Wilsons Sandbox

On Tue, 3 Jan 2012 17:04:19 -0800 (PST) Thomas Komjathy writes:

> How about it. How many of you have installed the 685/705 kit with > other mods? What is your experience with your set up? > > TK > > > Thomas J. Komjathy > DSK L.L.C. > dskllc@...

<><><><><><> <><><><><><> Thomas, I put a 685 on my 03 KLR650 two years ago. I bored my own cylinder and had a friend hone it to size. He hones 100 or more cylinders a year in his business. I also replaced valve seals and cleaned carbon from the head. The difference I first realized was it was smoother. I'm talking the difference between lawn mower smooth and sewing machine smooth. It also has more umph when accelerating. If I'm following someone and they move out to pass a vehicle I can just roll on the power and I have what I need. With the stock 650 I found I would be planning and anticipating the pass and having to roll on a bit earlier to make it happen smoothly. The 685 has also eliminated oil use. My stock top end was using oil but when I got to the piston I found the top rings with the gaps lined up. Ninety degrees over the oil rings were lined up. I think I could have realigned rings and reassembled and the oil use might have stopped. I didn't do any mods to the head, exhaust or carb. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650 . . ____________________________________________________________ 53 Year Old Mom Looks 33 The Stunning Results of Her Wrinkle Trick Has Botox Doctors Worried http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/4f03a964b681f110d48bst05vuc

I haven't but a friend has and we roughly have the same milage-50,000 to 55,000 miles. He had an oil usage issue so he did the 685. Then he had some other issues where he replaced the water pump shaft and I think the cam chain and balancer chain. Then he was hearing noises he didn't like in the lower end and replaced crank bearings. He is happy.....for now. He has the most heavily modified KLR I have seen. He also helped another guy put a 685 kit in his but this guy had port work done also. Criswell Sent from my iPad

On Jan 3, 2012, at 7:04 PM, Thomas Komjathy wrote: > How about it. How many of you have installed the 685/705 kit with other mods? What is your experience with your set up? > > TK > > > Thomas J. Komjathy > DSK L.L.C. > dskllc@... > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I have the very first 685 on the road (Dec 2005). As of today the 685 has run 29,498 miles. The bike has not burned any oil since the 685 was fitted, even a sustained higher RPM. Of those 29.5K miles, 24,173 were run also run with the oversize stainless valves (sometimes called the "fat head"). Based on my experience of the stock valves "tuliping" leading to rapidly ever-closing valve clearances about 5K miles after fitting the 685, I would suggest that you also fit the oversize stainless valves when you do the piston. My bike had 33,695 miles on it when the 685 was installed so I don't know if the stock valves tuliped from the effects of the 685 (unlikely), accumulated mileage (more likely) or a combination of both factors (most likely). The bike has been perfectly reliable. It has more torque and horsepower (see dyno reports) , burns more gas and is more fun to ride. The additional horsepower is nice, the additional torque is very nice. But perhaps the nicest change is that the bike no longer has a torque "curve", rather a graph of the engine's torque resembles the top of a table. As one lister noted "that is not a torque curve, that is a torque MESA!". A guy that followed me for a 100 mile ride in a (mountainous) national forest claimed that I was in third gear for the entire ride, sometimes with the throttle open, sometimes with the throttle completely closed for engine braking but ALWAYS in third gear. He does exaggerate a bit but I DID ride most of the ride in 3rd, rolling off of on throttle as needed but very seldom needing a different gear. He (on a stock KLR) was forced to do a lot more shifting. The flat torque curve really makes the bike more fun to ride. It more tractable, especially in poor traction conditions, and the bike never seems to be "off cam". Dyno reports of my runs can be found here: http://johnbiccum.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/KLR685-dyno/1198525_kxhMzR#8776736 9_AGnfu . Note that there is no "stock" dyno report in the link above. The blue run is with the 685 and the red run is the 685 + oversize valves. I didn't have the option of fitting the oversize valves when I replaced the piston since the valves were not available back then. But I would sure fit the valves if I was doing a 685 today. I have no experience with a 705. Finally I'm a bit of a cheapskate so I am sure that I'd be very reluctant to tear into a perfectly running KLR and spend the money just in the quest for "more". I never found the KLR's stock power lacking (well hardly ever J). I cracked the stock piston and had to tear into the engine anyway so the marginal cost for the 685 was easy for me to justify. From: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com [mailto:DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Thomas Komjathy Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2012 5:04 PM To: dsn_klr650@yahoogroups.com Subject: [DSN_KLR650] 705 kits How about it. How many of you have installed the 685/705 kit with other mods? What is your experience with your set up? TK Thomas J. Komjathy DSK L.L.C. dskllc@... [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ---------- ---------- ---------- [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]