KLR650 Only Thread......

If the "upgraded" harness is not armored stem to stern and protected, a rub though will eventually get you. Even the little shitty wires behind the gauges-- they rub on the plastic on the back of the gauge pack--- many times it's the effing brown wire that is rubbed through.

The abrasion can be a bitch to find.

This guy shows a couple of the spots. See how he used split loom--- do that to the whole fricken harness. I have it two layers thick in the bad spots. Oh yeah, mine was upgraded too, and then it left me dead on the side of the trail off road at 17,000 miles (2009 KLR).

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Thanks...I think. I'll go through it though. Guess it's time to buy tape...

I popped the main fuse on my 07 once. It was 2 years ago, never figured out why and it has never happened again...

+1 - on my 08.

2 years ago I had just entered OK from TX and the bike died as I was going out of a small town. Had to strip the panniers, seat, tank etc. to check fuses under the seat( I have since relocated them) on the side of the road. Then checked the harness. All were OK. Then the main fuse, which I had forgotten about at the starter relay - it had blown. Put another in and now, some 25K later that fuse is still in there. Never found out why the other blade type, which are ususally more reliable than the glass tube ones, blew.

Soon after I got the bike in 7/07 I had the bike apart and noticed the possible chafe points and fixed them then and there long before they became the 'issue'.

I blew the main fuse on my 09 a few weeks back after reinstalling the battery. I replaced the fuse which there is a spare mounted by the starter and have not had any problems since.

Couple pics from when mine coasted to a stop off road in the backcountry of a military base. Tore it down to the bones and then it started raining. Nice.

( a 2009 with the "upgraded" harness.... )

The MP's kept me company while my chum rode back to my place and got my truck and a trailer.


Don't be like me..... armor your wiring harness and check your electrical connections before coasting to a stop

^^^^^^^ That is not torn down to the bones...





THIS, is torn down to the bones:




At least I didn't have to do it in the rain and certainly not on the side of the road!




Fido

My 09 was identical to this:
http://klrworld.com/forums/ng-elect...al-gremlin-got-me-again!/msg264352/#msg264352

A friend of mine has become the owner of a 93 KLR and since it was in such bad repair he stripped it down to the frame to repair and rebuild it.

One big problem he had was getting the pivot lever bolt out so I decided to do mine. It took him 3 days of pounding and liquid wrench applications. I was lucky a little PB Blaster and a few well placed hammer strikes and mine came out. But it was well on it's way to being rusted in. Just something to add to your maintenance schedule.

Pivot lever and offending bolt are in the center




Has anyone tried to service a shock modified by Sasquatch suspensions? He did my KLR shock a few years back and I would like to change the fluid I am just not sure how.


Another thing he noticed is that the diagonal braces for the sub frame were full of water on his. Seem's there is a small hole at the top of each leg on the under side which allows water in. he recommended I drill a small hole in the bottom of each leg and when I did I was amazed at the amount of water that came out...:eek1

top of right leg by exhaust



top of left leg



new drain hole



all credit for both these items goes to my friend Barry who goes by Black Lab on most forums..he has some post over on KLR 650 dot net. I am just not linking any

I couldn't find anyone mentioning this ebay product online so I said "screw it" and purchased it...






It's the cheap one. The quality surprised me, and as you can see it will be doing a good job at replacing the old junk with a stripped out bolt broken off in it.
Now, I just need to splurge on one of those cheapo DG mufflers. Don't know how that will work out either but I'm sure it'll all be dandy in the end.

I have DG on another bike. I like it on that bike, but they are loud. I should repack it already as well.

I hate to ask another tire question, but...

I have another tire question.

I have a trip planned in june and i was thinking about getting the Shinko 705's for it. Well I saw the tires in person the other day, they look a lot more agressive in the pictures than they really are. Now I'm starting to lean more to getting the Kenda K270's or the Shinko 244's. Both look about the same, and get similar reviews on Motorcycle Superstore.

Any opinion on these? I need to get around 3500 miles out of them to avoid a mid-trip tire change. The only Kenda's I've ever tried were the Trackmaster II's and the K84 Big Blocks, and both sets wore quickly. 1200 miles on the rear big block.

For what it's worth I need a new set on my girlfriend's KLR250, and these seem to have the right tread pattern for her. Gravel roads, dirt roads, pavement, no (minimal) mud. Novice rider. Seem right? I'd just get her some 606's except that the rear is a good bit taller, and she needs all the height she can get.

I'm looking at a few KLR650s (2000-2005) in my area (New England) and trying to get a feel for pricing. NADA values for those years are anywhere from $800 to $2,700. Some examples of listings are:

• 1987 KLR650 $1000
• 2000 KLR650 $1800
• 2003 KLR650 $2500
• 2005 KLR650 $3200

What sucks for me is all these bike are at a minimum 70 miles away. It seems when I look around craigslist, people are always asking a high price and are firm on it... I dunno, maybe they really don't want to sell it or are hoping some poor schmo will buy it.

As I understand it, there are two models of the DG muffler? The "O" and the "R?" One looks to be smaller in size which I can only guess is the louder one.

I've been real happy with the kenda 270's , and regularly get 6000 miles out ot them.


JIm


.

+ 1!

Most satisfactory for a 50/50 tire, in my experience; have used 'em on both KLR650 and KLR250; "oversize" on the smaller bike (3.25 X 21/5.10 x 17); had to shim the exhaust outboard at its bracket with one washer for clearance on suspension compression.

Awesome, thanks. I'll order a set here soon.

On the 250 I'm assuming the 5.10 is going to be a bit taller than the 4.60? Shimming the exhaust is no big deal, but she needs a shorter tire if possible. We're picking the bike up tomorrow, might even have to do lowering links for her. It's borderline to tall I think, we'll find out for sure when we get it.

It's hard to say on pricing based just on year, but it does seem a bit high. It's one of those things though. According to pricing recommendations in this thread I overpaid a bit on my 2005, but the guy was willing to take my ATV as a trade and the KLR was in excellent shape.

I have noticed that as a general rule CL bikes seem to have lower mileage but bikes in the flea market here are way more farkled. I think that for me most of my new bike purchases will come from here. The driving sucks sometimes, but it happens. I'm buying a KLR250 off a guy that's 350 miles away tomorrow. Haven't worked out the driving details, but I believe we're meeting halfway.

I prefer the Shinko 244 to the Kenda 270 on the rear. Take a look at the outermost row of lugs...on the Kenda they're small, on the Shinko they're much more "blocky" and substantial. The Kenda was fine...fine...fine...oh SH*T as you leaned over on pavement. That outer row of lugs is wiggly and scary when you get to it. The Shinko outer row feels like the rest of the tire, no surprises.

The Kenda 270 comes in a 3.25x21 whereas pretty much all other decent tires with that kind of tread pattern are only 3.00x21. So, I prefer a Kenda 270 3.25 F, Shinko 5.10 244 rear. By the way, if you're considering a 4.60 for your GFs bike, be aware that the smaller overall diameter of the 4.60 will act pretty much like dropping one countershaft sprocket tooth (which can be helpful or disappointing depending on what you're looking to do).

The K270 3.25 w/ 244 5.10 R is my "go to" setup for my '08 KLR650 whenever I want a "I'm not sure what I'm gonna get into, better set up for about anything" tire combo.

For my experience with other tires:
1) I currently have Shinko 705s on both ends and they work pretty well for pavement and gravel roads and such. Haven't had them out too much in the dirt (put them on later last fall and I'm in Michigan, so deep into winter right now), but imagine they're not gonna be all that good. But again, for what I've been riding lately (pavement and gravel roads) they're fine. Surprisingly good traction on dirt roads and very nice pavement manners as well.

2) Had D606s on the KLR and they truly are the best full-on offroad tires I've had on it. Noticeably better offroad performance than the K270/S244 combo, but of course you'd expect that of a full knobby. Front in particular felt really well planted.

3) Cheng Shin 858s both ends weren't bad either, but they wore a little too quickly for my taste. But then they're very cheap to buy, so if you like fresh tires often they might be the right choice.

Every once in awhile I find an astouding deal on a KLR, and several other "good" deals. I check a couple times a day using this link, saved in my favorites. Obviously, change the location to suit your needs.