KLR250 thread

[henrymartin]

Glad to be of assistance.

When you put the spring and the diaphram in, make sure the plastic piece over the needle (in the spring) goes in the right way.

Have fun riding.

[bennyprofane]

After doing quite a bit of work to my '99 KLR 250 over the winter (cleaned/re-jetted carb, adjusted valves, replaced air filter, spark plug, battery, exhaust, shock, fork springs, tires, grips, etc, etc. . .), I'm dealing with a bike that won't fire up. The engine turns fine, with decent compression.
Here's what I've done so far:

I pulled the carb and re-cleaned it (had a few pieces of dirt inside). All jets and passages look clean and/or have been blown out with compressed air. I added an in-line paper fuel filter to keep the little bit of tank rust out.

Re-checked the valves and they were spot on at ~.229mm. Timing chain was tight and appeared normal.

Pulled the spark plug and it looked clean except for a little crud in the threads. Plugged it back into the lead and tested for spark by holding it against one of the fins on the engine with the ignition on, bike in neutral, the kick stand up and the kill switch on run. No joy.

Bypassed the kickstand switch by connecting the two wires that go to the switch. Checked and cleaned the clutch switch, looked fine, put some fresh dielectric grease to keep it that way.

Now here's where I'm a bit less comfortable: I've got a basic Craftsman multimeter that I'm using for the first time so bear with me. Checked the resistance on the ignition coil and it was all over the place. Using the chart in the shop manual supplement, I tested the CDI. Some of the the numbers on the CDI were perfectly in range, some (mostly involving the red/green wire) were registering OL when they shouldn't have been, even on the highest setting.

I've read that this method of testing may not be the most accurate method to diagnose a failing CGI unit, and dropping $300+ on "let's see if this works" parts is not an attractive prospect.

Does anyone have any tips/ tricks (or an extra unit that they want to unload for cheap) that might help?

Thanks as always for your help.

[8gv]

Sorry but If the bike ran last fall before you worked on it the the problem was likely caused by you. Retrace your steps and see what you may have changed without realizing it. Are connections proper at the coil? Has the plug connection come apart from the ignition wire enough to prevent spark but not enough for you to notice? I am assuming you are getting good ground as you tested for spark. If you had spark, I would ask if you were turning the crank in the right direction when setting the valves. The correct direction escapes me at the moment but I believe you can be off significantly if you approach the crank position going the wrong way.

[3DChief]

CCW rotation for adjusting the valves, but even if you did it wrong, it would just make them too loose, but it will still run.

As for the spark, start cheap and work your way up! New spark plug before anything else! I had mine do the same exact thing, spark plug looked perfect and only had about 1500 miles on it. Replaced the plug and bike fired right up! Apparently the electrode was broken inside the plug, but the exterior looked fine and like brand new.

Don't even mess with the clutch safety switch, bypass it! Same with the kickstand switch. Both are just something to fail on you! Everything can look perfect on both of them, but if they fail you will never get the bike running. This is a safety issue on E-start bikes (only forgot to make sure I was in neutral once on the DR 650 starting it without me on it ), but on a kick start bike, you are already on the bike and holding it up.

Tim

[1994klr250]

Just finished this homemade storage rack for the 250 a few weeks ago.

[bennyprofane]

@8gv- I'd agree with you 100% that it was something I did while working on it this winter (cause I'm certainly capable of f'in things up but good), but this problem started at the end of last season: I had parked the bike for about 2 hours with the ignition on, which wore down an already old battery. Couldn't get to fire by kicking it or bump starting. (I've heard it argued both ways whether the KLR can be started with a dead battery). Towed the bike home and charged the battery. No joy. Put a new battery in. No joy.

Should have chased down the electrical issue at this point, but I chose to see if it was a valve or carb issue. Then I got bit with the upgrade bug. In hindsight, not the brightest way to proceed, but this is my first bike and my first foray into wrenching on it. Lots of lessons learned.

Couple of other issues that make me think that it may be a short:
- The (new) battery needs ~20 min to recharge (red to green) on the battery tender after 10-15 kick starts. Not sure if this is normal, and I'm pretty sure that the battery is fine as I've tested it on the GF's bike.
-The neutral light is solid when the ignition is on, but flickers while kicking it over. Again, not sure if this is normal.

Good suggestions of things to check. I'm not getting spark, so grounding may still be an issue. The connection to the coil looks clean, but worth another look. As for the valves, I found quite a few threads both here and elsewhere that kept me out of trouble and cranking in the right direction.


@3DCheif: The plug is new, but I'm willing to buy another $3 lottery ticket, as it were.

When you say bypass, you mean strip the wires and connect them to each other, right? As I've said, I'm pretty new at this so please bear with some really basic questions.

I'm headed back out to the garage tomorrow, so I'll give you guys a progress report.

[3DChief]

Trace the wires back to the headlight assembly, unplug the wires and plug the two chassis side wires to each other (conveniently one male and one female plug!) and tape up the connection. Then just cut the wire right at the clutch switch and remove.

Your bike will start and run with no battery in it at all. Drain all the fuel out of the tank (and carb bowl) and put it in your car. Then refill the tank with fresh fuel and a shot of Seafoam or B12. Replace the spark plug. Check the kill switch! Bypass the kick stand switch. Check the connections and ground on the Coil. Report back on the results after that.

Tim

[XDragRacer]

KLR250 ignition circuit remains entirely separate from the alternator charging circuit.

Exciter coil windings alone (alternating current) power the CDI and the ignition system.

Remove the spark plug, disconnect the CDI connectors from the exciter coil of the alternator. Connect a voltmeter (set on AC) to the exciter coil terminals. Kick 'er over. Any AC voltage?

Your battery condition has no impact upon your ignition circuit whatsoever.

Now then; I interpret your "no joy" comment to mean you have no spark when you crank your engine.

Problem.

Recommend you unleash that Craftsman multimeter on the ignition circuit, guided by a wiring diagram. Make sure the exciter coil connections reach the CDI, and that they are not compromised by any short-circuit. (The KILL mechanism on a KLR250, both kill switch and ignition OFF, is grounding the exciter coil wiring.)

Obviously, without spark, it ain't gonna run, regardless of spark plug condition.

Verify spark; then, with compression and combustible mixture, oughta start and run.

If you question your carburetor, give her a whiff of starting fluid, insuring a combustible mixture for testing purposes (have fire extinguisher handy).

[groovetube187]

My shop guy just told me my 04 rear shock is blown out w/8k mi. Anyone replaced theirs? I was told it can't be rebuilt so would have to buy a new one and the brand new ones from some custom co are ~700. Any luck elsewhere? Ebay or whatnot?

[andrew.pdx]

Originally Posted by groovetube187

My shop guy just told me my 04 rear shock is blown out w/8k mi. Anyone replaced theirs? I was told it can't be rebuilt so would have to buy a new one and the brand new ones from some custom co are ~700. Any luck elsewhere? Ebay or whatnot?

I need one at 10k (should a been 9K) miles. I too was told it can't be rebuilt. You did good to find a custom one (tell me where, okay?). The stock one is too whimpy for off trail riding (personal opinion since I only weigh about 145).

PLease keep us posted - Thanks

[andrew.pdx]

Originally Posted by 1994klr250

Just finished this homemade storage rack for the 250 a few weeks ago.

Nice job! What are your tubing specs? How did you handle the attachment (got a pix?) Don't suppose you will be building a saddle bag bracket by any chance? My PVC pipe one disintegrated upon impact with asphalt at about 10mph Before that it was butt ugly but great utility. Time to move up to some metal that won 't bend too easily.

[andrew.pdx]

I am trying to find out if anyone has tried using 130/90 -17 instead of the 4.60 stock. The 130 cooks out to 5.16", a half inch over sized breadth. It doesn't seem like much but who knows?

Please reply if you have any experience with this issue.

[1994klr250]

Originally Posted by andrew.pdx

Nice job! What are your tubing specs? How did you handle the attachment (got a pix?) Don't suppose you will be building a saddle bag bracket by any chance? My PVC pipe one disintegrated upon impact with asphalt at about 10mph Before that it was butt ugly but great utility. Time to move up to some metal that won 't bend too easily.

The tubing is 5/8 OD .049 wall thickness mild steel. The attachment uses the four original holes the tail bag used and the two right side bolt holes for the grab handle.



I did make a set of brackets for the dirt bagz. I've only used them one time for my long trip. I only bought the Ranger Dirt Bagz without the brackets. I made a set out of some 7/16 round bar that I bent up. I don't have any close up pictures of the brackets, but there are some pictures in my RR below of the saddle bags on the bike. Its the 2300 mile ride report, if you want some pictures up close of the brackets let me know, Fred.

[bennyprofane]

Originally Posted by andrew.pdx

I need one at 10k (should a been 9K) miles. I too was told it can't be rebuilt. You did good to find a custom one (tell me where, okay?). The stock one is too whimpy for off trail riding (personal opinion since I only weigh about 145).

PLease keep us posted - Thanks

I've got an extra stock shock. PM me and we'll make a deal.

I switched to a 650 rear shock, which meant having the rear hole in the 650 shock machined from 15mm to 20mm (if I remember correctly) and adding a couple of washers next to the top bushing. The 650's shock drops the stand-over by an inch or so (which is great for my stubby legs) and is quite a bit firmer (which is great for my rotund middle). My only concern is that the pressure valve is fairly snugly pressed on the air box. Once I get my bike back on the road, I'll be able to see if this proves to be an issue.

Someone, somewhere had Cogent Dynamics build a custom Moab shock, but it cost something in the neighborhood of $500.
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As for getting my own bike back on the road, I'm not ignoring all you guys who provided some great feedback/ suggestions; I've just have very limited garage time. I'll report on progress when there's some progress to report.

[andrew.pdx]

Originally Posted by bennyprofane

I've got an extra stock shock. PM me and we'll make a deal.

I switched to a 650 rear shock, which meant having the rear hole in the 650 shock machined from 15mm to 20mm (if I remember correctly) and adding a couple of washers next to the top bushing. The 650's shock drops the stand-over by an inch or so (which is great for my stubby legs) and is quite a bit firmer (which is great for my rotund middle). My only concern is that the pressure valve is fairly snugly pressed on the air box. Once I get my bike back on the road, I'll be able to see if this proves to be an issue.

Someone, somewhere had Cogent Dynamics build a custom Moab shock, but it cost something in the neighborhood of $500.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for getting my own bike back on the road, I'm not ignoring all you guys who provided some great feedback/ suggestions; I've just have very limited garage time. I'll report on progress when there's some progress to report.

Wow! You got my interest in that 650 shock conversion. I ride on trails as well as take all my camp gear for multi-day trips(50 lbs). I need something beefier than a stock shock. I would'a thought the one from a 650 would have raised rather than lowered the bike and the spring diameter to be to wide. I'm short too so anything that lowers it is welcome. Did you use the full spring&shock assembly off the 650 and plug the whole thing in? Details welcome.

As for the airbox, I'm trying out some epoxy type goo that is supposed to work well on various PVC, ABS, vinyls, metels,etc. It probably wouldn't be too hard to carve a little space into it for that pressure valve and build up a home for it out of some scrape material. May as well cut a few extra intake holes in the top while you're at it; poor things sip air through a straw! I'll could let you know how well this new wonder goo works out. I'm repairing the side panels with it right now.

How do you find out about parts dimensions? Did you have a live 650 shock you could look at or are there detail drawings somewhere in the ether?