other bikes besides klr

[sulteck]

my 16 year old son is learning to drive my KLR650. he is have some difficulties keeping it up right(he's 5'3") and has since dented the tank and bent the clutch lever. the tank is a war wound and i'll probably just hit it with touch up paint. Can you bend the lever back to almost normal,,, or will it snap? it usable but looks like a fiddle head. the dealer replacement is $23. any stronger after market ones?

[Arden Kysely]

Sounds like your son needs a smaller bike to learn on, but if you're going with the KLR the best way to save levers is to invest in some good metal handguards, like those from here www.enduroeng.com or other sources. They might also save his hands. If the lever is just a little curled at the end, I'd use it until the next crash takes it off, they generally bend just one way then snap when you try to straighten them. __Arden --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "sulteck" wrote:

> > my 16 year old son is learning to drive my KLR650. he is have some > difficulties keeping it up right(he's 5'3") and has since dented the > tank and bent the clutch lever. the tank is a war wound and i'll > probably just hit it with touch up paint. Can you bend the lever

back

> to almost normal,,, or will it snap? it usable but looks like a > fiddle head. the dealer replacement is $23. any stronger after > market ones? >

[Michael Nelson]

Loosen the handlebar clamps for the levers a little so they can rotate rather than break in a crash. Old mx rider trick. -- "Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open manhole and die." -- Mel Brooks San Francisco, CA

[Blake Sobiloff]

On Jun 25, 2008, at 9:36 AM, sulteck wrote:

> Can you bend the lever back > to almost normal,,, or will it snap?

Arden's and Michael's advice is sound, but I've recently learned about these "unbreakable" levers and they have me curious: http://www.asvinventions.com/levers_order/ Size adjustable, and they have a pivot that allows the lever to pivot out of the way instead of bending or breaking. -- Blake Sobiloff http://www.sobiloff.com/> San Jose, CA (USA) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Mike Frey]

Wow... obviously variable prices among dealers! I just replaced mine a couple weeks ago, it was only $14. There are expensive aftermarket levers, but none that I would recommend. Not that they aren't good, it's just that I am too cheap to pay more. sulteck wrote:

> > my 16 year old son is learning to drive my KLR650. he is have some > difficulties keeping it up right(he's 5'3") and has since dented the > tank and bent the clutch lever. the tank is a war wound and i'll > probably just hit it with touch up paint. Can you bend the lever back > to almost normal,,, or will it snap? it usable but looks like a > fiddle head. the dealer replacement is $23. any stronger after > market ones? > >

[D Critchley]

I put the bent clutch lever in a vise and clamped a large pair of visegrip pliers on the end, so that when the lever started to soften, it would be pulled back into shape. Then I warmed up the bent area with a propane torch until the weight of the pliers started to move it down, and quickly stopped the heating process. If you have somebody handy with a long screwdriver or something to stop it drooping too far that would be nice too. I ended up with a kink in the middle, but it worked. DC sulteck wrote:

> > my 16 year old son is learning to drive my KLR650. he is have some > difficulties keeping it up right(he's 5'3") and has since dented the > tank and bent the clutch lever. the tank is a war wound and i'll > probably just hit it with touch up paint. Can you bend the lever back > to almost normal,,, or will it snap? it usable but looks like a > fiddle head. the dealer replacement is $23. any stronger after > market ones? > >

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Tengai Mark Van Horn]

At 4:36 PM +0000 6/25/08, sulteck wrote:

>.. Can you bend the lever back >to almost normal,,, or will it snap? it usable but looks like a >fiddle head. the dealer replacement is $23. any stronger after >market ones?

Three words: Metal Hand Guards In the meantime, yes, you can bend the lever back if you heat it up *real* good and while it's still hot, patiently band it back. I've done it a couple times. We once straightened a KLR brake pedal (Tumu's) by heating it over the burner from my turkey fryer. Mark

[Ross Lindberg]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Tengai Mark Van Horn wrote:

> > At 4:36 PM +0000 6/25/08, sulteck wrote: > >.. Can you bend the lever back > >to almost normal,,, or will it snap? it usable but looks like a > >fiddle head. the dealer replacement is $23. any stronger after > >market ones? > > Three words: Metal Hand Guards > > In the meantime, yes, you can bend the lever back if you heat it up > *real* good and while it's still hot, patiently band it back. I've > done it a couple times. > We once straightened a KLR brake pedal (Tumu's) by heating it over > the burner from my turkey fryer. > > Mark >

I bent mine part-way back cold. Aluminum doesn't seem to like being bent twice, even with heat. I managed to get most of it back where I wanted it, then cut off the end and made a 2-finger clutch lever like I had on my YZ 250 many years ago. I like the shorter lever and wish they still made them. Ross Lindberg Fertile, MN

[John Black]

I recommend the power commander usb for you Honda. You can kinda dial in some better gas mileage or maybe better performance. I love the power that the VTX has. My favorite thing is on ramps when I really need to accelerate to get through some traffic and on to the freeway. It's the only time I get to use all the throttle. I usually get up to 110 mph at my local on ramp before coming off the throttle. My KLR was my first new bike that I bought outright for cash at my local dealer. I thought it was just the coolest thing. Me and my girlfriend used to double up so proud to be riding. We would park next to the HD's and think we were the shit. Now we ride the VTX and laugh at ourselves thinking about highway riding on the KLR JB ----- Original Message ---- From: bobby53_mac To: jonblak12321 Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 3:43:30 PM Subject: Re: Other Bikes besides KLR I too also bought a Honda VTX 1800 only a couple on months ago. I have put saddle bags...crash bars...wind shield...sissy bar and rack with an accessary jack on the VTX. Around 2005 I moved to the country and I now live on a dirt road. So I sold my HD and bought the 2006 KLR which I thought would be (and is) more practical. However...the big cruiser bug hit and I went out and bought the VTX loaded with all the chrome. Now I remember why I sold the HD as I cant keep the VTX clean living on a dirt road. I don't care how dirty the KLR gets and with the KLR dirt = fun. I still put the most miles on the KLR as I drive 62 miles round trip to work and the KLR gets between 59 to 61 mpg. The best I've done on the VTX is a hair over 40 mpg and usually right under that. So the VTX is my weekend cruiser bike which I plan to go across country on next year. Have thought (dreamed) about Cooper Canyon in Mexico which would be a KLR trip. I guess my next project will be installing the doo-hickey and new tires on the KLR. So I read with great interest all post about tires and the doo-hickey. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Don Montgomery]

If while uncurling it, it snaps off near the end with enough left to still use it, round off the end. Saw this done on a Neveda back country ride I was on with Max Ernst using a rock he found. The ball on the end is there to make it a "blunt object" so as not to easily pierce the human body. Maybe the KLR is a bit tall for a 5'3" ride to learn on? Better to have positive experiences in the early stages. Glad you are teaching a new young rider. Don M

> my 16 year old son is learning to drive my KLR650. he is have some > difficulties keeping it up right(he's 5'3") and has since dented the > tank and bent the clutch lever. the tank is a war wound and i'll > probably just hit it with touch up paint. Can you bend the lever back > to almost normal,,, or will it snap? it usable but looks like a > fiddle head. the dealer replacement is $23. any stronger after > market ones? > > > ------------------------------------ > > List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: www.dualsportnews.com > List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html > Member Map at: http://www.frappr.com/dsnklr650Yahoo! Groups Links > > >