Robert Pandya and his father ride up the coast on a VICTORY KINGPIN with a sidecar.
“Hello –
About a year and a half back I had to get a sidecar used for Mythbusters down to Los Angeles from San Francisco. Shipping it proved to be too expensive – so I did the logical gearhead thing and rode it down. I cashed in some air miles to fly Dad out. When I was a little boy in India, he used to cart our family around in a Vespa with a sidecar – this was some payback for him.”
Robert Pandya
I finally got to ride the bike today with the KLIM BADLANDS PRO JACKET and PANTS on. At first the jacket felt a little heavy and stiff due to all of the body armor that resides in the back, chest and elbow area. Once under way those thoughts were replaced by a very snug and secure feeling you get from being that well protected. The arms have two velcro cinch straps each that keep the sleeves from flapping in the wind.
KLIM BADLANDS PRO GEAR
There are also several pockets (seven to be exact) to carry all of your personal items including a sleeve to put your cell phone in before you zip it up in the upper RH chest pocket. As you can see from the picture below the suit also features some high visibility panels for night riding. I don’t plan on riding at night but it’s sure nice to know that it’s there if you need it. The collar has a nice soft lining and a cinch on the back of the neck to snug it up tight.
I can’t wait to ride in the rain with this gear and something tells me I may get what I wished for…
3M Scotchlite™ reflective panels and trim
I spent the entire evening installing the taller windshield, upper fairing crash bars, skid plate, highway pegs and taller 16 tooth sprocket. The 16 tooth sprocket will reduce engine speed by about 500 rpm which will help at highway speeds over 65 MPH.
The upper fairing guards, skid plate and highway pegs are from a company called HAPPY TRAILS. They are all of very high quality and powder coated with a thick black finish.
Today I received the engine guards, skid plate, highway pegs, tall windshield and 16t sprocket to lower the RPM at highway speed. I only managed to get the windshield and sprocket on due to a visit from a friend and a bottle of wine!
Hi Mike,
My name is Jesse Ziegler and I work at KLIM in the Marketing department. We received your email thanking us for the quality of our riding gear. Trust me when I say it’s definitely our pleasure! Thank you for choosing KLIM and taking your parents on a wonderful adventure. We all look forward to following along as you ride north. Please contact us if you have any questions, revelations, praise or criticism of the gear. We make it better by riding in it and I am the most direct link to the designers and developers here at KLIM.
If it’s good with you, I’d like to share any photos and comments you post across our social media networks and internally through our employees and dealers.
Have a great trip and don’t hesitate to call or drop me a line if you have any questions. Ride safely!
Thanks,
Jesse Ziegler | Communications Coordinator
Klim |
I just picked up my new Klim Adventure gear for the Alaska trip and is it ever nice! The Badlands jacket and pant are 2- piece and zip together. It has a Gor-tex outer shell, ballistic nylon reinforcing in the knees and elbow area and body armor built in to the knees, elbows and back.
This gear was not cheap but I value my hide and riding 10,000 miles through every condition imaginable along with the risk of animals crossing my path at any moment deserves the best! I have several layers to use along with the shell depending on conditions and temperature. The jacket will also hold a drink system so I can carry my bourbon! Just kidding, everyone knows I’m a barley guy…
I can’t believe all of the stuff I have had to buy for this trip, I must have spent 7K already and we haven’t moved an inch. The good news so far is that I am on track with the budget and hopefully can stay on track otherwise I may not have the funds to come back! Sorry honey going to work on a fishing boat for a while, maybe go “crabbin” with the Deadliest Catch dudes.
Here’s some trivia, anyone know the name of the city the Alaska highway starts in?
Thank you everyone for all of the great comments on my new blog! With regards to why I’m not riding a Victory, we still have one but it is much to pretty to destroy on this trip!
Thank you Action Motorsports in Idaho Falls for the awesome deal on a hold over 2011 KLR-650 motorcycle! Now the exorcize of getting it ready for a 10,000 mile journey begins. I will be adding a number of protection and comfort features to the bike to make sure going the distance is safe and comfortable.
First it gets the full protection treatment, including, engine and upper fairing guards, metal skid plate and a taller windshield. Next I would like some of those cool highway pegs and heated grips thank you…
Here it is before;
Today will be a fun day trying to find a back up bike for the Alaska trip. I plan on trying to find a good used Kawasaki KLR-650 for the trek North!
Motorbike Mike 