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klr650-digest       Saturday, September 12 1998       Volume 01 : Number 236




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Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 18:40:25 PDT
From: "Juan Villarreal" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (klr650) Re: KLR Parts For Sale

>>Fred, I just sent off a check to cover the footpegs and the
>>shipping.  Unfortunately it looks to be about 20 cents short of what
you may be
>>needing.  Sending it surface or 3rd class might be cheaper (I'm
>>patient).  Whatever you decide is fine by me.  Juan

>Juan, That is close enough.  When I get your check I will get your
footpegs in the mail.
>Fred

Fred, consider that to be among the best 20 cents you will have ever
written off, as you've just bought yourself a loyal customer.  Take note
all you bulletin readers.   Here's a guy who has the picture!
ARROWHEAD MOTORSPORTS, Moab, Utah ([e-mail]).
Juan Villarreal, '97 KLR


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Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 19:49:47 PDT
From: "Juan Villarreal" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (klr650) Re: Darien

Alex wrote:
>Dear Juan,
>I saw a post of your on the KLR list and would like to ask you a
question.
>I'm taking a 14 months to ride my 98 KLR from Chicago to Tierra del
Fuego then ship it to Australia for a bit. Have you heard of ANY
possibility of the ferry that used to go to Colombia resuming
operations??? Thus far I am resigned to the idea of shipping by air, but
would prefer the sea route.
>Thanks for your response.
>Alex Jomarron
>Oak Park, IL
>88 BMW K75S
>98 KLR 650

     Alex, I think you're referring to what used to be the Crucero
Express out of Colon. My housekeeper has agreed to make some phone calls
to check on the status of that company and any others that might offer a
similar service (as you may have gathered, I don't speak Spanish- -
whaddaya expect with a name like  Juan (Carlos) Villarreal?!).  I'll
also have her ask about surface options to Ecuador, because when you're
talking about risk, there's Mexico, Central America, South America (all
manageable, IF handled smartly), and then there's Colombia.  We get
intel briefings all the time on what's going on down there, and it ain't
pretty...  If the choice is a boat to Colombia or a plane to Ecuador,
I'd opt for the latter.  No offense intended to any Colombian KLR
riders, but I despise the Colombians, 'cause if you see a Colombian in
Panama, he has money, and if he has money, he's part of a syndicate.  At
any rate, I'll try to get some info to you before the weekend's out.  By
the way, anybody passing through Panama City, Panama is welcome to crash
at my place.  I have plenty of room along with a really cool view of the
Pacific (the company ain't bad either).  Just give me a few day's
notice.
Juan Villarreal, '97 KLR



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Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 19:55:36 -0700
From: "Eric Rhoads" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (klr650) Footware

- -----Original Message-----
From: Ted Palmer <[e-mail]>
To: klr650 <[e-mail]>
Date: Friday, September 11, 1998 3:49 PM
Subject: Re: (klr650) Footware



>>I tend to stick to my Alpinestars MX leather boots. The steel edge
>on the front makes them a better propostion for kicking cars, not to
>mention the 1.5kg mass of each boot.
>The leather is about 3mm thick and the sole is reinforced for that
>kickstarting bollocks.
>
>Mister_T
++++++++++++++++++++++++++

.....you know Ted, I bet it'd be a real kick in the butt to actually meet
you.

ericR

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Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 20:13:59 -0700
From: "Eric Rhoads" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (klr650) Hope nobody minds.

The KLR is still
>my first choice for next spring
=========
I don't believe you.

 but I should check out the competition
>right?

==========
You should be horse-whipped for even thinking such a thing.

>Michael Kovaliv
>Windsor, Ontario.


=======

..........and if you do find out anything interesting about the bike you
shouldn't post it on here.

ericR

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 20:15:46 -0700
From: "Darrel & Deanna" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (klr650) (Nklr650) Chain cleaning?

Tom-  My approach was to get a master link from the Kaw dealer, break the
chain and install M-link.
Now I can remove chain and clean much easier.  Then apply chain wax or
Hondalube.  Both clean and dry lubes.      Ride Safe,
Darrel---A12

******************************************************
From: Tom Clay <[e-mail]>

The manual says to clean the chain unsing kerosene or "diesel oil"
[whatever that is]. OK, so I paint the kerosene on with a little brush, and
then scrub the  heck out of it with all manner of other brushes. It
eventually comes mostly clean, but what a pain in the neck!
My question is this: is there some type of specialized brush or tool which
will make this task easier?

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 22:38:30 -0500 (CDT)
From: Tom Clay <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (klr650) long highway trips?

>I'd like to hear from the gang who has ridden long highway distance on
>the KLR, and just how many miles.

    This summer I did a 6500km [4000 miles?] trip. I guess my average
would've been around 500 miles per day. I have the stock seat and
windscreen. The seat seemed fine to me. Maybe I just have a lead butt or
something. Of more use, to me anyway, was a throttle lock [NEP CC-3
installed as per the instructions in Gino's newsletter].
    I can assure you the bike is up to the task of going coast to
coast. It's funny to hear a Harley rider talk of "lack of power". The
Harley's I've ridden [Sportster, Dyna and "Heritage Softtail"], don't make
much more power than the KLR, seems to me. Or at least none that gets
translated into any noticeable speed.
    There are guys on this list who make my road trips seem like short
hops in the countryside. There are even a couple of listers, I believe, who
have done the Iron Butt on KLRs. Amazing.

Tom Clay
Winnipeg MB

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 22:38:28 -0500 (CDT)
From: Tom Clay <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (klr650) Possible free wind noise solution

At 3:16 -0000 11/9/98, [e-mail] wrote:
>Just for fun, I removed the windscreen.  I'm a happy camper.  For those who
>are annoyed by the wind roar, give it a try, three screws and its free!  The
>wind blast now hits me just below my neck, no problems.
>
>Cheers...

I did the same thing about three months ago. There seems to be a little
more frontal pressure but I'm used to it now, and so relieved to be free of
the roar that I have no plans to put it back on. You're right, a very good
price too!

Tom Clay
Winnipeg MB

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 11:30:10 -0400
From: "David Sim" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: NKLR Re: (klr650) F650 -- Aprilia Pegaso 650 is better

> > Here in the UK (and the rest of Europe as well) you can opt for the
> > Aprilia Pegaso
> Too bad we don't them over here in Oz, our market is too small.

I've also seen ads in the Brit mag Bike for a Suzuki Freewind or
something (not sure if that is the correct name, it does
sound like a fancy name for farting).
Looks to be a tarted up DR for the street.

Dave Sim
Kitchener, Ontario

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 22:49:14 -0500 (CDT)
From: Tom Clay <[e-mail]>
Subject: (klr650) Re: (Nklr650) Chain cleaning?

At 3:15 -0000 12/9/98, Darrel & Deanna wrote:
>Tom-  My approach was to get a master link from the Kaw dealer, break the
>chain and install M-link.
>Now I can remove chain and clean much easier.  Then apply chain wax or
>Hondalube.  Both clean and dry lubes.      Ride Safe,
>Darrel---A12

Yeah, this is a good idea. This is what I did on my last chain drive bike
fifteen years ago. I don't think that particular chain was an O-ring. For
some reason I was under the impression from the manual that this was not a
good idea, but I never had any problems with a master link before.

thanks

Tom

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 21:54:48 -0600
From: "skip faulkner" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (klr650) Re: Mirror Vibration

>Pat,
>     I haven't used (or seen) DR650 mirrors on a KLR, but I DID take
>Jake Jakeman's bit of advice and switched to Honda XR650 mirrors with
>the built-in vibration dampeners.  Problem solved!  And whaddaya know, I
>find I use them a lot more.  Juan Villarreal, '97 KLR
>

 Juan,
   My A9 saw very marginal improvement with the XR mirrors. Same was true of
Kevin Anderson`s 96' model. I had better luck with the Suzuki dampers which
were $11. The best method for me, which gave me crystal clear mirrors except
for an rpm range of 3400 to 3600, (I just pass thru there) is a little too
radical a mod for most (must cut the mirrors) but now looks good and always
works.
   The one thing about the XR mirrors and the Suzuki dampers is that I`ve
noticed as it got colder, the blur got worse, probably due to the rubber
getting stiffer.
   The main thing is if it works for you, go for it. Thats the thing about a
lot of ideas you see here is that what works for some, may not work for
others. Thats the fun part of working your bike up, trying different ideas
and there are a lot of good ones on this List coming from a great bunch of
people who are trying to help each other out, even if something doesn`t
work, the advice was well intended.


          Skip (who`s SO says he doesn`t take enough advice)
>
>______________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>
>

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 12 Sep 1998 00:26:02 -0700
From: Tom Simpson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (klr650) Footware

At 09:25 AM 9/11/98, r. kaub wrote:
>Let's discuss the best all around boots to wear.
>I wear issue combat boots of which I have several pairs which cost me
nothing.
>They are the newer style with the monster lugs on the bottom.  I've found
>them to be very comfortable and fairly waterproof if you keep them
>polished.  All-in-all, I'd be hard pressed to justify spending a couple of
>hundred plus on boots that don't do all that much more.  Comments?


    I wore comperable Bundeswher paratroper boots for some years, but
now wear Asolo Globaline Gore-Tex hiking boots. Why? Because they are
waterproof, they have neat-o bionic-looking plastic supports running
around the heels and ankles for an extra measure of protection, and
the Sportsmans Guide was blowing them out for $45 (normaly $180).

    I'm happy with them.


- -Tom
'96 KLR 650
'97 Asolo Globalines

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 12 Sep 1998 02:10:26 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re:  (klr650) Frankenstein...It's Alive

On 8/27/98, [e-mail] wrote: snip

> I realize now after my post about the WP fork that a better solution
>is to try and find alternatives that are affordable and also address the
>brake issue.
>
>Gino's telling us that the Tengai forks can be made to work with a KLR is
>helpful but the problem is that there are far fewer Tengai's than KLR's. So,
>instead of a Tengai solution, or a WP fork system (with the stock brakes)
>we need to find some great fork/brake setups from a popular bike (read
>readily and cheaply available) that can be bolted on or made to work (with
>someone like Hoyt's help) with the KLR.
>Kurt "Dr. Frankenstein" Simpson

 A local klr owner's solution was to use the forks from a KX500.
 He swears by them and they do look rather stout. Next time I'm
 by his place, I'll take some pix and post them on the web. Todd
 has done some great mods for desert riding also. Dual headlights,
 plastic tank, etc. BTW he's got another '92 klr that is stock. He
 wants to sell one and keep the other. Says he doesn't care which
 one. $2500 and $2300 respectively. If anyone's interested let me
 know. (They're in the L.A. area).

 Redondo (CA) Ron   (who always bounces back)

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 12 Sep 1998 01:17:24 -0600
From: "skip faulkner" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (klr650) (KLR650) Petcockless mod (Long , so take a nap first)

List,
  That`s a scary sounding word up there.
   I`ve been trying to finish this post for the last four nights, but every
time I start it, I get called out. We`ve been having a lot of fires around
here till the last day or so (got a little rain) and my place does the
maintenance for the state fire aircraft. I`m finishing this tonight, so you
might as well climb up on the fence and sit a spell.
  Last week we had a thread going on the unusable fuel on the right side of
the KLR`s tank. The general plan was to install another petcock or fitting
on the right and run a hose from it. Many were worried about welding on
their tank or using an adhesive for the fitting.
   I got to thinking of another possible solution and experimented around
with it several nights ago while waiting for the choppers to come in. I`ve
been using it for several days now and it seems to work very well.
   First I`m going to give a description of the petcock system (from here on
referred to as the fuel valve) for those unfamiliar with it. I apologize to
those already familiar with it, but I learned a little myself.
    If you look at the valve from the left of the bike (how else) you will
see two hoses. The larger of the two coming down from the valve is the main
supply line and the smaller hose coming out horizontally from the valve is a
vacuum line that operates a springed diaphragm valve on the back of the fuel
valve. This smaller line is routed to a position downstream of the carb
throttle.   There have been some
 Listers who have removed this vacuum line while removing emission controls
to find out that the engine wouldn't run. The purpose of this diaphragm
valve is so fuel cannot pass through the valve without the engine running.
Because of this, I use the following method to drain fuel from the tank.
     To drain fuel from the tank (which you must do to do this mod), you
first remove the supply line (larger line) and attach a 1/4 inch ID line to
the nipple on the valve and run the other end into a container.
Then remove the smaller line and attach a 3/16 inch ID line to the
horizontal nipple. Suck on the smaller line and while holding the pressure,
clamp the line with a pair of hemostats or any suitable clamp that will
squeeze the line tight. At this point, fuel should start to drain out of the
larger line. If not, you may have to suck on it to get it started. To stop
the flow, simply release the clamp. To completely drain the left side of the
tank, make sure the valve is in the reserve position.
     There are two bolts with Phillips indentions to be removed to drop the
valve. Once released, drop the valve gently so as not to damage the screen
inlets. Before this valve is removed I recommend getting a new o-ring from
Fred or your dealer in case you damage the stock one. Once the valve is
dropped, you will see a 5" standpipe with an inlet screen on top.  This is
the source for the main position. To the right of it is a flush hole with an
inlet screen: this is the reserve source. If you take a flashlight and look
down and to the left in the tank, you will see all of this.
     After much trial and error, my best result was to cut 2" off the top of
the 5" standpipe (remove the inlet screen first and after the cut, debur
inside and outside the cut) and put a slight bend in this pipe to lower the
height of the point where I will attach a length of 1/4" polyvinyl fuel line
(clear). I then twisted the standpipe to the right a little so as to force
my hose that I`ll be attaching, a little toward the rear of the tank. You
may want to try this without cutting the standpipe first. I wasn't worried
about the standpipe as it is easily replaced (it is just a pressure-fit).
   At this point, I got a 2' length  of the 1/4" fuel line and and fed it up
into the tank through the valve opening. I used a parts grabber (those 2'
long coilsprings with a syringe type handle at one end and when squeezed,
four little spring claws come out the bottom) that can be bought at most
parts stores (they`re used for picking up dropped screws and such in hard to
get to places) for about $3. I used the grabber to pull the end of the fuel
line up through the filler opening of the tank. I then attached a fuel inlet
strainer (in tank type) that I had gotten from a cycle shop. It`s the kind
used in some auto tanks and in some ATV and riding lawnmower fuel tanks.
Mine is about 1.5" long, barrel shaped screen with a nipple for fuel line at
one end and a bronze spring coiled around it for protection. After
attaching, I placed that end of the fuel line back in the tank and with a
flashlight in one hand and the other end of the hose sticking out of the
valve opening below the tank ( holding this end with the other hand), I
pushed and turned and and pulled and whatever was necessary to get the fuel
inlet end of the line in the same position on the right side as the fuel
valve on the left. You want the line to curve toward the back of the tank
and then come forward .  This is also the reason I  twisted the bent
standpipe to the rear a little, it helps keep the line in a bind .The rear
of the tank has a lower rise in it and also, this curve helps to keep the
line in place. I then pushed in a few more inches, careful not to disturb
the inlet position and pinched the line where it met the bottom of the tank.
I then pulled some line out, keeping my pinched finger in place and cut the
line 1" above my pinch. Then I placed a thin film of  Dow 4 (you can safely
use petroleum jelly )  on the stand pipe tube so the hose would slide on
easier, and slid the hose on the pipe to within 1/4" of the base. Then push
the valve back up into position (it`s a tight fit,but it will go in) while
watching through the filler opening. You may have to pull the valve back
down and twist the line a few times to get the fuel inlet end of the line in
the position you want it in. When I bought my line it had a curl to it. This
works in your favor in curving the line toward the back of the tank, but it
also prevents the inlet end from completely dropping against the outer wall
of the tank, unless your line is more flexible than mine. With time, the
line will relax and drop lower. In three days, mine is almost there now.
    The above was the end result of a couple of days of trial and error, but
it is working well. How this works is like this: This is not a true gravity
fed system. The carb on the KLR`s has a low pressure pump on the left side.
Once I realized this, I figured between the light pump suction and a
siphoning action of the fuel coming up from the right side and down again,
this might work.
   I drained the tank via the reserve position before I started all of this.
I did this with the bike propped up in the upright riding position.
This left only the unusable fuel on the right side. I then siphoned this out
into a calibrated measuring container to see how much fuel is actually over
there. I measured out 42 ounces the first time. I filled the tank and did it
again and came out with 47.5 ounces. I was low on fuel the first time and
have since found out that when the fuel is low enough to have the two halves
separate, through bumps and lean angles, the fuel will sometime flow over to
the other side. Since I started with a full tank on the second measurement,
it is the most accurate as to how much the right side can hold.
   The test results are as follows; I have in the past three days, drained
the left side of the tank completely, before going home. While carrying a
gallon of fuel on the rack, I have driven till I have run out of fuel. The
mileage the first time was 18.5 miles, second was 23.3, the third was 19.9
miles. This was about 2 miles of town (with redlights) and the rest was
hiway at 65 to 70 mph indicated.
   I was suspecting that when I was bone dry and then filled up, there might
not be enough suction from the light pump to start the fuel flowing from the
right side, but is has every time. Today I was doing some extreme weaving at
low speeds to see if the fuel would cross over and sure enough, at about
mile 8 it started to surge and sputter and I switched to the reserve (which
is now the left side) and there was fuel there, when I had started, the left
was empty.
   Once I had decided exactly how I was going to do this, with the parts in
hand it took about 1.5 hours. Most of that was just making sure I had the
line positioned in the tank where I wanted it and also deciding on the
length of fuel line, that part is sort of trial and error.
    Was it worth it? To me it is. I now have about another 20 miles of range
and I know I`ll need it somewhere down the line. For those of you rejetting
your bikes, you wouldn`t have any range loss. The other thing is, this is
completely reversible and better than welding on my tank. The addition of
another valve on the right side would give you maybe another couple of miles
over this method because it would completely drain the right side. For the
sake of 2 or 3 more miles I`m not going to start drilling holes in my tank.
   I`m sorry for the length of this post. It`s late and I`m tired and if I
had waited till later this morning (it`s now 1am) I probably could have
explained it better and not so wordy.

                   Skip (who is gassed out and going to bed)

------------------------------

End of klr650-digest V1 #236
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