KLRsys build

KLRsys = Versys powered KLR - two cylinder, fuel injected, six speed KLR.

I've been thinking about doing this swap ever since I saw a review on the Versys and they remarked how narrow the engine was for a 650 twin. I few years went by and I found myself with an extra KLR. Last fall I decided to seriously look into this and came across RepsolRider's Super Rio thread in this same forum. That's all I needed to see, within a week I had a donor bike in the garage and I got started. I'm not quite finished but I've ridden it a bit now and I'm very pleased with the results so far. It doesn't feel any heavier than my other KLR and it's a lot smoother and faster.





Couldn't leave well enough alone so I built another one. Link



And there's a third one in the works now. (it's done) Link



And we rode them all from Texas to Alaska and back.




More pictures

Good job. Looks like fun.

get the heck outa here, you got it done?

tell us the whole story, more pics!

What were the hassles?

Very nice job, that looks like a fun project.

The biggest hassles were getting the throttle bodies hooked up to the original KLR airbox/filter, and dealing with the fuel pump. The TB's are normally aimed at the bottom of the tank where the airbox is on the Versys, closer to straight up, and of course the KLR airbox is under the seat. I flipped the TB's and manifolds upside down to get them to about a 45 degree angle, made a new bell crank for the cables and made a "box" to connect the TB's to the airbox. It's a very tight fit. The fuel pump was tank mounted and I couldn't put it in the KLR tank so I made a small tank for it and put it in the battery box along with the electronics (ECU, relay box, etc). Figuring out how to do a lot of it took far more time than actually getting it done. Getting the engine in and frame modified wasn't all that hard. I did have to get a real tubing bender though. The electrics were not bad, I used the complete wiring harness, electronics, switches and instruments from the Versys, so it all pretty much plugged in with just a few modifications.

great job, looks factory

Nice!

What scares me most with the KLR is the brakes and frame flex- I hope that you have some plans in that direction too?

WHY would you want to remove the fantastic frame flex?

I count on that for riding comfort!

My KLR would ride like a Harley if you fixed that.

I really didn't do this for the extra power although more passing power is always welcome. I expect that 98% of the time I won't be riding it any harder than I did with the original motor so I'm not too concerned about additional frame flex. Plus the new lower frame is tied together in more points (8) than the original (4) and the front motor mounts are much wider than the original so it might even stiffen up the lower frame.
I used the front master cylinder off the Versys and it gives better feel to the front brake. I prefer a somewhat mushy front brake, easier for me modulate in the dirt. But I have boiled the fluid in the rear brake before, coming down a mountain once so I may upgrade anyway to prevent that sort of thing from happening.

I just got this in an email from a local rider. Seems like we are in the same location. I would love to see this bike. Would you be interested in doing it on a 2009?

Check this link for more ADVriders in the area.

I don't think I'm up for doing this again, not exactly my line of work. I'll loan you my tubing bender though. I should be in Harlingen Sunday morning at the Ghostriders meet. Otherwise I'm in Brownsville, come by and see it.

Man, that's clean! I really have to take a close look to tell it's not a stock KLR.

Great work, quality craftsmanship makes it look like stock!

Great looking bike. Sure would like to see some more details about the build. Got any pics of her nekid.

That's a clean install. Well done.

Add me too the line that thinks your build is great.
When Repsol rider did his with the super talented crew , well that put it in the out of reach catagory . And now you have proved that it's again possible to dream.
I've put a lot of miles on my KLR and did 1000 on a friends Versys , so I'm in the camp that wants some of the twin's power and also wonders if it would overwhelm the KLR's basic package.
Cool bike , you have.

I just test rode both the Versys and the KLR yesterday (Kawasaki demo day). I found the Versys motor a little buzzy. Very nice work by the way. Now get out there and surprise some other riders with the POWER! :)

If you missed the link there are some early pictures here:

More pictures


I'll take some more pictures next time I pull the tank which should be later this week.

Well I certainly didn't have a super talented crew (just me) and no machine shop. I did most of my fabrication with a 4 1/2" angle grinder and die grinder. I went through a lot of cut off wheels. I can weld, not too pretty but fairly strong and I have a small 110v MIG welder and a gas welding outfit. The only specialty tool I had to buy was a real tubing bender. It was a lot of work, but more that half of it was just staring at it figuring out how things should be done, where things are going to fit. I'm not a mechanic by trade, I run a computer services business. I say all this because I believe this is within the reach of many people, so dream on.

There's hope then.
Oh , your pic link isn't working.