KLR250 thread

[MrBob]

I stumbled across this web site in my search for a substitute for the miserable stock seat on the KLR.
http://seatconcepts.com/
I like the idea of a reasonably priced seat that requires a little investment of sweat to keep the price down.
Before I knew about this company I ordered a sheepskin pad from Alaskan Leather and expect it here in a few days. Stay tuned.

[truck6driver]

Originally Posted by Fire Escape

but after decades of dragging hose and climbing ladders my knees are not that happy about kick starting it,
Bruce

Well it was the job that caused my knee injury. Since I am on a Ladder truck climbing the ladder was first priority not kicking the KLR. I will keep it until someone wants it then I will let her go and find an E-Start bike.

Ray

[XDragRacer]

Originally Posted by truck6driver

No it is my right knee only (for now).

Ray

Then, a modest proposal . . . kick it off with your LEFT leg.

I know, rather a drag, having to dismount to start it and all, but . . . "KLR250's FOREVER!"

[truck6driver]

Originally Posted by XDragRacer

Then, a modest proposal . . . kick it off with your LEFT leg.

I know, rather a drag, having to dismount to start it and all, but . . . "KLR650's FOREVER!"

Yea but it is a 250.

Left kicking it....Have you tried that? I have you should try that one time, not as easy as it sounds. It almost put me in the ER when I almost fell over trying the left kick.

I have done it by hand before and my driveway allows me to roll start it at home but at work it is kick away.

Ray

[bohntr]

I just got a 03 klr 250 it has been sitting since 08, it is hard to get it started when it does start it doesn't want to idle and it just started puking a lot of oil out one of the breather hoses that goes to the air cleaner. Does anyone know what would cause this.

[RebelYell]

The carb needs a good cleaning,all the pilot and main jet holes are probably clogged up from the damn ethanol corrossion.This gas dont even least 3 weeks before it fubars everything up.The breather puking problem could be the bike is overfilled w oil,bad rings to maybe the carb being clogged.usually something pressurizes the crankcase to squirt oil out.I'd adjust the valves as well.Its not an old machine but I guess depending on how one took care of it,that doesnt mean squatilla half the time.Good luck w your bike.

[MrBob]

Originally Posted by MrBob

I stumbled across this web site in my search for a substitute for the miserable stock seat on the KLR.
http://seatconcepts.com/
I like the idea of a reasonably priced seat that requires a little investment of sweat to keep the price down.
Before I knew about this company I ordered a sheepskin pad from Alaskan Leather and expect it here in a few days. Stay tuned.

Ordered the sheepskin seat pad last Friday and it was on my doorstep here in Colorado today
How do they do that?
After an hour of riding on and off road the sheepskin didn't noticeably make sitting on the KLR seat any more bearable. I pulled the seat and the vinyl seat cover and got ready to do some carving in the foam. That's when I discovered that rather than foam, the seat innards are gel. Good luck cutting that. Besides being hard, gel reaches very high temps when left in the sun and hold those temps for a long time. The gel in my bicycle seat got hot enough to split the cover.
So, I need to choose another seat.

[8gv]

Originally Posted by bohntr

I just got a 03 klr 250 it has been sitting since 08, it is hard to get it started when it does start it doesn't want to idle and it just started puking a lot of oil out one of the breather hoses that goes to the air cleaner. Does anyone know what would cause this.

You need to check for mouse nests and grain stores. A bike sitting that long can have some interesting additions from Mickey. Pull out the air cleaner and remove the snorkel. Look around with a flashlight. Pull the spark arrester from the exhaust and look in there to. Or... You can just fire her up and smell the popcorn!

[MrBob]

I've been wanting to shorten the kickstand and kickstart on my 250 so today I pulled them from the bike and headed off to the welding shop.
Because the seat height is a little high for me getting on and off the bike is awkward with the stock kickstand.



A little hacksaw work and it's an inch shorter...



After carrying off the angles and re-welding the pad in place the kickstand gets two coats of paint. This was my first ever practical weld outside of class and it turned out okay. Don't ask me how much grinding it to took to make the weld look presentable.



Next post, the kickstart.

[MrBob]

I found it awkward to raise my leg high enough to engage the stock kickstarter.



After clamping the arm in a vice I gradually began to heat it with the torch after cutting off the portion that supports the foot. Two bends were required: one 90 degree bend and a slight bend to line it up with the engine. This is the final result before two coats of paint were applied.



The kickstarter is about 4 inches shorter now. This modification works because the engine is relatively low compression and doesn't need much push to kick it over.
Tomorrow, the paint is dry and the parts are reinstalled.

[Fire Escape]

I can see where each of those mods would be an improvement. While I can and (occasionally) do weld, I went for more expedient ways to deal with those items. For the stand, rather than go to the effort of shortening it I just ground a little (doesn't take much) off the 'stop' so that it could rotate just a touch further forward and the bike would then lean over far enough that I dared walk away from it. For me (at the time) it wasn't so much the height of the kick start lever that was an issue, more the fact that at the bottom of the stroke I would bash my foot against the footpeg. Even wearing full on moto boots it would hurt so I just heated and 'reshaped' it to move my foot just outside the peg. These days, the shortening of the lever so I don't have to get my foot so high sounds pretty appealing. I might have to revisit that one. Thanks!



Bruce

[XDragRacer]

Originally Posted by truck6driver

Yea but it is a 250.

Corrected!

Left kicking it....Have you tried that? I have you should try that one time, not as easy as it sounds. It almost put me in the ER when I almost fell over trying the left kick.

Not that hard for me, but . . . then, I'm left-handed!

Try this: Rotate your right foot in a clockwise circle; with your right hand, make the figure "6" in the air . . .

(BACKWARDS, mirror-image sixes don't count!)

[MrBob]

I have a 30" inseam. With the sidestand 1" shorter it's much easier for me to get on and off the bike. Now, I can brace my hands on the bars when dismounting. This mod gets and 9 out of 10.




In spite of it being several inches shorter it doesn't feel as if the kickstart arm requires noticeably more effort when starting. The bike started second kick today, about 6 fewer than usual on a cold engine. It's also much easier for me to get my leg up high enough to engage the kicker.
But, at the bottom of the kick my toes hit the peg. If I turn my foot outward, I clear it. I'll need to live with this mod for a while before making up my mind and I'll also try tilting it further forward, but for now, 5 out of 10 points.
Lessee, how am I doing besides the above mod: Front brake rebuild - excellent. Sheepskin - returned. Uni filter - who knows? LED tail light - Excellent. Kenda 207's - Excellent. Rejuvenating ugly green plastic with heat and sanding - Meh. Coming soon: Seat Concepts seat pad and Sigma6 jetting system.
Hope this helps you when messing with your bike.

[bohntr]

I am having problems with oil getting into my air box and I heard about putting a pcv valve on the crank case vent, does anyone know what pcv valve I should use or does it not matter?

[XDragRacer]

Originally Posted by bohntr

I am having problems with oil getting into my air box and I heard about putting a pcv valve on the crank case vent, does anyone know what pcv valve I should use or does it not matter?

From tests on KLR650's, the crankcase remains at positive pressure during normal engine operation at all rpm.

Thus, the function of a passive valve, as in PCV valve so installed (or the vaunted Mercedes reed valve), appears questionable at best.

Yet, TRUE BELIVERS insist a PCV valve installed in the crankcase breather hose produces additional power, greater fuel mileage, enhanced engine compression braking, better ring seating, AND lower oil consumption.

The function, if any, of a PCV valve in the crankcase vent line, vented to essentially atmospheric pressure of the air box, must be quite different from an automobile PCV valve, connected to the intake manifold and metered by intake vacuum.

I've yet to encounter a plausible explanation of how a PCV valve in the crankcase vent line performs it wonders, but--that doesn't mean the claimed benefits are not genuine (although inexplicable and unmeasurable).