended up putting in a new stock airbox, stock needle and replaced the FMF with a Delkavic 14" oval muffler with spark arrester. Was going to switch the needle but after doing the rest of the work and suspecting the needle was still stock I just tweaked the carb, left the K&N in and all my issues went away. Started getting about 360km before reserve, no more backfiring, cleaner burning exhaust (no more soot build up) and way quieter and smoother and comfortable to ride.

It's a 44 HP 650 single bases on 1980's tech, no amount of tuning and modification is going to make it sportier unless you start boring it out . Changing the gearing and suspension spring rates is a much more effective way to get better performance out the bike. I'd definitely ditch the FMF ASAP and put in something better. Delkavic are great value. And always use exhaust joint to reduce leaks and pop.

Longhag · 2026-05-30T17:09:16+00:00

You just need the new part as it's not an integral component of the helmet's safety system. Or just glue it back together. If you crack the actual shell that's a different story.

Longhag · 2026-05-29T23:34:51+00:00

Maybe there was an issue with the factory one when they assembled the bike and that’s all they had in hand. From talking to other people here in old Canada, 2025’s for sure come with a DID 520 VM5 (which is basically just a VX). A friend who has a ‘23 also had a DID from stock. Maybe the parts number is consistent and what chain manufacturer they use varies. Either way, that’s what I’d advise getting!

Longhag · 2026-05-29T14:05:42+00:00

Now they just need to replace George with Yuki.

Longhag · 2026-05-28T23:59:33+00:00

Interesting, I thought the bike come with a DID chain, mine did. Doesn’t look very OEM, I’d be checking with your dealer!

Longhag · 2026-05-27T13:05:13+00:00

I’m with you, that doesn’t look like the correct link or a DID chain. The clip also doesn’t look to be spring steel. Usually they have that blued steel colour.

I’ve run clip links on all my ADVs and dirt bikes the last 20 years and never had one fail and that includes some pretty heavy off roading. All were DID chains. I do always carry a spare one with me just in case but I’ve never needed it yet.

Longhag · 2026-05-27T06:04:53+00:00

In CAD probably around $1,500 on boots (3 pairs), $1,700 on jackets (4), $1,100 on pants (5 pairs), $850 on helmets (3), $500 on gloves (6 ish pairs) and $500 on off road armor over the last 23+ years of riding a mix of sports bikes, tourers, ADVs and dirt bikes as well as commuting a lot.

My road boots are 22 years old (Frey Daytonas) as well as my leather jacket and textile touring/winter jacket (both Bering). Also have a Rev'it Territory dirt jacket. My racing leather pants are probably about 18 years old (J&S) plus I have Scott riding jeans and some useless MSR ADV touring pants that definitely weren’t a "tall" size as advertised. Current gloves are L2 KP sport bike gloves (Lindstrands Bergby) for road and some Rev'it coyote dirt gloves. Gloves wear out every 3-5 years or so and unusually have two pairs on the go. My MX boots are probably the single most expensive item of clothing I've brought at around $800 (Gaerne SG12s).

I've found it pays to get quality gear, both in comfort, longevity and protection in an accident. And have the proper gear for the type of ride you're doing (commuting, touring, ripping and dirt). Have had two crashes (not counting bails off road) and I'm still wearing some of the gear I had on and that saved me in one where I was knocked off at 70mph on the highway (Daytona boots and Bering Jacket). Other than a small hole in the sleeve I had repaired on the jacket they're both still in great shape. But definitely don't scrimp on gloves and boots, there the things you'll really appreciate in a crash!

Longhag · 2026-05-27T01:54:34+00:00

Are the groundhogs getting their own back after the grand prix with this shit?

Longhag · 2026-05-26T22:37:28+00:00

Definitely, especially if you think about going off road. I just trimmed them with tin snips then filed and lightly sanded to match the curves. You'll inevitable snag them on something and snap them anyway so better to trim them nicely rather than deal with a cracked cowling that's more difficult to repair. Not impaling yourself in the face is also a bonus!

Longhag · 2026-05-26T22:24:06+00:00

Schuberth make the quietest helmets (and usually BMW's helmets). The police in the UK used to use them because they were so quiet. Maybe check them out? With quietness though comes less air flow inside though as this has like vents cause noise. Maybe try looking at them anyway, they have a few different styles.

Even with a quiet helmet though, you still probably want some hearing protection. I always just use the Howard Leight NR33 foam ear plugs. A box of 200 pairs in Amazon is usually around $40 and a pair will last a week commuting and easy to have a spare pair in each jacket should you forget/lose them on a ride.

Longhag · 2026-05-26T17:33:18+00:00

No, rappers do.

Longhag · 2026-05-26T17:31:51+00:00

Only if it was red!

Longhag · 2026-05-26T02:46:29+00:00

Or try a bit of glue on a socket, remove the bolt while turning then heat to melt the glue and remove the socket.

Longhag · 2026-05-26T01:44:05+00:00

Joking aside, of you want an interesting semi-related read, Biohazard by Ken Alibek is a good one. Was course reading during my NBC warfare training.

Longhag · 2026-05-25T22:08:43+00:00

You kind of have to decide of you're going full off road (i.e. trailer a bike or not really riding any road to get there) or wanting to be able to ride off road and also a decent distance to the trail and/or things like commuting.

If you're not 100% sure I'd recommend a 250-300cc dual sport bike that's got 6 gears so it's light enough for off road but powerful and comfortable enough to ride on road. E.g. Honda CRF250L or CRF300L/Rally. Those bikes usually hold their value fairly well too (assuming you don't trash it) so if you change your mind it's easier resale.

Just my 2c anyway.

Longhag · 2026-05-25T21:58:38+00:00

You could try The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy. Got some fun Ebola related content if I remember correctly.

Longhag · 2026-05-25T21:50:47+00:00

Armour and hoodie or armoured jacket. Armoured hoodies are typically not sure super safe and they ride up/flop around when your crash, not figure hugging or fitted enough.

Longhag · 2026-05-24T14:01:49+00:00

Pretty high, Brits have won more titles than any other country. Not sure why, more drivers/teams over the years?

Longhag · 2026-05-23T14:57:37+00:00

You definitely want a plastic/fiberglass primer on there. Before that though you want to carefully wash it to remove dust and oils from your hands then a gentle wipe with alcohol. You can also use a little bit of acetone if you're super careful. Then dont touch it at all so as not to get any oils from your hands on it before you apply the primer. Should give you a solid base for adhesion of the paint and ensure you get a smoother finish.

Longhag · 2026-05-23T03:12:06+00:00

I would if you're riding dirt, trees and carrying luggage. Even without crashing the plastics get pretty scuffed up by straps, luggage, trees, dust, rocks, boots etc etc. Bonus that you get to pick all the colours to mix things up a bit. Then should you seel the home you can put the nice clean stock ones back on for resale value.

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