2000 KLR 650 Exhaust Gasket
 

Hello,

I have had to remove my exhaust pipe (head pipe and muffler) the last few weekends to address a minor oil leak just under the starter. Every time I put the exhaust back together I get an inconsistent starting issue. Sometimes it fires right up but has issues when restarting later in the day or the next morning. Other times it wont start at all. In each case the bike cranks but wont fire and I get a loud snapping sound like a backfire. This seems to be related to the exhaust gasket that connects the pipe to the engine block. I have retourqued the bolts after riding but still no luck. In the past I put the old gasket back on and it fixed the issue. However today I am not so lucky. This only seems to happen when I remove the exhaust. Otherwise I have no issues with the bike. Aside from the minor oil leak :)

Is this a known issue? Is their a trick to reattaching the exhaust after it is removed so that i can avoid this? Everything on the bike is stock.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Aside from doing whatever you can to get a tight seal (I'd include using a tube of the stuff designed for such purposes), you might want to wonder whether the baffles inside the muffler are still intact and attached. I once had a baffle come loose, and it introduced a variety of otherwise inexplicable problems.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Thanks Mark! I hadn't been using the gasket sealer for the exhaust. I'll give that a try this weekend. If its still an issue I will take a look at the baffles. I'll let you know how it works out.

Thanks!

Hi All,

Sorry for the delay. It has taken a few weekends to find a common thread to the issue.

I have replaced the exhaust gasket and used the Permatex Copper Gasket maker to help get a seal. I am able to start the bike with no issues when it is outside during the day or parked in my underground garage. However if I leave the bike outside overnight and try to start it later in the evening while outside I get the no start w/ a backfire situation every time. This is a very repeatable behavior now. I replaced some of the heat wrap used to attach the head pipe to the muffler, but still no dice. I have not touched the baffles just because I have never done it and I didn't want to add a new variable to the issue. But that may be my next step.

FYI, prior to removing the exhaust the bike started with no issues in all conditions. Let me know if anything sounds familiar. I live in SoCal so the temp swing between day and night are not severe. However the issue is now definitely tied to outside atmospheric conditions at night.

Thanks!