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| I originally approached Dual Star and its founder, Mike Walburn, over a year ago. We had lengthy conversations about how I should equip my bike, with Mike going into great detail about the products and ideas that would work best for me, and most importantly, WHY. Mike has been into designing and testing dual sport products for over 20 years, and every idea I approached him with, it turned out he'd wrestled with at some stage, often having spent years testing different options and exploring the market for possibilities. When he hasn't been able to find what he's been looking for, he's either made it himself or worked with a manufacturer to develop a better product. It got to a point where I would say 'well, what about _____', and another half-hour explanation would ensue, with Mike telling me the roads he'd been down with that particular component. I soon realized that I could have saved a lot of time by talking to them earlier: many things that I designed and redesigned on paper and in my head, things that have been bantered about on the KLR email list, are all things Mike dealt with years ago. Mike is an experienced millwright, welder and designer, as well as a skilled rider in his own right; he rides hard and really puts the gear he builds and sells through the wringer. He's constantly working on new ideas, the only thing preventing all of them being on Dual Star's shelves right now is being able to find workmanship and materials up to his high standards, and then being able to do it in a cost effective fashion for such a niche market. After my experience in building Cabby, especially building custom parts myself, I've realized that this is a common problem in the motorcycle accessories business, and I'm a lot more understanding when I see the prices on some of the gear and equipment out there. Its a numbers game - you're producing small quantities of specialized design, which often have to be altered to fit different bikes, and different years of bikes. This is why the KLR is such a great model for upgrade options, having hardly changed in 17 years of production. Dual Star have a bucketload of mods for the KLR but also other dual sports as well. If you're looking for dual sport accessories, Jeff at Dual Star can get you anything a regular dealer can get you, and has many of Dual Star's innovative products in stock. If you have questions or suggestions regarding any of their products, Mike will always try and address them, just don't expect to always get hold of him straight away - he is one busy guy. Phone is better than email, Mike's an old school two-finger typist... Dual Star have been very supportive of the Twowheelwandering venture, busting a gut to try to get me everything I needed with not much time to do it in. I'm very thankful to Jeff and Mike and can personally recommend them as good guys to deal with. To see the Dual Star products I'm using on Cabby, click the logo. |
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