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Just refinished the overhaul of my '94 KLE500 Just refinished the overhaul of my '94 KLE500
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  #1  
Old 21 Dec 2006
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Just refinished the overhaul of my '94 KLE500
Thought I'd drop a post up here after 3 months sorting out my 'bargain' KLE500.

Paid 600 GBP on Ebay for this with 25k miles on the clock but it had been dropped a few times and suffered years of minimal maintenance and a life near the sea. Though one of the recent owners had tried to give it some TLC and had fitted a new Hagon monoshock and chain and sprockets.

When I picked it up it looked like this.



Already had a an Arrow stainless system on it and came with a new and unused K&N.

After a new set of Avon Distanzia (recommended by Mutha4..); fluid change;carb rebuild, brakes overhauled and new rear pads; valves regapped and plugs replaced; reprayed the whole lot satin black (had odd panel colours due to drops); recovered seat black (don't do turquoise). Dropped the main fuel tank intake tube by 30mm so reserve cuts in later. Changed most of the fasteners to stainless and cleaned up the outside of the engine a tad.

Now looks like this. Even sold off the Scottoiler and Givi rack that came with the bike to pay for some of the bits



Seat is rippled but I'm leaving that to settle before I retension.

New engine oil is pretty dirty already so I expect to change that again after 500 miles.

Cheers,
Paul
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  #2  
Old 10 Jan 2007
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UPDATE.......

After a few miles under it's belt as it were a couple of items will need attention. Front brake lever needs adjustment so I can easily get 3 gloved fingers on the lever to give it as much force as poss!

Brakes on the KLE have been mentioned on here time and again but after my '99 Triumph's twin disk set-up these are abysmal expecially in the wet. Now as part of the o/h the front calipers were rebuilt with new seals but I left the original pads on as the disks were no longers flat and had loads of meat on pads and disk. If I stick 'better' pads on then the braking will be worse than it is now for a while
  • So should I buy a new disk and pads?
  • What are peoples preferences for manufacturer and type?
  • Braided hose really worth the cost over the OEM if it is in good condition?
Now when the wheel was off I attempted to remove the disk from the ally hub and it was seized on solid. Anyone have any suggestions how to get those screws out?

All assistance graefully received

Paul
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  #3  
Old 11 Jan 2007
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KLE rebuild
Hello Marlin.

Well done on the rebuild. I always love rebuilding things myself as well. The gratification is nice, and it gives me great pleasure that I have kept my hard earned cash away from some shark in a workshop. I thought doctors were expensive!

Unfortunately I do not know how much the steel braided line costs, but I hear the guys find it a great improvement. If you are looking for better brakes, I would suggest looking at an oversized disk, and twin piston set. It would cost a bit more, but the brakes will be sorted. Then you would probably not need the steel line anyway. I do not know how tight the bolts are there, but about the only way to get those off, is an impact driver and a big hammer. I rebuild old land rovers for a hobby, and normally if you cannot get something loose, your hammer is simply too small.

Good luck, and safe rolling.

Regards
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  #4  
Old 19 Jan 2007
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Pleco,

Land Rovers...........tell me about it I have a '69 SWB sitting on the drive and I have several 'LR reapir tool No.1' hanging in the workshop

Any idea of a source for the oversize disk and is there an adaptor bracket to move the caliper out or use an alternative?

Cheers,
Paul
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  #5  
Old 20 Jan 2007
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Oooh, I like the satin black look. Looks mean now, like something from a 1980's post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie.

I've given up on sorting the front brake. Instead, I've gotten used to using a lot more rear brake than you would on any other bike. When I get some money, I might try some six-pot calipers or something, but I think it's a losing battle. I did see some images of someone who had swapped the front forks and wheel for a 19" twin disk, but to be honest, it just looked like someone had swapped the front forks and wheel for a 19" twin disk. They reported better braking, so it may be worth it.
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Current Bikes - Kawasaki KLE500 '05 (May 06)
Previous Bikes - Hyosung GF125 (Oct 05 to May 06)
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  #6  
Old 21 Jan 2007
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KLE brakes
Quote:
Originally Posted by marlin.45
Pleco,

Land Rovers...........tell me about it I have a '69 SWB sitting on the drive and I have several 'LR reapir tool No.1' hanging in the workshop

Any idea of a source for the oversize disk and is there an adaptor bracket to move the caliper out or use an alternative?

Cheers,
Paul
Hello Paul.

Yes, the land rover teaches you to work in circles. Start at the left front wheel, and work around clockwise. When you get back there, you can start again in the same circle. It is just never ending. Sorry guys wrong topic, but if you need any LR ideas, give me an email.

Unfortunately, I do not know of any brakes that will be a straight swap, but I am sure another Kawa set would fit right on there. You will have to do a bit of a swap out with the forks and mountings though.

Honestly though, I find the brakes on my KLE 400 adequate. It is not a superbike, so no SB brakes. I agree that you have to use some rear brakes as well, but that is a good driving habit. You let the bike squat a little with the rear brake, and then apply the front brake gradually and as hard as needed.

Regards
Lukas
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  #7  
Old 23 Jan 2007
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Mutha/Pleco,

Starting to get the hang of far more rear end braking than I am used to on my last modern Triumph. Trick now seems to be three fingers on the front lever compared to two on the last bike and haul down on the rear as I get close to impact

Yes, I was aiming for the Mad Max effect. And satin washes better than matt

Unfortuately my LR is moving on after 7 years of 'fettlin'. Too many toys/hobbies.......................

Cheers,
Paul
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  #8  
Old 14 Mar 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marlin.45 View Post
UPDATE.......
  • So should I buy a new disk and pads?
  • What are peoples preferences for manufacturer and type?
  • Braided hose really worth the cost over the OEM if it is in good condition?
Paul

Hi,

I read on an other forum that EBC HH sintered brake pads normally used for the GPZ500 bring a great improvement. Here is the link to the original text [L] Bike Chat Forums : KLE 500 Review [/L]. They also mention the steel braided hoses.

If you achieve any improvement with the front brake, let me know please. I recently bought a 2001 KLe, and I found breaking very weak. I'm also riding a 650 Pegaso, and the difference is simply too much for two bikes in the same category, having almost the same weight...
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