Wilsons Sandbox

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "fw189uhu" wrote:

> > Just bought a new 2009 KLR 650 and am having lots of fun with it. Am also new to this group--glad I found you! > > What mods do I need to make for a long distance, heavy weight trip? I'm about 250 and will be carrying about another 200, so that's a pretty good weight for the bike to stand up to. > > I've been looking on the internet for this info and can't seem to find quite what I need. So far, this is what I've found: > > - Heavy duty shock (which is obvious). I contacted F1 Engineering, the guys who made the heavy duty shock for the Marine Corps' KLRs. They told me they manufactured about 500 for the prime contractor and never got paid, so they're not making them any more. What's a good substitute? > > - Doohickey upgrade. I read of this problem on the '07s and earlier, but it's not clear to me whether Kawa had this fixed by the time my '09 was built. > > - Front forks. I've read lots of back-and-forth on this issue, but it's not clear what really needs to be done. > > - Brakes? > > - Battery. Already replaced the factory battery with an Odyssey PC545MJ-P. Pretty easy to install; only a few simple mods required. > > - Load sling. I've already replaced my factory seat with gel and felt an immediate difference. However, I need to sling a couple of rucksacks across the center for the gear I'm taking on the trip (in two large rucksacks). Obviously the factory luggage rack is too flimsy to hang anything from, and I can't find any type of saddle mechanism to use or adapt to sling my rucks from. > > - I'm new at this and am probably missing a bunch of stuff. Any help you can give will really help. > > TIA > > Dave >

~~~You might want to consider buying a rar shock spring from Top Gun. They have spring rates for the 08' and later KLR's that are rated for 250 to 300 pounds and a spring that starts at 300 pounds and tops out at 350 pounds. I'm using the later heavier rated spring. Rod (Top Gun) suggested that I buy a spring not at the heaviest limit unless I was going to carry that weight all the time. I weigh 270 lbs and probably another 10 pounds with gear I take for day in and day out riding, so I'm just under the 300 # threshold yet I went w/ the 300-350 pound spring. I'm glad I did as I like a taut ride out back but if I rode a lot of whoops (I don't), the 250-300 pound spring would have suited the suspension better. I think this is a personal decision, how you like your suspension set up My forks are totally stock and never bottom, so I've left them alone. Also too, in regards to forks, I've never felt thhe need to add a brace. Some do some don't but I don't feel it's needed About the doohickey upgrade...I have the kit yet never installed it. Why?, the more reading I've done, the doo upgrade the facotry has done to 08' and beyond has been fixed (better component). Some though feel the spring isn't up to the task of staying in one piece over time so some have changed the spring out. Having said that, the doo is like a religion aroond KLR cuntry, not everyone agrees, nor expect them to. Do your own research but there are loads of KLRistas that feel the 08' factory change solved the problem, with the doo yet not the spring. Others may have better and different ideas I'm still on my oem wet cell battery (Have had this bike nearly 3 years). I'll agree AGM is the way to go but I don't mind checking my cell fill level monthly. To each his own but if I have this KLR when it comes time tyo replace the battery, I'm sure I would go AGM over another wet cell The brakes on the 08' + KLR's work fine as is. I've never felt the need to improve the brakes through the use of better fluid lines or better pad compound. OEM pad compound works well IMO

> > - I'm new at this and am probably missing a bunch of stuff. Any help you can give will really help.

~~~I've never farkled my KLR to any extent. I've added a $20 Wal-Mart seat pad (Stearns) because I didn't want to spring for a custom seat. I like custom seats but how little I ride my KLR at any given time, the Stearns seat pad works for me...cheap and cheerful I changed the oem grips out to the rather popular choice most around go to (forget the brand and model # (Whoops!, Pro Grip=:-) These grips have 3 grooves on each one for safety wire and I have safety wire holding them down. The oem grip isn't bad but the gel has more padding for your hands Your oem air filter should be good for about 5 cleanings. When it was time to replace I went with the twin filter brand, and bought the PJ1 cleaner/oil kit. I find if I ride this bike much off road like i was doing this past spring and early summer, I would need to clean and re-oil the air filter about monthly but conditions dictate intervals. Just figure on replacing your air filter after every 5 cleanings (empirical) i waited until I had about 9 or 10 K miles on my motor before I inspected the valve clearances. They were all still in spec but at the bottom end of the gap, so 3 out of the 4 needed replacement shims to get them (all 4 valves) back up to the top of the clearance figures. that's common practicve with the KLR, use shims to get you to the highest (biggest) clearance spec Chain lube....I like and use WD-40, I also like to clean the chain (removing the front sprocket cover occasionally) with a water solable degreaser once in a while but regular use of WD-40 will keep the chain lubed and clean. How often?, depends on how much you ride...I'll spray my chain sometimes as much as daily if I ride it off road that much. Again, others may have better and different ideas

> What mods do I need to make for a long distance, heavy weight trip? I'm about 250 and will be carrying about another 200, so that's a pretty good weight for the bike to stand up to. >

~~~I'm sure others will chime in on this one. I use my KLR for the most part for local riding and a lot of off road at that, so I'm not or haven't set up my KLR for heavy LD work. Having said that, if you carry weight on the sub frame, there are several bolt upgrade kits to choose from you'll want to change over to. Since the oem fuel tank holds 6 gallons fuel, you'll probably not need an aux fuel cell but that's a personal choice. the way I ride I get 45 MPG mostly with mine. The few times I've ridden out of state, looking for and getting fuel was never a problem after 200 + miles here's a shot of my KLR- http://www.flickr.com/photos/26137108@N04/4572514742/sizes/l/in/set-72157623853161157/ You can see the seat pad I use, grips aren't easy to see the change, I've kept the oem brush guards but if you want serious lever protection, get rid of the oem brush guards. Tire choice is important. For the sugar sand I hit, I'm running a Pirelli Pro FIM on front. Rear is a Kenda k257d. Both handle sand well, and still hold their own on hard pack too i'm still running the oem foot pegs. Most here seem to upgrade the pegs, I like what the factory provided as I'm a casual off road rider but the rubber foot peg covering wont work well in wet condtions so you may want to go with an all metal foot peg for LD work as you never know how the weather will be. If it's raining and you're off road, rubber coated foot pegs are not the ticket, especially if you stand while riding. Me personally, I've ridden a lot in the wet and the rubber pegs don't bother me but I'm usually sitting down when it's raining to any extent. Ride your own ride=:-) Jake Reddick Fla. The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it. - - George Bernard Shaw http://www.shakinjake.blogspot.com/

One of the best things I added for long distanc ewas the throttle lock. gives your right wrist a break on long sorties. It can be done with no drilling by following this link http://www.ginsucity.com/klr650-throttle-lock Depending on the miles you may just want to print the doo instalation instructions and toss it in the luggage.The spring is the bit that you may someday need on an 09 but better to bring it all. Print all contact information including how to log into this group and stuff it in a zip lock baggie just in case. If something goes to $hit on the road log in and ask for help. How far are we talking about and are we talking road or off road? The suspension on an 09 will do for road work but with that kind of weight I would get a decent rear shock before leaving

> --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "fw189uhu" wrote: > > > > Just bought a new 2009 KLR 650 and am having lots of fun with it. Am also new to this group--glad I found you! > > > > What mods do I need to make for a long distance, heavy weight trip? I'm about 250 and will be carrying about another 200, so that's a pretty good weight for the bike to stand up to. > >

Hi Dave, I'm about your size, 265, and haul around way too much stuff too, so I'll pass along my experiences. I have a 2006 and have modified that unit quite a bit and am very pleased with how it turned out. Compared to an aftermarket shock, the stock unit is junk in my opinion. Many folks have put a heavier spring on thier bikes and been happy, but when you finally spring (no pun intended) for a quality shock, you will be amazed at the transformation it will make in both the handling and ride quality of your mount. After a lot of research I purchased the Moab shock from Cogent Dynamics. At roughly $600, it's not cheap, but once you ride a bike with the Moab shock installed you'll agree that it is worth every penny. The shock is a custom-built unit tuned to your weight, height, riding style and amount of gear you plan on carrying. I have three very good friends I ride with who have a KLR, DR650 and GS1200 respectively. After riding my bike, the KLR and DR riders ordered Moab shocks for themselves, and the GS rider is really bummed that he sold his KLR. My KLR rides better than his expensive GS and I have a lot of fun kidding him about it. If I remember right, your 2009 has an upgraded fork compared to my 2006. Still, with your size and amount of gear it's worth considering upgrading the front suspension as well. I started with installing Progressive springs, added a fork brace from Eagle Mike, switched to synthetic fork oil, and finally installed Intiminator cartridge emulators. My DR buddy pointed me in the direction of the Intiminators, and now both my KLR friend and I run them. No cheap, but money well spent. In my humble opinion I really believe that the best place to spend money on any bike is on the suspension. Especially on a KLR. You aren't going to wring much more power out of one, even spending a lot of money unless you order up a 685 kit. You'll really enjoy the performance from your new suspension every time you go riding. One tip I tried that I really like was drilling the carb slide. It doesn't make any more power, but the engine is much more responsive and doesn't bog wen you whach the throttle open. Brakes. Fred at Arrowhead has been very helpful in tuning up my bike. I tired of the lousy brakes in my 2006 in a hurry. I live in Northwestern Minnesota where the deer are suicidal. Good brakes are a must. I upgraded to Stainless Steel Galfer brake lines. I also upgraded to DP brake pads from Fred. I'm safisfied with the level of braking I have now, and don't seem to have any issues even off-road. The doohickey. I hemmed and hawed about doing mine, but curiousity finally got the better of me and I ordered the kit. As with all my other mods I was glad I went ahead and did it. The doohickey was stil in one peice, but only because the spring was broken. I also installed the torsion spring which I think is a far better system than the factory spring. Eagle Mike's machining is a work of art, and his part is far stronger than Kawasaki's feeble attempt at upgrading a known problem area. My advice would be to do the upgrade and have peace of mind. I can't help you much with advice on how to hang your rucksacks as I have ammo can panniers suspended on Happy Trails racks. The are others on the site who have a lot of experience with soft luggage, and I will happily defer to their wisdom. The KLR truly is a wonderful bike and I wish you many happy miles on it. The folks on this list are a wonderful bunch of people and a great source of advice and information. Ross Lindberg Fertile, MN and soon moving to Williston, ND - KLR Heaven

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "fw189uhu" wrote: > > Just bought a new 2009 KLR 650 and am having lots of fun with it. Am also new to this group--glad I found you! > > What mods do I need to make for a long distance, heavy weight trip? I'm about 250 and will be carrying about another 200, so that's a pretty good weight for the bike to stand up to. > > I've been looking on the internet for this info and can't seem to find quite what I need. So far, this is what I've found: > > - Heavy duty shock (which is obvious). I contacted F1 Engineering, the guys who made the heavy duty shock for the Marine Corps' KLRs. They told me they manufactured about 500 for the prime contractor and never got paid, so they're not making them any more. What's a good substitute? > > - Doohickey upgrade. I read of this problem on the '07s and earlier, but it's not clear to me whether Kawa had this fixed by the time my '09 was built. > > - Front forks. I've read lots of back-and-forth on this issue, but it's not clear what really needs to be done. > > - Brakes? > > - Battery. Already replaced the factory battery with an Odyssey PC545MJ-P. Pretty easy to install; only a few simple mods required. > > - Load sling. I've already replaced my factory seat with gel and felt an immediate difference. However, I need to sling a couple of rucksacks across the center for the gear I'm taking on the trip (in two large rucksacks). Obviously the factory luggage rack is too flimsy to hang anything from, and I can't find any type of saddle mechanism to use or adapt to sling my rucks from. > > - I'm new at this and am probably missing a bunch of stuff. Any help you can give will really help. > > TIA > > Dave >

Yes it us true, I am the guy with the GS who kicks himself for selling the KLR. But with that I was completely shocked at the smoothness of the MOAB shock ride!  I wish I could get one for the GS, however cognet does not make one for the GS application I will gave to resort one day in the future to spending 800 on a custom built Ohlins. Travis from Fargo but in Minot ND with work