KLR Longevity ?
 

currently looking at buying a set up 2004 KLR650 from another traveller in Santiago around mid December. The bike has 30,000 miles on it and will have around 40,000 by the time i get my filthy hands on it. had rebuilt engine at 29,000, rebuilt transmission at 29,000 and new clutch at 26,000. I have read that the KLR is good for around 30,000 to 40,000 before rebuilds and at times much more. My question is: Now the engine has been rebuilt at 30,000 miles can i expect another 30-40,000 miles from this thumper?

any advice is welcome

thanks!

Depends on who did it and what they did......a good job should see you alright for the same short of mileage; seems like a low mileage for a rebuild to me though - perhaps the bike was not serviced and otherwise abused? Personally, I'd give a rebuilt bike a miss.....

What have they been doing to that KLR that it needed a rebuild at a measly 29000 miles ?!
Really , a KLR or any bike for that matter , should not require an engine rebuild at that young age.
.It shows that the owner or succession of owners were riding it as if it were a motocross bike,and/or remiss in taking normal care and performing the normal regular maintenance and this makes any subsequent reliability a hit and miss proposition.
Just because a bike is being ridden around the globe is no excuse to let oil level checks ,oil- and air filter replacement or cleaning and replacement of worn bits go beyond the acceptable range.And how often if ever did the previous owner adjust the engine balancer adjuster, a simple tasks taking all of 30 seconds which MUST be done at 5000km intervals?
Case in point, my own KLR 650 (year 2000) now has 120000km, or about 70000 miles, on it and the engine still runs briskly, not a drop of excessive oil usage , never had the doohicky changed. The motor has never been apart, did a valve shim adjustment t hree times so far.
Only things I replaced were a burned out rad fan motor, a thermal sender switch for same,chain and sprocket set twice,a few light bulbs and fuses and worn out tires and replaceing fork oil seals a few times. And the little flat gearshift pawl retainer spring broke this spring , so in the same operation I rebuilt the water pump and replaced the seals and o-rings behind the cover while it was off.
Running as well as it does it is a s good as new still

.

I think you can expect 30-40,000 miles from it because I have that bike too and what a coincidence I did what you did to your bike. :D

I'd be suspicious of any bike which needed an engine, trans and clutch rebuilds all at such an early age. In particular, I'd wonder what else needs replacing/rebuilding which was either missed, ignored or not noticed in the process.

FWIW, my KLR has 93,000 miles on it and is ready for engine and tranny work. I haven't babied it, but neither have I abused it (mine since new in 2007). I'm on my second clutch, but only because I wanted to get ahead of the curve at around 50k.

Good luck!

Mark

I think it really depends who did the rebuild and how it was done. If done correctly then I see no problems. I would not worry too much about "WHY" it was in need of a rebuild. Could have been sabotage? ... which happened to friends. Their motors were filled with sand. They rode off next morning, not knowing what had been done. Both motors ruined. (Hondas)

If the bike is currently running strong, compression checks out, no major oil leaks, not over heating. Then why not? I would NOT be paying a lot for this bike. I know bikes are pricey down there ... but a rebuilt bike with high mileage should be less expensive. Lots of KLR's and other to choose from. Take it out for a good, hard test ride. Now stand next to it and ... listen to it run. How's she sound? See any leaks? Any thing weird?

Keep in mind you can buy near new, very low mileage KLR's every day here in California for $3000 to $4000. (Low mileage being 1000 to 3000)

Where are you Andrew? Back on ADV Rider again?
:helpsmilie:

thanks for the replys people. Helpful. I was leaning more towards the opinion of the last poster. Think it would be ok if it checks out ok. One question tho... I read somewhere that its hard to do a compression test on KLR650's is this true? And if its not whats a good psi reading? Thanks! This bike im looking at is asking for $US1800 With jessie luggage.

Thats seems a good price. Jesse luggage costs about $1500 alone. I'd sell that heavy shit off to some BMW guy. They love it. Worth quite a bit even used. Leave it with Dakar motos ... cut him in on the sale. Should knock 20 kgs. off the bike's weight right there. :thumbup1: Ditch the side racks too and go with soft bags or a duffle. Off road in sand and gravel, you'll thank me.

Doing a comp test requires removing the tank. The plug is set way down DEEP into a well in the cylinder. Hard to get to. So you need a comp gauge with at least a 6 inch extension. Blow the sand and crap out before pulling plug out (DOH!) Let a pro do it if you are uncertain on this.

I've forgotten what acceptable comp should be on a kLR ... check over at KLR.net or Google it. I'm guessing between 110 and 130 PSI.

Do a leak down test to get a true picture. Leak down will tell you how well the valves are sealing, which on a KLR, is first to go. If bike is truly freshly rebuilt it may not be fully broken in yet. Takes 2000 miles (mas o menos) for new rings to fully seat and for valves to bed in. So, comp reading may be low until full break in. No synthetic oil on new motor. Wait until 4000 miles if you want to go synthetic. I would do if available and not too expensive. Not critical on the KLR, IMO. Cheers, Suerte! beerbeer

hmm. Seems that the klr has auto decompression so a comp test is useless? Maybe not. Some great info in the above post :-) do you know someone in BA That will do a leak down? Thanks. Think i will in with this bike.

Had a mate go down on our trip w/ blown motor from EXCESSIVE oil consumption. A KNOWN KLR issue and he was too dumb to check oil daily.

Actually, you're wrong, IMHO. Most KLR's on the road don't use much oil at all. The first year of the new generation KLR's had a very bad run of motors. Many of these bikes used copious amounts of oil. Kawasaki replaced many under warranty and even out of warranty. Latest ones are OK, Kawasaki changed suppliers. (remember, this bike is made in Thailand, but some motor parts still made in Japan, Korea or China)

But overall, if you look at KLR's since 1985, you'll find oil use has not been a "known issue" at all. In fact, probably 85% don't use much oil at all. Neither of my two KLR's did, nor several friends with high mileage KLR's.
KLR's have plenty of issues, but oil use is not a common one.

But your point about checking oil daily is a good one. I do it on any bike, no matter what. Just part of the pre-flight inspection we all need to do before hitting the long road:

Oil, coolant, tires, chain, look and feel for missing or loose parts, leaks, cables, brakes. Its just basic. MC Travel 101. jeiger:smiliex:

Yeah. I think that you can have an average of 35,000 miles for that thumper if I am not mistaken. :D