Hi All,

I’m getting a great bike in the worst way. The guy that got me into all this at like 10 years old passed on, and as no one in his family rides, the family wants me to keep the miles rolling.

I’m thrilled, and while I was a little intimidated by the size, it’s only 20lbs heavier than my KLR, and the height is no issue as I’m a tall rider; I can flat foot just fine. Took it around the block and it was… transcendental. I had no idea that much power could be that nimble.

My question is what are some big maintenance items I should prioritize? I’m coming from the unkillable pig of a KLR. this is going to be a bit of an adjustment. Also, the bike was very well maintained but his health was bad for about a year. The ride I took around the block was great, but the front suspension seemed a little bumpy for pavement. It’s got mixed use tires on it so it’s possible it was just the tread on pavement, just being a little paranoid.

I also smelled some burning plastic when I fired it up, but am willing to bet it might have been some kind of weird dust in the exhaust; there was nothing dangling anywhere hot and it did go away.

So yeah, just looking for some general tips and icebergs to avoid. I do most of my own maintience but again that’s on gen I and gen II KLRs