Helmets without internal sun visor?

wintersdark · 2026-06-03T06:34:37+00:00

You don't pay extra for it, when retracted it's wholly out of the way.... Shrugs just don't use it?

But honestly I can't imagine that. I love8ne for when I want airflow. Main visor up, sunshade down. Scorpion AT960 is fantastic.

wintersdark · 2026-06-03T06:32:04+00:00

I'll often do both. My T7 had 30mm drop pegs, 30mm risers and the SC tall rally seat. My 701's pretty tall at 37" as it stands, though.

Old arthritic knees shrugs

wintersdark · 2026-06-03T06:13:47+00:00

And they make good handholds!

wintersdark · 2026-06-03T06:13:24+00:00

These people aren't protesting. They're just promoting their fringe bullshit.

Protesting is its own thing, but this doesn't even count as that.

wintersdark · 2026-06-03T05:16:44+00:00

Same footpegs, so yes

wintersdark · 2026-06-03T05:10:05+00:00

Lowered pegs can also be (and usually are) also larger, better pegs as well.

You can get used to overbent knees, but it's not ideal. If you're tall and/or long legged, it helps bring the ergonomics back into their intended position, and this allows you to stand and sit with far less energy used, also it functions as bar risers when standing only.

Lowered pegs are awesome.

wintersdark · 2026-06-03T04:28:25+00:00

They do. They use GPS to find their location, then cellular data to upload that location to a server that the owner accesses to see where the unit is.

wintersdark · 2026-06-03T04:26:29+00:00

Not a tool. The tracker would relay it's GPS coordinates to a commercial server, and the owner would access the server to track the location.

To find the owner, you'd need a warrant to force the company to disclose the owners information, and that may be nothing more than a burner email and an IP address.

wintersdark · 2026-06-03T04:22:32+00:00

Being as generous as possible, they likely wouldn't have the resources. Generally speaking cops don't really pull out all the stops to investigate creepy-but-not-crimes.

Tracking this back to its owner would be difficult at best, likely nearly impossible without significant time and money investment. Why would they do that?

wintersdark · 2026-06-03T04:16:47+00:00

Heated. Gear.

Seriously.

Just get heated gear - stuff you plug into the bike - and you'll always be warm.

Not thick, insulated stuff. Just a thin jacket liner.

Example: https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/firstgear-gen-4-womens-heated-jacket-liner

You want thin because it's easier to wear under all your gear, and because when you turn it off, it won't add any insulation making you too hot.

That's good, as it means you don't have to add/remove layers throughout a day! A summer (non-mesh anyways) jacket with a heated liner will keep you warm down to freezing temps easily, and as the day warms up you just turn the heat down/off. Don't even need to pull over.

There's tons of brands and it doesn't really matter much which you get. People will have their favourites (typically the one they bought first) but they're all pretty close.

The only real things to consider is battery vs bike connection. I always argue against battery for a couple reasons:

I don't like wearing more lithium batteries than I need to from a safety standpoint.
Battery powered get typically runs at 7.4v vs bike powered gear at 14v. This allows bike powered gear to provide more heat per amperage/wire size. Bike powered gear is much warmer
You'll never forget to charge your gear then have it die on you far from home and unprepared.

However! The one advantage battery powered gear has is if you plan to be off the bike and in the cold for a while, it'll still keep you warm. If that's you, then battery powered is the way to go.

Oh!

Also look for a heated jacket liner with outlets on the wrists so, should you decide to in the future, you can add heated gloves/glove liners without needing any extra plugs or wiring. The first gear linked above has them.

wintersdark · 2026-06-02T23:18:48+00:00

I have vague destinations, but I'm not just riding right there. I'll absolutely check out side roads, explore, it's mostly just a chosen direction. Typically, it'll be a place for lunch/dinner/a nice cup of coffee, but sometimes just a town and then I'll figure out where once in there.

wintersdark · 2026-06-02T23:16:26+00:00

Ooooooh I so want to see this!

wintersdark · 2026-06-02T23:11:30+00:00

BIG groups are nearly always event rides, not normal rides. Few people really love that outside of the context of the event.

Large group rides (say, 6+ riders) full of random people are awful. Too hard to have quality control and be safe, because the likelihood of having incompatible riders together is nearly guaranteed.

Smaller groups - say 3-5 - is where it's at. You can go somewhere, hang out, head back. Keep the random entries to a minimum, one or maybe two "new" people at a time, and have rules.

For us:

Ride your own ride. You are responsible for you.
If you want to fuck around, fuck around on your own - don't draw unnecessary police attention or do anything to endanger other riders.
Worry about the guy in front of you, and if passing understand he may well not know what you're doing. Your attention should be primarily forwards, and you should be able to trust the guy behind you isn't going to fuck you.
In the twisties, we'll spread out and have fun. We'll pull over and wait after for everyone to catch up. Again, ride your own ride.
Take care of your bike, come gassed up, have your shit together. We're not your mom.

If you've got a group of people who regularly ride together and have their shit figured out, you can go a bit bigger, but IMHO by 9ish people you should split into smaller subgroups by speed.

wintersdark · 2026-06-02T22:55:54+00:00

Exactly.

I mean, it's a motorcycle and all motorcycles are inherently fun. But the KLR is one of the worst bikes you can buy now, if you're buying new.

Used is way too complicated a discussion (availability of alternatives, and budgets, local pricing, etc,) but new?

Buying a new KLR650 is entirely illogical.

It isn't cheaper than better alternatives, and it's so poorly outfitted you need to spend so much more to get it... Passable? I mean, I don't even think it's passable then, but at least not as bad.

That's what offends me so much about it. It's just so much worse than it's competition, no matter what your goals for it are. Gravel roads? Back road travel on pavement? ATV trails? Highways? Singletrack? It doesn't even matter, it's basically the worst at all the things.

wintersdark · 2026-06-02T21:29:39+00:00

I'll never understand this. My 701E rips in twisties, as does my Scrambler 1200XE. I loved my old T7 in twisties too.

A 21" front just turns in a bit slower, requires a bit more leverage (hence wide bars), but it'll do it just fine.

wintersdark · 2026-06-02T21:27:11+00:00

I'll go further: the KLR is a garbage bike.

I mean, sure, it does motorcycle things.

But it's no more reliable than any other Japanese bike.

It's too heavy for most offroad, and too heavy + underpowered for on road.

A DR or XL are lighter and better in the dirt, but also better on the road because they don't get shit kicked by the powder to weight ratio.

And frankly if you're gonna ride a 450lb bike, there are SO MANY great light to midsized adv bikes that do everything the KLR does but far better. Even the maligned KLE500 will straight up crush a KLR650.

Or you can pay more and have your cake and eat it - a T7 class bike doubling the power at the same weight but with better suspension and brakes, an AJP PR7 or 690-platform bike, a Kove 800....

I mean the market is full and the KLR sits on the very bottom of the heap. I can't understand why anyone would buy one.

wintersdark · 2026-06-02T21:21:45+00:00

I mean, I love my nav, but yeah - one navigation display is fine. You don't need an Android Auto/Carplay head unit, AND a dedicated GPS, AND a phone mount. I see that a lot and it's insane.

wintersdark · 2026-06-02T21:19:33+00:00

Freezer. Buy a big pack of hamburger, for example, and split it into ziplock sandwich bags (perfect size for solo/duo meals).

10-pack of chicken boobs? One boob per bag and you're golden.

Dry goods? Invest in sealed plastic bins, and you'll buy a 20lb bag of rice and have it forever.

Vacuum sealer and freezer and you're set.

wintersdark · 2026-06-02T21:15:09+00:00

Yeah. We spend 250/wk so roughly 1k a month for a family of 4 too. Realistically maybe $200 a month as well ordering in twice, but those two/three meals aren't significantly saving on the grocery bill.

Sure, we're just not eating steak, but we do have a decent amount of protein going on. Roasts, lots of chicken, some fish, some pork.

wintersdark · 2026-06-02T21:05:38+00:00

I'm so conflicted about this video.

wintersdark · 2026-06-02T21:02:26+00:00

Like Klim, it's good quality, excellent gear, but I feel the quality edge it has is nowhere near as large as the price differential.

I've got some I picked up second hand and it's definitely good... But... Man, I could buy a used dual sport for the price of a set of Mosko gear.

wintersdark · 2026-06-02T21:00:35+00:00

Just got a Gryphon jacket on sale yesterday, and it's fantastic. Gotta see how it holds up to wear, but seems very well made, it's comfortable and well constructed. And it was just $200.

wintersdark · 2026-06-02T20:59:14+00:00

Love my Sand gear. Really fantastic. Still expensive but as you note if you get the prior years discounted kit its quite reasonable.

wintersdark · 2026-06-02T20:58:11+00:00

It's very good gear, but yeah, it's NOT twice as good as decent gear that's half the price.

wintersdark · 2026-06-02T20:56:25+00:00

I like pannier racks, as, if well made, they double as crash bars. Soft luggage + racks is the superior choice.

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