KLR 650 Modifications

IMS shifter will bend where the other shifter will break.

I packed my OEM one around for a long time before finally ending up giving it to another guy on a ride (@Ocotillo Wells) when he broke his OEM shifter.
Saved his day.

Still rockin' the IMS.

I have been trying to break the original for about nine years, ever since I read about how wimpy it was. I have been carrying an aftermarket lever (Happy Trails, I think) for that long. I even took it to Mexico once for my friend Al, even though I was riding a DR650. He didn't need it either.

Karmic prophylaxis really works.

I installed the Moose +1" shifter and it looks close to the one above in length. IMS makes good stuff so I assume it may not be as rugged, but only $34. The stock hadn't given yet, but it was close.

http://www.klr650.com/Skid Plate.htm


So the ad says it is made of aircraft aluminum. I am a pilot and the only thing aircraft aluminum protects against is air. I hope it is thicker than that.

I have been running the happy trails skid plate for several seasons and through several hits and have no complaints...

I'm not a pilot...but doesn't the aircraft's aluminum also protect against rain, sleet, hail, snow, bugs and small birds? Those things can really wreak havoc, you know!

Not "rated" (i.e., non-pilot) I, but . . . besides the thin and flexible "skin" of an aircraft, I had the impression thicker, more robust and stiffer, aluminum components comprised structural members of aircraft, sometimes. (I think I may have heard this from an A & P (Airframe & Powerplant) guy, at one time or another.)

I see the .com bash plate is, "Made In the USA." Utah Sport Cycle manufactures skid plates, branded and marketed under several different marques (including Happy Trails, Moose, etc., if I'm not mistaken). May be one of their products sold by .com.

My Utah Sport Cycle (KLR250) and Happy Trails (KLR650) bash plates have done their job, while the OEM products, of sheet metal and plastic, respectively--not so much! The "ears" of the aftermarket plates protect the water pump housings and plumbing; care overlooked to some extent by the Kawasaki design team, IMHO.

Its not the thickness so much as the alloy that matters. Different alloys for different properties (ie corrosion resistance, ductility, tensile strength, etc.) For example, 5052 aluminum is fairly corrosion resistant which is why its the most common alloy in marine applications. 7075 is very strong (comparable to steel) and very light (compared to other aluminum alloys, which is why it is the most common alloy in aircraft/aerospace applications.

Yup, correct. The "Aircraft Aluminium" claim just means that it's not some cheap aluminium made in a village in China. It has a specific chemical composition (2024, 6061, 7075). The stuff they use to make skid plates is not the 0.032in or 0.040in thickness used on an airplanes skin. I don't know how thick mine is (Happy Trails skid plate) but it's around .25in or so (just a rough guess). Nothing short of a rifle bullet is getting through my Happy Trails skid plate.

I think they may be the same piece sold under different names.

Looks identical to the Studebaker caseguard.

Thank goodness! Most small planes are transparent when back lit And as we all know, thickness matters!

The adjective, "aircraft," may indeed refer to the metal's properties, (e.g., tensile and shear strength, etc.). Yet, as flyjosh says above, I'd think a motorcycle bash plate thicker and more rigid than typical aircraft skin, even of the same alloy.

I'm an aircraft mech by trade. Aluminum wouldn't be my first choice for a skid plate, but if thick enough it'll do the same job. Just a little info - 7075 series aluminum is nice stuff, strong, light, but a little brittle compared to the other commonly used alloys like 2024 & 6061. 6061 is often used because it's more easily weldable. Any skid plate is going to get beaten up, but if you're really looking for serious protection I'd stick with steel. A bonus with steel is it's more easily reworked (think bending back to original shape after it's been damaged) - amazing how it can be shaped if you heat it red hot!

An aside - about 10 years ago I toured the Boeing Everett facility where they had a cross section of a 747 on display. Incredibly, the fuselage skin was only .032" thick. Obviously, wing skins and leading edges would be thicker.

I just won a lot of the two most pristine KLR650 engines at the Barstow US Marine Depot.

These are middle years gasoline with starters.

I want to keep one as a spare.

If someone wants the other; shoot me an offer.

I drove all the way out there to check them out before I bid.
I got the BEST 2 out of the whole auction. The side cases are
not even boot scratched! I turned them over and looked in the
intake and exhaust ports and they must have less than 1000 miles
on them from my figuring.

How much did you get them for?

I remember thinking that as well...I just have chose not to do business with KLR650.com because of reading so many bad stories...

12V outlet
I was in Wally today and saw a nice water resistant 12v outlet in the boat section. Picked it up and was checking out where to mount it on my 08.
Where have most of you guys mounted them, without using a seperate dash? I'm thinking on the left side in a vertical position.
Anyone?
Pics?
Thanks!

They aren't associated with KLR650.net are they?

.. congrats on the win .. if I lived out that way I would have done the same thing .. the starting bid was certainly worth looking into ..

http://www.procycle.us/bikepages/klr650.html

i never bought from them but their sh*t looks good