Klr Help

[cruthas]

I just bought a 1995 KLR650 with 18,500 miles on it. The bike seems to run and shift great. The majority of its use was in the back country trail riding. I am not familiar with the bike so what should I look for maintenance wise? The seals on the front shocks looked nice, rotors felt a little warped, it didnt leak just basic chain oil. I have heard the Doo goes in them, is this something I should look into, how will I know if it needs to be changed (not taking it apart, any symptoms?) , and should a valve adjustment be done? Any Advice on what to look for most common problems anything like that would be great. Any advice on upgrades and what parts to buy for a North America to the tip of South America trip would be great too. Dont have much money trying to do this on a shoe string budget, so any low cost parts or, knowledge, just any advice would be great.
Thanks A Lot.

[PocketHead]

Did it come with a service guide (i.e how often to change oil etc), check those things and match them with any work receipts that came with the bike to see how long ago they were done

[cruthas]

Hey Pockethead,
Do you have a KLR? I just read your website about motorcycling to south america, when do you plan on heading out?

[PocketHead]

Originally Posted by cruthas

Hey Pockethead,
Do you have a KLR? I just read your website about motorcycling to south america, when do you plan on heading out?

Hi Cruthas,
I don't own a KLR just yet, planning to buy one upon arrival in the states, which will be sometime after October this year

[Sjoerd Bakker]

To save a few bucks when doing valve clearance adjusts go besides Kawasaki, to Yamaha,Suzuki and Honda dealers. All these brands have or had models which use the same diameter valve shims , sized in the same thickness increments. There are also probably automobiles which use similar shims , and all are perfactly good to interchange. You may be able to buy the sizes you need from their stock of used exchanged shims at a consederable discount. Also before trading or buying new be sure the shim you remove from one location is or is not a possible fit for another valve in your motor.
Check valve clearance at about 15000km intervals, but you may not even need adjusts.
To change shims as per shop manual you need to remove the cams. But I have heard there is a way or tool which lets you leave them in.
If you do remove cams do STUFF A RAG in the camchain tunnel because one of the bolts holding the oil splash deflctor is real short and has a tendency to get dropped. No fun spending an hour or two fishing it out with a magnet. Done it.

[Frank Warner]

I allways change the oils in any secondhand bike I get. When I get it - ... start that the front and work to the back - fork oil, coolant, engine oil .. etc. Look at the oil that comes out .. it will sy a lot about the bikes history.

If your going on a longer trip - have the rear shock serviced, they don't have much oil in there and it does a lot of work (serviceing will tell you if it is near worn out).

The doohicky? No tell tail sign I know of. It just fails. Should be some stuff on advrider .. with picys on doing the doohicky. Should be easy to look inside for it.

[cruthas]

Thanks for the information, the bike seems to be in good shape, I am going to go ahead and try and replace the doo-hickey even if it isnt broke, and see if the valves do need to be adjusted. What is the difference between the stock KLR front shocks and progressive shocks?
Pockethead,
I will be doing the same trip you are around the same time you arrive in the states, where are you flying into? Do you have family or friends here? I would be interested in traveling, do you have a time frame of when you are leaving?

[PocketHead]

Originally Posted by cruthas

Thanks for the information, the bike seems to be in good shape, I am going to go ahead and try and replace the doo-hickey even if it isnt broke, and see if the valves do need to be adjusted. What is the difference between the stock KLR front shocks and progressive shocks?
Pockethead,
I will be doing the same trip you are around the same time you arrive in the states, where are you flying into? Do you have family or friends here? I would be interested in traveling, do you have a time frame of when you are leaving?

Excellent, so far my plan is not set in stone but to fly into California either San Fransisco or Los Angeles ideally in October (then ride to the 'Vegoose' rock festival in Las Vegas, 2 days camping there) but I think it will be a pretty tough deadline to make, most likely I will arrive in December (however I'm working on a couple of side projects to make extra $$ outside of work, if they are successful October will be easy). From there with no family or friends in the states maybe stay at a backpackers or several people here have offered some temporary accommodation (very thankful), I estimate 2-3 weeks to obtain a bike, title and insurance then I plan to get to Mexico as soon as possible and from there just head south


I'd be glad to meet you if you are on a similar route, give me a bell if you're interested we'll arrange something.

Also, checking the valve clearances is a very big job, make sure you have a Clymer manual if you're not too mechanically apt (like myself):
CLYMER Repair Manual- KLR650.com

you'll need a lot of garage space too and having a friend around will help.

[Riq]

I own 2 KLR's a 2001 and a 2005. It is important to replace the doohickey on the 1995 model unless it has already been done. You won't know this until after you have opened it up.

Buy one of the after market doohickeys and not another Kaweasaki model.

There are a few sites if you google that have step by step instructions complete with pictures that will be of great help.

Buy some blue locktight before reassembly as this will save you from looking in the dirt for the missing nuts, bolts and screws later. As a matter of fact it has been suggested and I agree that you should take a tube of blue locktight and get familiar with every screw and nut you can get your hands on.

Have fun.

Rick

[cruthas]

Pockethead,
I am trying to leave around October, that is if money istn to tight. I am trying to get hte bike ready at this point and then save as much money as possible, and if that means I have to leave in December I will. December is the deadline but shooting for October. You shouldnt have a problem finding a bike here especially in California. If I am still around when you arrive, you are more then welcome to crash here. (Colorado)

Rig,
Thanks for the information, I have checked out some of those sites you mentioned, I am hoping the DOO has already been switched out.

Anyone know the difference between progressive front shocks and the stock shocks I have. Do you think it will really make a difference in travel? I am headed to South America through Central America, probably going to be around 20,000 miles.

[kbikey]

Cruthus, Hi.
The Progressive front parts you want aren't shocks. There springs,stiffer than stock they reduce front end dive on the brakes,allow for heavier loads, and with fresh oil are about all you need for adaquet behaviour from the front of the KLR. That said pre '08 KLR forks are kind of wimpy at 38mm. But I enjoy a little weave now and then. Makes even straight roads curvy.
I have had good luck so far with a progressive rear shock on my '92. But its not really nessesary if your stock shock is O.K. Do learn to adjust the preload on the spring, its a differant method than any other shock I've seen.
Try to get your weight forward,big tank bagand soft stuff in tank panniers helps. Also get some 4" PVC and screw plugs to make a tool tube to mount in front of the skid pan,helps to keep weight low.Oh yeah, get one of those big aluminum skid pans, lots of protection there.
Other than that keep an eye on your oil level KLR 's tend to use some if you run 70 mph or more.
Wish I could go to.

[cruthas]

kbikey, Thanks for the information, great idea on the PVC tool holder. I just assumed I would put them in my panniers. Thanks for the info on the shocks as well. I will have to get familiar with both shocks and see how they do fully loaded. I am running a tight budget so something I will have to pass on and something I will definitely need.

[PocketHead]

Hi Cruthas,
Do you have a facebook or myspace? I checked your website but it's just the default Joomla page. Speaking of, are you using Joomla to log your travels?

[cruthas]

Hey Pockthead,
Yes I am using Joomla to log my travels. I am temporarily shutting the site down to host it on another server. I should have it up and running tomorrow or by the end of the week. The server I was using before wouldn't allow ssh (shell access) so I couldnt edit my custom Joomla template. I do have myspace, check me out, I dont access it much but Im on there, my e-mail address is cruthas@hotmail.com search the e-mail and I should pop up.

Keeping to the thread, I have read a lot of information on upgrades to the KLR. One is the sub-frame bolts, the doohickey, front progressive springs, and the shock stabilizer. A must for long distance I hear are the front springs, the others I am not so sure about. At this point I am only doing small mods and If I need to upgrade along the way I will, but I believe the bike will perform well mostly stock. I want to do a lot of off the beaten path with her so I will give updates once the traveling starts. My website is not up and running yet but check in from time to time and see my updates @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
www.mototheworld.com


Anyother information regarding KLR's and modifications would be great, again I am riding a 1995 KLR650 with 18500. Look forward to hearing your advice.