fork/steering head rebuild

[Bogdan Swider]

> > Yes, that will work, but technically speaking the chain is "too > loose". Now, it is mostly ok to have a chain that is a little > loose, so you don't have a problem with it. But if you want the > chain to be adjusted exactly right then you use the alternate > method. >

You're right, Doug. A little history if you or anybody cares: The idea of relating the chain to the swingarm is certainly obvious and not original with me but FWIW I did come up with it on my own. I rode my - new to me - klr to what I believe was the first Moab rally years ago. Only about 8 of us were there. I hadn't owned a chain drive bike for 20 years. I asked Gino Pakluda - then the Ayatollah of the klr world - advice on chain tension. After much hemming and hawing he, I and a committee adjusted the chain to what was deemed a proper tightness. Their method seemed complicated to me. I looked for something simple to relate the adjusted chain to and the swingarm was the easy solution. At that time the bike had not yet been lowered so the exactly adjusted chain ending up, when gently pushed, a 1/16" away from the swingarm is based on a stock height bike. I soon lowered the bike but stuck to the same drill. As you said a looser chain is no problem some advise it. At some point I shared with the list. A surprising number of people hadn't thought of this and that still appears to be the case. Bogdan

[jeffcunard]

Have a '99 KLR with 75K and 40K since a set of Progressive Suspension "Larry Roeseler" fork springs and new fork oil were added. I'm about to rebuild the forks and steering head, any thoughts on adding a set of Race Tech cartridge emulators or any other mods while I have them apart? I'm a 200 lb. rider, 95 percent on road and 5 percent off (two wheel R.V.). Installed a Works Performance Ultra rear shock, works great, would like to bring the performance of the forks up to match! JC FSSNOC #2716 '96 DR350S