KLR riders out there

[Woodman]

Padmei you have thrown my packing for the db1k into dissaray. My klr (haven't named it yet) has a ventura packrack but I never used it yet and was gonna but now I'm not too sure.

Veny they are a pig with a full tank, try not to fill it unless its necessary or you are gonna use the gas getting to the good stuff. Mine has a 26 litre tank and thats even worserer when its full.

[Howie]

Padmei you have thrown my packing for the db1k into dissaray. My klr (haven't named it yet) has a ventura packrack but I never used it yet and was gonna but now I'm not too sure.

Hi woodman, I have a ventura packrack on my KLR, same design bike as yours, and have had no problems with it, it has been out to French pass, over the Porika, and Braburn fully loaded with 5 days gear, as well as various long weekend trips through the North island between Auckland, and Wellington.
I would be interested in if it is the mounting brackets on the 08+ KLR's that are bending or the pack frame itself.

Cheers

Paul

[Padmei]

The two 08's the back pack racks were on the hockey stick bend thing just started bending backwards. We welded supports to stop it bending.
Actually sorry that's wrong. The complete assembly frame broke under the bike twice as well rendering the whole thing f**ked. I ended up making up a big heavy arsed flat bar bracket to carry the thing which involved drilling & tapping proper sized screws, grinding down the screw wells on the luggage tray and other crap.

The other thing to happen to mine as well as the zip tabs breaking off & one side zip rooting itself, was the cute little attachment screws with locking ring vibrated off on the last DB & the pack swung out sideways. Luckily Balrog was behind me with a loud horn.

Now ventura have been around for a while & I'm the only one unhappy with their product that I know of, so don't worry too much, mine must have been a bad day jobbie. I still use it with a few cableties & stuff & it is functional but would be wary of recommending them myself.
Give it a ride around Sharlands & see what happens.

[NordieBoy]

I think the safest way with the Ventura racks is having the pack resting on the seat and not hanging out the back. Topo mangled his one too.

[marks]

I don't think they are up to long term adventure use. the one I had on my xt660 slowly self destructed over a period of 6 months or so - just wobbling back and forwards on its mounts while the mount screws ate there way through the detachable bit.

ventura racks encourage you to pack vertically which is never a good thing

my klr handles noticeably better (less tail wagging dog) with nothing on the rack and everything in the soft panniers.

[Padmei]

I don't think they are up to long term adventure use. the one I had on my xt660 slowly self destructed over a period of 6 months or so - just wobbling back and forwards on its mounts while the mount screws ate there way through the detachable bit.

ventura racks encourage you to pack vertically which is never a good thing

my klr handles noticeably better (less tail wagging dog) with nothing on the rack and everything in the soft panniers.

What kind of panniers you use? Got a good pic? Do they get in the way? The ggod thing about the ventura is yu hardly noticethey're there.

[Howie]

I think the safest way with the Ventura racks is having the pack resting on the seat and not hanging out the back. Topo mangled his one too.

Yep totally agree that facing the Bag forward onto the seat is better than it hanging miles off the back, Both for support of the bag, and handling of your bike.

ventura racks encourage you to pack vertically which is never a good thing

I agree with you about that mark, it just makes it even more top heavy.

What kind of panniers you use? Got a good pic? Do they get in the way? The ggod thing about the ventura is yu hardly noticethey're there.

I just brought some Oxford first time soft Panniers. http://www.bikechatter.co.uk/luggage...rs-review.html I should be down in the shed working out how to protect them from the exhaust at the moment. The only problem I see with them on the older model KLR's is that those hand,grabs on the rear rack seem to get in the way of mounting them easily. I'm sure I'll come up with an answer to that though.

[warewolf]

The two 08's the back pack racks were on the hockey stick bend thing just started bending backwards.
...
The other thing to happen to mine as well as the zip tabs breaking off & one side zip rooting itself, was the cute little attachment screws with locking ring vibrated off on the last DB & the pack swung out sideways. Luckily Balrog was behind me with a loud horn.

Now ventura have been around for a while & I'm the only one unhappy with their product that I know of,

Nope, this is a well-known fault with them. The curved supports are the antithesis of a strong triangulated design. I've had them get out of shape on 3 of 4 bikes I've had them on: the 3 that were used to carry more than just lunch.

The Aussie GearSack product is a heckuva lot more robust, both racks and bags. The racks are made from un-sexy square section tubing, and are more substantial than the sexy curved round tubing of Ventura. Haven't heard of trivial failures with them, although like everything they've failed in severe use.

The GearSack bags had a reputation as being the only product on the market that was a) properly waterproof and b) dustproof suitable for extended outback touring. I've still got a gearsack bag - they last 10+ years even with daily use - and as such have never bought a Ventura bag. This one replaced the last one, even though I was using Ventura racks. Partly because the ventura bags seem too small; needed to carry a laptop bag to work!!

[Woodman]

I will just rest the heavy stuff on the seat, and use a backpack. I quite like a backpack as it tends to pull my shoulders back which is good for keeping the back straight.

[pete376403]

What kind of panniers you use? Got a good pic? Do they get in the way? The ggod thing about the ventura is yu hardly noticethey're there.

Cheap hard panniers using "Craftech" cases from Bunnings ($99 each) hanging off a 1/2" square tube frame. They have survived a couple of low speed drops without any damage at all and may have protected the rest of the bike.
The cheap-ass top box self destructed and has been replaced with an Oxford expandable fabric bag - also $99.
Pic taken above the Wanganui river on the Jerusalem road)

[Padmei]

I think the safest way with the Ventura racks is having the pack resting on the seat and not hanging out the back. Topo mangled his one too.

The ventura bag that came with the racks as a package does'nt rest on the seat. It just hangs & swings like a pendulum. The bend didn't just unbend as you would expect, it actually dropped down as well due to the fastening point being too far forward.

[GPS MAN]

I agree 100%...my Venture rack on my '09 swings like drunk fat lady...UGH..
This can't last much longer.....will face it forward for longevity.....

[GPS MAN]

Fyi..just did the Doo Hickey on my 2009 KLR....much sweeter sounding motor..

Should anyone need to do the doo around Hawkes Bay I would be willing to offer help and tools...............fyi.......

[Padmei]

Cheap hard panniers using "Craftech" cases from Bunnings ($99 each) hanging off a 1/2" square tube frame. They have survived a couple of low speed drops without any damage at all and may have protected the rest of the bike.
The cheap-ass top box self destructed and has been replaced with an Oxford expandable fabric bag - also $99.
Pic taken above the Wanganui river on the Jerusalem road)

They look good Pete. Got any pics of the racks without the cases on.
I'm not too worried about luggage as I don't really plan on doing any long trips until next year I think. I just take tie downs with me in case the whole thing craps itself.

Fyi..just did the Doo Hickey on my 2009 KLR....much sweeter sounding motor..

Should anyone need to do the doo around Hawkes Bay I would be willing to offer help and tools...............fyi.......

good stuff GPS (if that is your real name) Mine was alot quietererer after I got mine done. How many k's you done?
Reread thru the whole thread last nite (new years eve I know - that's how sad I am!!) & some interesting things have been discussed here. I still haven't checked my bloody valves but don't like the idea of having the bike off the road for a couple of days

[Woodman]

still haven't done my doo. I have one but haven't fitted it. Bikes not noisy though.

padmei, checking your valves is only really a 2 hour job. The hardest part is figuring out a way to get the rockercover out. Maybe we need a shed night to do it.