KLR 650 Suspension upgrade

[fourbuds]

I am a 150# rider that is looking for some suspension improvement for a bike that sees some washboard and rocky dirt roads in the west and occasionally something more technical. How can I get the most bang for the buck?
Jerry

[Stephen]

RaceTech Gold Valve Cartridge Emulators.

Very high bang/buck.

Renthal (or similar) bars do more than you might think.

[GB]

Originally Posted by Stephen

RaceTech Gold Valve Cartridge Emulators.

Very high bang/buck.

Renthal (or similar) bars do more than you might think.

How easy is it to install those RaceTech cartridge emulators?

[holycaveman]

change to 20wt fork oil and a fork brace, you will think its a different bike

[R_W]

Originally Posted by holycaveman

change to 20wt fork oil and a fork brace, you will think its a different bike

He's only 150#, 15 wt or ATF might be a better choice.

5 psi in the forks is free, not recommended as the fork seals aren't made for pressure and could blow, but haven't heard of any issues. use at your own risk.

You can try all three oil weights for like $20.

new alum bars are anywhere from $20 to $100.

Progressive front springs are $70.

fork brace is about 130

racetech's are 150-200 (I haven't looked lately). It is like changing fork oil plus drilling a hole in each fork to disable the existing valve.

Do it all and you have an awesome front end, but way more than needed for washboards and limited technical.

[maroast]

I weight ~175-180 (5’9”) and would bottom out my fork ALL the time! Two days ago I put in 15wt oil and made two 6 inch #40 PVC spacers to replace the stock 5.5in spacers. WOW!!!!! What a HUGE difference! It's a whole new bike in my eyes. This mod is a MUST!

I rode it hard on some dirt on the way home yesterday and I couldn’t get the front to bottom out. I rode fast washboards, caught air, hit a curb going pretty fast and went down steep inclines. Best 11 bucks I've spent on this bike....other than a tank of gas.

As for the rear, I'm looking into eaglemikes raising links (RL-2)...if those don't do it, well see from there.

Do a search on klr650.net. You'll find all this info over there.

-Tom

[Kommando]

Originally Posted by fourbuds

I am a 150# rider that is looking for some suspension improvement for a bike that sees some washboard and rocky dirt roads in the west and occasionally something more technical. How can I get the most bang for the buck?
Jerry

Trade it for a dirtier D/S.

[JSEARS]

The RAP adjusts sag/preload, which you can do on the fly, dampening I have set on #3

It's not too stiff, I'd call it firm, but still plush/comfortable

[RandoCommando]

Ok. I was concerned about a ride I have coming up in April.
I'll be riding 2-Up on my 99 KLR 650.
My concern was the added weight.
As it stands right now, I'm about 200 pounds and I tend to bottom the bike out on the dirt trails.
With my weight, about 105 pounds of passenger weight, weight of skid plate, highway pegs, PD Nerf bars, luggage and camping gear, I'm worried about handling for the long trip.
I also want to be able to ride 50/50 dirt/street when 1-up.
So I ordered the Progressive 465 with RAP for the rear, and Progressive Springs with 10wt oil for the front.
I also have an Eagle Mike fork brace, which I have yet to install.
Does this seem like a good setup?
Any recommendations?
Any advice on installation?
Thanks

[PWRCRZR]

Originally Posted by RandoCommando

Ok. I was concerned about a ride I have coming up in April.
I'll be riding 2-Up on my 99 KLR 650.
My concern was the added weight.
As it stands right now, I'm about 200 pounds and I tend to bottom the bike out on the dirt trails.
With my weight, about 105 pounds of passenger weight, weight of skid plate, highway pegs, PD Nerf bars, luggage and camping gear, I'm worried about handling for the long trip.
I also want to be able to ride 50/50 dirt/street when 1-up.
So I ordered the Progressive 465 with RAP for the rear, and Progressive Springs with 10wt oil for the front.
I also have an Eagle Mike fork brace, which I have yet to install.
Does this seem like a good setup?
Any recommendations?
Any advice on installation?
Thanks

It has been a few years since I did my KLR suspension upgrades but as I recall it was pretty straight forward. Get a shop manual and follow the instructions.... that's all I did.

The shock is a simple job as long as you have a center stand or lift. If not an overhead strap can be rigged to work as well. Simple unbolt and bolt back job.

I believe the forks have to be removed from the bike to drain all the oil, I may be wrong here but seems to me there is no drain hole in the lower leg. Either way it really is a simple job.

Depending on the weight of your new springs and shock you should be much better than stock. and a fork brace makes a great difference as well.

The best money I have spent on my KLR has been the suspension upgrades..

[fatboy]

Originally Posted by PWRCRZR

I believe the forks have to be removed from the bike to drain all the oil, I may be wrong here but seems to me there is no drain hole in the lower leg. Either way it really is a simple job.

Your correct. You remove and upend in a drain pan. 2008+ don't have the drain. Even if they did you would still want to dump them out in a pan. Then pump the lower leg to get all the oil out. I'd even separate top and bottom legs and clean everything up.