I just installed the Progressive 465 rear shock a few weeks ago and what a difference in how nice the riding is now. I use to brace myself when I seen a bump or pothole coming but now I look for them just because it handles them so much better. I believe the KLR shock is set up for a 160 lb person. I have some Progressive front springs too and going to get some Intiminators in Oregon on my way to Mexico next month at Pro Cycle. http://www.procycle.us/bikepages/klr650.html . The intiminators are easy to install and never need to be adjusted, the Emulators are adjustable and need to be set up to your liking. So a little more work to install and set up I have been told.
figure it out and post some Idaho ride pic's already............. I love Idaho.........only been in a car but i've always wanted to go back for a summer....
Subscribed. Some of you clowns unknowingly convinced me I needed a KLR a year and a half ago when I decided to return to riding. So I bought this hideous, dented, scratched, 1989 tractor-on-2-wheels for $1200. In the first 5 minutes I thought I'd bought too much bike and those naysayers were right ("If you buy a 650 as your first bike you will DIE!"). An hour later and I was madly in love. Farkles naturally followed. This is how it looks today but I plan on painting it this winter as even I have come to admit it's stuck in the 1980s with this paint scheme: I'm not sure I have 2 grand in this donkey and can't conceive of ever wanting to sell it. Suits my riding style perfectly (slow and steady) and has been completely reliable. It does have some 'character' as others have noted: 1) The seat sucks 2) Brakes are 'meh' 3) Good golly, she really should stay away from the dessert buffet. She's a bit portly 4) Dammit! I tried shifting into 6th gear AGAIN! To the last issue, I've come up with a mental reminder of how not to make that shift attempt into the invisible gear. "4-60" or 4 thousand revs at 60 mph. If I'm anywhere around that, well, there's your top gear.
Exactly! that's my reminder also.........................but sometimes I try to shift into 6th anyway
As for the suspension on our KLRs, I have a fully modded, revalved, remote reservoir STOCH rear shock on mine(don't ask, I can't get another one done, it was a special favor from a buddy who has in's with factory race teams etc) and the front has stock forks with progressive springs and intimidators, I also added an extra inch in spacer length to make them stiffer for my liking. The bike performs extremely well for my style of riding, 95% street with some two track adventures. It will ride over washboard roads with ease....I'm a 205lb 6" man.....who loves adventure riding over off road riding.....Damn this sounds like a personal add request....lol:huh Just so you know what it's set up for. Yes the KLR was made with a light 165lb rider in mind, why I can't figure out.....maybe they never thought they would export them?...lol So, if you want to get the most from your bike, maybe you should upgrade the suspension to suit your needs.
Same here, and more so lately!!!......augh!!!!!! I also have 16/42 gearing to make it even better RPM wise at speed and I STILL try!!!
My '07 catches a false neutral between first and second, but only when really cold. It's troublesome. My mechanic can't explain it. Mounting the T-Bob (sorry, didn't want to re-open that debate) helped, as it warms up more quickly. Anyone have experience with a similar situation? Loving the new translucent IMS tank I mounted a week or two ago. Did 150 miles yesterday, and I can check my fuel status with a glance. Pretty sure I now have a solid 300 mile range.
I found that my oil choice also made me get false nutrals and whether or not the temps in the engine were high. I don't want this thread to get into an oil thread chest beating thread either....so use whatever oil you think is best for YOU!...I use Amesoil 10-40 full synthetic strictly, unless breaking in my engine, then I use simple dyno oil. It works for me. Again, please don't start the oil arguement...thanks....just state what you use and move on if you will. Thanks and hope this helps.
Good Morning! I met Bill, ADVRIDER.COM "Eakins", three days ago who owns Sayulita (Puerto Vallarta) Mexico - guided day trips & vacation services http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=732617 Just to get a beer a talk about my trip he lives here in Sayulita, just moved down. He gave me alot of advice and answered all my questions. Very nice guy, two days later I started having bike trouble and shot him an Email. He came right away and met me in the square, we messed with it there for awhile and then I followed him to his house with a nice clean garage. We left the bike due to the heat and went to the beach, met back up at around 5 and started tearing her down. We pulled the carb and it actually looked great almost brand new. We cleaned her out really well checked everything all the pilots the skirt everything. we notice taking off the Choke cable that connects to the carb was cracked. So we did our best to fix, super glue, electrical tape, and zipties and shes back to new. We pulled the Spark plug and it didn't look that bad, but still changed it anyways I had brought 3 extras with me. We went through the bike making sure nothing stood out as odd. Put the bike back together crossed our fingers, started right up once gas got back in the carb and sounded awesome, took the choke off and she just puuurrred. I just started to laugh, guessing that there was just some junk stuck in the carb which came out with the old gas. So we walked into town for victory tacos and beers, my treat of course!!.. haha If it wasn't for Bill I would of had a huge headache but he just laughed and helped me out a really awesome dude. If your ever riding through or visiting Sayulita or PV hit him up too go riding or just grab a beer. Thanks for all the advice Sayulita (Puerto Vallarta) Mexico - guided day trips & vacation services http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=732617 to more adventrues to come! Fletcher <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
Fork: K-9 brace and progressive fork springs. PVC spacers trimmed to get sag in line with rear sag (about 25% of travel, rear at about 30% of travel). Shock: Stock with Eagle Mike RL-2 links Wearing gear I am about 215, and I usually ride with another 15 pounds of water, tubes, tools etc. When loaded like that I run the preload at 4, if its just me commuting I run it at 3. With the wife on the rear, I run it at 5. Works well all around, although I do want to eventually put a stiffer spring set-up on the rear so I can run preload at 1 when its just me and 5 with the wife. Ricor has some great deals running right now, and I have been eyeing it closely... The problem in my mind is that dropping a lot of money on suspension on this bike may not be so wise. It will never be a sub 300 pound Euro bike and should not be ridden as such!
The PO of my bike was using Royal Purple 10-40, which made shifting very rough. I switched to Bel-Ray 10-40 semi-synthetic, which smoothed things out a lot. I think I will try a full synthetic again - likely Mobil 1 - if I head to James Bay next summer. I'd have a little more confidence extending a drain interval if needed.
I usually change my oil at very quick for synthetic oil intervals. Tupidly quick some may say, but it gets saved and then goes into my run about pick me up, an old Mazda B4000. So no loss of funds so to speak, for the cost of my oil in the bike ....that's how I look at it. Sorry for the long winded explanation...........Last summer, well two summers ago since this past one just ended , I went across the country and as far north as possible. I only changed the oil once in that distance. That was maybe 6- thousand kms per change. Both times it was as close to black as one would expect. So for your trip up the James Bay Road, I wouldn't sweat it much.....just change it before you leave and again when you get home if you so choose. Hope this helps
I used to think that, and then the sickness hit. Bone stock, the KLR is a good bike. It's such a joy to farkle, though, and can be made into a fantastic bike. The aftermarket on mine is likely at half the purchase price now, although that's about the cost some friends have in luggage on their GSs. I was initially set on a BMW GS or nothing. Then I rode both within the space of a week, and bought a KLR. Don't get me wrong, if anyone wants to give me a GS, I'll gratefully accept. However, for my money, the Kwak is as much a do-everything as one can find. Owners of some marques tend toward the "all factory, all original" mindset. KLR owners just make the damn thing fit their needs, be they bush or boulevard. I've seen a half-dozen in the past two weeks, and no one's favorite set-up is identical.
Not wanting to proliferate an oil thread but I have been using Lubrication Engineers Monolec Oil http://www.le-inc.com/products.jsp?productID=38 and must say it is AWESOME. Guaranteed for 5K and I have never used a drop between oil changes. It works for me,,,,,,,,,,,,,, but.......................................
You do know that's where the real neutral is, right? Seriously, check that your shift lever is tight on the shaft. If it is the OEM one, consider replacing it with an IMS or Moose shifter. The factory shift levers are prone to cracking at the weld, and any sloppiness / flex will prevent you from making a nice positive shift. Edit: Also, if you have an aftermarket skid plate, the shift lever will hit the top of the mounting bracket on the downshift from second to first and you'll have a hell of a time shifting down into first. I ground a groove into mine with a file to give the lever some clearance. (The mounting bracket, not shift lever)
Moose lever should be in this week, I ordered it last week. I've checked all you mentioned, and it's tight and square. I am used to shifting BMW dry clutches, which are not noted for their feather-light action. I know it's a false because the neutral light doesn't display. It's affected by oil choice, which indicates something internal. Kind of a PITA, but only occurs when cold.
