KLR250 thread

[henrymartin]

As for a tank sealer, stay away from all of them (IMHO), Sooner or later they all crap out.

Redkote worked better than Kreeme, but a buddy just used the POR15 and it all flaked off in a year.

[8gv]

'nuf said

[truck6driver]

Well it seems that my ownership of the little KLR will be short lived. I had knee surgery last month and kick starting a motorcycle now is just plain painful if I have to kick more than once. Looks like I will be in the market for an e-start dual sport.

As soon as I get the new brake lever and tidy up a few things I guess I will put her up for sale. My son is bummed too. Crap!! I just spent $40 in title fees, $14 in an insepction and $18 for a tag for the bike. Guess I went in the hole on this bike. Hell I haven't even had it long enough to get the new title back from the DMV.

This sucks!

Ray

[8gv]

Originally Posted by truck6driver

Well it seems that my ownership of the little KLR will be short lived. I had knee surgery last month and kick starting a motorcycle now is just plain painful if I have to kick more than once. Looks like I will be in the market for an e-start dual sport.

As soon as I get the new brake lever and tidy up a few things I guess I will put her up for sale. My son is bummed too. Crap!! I just spent $40 in title fees, $14 in an insepction and $18 for a tag for the bike. Guess I went in the hole on this bike. Hell I haven't even had it long enough to get the new title back from the DMV.

This sucks!

Ray

When I got mine the carb was AFU so I used this procedure:

Choke on full
Throttle closed
Kick 20 times
Lay down on the couch for ten minutes
Kick 20 more times
Lay on the couch for fifteen minutes
Kick once, bike starts

Of course all of this effort was augmented by plenty of "verbal lubrication".

Now that the carb is right it takes half a kick.

Sorry about your knee.

[truck6driver]

Brake lever showed up yesterday. Open it up and it is for a KLR650. Look at the order form and it has KLR250 written all over it. WTF. Guess I will be on the phone with them this morning.

Well I rode it to work today and to took 2 kicks to fire the old girl up. (@38 degs).

First kick was fine second hurt. Anymore than that and I take the Ascot. I can ride it fine just I'm looking at the long term.

Ray

[MrBob]

A few days ago I bought a 2000 KLR 250.



In a year and a half my bikes have gone from 650cc to 600cc and now 250cc - one of the realities of aging but two months ago I rode my XT600 2,420 miles from Florida to Colorado as a sort of swan song.
I've been wanting a smaller bike to use while exploring remote spots in the Southwest and to help with my work as an amateur archaeologist. The 250's have a good rep and I found one 100 miles away from home.
The PO said he had a home-made bike carrier lying around and he'd throw it in as part of the deal. We got the bike loaded up and it immediately began to bend the ramp downward. We pulled the bike and the PO welded up the rebar struts and I finally got on the road at 10 p.m.. It was a tense drive home but without any drama. The carrier is free to the first taker.
The bike has 4200 miles on it and runs well. My last kicker was my 75 Norton but it took no time to get used to that again.
Currently, I'm addressing the dead-feeling front brake. I plan to replace the pads, add a steel brake line, and rebuild the caliper. It was suggested that I get new banjo bolts that are drilled for speed bleeders and I noted the earlier recommendation for a KLR 650 master cylinder.
If anyone wants to recommend places for parts I'm .

[8gv]

I bought a carb from River Rat. They were the cheapest on that.

[truck6driver]

You can get a stainless steel braided front brake line from Galfer. The kit will come with new banjo bolts and crush washers. Part # D461-1
The 250 caliper is a rear 650 caliper soooo.....
If you wanted to go further you can buy a KLR600 triple clamps and a set of KLR650 forks and wheel. That will allow you to run the larger rotor and caliper off the 650. This is a direct bolt on from my research. Also you could buy the 320mm rotor kit for a 650 to put on it but I think that would be over kill.

Better forks and brakes from just swapping out parts.

If I end up keeping my 250 it will be done on mine.

Ray

[MrBob]

Originally Posted by truck6driver

You can get a stainless steel braided front brake line from Galfer. The kit will come with new banjo bolts and crush washers. Part # D461-1
The 250 caliper is a rear 650 caliper soooo.....


Ray

This morning I ordered a stainless line kit from Spiegler. I also ordered two bleed nipple banjo bolts and speed bleeders at the same time.
The sameness of calipers is an interesting piece of information. Two sources told me 250 caliper rebuild kits are no longer available but I could order individual caliper parts from (gasp) the dealer. I'll bet that finding a 650 caliper on eBay is not that hard.
The other mods you listed sound interesting but may violate the principles of cheapness I agreed to when I bought the bike.

[truck6driver]

Originally Posted by MrBob

This morning I ordered a stainless line kit from Spiegler. I also ordered two bleed nipple banjo bolts and speed bleeders at the same time.
The sameness of calipers is an interesting piece of information. Two sources told me 250 caliper rebuild kits are no longer available but I could order individual caliper parts from (gasp) the dealer. I'll bet that finding a 650 caliper on eBay is not that hard.
The other mods you listed sound interesting but may violate the principles of cheapness I agreed to when I bought the bike.

What is cheapness? I found the triple tree on Ebay for $25 and a set of forks with an axle and caliper for $125. All that was missing was the wheelI'm sure you could pull it off for @ $200 About the price of the caliper parts from the dealer.

Good luck with the repairs.

Ray

[MrBob]

Anybody successfully running heated grips on their 250?

[truck6driver]

I have never even thought about it. Hmmm no clue.

Ray

[XDragRacer]

Originally Posted by MrBob

Anybody successfully running heated grips on their 250?

With 10.5 amps max output at 8 K rpm, 14 volts . . . wonder if heated grips exist as a practical option; Generation 1 KLR650 puts out 14 amps undeer the same conditions.

Try it! Ignition power circuitry is independent of battery circuitry.

[MrBob]

Originally Posted by XDragRacer

With 10.5 amps max output at 8 K rpm, 14 volts . . . wonder if heated grips exist as a practical option; Generation 1 KLR650 puts out 14 amps undeer the same conditions.

Try it! Ignition power circuitry is independent of battery circuitry.

I install heated grips on all of my bikes and use them year round in Colorado. Oxford grips have worked well for me.

http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/productview/4613/

"Maximum power consumption of 48 watts per pair (4.0 amps at 12-volt DC)."

I need new grips so it's time to make a decision but I'd sure like to hear from someone with real world experience using them on this bike.

[MotoJ]

Originally Posted by Gonzo_Matt

DO NOT POR 15 THE INSIDE OF A FUEL TANK!!!!

you will be sorry, that stuff flakes off. Eastwood makes a system to clean and seal fuel tanks that works great.

I've used POR15 Tank Sealer on two tanks, one four years ago, and have not had problems. You have to follow the directions to the letter, though, or it will not take. Eastwood sells POR-15 themselves, so presumably they figure it works.....