'06 KLR650 .. Toxic Green Adventure Bike ..

I meant to post something about this the other day .. and forgot to .. the question about the fork brace reminded me ..

I got two different rear Master Cylinder Covers for my KLR .. one from Twisted Throttle and then one from TCI Products because I didn't like the look and install features of the Twisted Throttle one .. here's a side-by-side ..



Twisted Throttle one on the left .. TCI Products installed ..

I was really looking for that Mil-Spec look .. and the Twisted Throttle one didn't really match up to that .. and, more importantly to me, when it's mounted it lays directly on top of the Master Cylinder .. so anything making impact is going to directly transfer all that energy to the unit .. and it mounts on top on the bolts, just seems to me that when it gets hit there is more leverage to break those bolts ..

The TCI Products one ..


One point of direct contact is right at the very top of the mount .. not perfect and the top hole could be en-longated for those with the skills and tools to do so and that would allow you to slide the whole unit up to clear the top of the Master Cylinder, though it would then block the banjo bolt (not really a big deal as you can just loosen it and slide it back down it you are working on the brakes) .. but it does allow for more of a "crumple-zone" .. and I like that ..

It also mounts under the Master Cylinder between the Billet Mount/spacer and the Master Cylinder itself (less leverage on the bolts) .. and wraps the entire unit .. and it has that Mil-Spec look I am going for ..

.. I'll be posting that Twisted Throttle one up (eventually) for sale .. along with some other KLR gear I have gotten duplicates of or just don't want to keep ..

.. The Twisted Throttle guard is a good unit for a cleaner "street" look and does match the silver frame pretty darn well .. it's just not my style I guess ..

.. thought I'd share .. hope it helps ..

.. apparently a few years ago Acerbis stopped making a fender brace for the KLR .. and thankfully JNS recently stepped up and made some .. thanks JNS .. it's a well-made product (as all of your gear has been) .. I didn't take many pics when I went to install it, and completely forgot to take any of it on the fender before I installed it .. (edit .. I came and stuck some pics in that show the brace .. edit)

JNS includes some nice hardware .. including an aluminum spacer needed for the fender and replacement mounting bolts .. I am assuming for another type of install as the stock bolts work just fine .. maybe for a low-fender mod as they also include nylock nuts for both the small fender bolts and the replacement mounting bolts .. those replacement bolts and nylock nuts do come in very handy to hold everything in place while you drill the holes for the fender bolts .. maybe that's what they are for in the first place .. who knows?? .. it's rare that any company goes the extra few pennies to make life easier, but I'm betting JNS is spot-on with this one .. anyway .. some pics ..







.. the last one is a repeat .. now that I have bombed down the highway for a couple of weeks with it installed I can add that I am happy with the Fender Brace .. the front has lost a little more of it's high-speed wobble .. though it does still feel a little "twitchy" .. even with the Fork Brace was installed previously .. the front is WAY better than when I ran it stock .. seriously better .. at about 80mph (indicated) the front USED TO get pretty scary sometimes, especially in a cross breeze or headwind .. now it's no big deal .. and it may be just because of my "cruiser origins" that I notice the front end being so "responsive" or "twitchy" for lack of a better term(s) .. but it certainly doesn't feel unsafe like it did previously .. even with a weekends worth of camping gear on back .. and all the tools I usually haul around .. I really need to build that tool tube for the front undercarriage .. hmm .. off today .. maybe a trip to the home improvement store is in order ..

Clean the deck? That's time and effort that could be put into riding and farkling. The man has his priorities straight.

Great looking bike BTW

Looking good Bill. Are you bringing your new farkles west to the cabins in a few weeks?

.. that's the plan .. man I'm looking forward to getting out for a day or two .. though I am on vacation this week and next week too .. lol .. headed down to Florida to visit with my cousin before he ships out to Germany for three years ..

.. see you guys soon ..

.. and thanks .. I'm completely in love .. lol ..

.. and KLRCary (RIP) had the answer all along .. I had read this once before and it's exactly what my bike is doing .. here's the link ..

http://klrworld.com/forums/index.php/topic,62.0.html

.. so I'm gonna clean up the seals and see if that helps .. I crash often enough not to like the thought of a fuel spill .. but I may end up losing the seals all together .. at least my question has been answered by someone who seriously knew what the hell he was talking about .. wish I could have met him IRL ...

.. so my two favorite mechanics came outside with me today to help "fix" the KLR .. lol .. which roughly means that everything takes about three times as long to get done, but much more fun was had ..

.. first up was to take the tank off and get some mods and repairs done .. namely the fairings needed to be re-attached .. the T-Mod needed to be done .. a new piece of fuel line installed (more for just being able to visually see fuel if there's a problem) .. and it was time to remove the kickstand safety ..

.. couple of shots of the family fun .. fairings .. used some extra hardware I had from buying a bolt collection from a parted out KLR .. used two sets of the seat washers to sandwich the tank rubber bushings with a 6mm machine screw .. and some safety nylock nuts for a "platform" (rather than using a nylon spacer that would fall off during removal of the fairing) and topped it of with another nylock for now .. maybe later I'll come up with some acorn nuts to make it look prettier ..



.. and the T-Mod .. enough has probably been written about this .. but here's my version of the task .. and you can catch a glimpse of the new fuel line too .. you can also see the small red connector tucked in behind the frame, this is the connector for the kickstand safety ..



.. and the kickstand safety is now an historical fact .. I chose to completely remove it as I plan on installing a small project box in there a new "electrical center" complete with fused buss and relocated fuses and some new relays for lighting and power supplies to gear/equipment .. the now-empty side cover .. note - the mounting bracket has to be re-installed at is used to mount the cover .. and you'll need spacers or will have to use nylock nuts to create a false space (platform) to correctly space the cover out to re-fit .. btw .. neat little mechanical switch (2nd pic) .. the easiest way to bypass this is to snip the wired off just below the red connector and wirenut them together and wrap the whole thing up in electricians tape ..



.. not a bad day of wrenching .. frisbee recovery from the neighbors yard and the Doberman (ours) .. and giving the wife a break for a few hours ..

Hey Bill, if you're definitely coming out to Joe's cabins you might want to post up in the Fall Fire Ball thread. Joe's looking for a confirmed headcount.

.. gotcha .. I'll go do it now .. thanks for the heads-up ..

(EDIT 08-11/12-2011) .. In and posted info .. reserving cabin this weekend .. really looking forward to seeing y'all again ..

.. so up early for a run over to Home Despot .. because they sell a particular end cap that I want to use .. it's raining so it's a great chance to use the rain gear I have never had to use .. so out I go, heck, it's only 20 miles .. past the Lowe's I work at .. down to GSO and to the Home Despot .. only to find out they no longer even stock ABS Black Pipe, much less the particular end I want to use .. lol .. perfect .. so back to the Lowe's where I work .. pick up some parts and glue .. and back home in time for the wife to go to work .. my two favorite helpers jumped right in to help create our new tool tube .. by the time we got done pharting around it stopped raining and out our little troop went to strap it on ..

.. not to wide .. Super-Hero Doberman optional ..


.. and just barely clears the front fender .. perfection ..


.. love the warning on the test cap .. didn't plan that .. "Caution: Stand Clear While In Use" .. scha-weet ..


.. all-in-all .. I like it .. I finally have a place to carry the tire irons I never hope to use (while I have been carrying the patch kit all along .. lol ), and I'll have to send an e-mail to the inmate who makes the custom sewn tube bags so I can load up the heavier wrenches and put them in there with the Tire Irons .. should lend some room elsewhere for things like a tent and netbook and stuff .. not to mention a more balanced load and lower that center of gravity maybe an inch or three .. lol ..

.. couple of decisions made after today's water-ride ..

I have always been the "wind in your face" kinda guy .. rain, shine, who cares except for ice and snow .. but I'm feeling my age I guess and I am liking some creature comforts more and more with each B-Day candle .. upgraded seats .. nicer riding gear .. electric vest and gloves .. the self-farkles are adding up .. already got a nice vintage fairing for the cruiser .. but now for the KLR ..

1. There will be a taller windscreen in my future ..

.. absolutely .. indulgence ..

2. There will be some better rain gear at some point too ..

.. eventually .. see, another self-farkle ..

3. This morning's slab-ride in the rain just served to remind me how much I like full-faced helmets in the rain also .. not something I used to even care about on the cruiser .. BUT, I did buy a full face a few years ago and have been known to use them .. so I'm saving my nickels for one of those fancy-schmancy Dual Sport Hybrid Helmets .. heck .. the Joe Rocket one is made by HJC (edit) .. a decent helmet for the price, and they fit my melon very comfortably .. so there will be yet another helmet in my future too .. been wearing HJC's stuff for years .. them and AMF have always been a good fit and a decent price for the helmet ..

.. later rather than sooner though .. I need the windscreen first .. lol .. that stinking motor-cross helmet catches to much wind with that visor ..

.. speaking of which .. my new helmet of choice for the KLR .. next post ..

.. took me years to get used to wearing a full face helmet .. now I love them .. especially the flip-face ones .. so much so that I have been keeping my old Fulmer alive for probably longer than I should .. top vents broke so I slapped on some Gorilla Tape .. repaired one of the side attachements/hinges .. can't find the visors anymore .. etc .. time to start shopping though ..



the Silver AFX FX-9 is my current favorite .. even has a John Deere logo from the mfg .. decent helmet for a seriously discounted price from a Honda Dealer selling them off on eBay ..

The Black Fulmer Modus Flip Face I have had for seven years .. love this helmet .. it's long overdue for a replacement ..

One Kombat .. bought this one on the cheap off eBay to see how the fit is .. I hate it .. it's now a toy for my kids to play with .. decently made helmet though, just fits my melon poorly ..

That plane-jane HJC has been a good helemt .. a tad snug on me, but I have crashed in it and it held up insanely well and my bell only got slightly rung .. damn good helmet for the money and I wear it off-road sometimes when I want a shield instead of glasses or goggles .. just need to retro-fit a visor and I'd be in love ..

.. my two favorites ..



.. still can't believe I found a helmet with a John Deere logo .. lol .. I love that helmet .. just hysterical with the JD logo and fits my melon almost perfectly .. the visor is plastic and I like that too (something about a stiff visor willing to scoop up tons of dirt and rock just does not excite me) .. I own two of these now (soon to be three) with one still in the box for when the time comes to retire it's brother ..

Dear Bill,

I hate to see you so down and out. I was afraid when I sold you this bike that it might happen. You seemed before like a depressed man with so much time on your hands. Sad and bored would have been my description.

I had thought that this KLR business might have brought you out of your shell and given you something to do and to think about. I'm sorry to see it hasn't helped at all. I hope some day for your sanity you will find something to make life fun again.

Ever considered collecting stamps?

Peace,
Randy





BTW, who pays the Visa bill in your household?

.. thankfully I pay the bills .. lol .. as soon as I get out of this funk I'll look into stamp collecting .. or maybe coins ..

.. have not been enjoying the bike at all .. you sold me down the river of doom and despair .. my only hope at this point is for them to bring Hee Haw back to TV so I can join in for the song ..

.. good to hear for you Randy .. been having a blast as you may have read .. found some local trails too, though I am starting to get out a little more and stretch my legs .. I love this bike .. really looking forward to getting back out to Nantahala next month and back into some longer rides on something other than blacktop and pavement .. though I can't whine to load with the BRP so close by as well as some great back roads .. thanks for dropping me a note man .. it is good to hear from you .. hope we have the chance to catch up sometime for a ride or just a chat ..

I was just gratified as I read your thread not to find any disparaging reference to the PO as having done something stupid to the bike. (I didn't, btw...at least as far as I know...)

Glad to see you're having fun with her. I do miss that bike.

As I live within about 12 miles of the BRP/Skyline Drive, you be sure to holler when you go for your birthday ride. Holler loud and wave too! I might not recognize the bike!

Take care,
Randy

That's a well farckled toxic green adventure bike...

Nice KLR,

What kind of tank panniers do you have on your KLR, and how do you like them?

... Joe had a set on his KLR .. they are the cheapo ATV Logic tank panniers .. you can find them on-line and on eBay for cheap .. I think about $15-$18 bucks .. I scored mine for less off eBay ..

.. ran down to Jacksonville this past week to visit with family .. had some interesting "events" for a shake-down run .. sadly I had to make time so was slabbing it the whole way and had to bail on my original plan to go down the coast for three days a see the lighthouses .. still have the maps and travel plans for a later date though .. anyway .. about 560 miles door-to-door ..

.. about 30 miles into the run, before I even cleared Greensboro, I found my right pannier hanging at about 45-degrees .. the two top cam-lock bolts that these easy-off racks use had popped out .. thankfully the bottom two had not popped out or the pannier and rack would have been skidding down the road .. kinda pissed me off ..

.. and while finding a parking lot to make repairs I heard the fan kick on and making that ugly sound that clearly indicates something is getting hit by a blade spinning .. so two issues before I even got warmed up .. sunnuva ..

.. so hit a parking lot and break out some tools .. the rack went back on easy enough .. popped the locking "cams" back in after bending the rack back into place .. still have not taken it off comepletely to evaluate any long-term damage .. and the bungies I now use for safeties are going to remain until I decide if I will simply bolt the damn things in place and re-mount the boxes with a method for removing the boxes ..

.. pull the shrouds and check the fan .. sure enough the blade is hitting something .. little deeper and presto .. somehow the hose for the overflow has worked it's way back into the shroud .. a cable tie to the frame and button her back up .. the rest of the ride down went without any more mechanical incident ..

.. the only issue, in fact, is that the weight of the bike just flat made me use the center stand until I can pull the shock and crank up the pre-load .. first gas stop and "doink" on the right pannier .. I had a bad feeling about that as this would be the second time an issue would pop up with that right pannier .. and how ironic that was too .. BUT .. no popping bolts and no damage to the bike .. the rack held up without any issues and the ammo cans are just tough as nails anyway ..

.. so center stand for everything .. which lead to the really creative way I found to destroy a SW-Motech Center Stand .. and man .. I mean I did a number on it .. I'll be pulling it off tomorrow and posting up some pics .. not sure it is repairable or scrap .. we'll see ..

FYI .. do NOT trailer a bike on the center stand .. some pics tomorrow ..