A club I can now be a part of. Just traded in my 05 GSX-R600 yesterday and picked up a brand new 2011 KLR650. Only put 100 miles on it so far, but I love it.
I've been looking at the IRC and the Shinko 705. This would be a swap-on-swap off ride. I usually run a fairly aggressive tire, as this is not my road bike, nor is it my only bike. I'm currently on Michelin T63's, which have a reasonably aggressive tread. They howl like a banshee on pavement, and I can't see doing 3000+ paved miles with them, although they have been very nice for my older guy adventures through the mud and the blood and the beer. I kicked out a 350 mile day on them last fall, and I was whupped. The vibration takes a toll. I see why some people end up on God'lwings. Ain't willing to be that old yet. KLR me.
Welcome to the ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,errrrr,,,,,,,,,,,,ahhhhhhhhhhhh,,,,,,unexpensive side Let the farkeling begin
Haven't had the opportunity to yet, I will throw up some pictures next time the sun is up : ). How do you guys go about balancing the wheel when you change a tire on the road? I had always avoided changing my own tires on the GSX-R due to not having a balancer, and changing them on the road sounds interesting.
I never worry about ballancing tires while on the road, I do my own when at home, I'm not that convinced it makes that much difference on a dualsport......especially if the tires have an aggressive knob to them. But to each their own.
Has anyone had any experience with aftermarket rotors? I bought an 09 last August and now have 8500 miles on it. The front rotor is showing excessive wear. I also have an 02 BMW R1150R and the rotors last almost three times as long. I know that the two bikes are different and things like weight will have an effect on the wear of the rotors but I think that I should be able to get more out of them.
After market rotors are a must even on the newer bikes. I have a 320mm from KLR650 dot com. I had friends that put the steel break line on the front and it made a big difference.
You know, maybe I don't fit in here, but I'm just happy with my 2011 KLR. I don't need to do anything to it, add anything, modify anything or bolt anything on to it. It's very comfortable for me at 6'5" and I don't need a bigger screen, risers or any other ergonomic mods. Also pretty happy with the way it handles. I'm also quite happy with the way it goes out of the box (now it is de-restricted). If I wanted a high performance vehicle I would have bought one, but the KLR is just as fast at the speed limit as a Ducati and probably more fun. I think I'll just go for a ride
I have the 320 larger rotor and love it. I also use the softest pads for this reason, of pads eating rotors. Pads are cheap in comparisn. Plus a Stainless steel line and a CBR600RR master cylinder.....works very well now. I can lock up the front in an emergency situation if need be. Hope this helps...
Too cool that we now have a KLR thread. This bike IMO is like the Swiss Army Knife of the motorcycle world, simple and effective. Anyway I have a new to me 08 that was pretty well modded out when I bought it,Iam now in the process of doing alot of what I think should be done at 10000 miles. New brake pads front and rear,new chain and sprockets, a tear down of the swing arm, Uni-link, and steering bearings for cleaning and relubing.( They were actually in great shape, maybe the OP did them). I havent had to real problem with the oil useage maybe a pint in 2000 miles at freeway and gravel road speeds, not that bad. I plan a trip to Oregon after the first of the year and then to Utah/Moab in April or May.( This is why the extra service work at this time ,I dont what any surprises on my trip) I like this bike, I have honestly owned 13 or 14 dirt and street bikes in the last 45 years and the KLR is in the top two or three for being the best for what I need in a bike. A before and after picture.
I have a Shinko 705 on the rear and it works great on the road, but not so good off road. At this point, I would not recommend them.
My project KLR needed a rear rotor, so I replaced it with a budget item found on the fleabay. No problems with it and would recommend it if you need one. Standard size rear, nothing exotic.
2009 KLR 650 <!-- #dg-post-title --><!-- message -->Hi I am starting my rtw and made it to Sayulita (not a bad place to be stuck). I think the guy who sold me the bike sold a lemon to me. But anyways all the way down here it has been drink oil, and today I started the bike fine moved it to the road and packed it up. I started it back up jumped on and made it 1.5 blocks and she just shot off. Only way she will run is if hte choke is full on. I don't know much about fourstroke always a 2 stroke guy. But from my bike drinking oil and the fact that she will only start and run on choke I am guessing need top end?? What do you think? Fletch www.wheresfletch.com
I think the oil comsumption and the ony running when the choke is on are unrelated -- the carb could likely use a good cleaning, and the plug may be fouled . . . . one you get it running as well as possible, THEN check into the oil consumption problem . . . . my 2 cents.
Very true, probably unrelated other than the plug may be "oil fouled" from the heavy oil consumption. Usually only one oil consumption symptom is due to rings which excessive speeds (75-80 constantly) can accelerate quickly. my .02
I agree, I would take the carb off the bike and give it very good cleaning, look for any dirt anywhere. Take out main, pilot jets, emulsion tube, pilot jet screw, everything! Becareful with the rubber diaphram, make sure it has absolutely NO HOLES in it, you can stretch it a bit to make it easier to see a pin hole. If it has one, go to the nearest Hardley store and buy their's It's much cheaper by maybe 50%. Just take yours in and say.....please sell me a new one.....lol A new to me trick for cleaning carbs is to use Pinesol cleaner, fill a container with straight Pinesol and submerge the carb and let stand a few hours, then aggitate, let stand overnight and wash clean. Blow out all air/fuel passages with carb cleaner and you will be amazed at how new it looks! I would also change out your spark plug. Have you checked your valves yet? They may be some of your problem too? When checking the valves you can also take a good look at the cam bearing surfaces. If you have major issues, I would be fixing or replacing them before relying on your bike to carry you RTW....best breakdown in a civiliozed location rather than a Columbian drug field! As for the oil drinking, a 685 kit is the cheapest way to solve that problem. it is an easy fix if you have access to a garage and some tools, a straight exchange is possible. .Let us know what you find and how it's going. We're here to help....
Let's talk suspension mods. Who's done them, what have you done, why, and what/where do you ride? Me? Just picked up a 2006KLR650 with 10K miles. Don't know much about it yet. Looks pretty stock. I weigh 200# and will be riding street, gravel, FS roads, desert, single track, goat trails, etc with and without gear for camping out. Wherever I can manage to take it. Idaho is a DS rider's mecca and I have the need to make the most of it. Suspension mods on my '06KLX250 made a huge difference in off-road rideability. Is the KLR similar? It's not clear to me because so many don't seem to do much if anything. What are your thoughts on fork springs? Flat rate or progressive? Are heavier springs even needed? Emulators vs. Intiminators? I've hear rumor that progressive suspension is going to release a complete cartridge replacement system for the forks, but it's not listed on their site yet. What about the rear? Who's done the 465?
