.

another_mike

Adventurer
Looks good! Be careful of the known moto mathematical formula of (experience goes up = farkles go down / low experiences = farkles go up)

Be safe and enjoy the new ride!
I find that mostly true for the “adventure“ riders. Bolt every known accessory to a bike, ride dirt roads Honda Civics drive on...
 

shade

Well-known member
I find that mostly true for the “adventure“ riders. Bolt every known accessory to a bike, ride dirt roads Honda Civics drive on...
No doubt. The same applies to any other group with the ADVENTURE! label. At least with this bike, the opportunities to overburden it are more limited due to its size and type. No one will bolt a WIndjammer fairing to one, or 100 lbs of ADVENTURE! gear - well, probably not. I think the 450L will become more popular for distance riding as people see that the OEM service intervals can be relaxed, though.

I have a friend with a nicely farkled Jeep Rubicon, and a BMW R1200GS at a similar level of farkleness. The Jeep is his daily driver, and has never traversed anything as rough as a gravel road. The worst the GS has seen is the terrors of a trickle charger as it sits dormant in his garage. I doubt it's been moved in two years. I've invited him to bring either on some 4WD trips, but he's too afraid of marring either one. He saw some light pinstriping on my truck after a trip and decided I was taking too much trail damage.
 

another_mike

Adventurer
No doubt. The same applies to any other group with the ADVENTURE! label. At least with this bike, the opportunities to overburden it are more limited due to its size and type. No one will bolt a WIndjammer fairing to one, or 100 lbs of ADVENTURE! gear - well, probably not. I think the 450L will become more popular for distance riding as people see that the OEM service intervals can be relaxed, though.

I have a friend with a nicely farkled Jeep Rubicon, and a BMW R1200GS at a similar level of farkleness. The Jeep is his daily driver, and has never traversed anything as rough as a gravel road. The worst the GS has seen is the terrors of a trickle charger as it sits dormant in his garage. I doubt it's been moved in two years. I've invited him to bring either on some 4WD trips, but he's too afraid of marring either one. He saw some light pinstriping on my truck after a trip and decided I was taking too much trail damage.
Haven’t seen a windjammer windshield on a 450l yet... just a vstrom windshield
 

Christian P.

Expedition Leader
Staff member
I've mentioned Barry Morris' popular Cross Training Enduro videos before. Here's a full list of the free coursework videos. There's a fair amount of humour mixed in, but here's an overview:


The big gumby broke his back in a crash about a month ago, and could use some additional support while he's laid up.


After several years of avoiding it, Barry started using limited ads with his videos, so every view helps. He's also asked for people to give more thought to becoming a supporter due to the crash. I don't think he's happy about any of that, but when faced with bills and months in a back brace, I can see the need. Barry seems like a good guy that's hit a particularly rough patch, so when you're tired of ExPo, you might give his videos a try and help the little feller out. His other YT channels are also entertaining.

I just discovered it this week with this intro video. It seems pretty entertaining.

 

shade

Well-known member
Haven’t seen a windjammer windshield on a 450l yet... just a vstrom windshield
If used over long road sections, a little windscreen like the Bajaworx might be a nice addition.

1589688019372.png

It'd be slick to have it set up for easy removal so it wouldn't try to kill you on rough terrain.

No angel bells allowed, though.
 

Tex68w

Beach Bum
Baja Worx and Adventure Spec both have windshields for the 450L. A few guys have used some from KTM's and Yamaha's as well. I was dead set on a Baja Worx but the more I think about it then less I see the need for the type of riding I am doing. I might change my mind if I end up using the 450L for the TAT.
 

shade

Well-known member
What did you order?
Klim Carlsbad jacket & pants
Klim Tactical Pants with armor (they have a pair without)
Gaerne SG-12 boots

The Carlsbad set seems to strike a good dual-sport balance. I may end up with a better ventilated top for summer, but I'd still want a jacket like the Carlsbad regardless.

I decided on the base pants so I wouldn't have to ******** with sagging long socks, and for a little more protection. If I ever get knee braces, I'll be ready.

The SG-12 is well reviewed. It's overkill for what I'll be doing any time soon, though. Otoh, I've read many crash stories that mention upgrading boots after breaking something, but I haven't seen that mentioned after crashing with the SG-12. Late model Sidi boots have apparently dropped in durability, so I went another way.

I'll be that guy, with nice kit and no experience. I'll try not to let that bother me. :)
 
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BritKLR

Kapitis Indagatoris
Klim Carlsbad jacket & pants
Klim Tactical Pants with armor (they have a pair without)
Gaerne SG-12 boots

The Carlsbad set seems to strike a good dual-sport balance. I may end up with a better ventilated top for summer, but I'd still want a jacket like the Carlsbad regardless.

I decided on the base pants so I wouldn't have to ******** with sagging long socks, and for a little more protection. If I ever get knee braces, I'll be ready.

The SG-12 is well reviewed. It's overkill for what I'll be doing any time soon, though. Otoh, I've read many crash stories that mention upgrading boots after breaking something, but I haven't seen that mentioned after crashing with the SG-12. Late model Sidi boots have apparently dropped in durability, so I went another way.

I'll bet that guy, with nice kit and no experience. I'll try not to let that bother me. :)

Excellent gear choice! I’ve multiple jackets/pants combos from over the years, but I’ve never gotten any Klim stuff. Envious of that gear! Good luck and be safe.
 

Wallygator

Adventurer
Klim Carlsbad jacket & pants
Klim Tactical Pants with armor (they have a pair without)
Gaerne SG-12 boots

The Carlsbad set seems to strike a good dual-sport balance. I may end up with a better ventilated top for summer, but I'd still want a jacket like the Carlsbad regardless.

I decided on the base pants so I wouldn't have to ******** with sagging long socks, and for a little more protection. If I ever get knee braces, I'll be ready.

The SG-12 is well reviewed. It's overkill for what I'll be doing any time soon, though. Otoh, I've read many crash stories that mention upgrading boots after breaking something, but I haven't seen that mentioned after crashing with the SG-12. Late model Sidi boots have apparently dropped in durability, so I went another way.

I'll be that guy, with nice kit and no experience. I'll try not to let that bother me.

Very nice gear you chose and will last you a while. I have a friend who usually needs to buy pants on a yearly basis. He bought some Klim pants and he is on his third year with the same pants. Sometimes it's actually ends up cheaper to buy quality stuff. The Klim stuff is worth it.
 

shade

Well-known member
Very nice gear you chose and will last you a while. I have a friend who usually needs to buy pants on a yearly basis. He bought some Klim pants and he is on his third year with the same pants. Sometimes it's actually ends up cheaper to buy quality stuff. The Klim stuff is worth it.
Thanks. I started looking at Klim when I noticed people mentioning trashing pants until they bought a pair from Klim with leather on the inside. I've bought a good 4-season Columbia suit for a relative, but I wanted something that didn't require a separate rain gear layer. I'm picky about my backpacking gear, and the Klim pieces seem to be of similar quality. I hope I got the fitment right the first time.
 

shade

Well-known member
I've learned another motorcycling lesson. Rocky Mountain ATV/MC gets all tetchy when new customers make "large" orders.

I've placed three orders with them, and all three were placed on backordered status until I contacted them to ensure I really did want to place the orders. I don't think adding a second order confirmation does much to prevent fraud, but maybe it helps. I was just told that after I've been a customer for 90 days, that shouldn't happen again, so there's that. They have good prices, selection & support, so I'll probably continue buying from them, but I've never had this much trouble getting a company to take my money.
 

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