help!! 2001 klr650 for sale-nklr

[RM]

This vibration thing is for the friggin' birds. About a week ago, I posted about how I removed and re-installed my upper engine mount while doing the valves on my new A14. I think the vibration increased afterwards. My thought was that removing the mount allowed the engine to "settle" against the other two mounts (maybe the upper mount was carrying more than its share of weight prior to the removal). Well, last night I did an oil change and I also did the counter-balancer chain tension adjust procedure (where you loosen and re-tighten the little bolt). I backed it out exactly three turns and upon re-tightening, it turned easily for the first turn and had some resistance thereafter. Seems curious. Anyway, I went for one of those 10PM-on-a-Sunday-I-really-should-be-going-to-bed rides and the bike was doing fine for the first 10 miles. At one point, I went down a side street, turned around, and got back up to 4k rpm (60mph) on the highway. Gee, this vibration is pretty bad all of the sudden. I don't remember feeling my spine transmit seat vibration into my cranium a few minutes ago. Not good. I rode the bike home and checked the tightness of the engine mount fasteners that I could reach without taking the bike apart. They were all tight. I plan to check the rest of them tonight (once I have my service manuals). Is it possible that my counter-balancer chain has jumped a tooth due to a defective tensioner? How much effort is it to remove the engine cover and check the timing marks? Are any special service tools required for this? I rode the bike to work this morning on the freeway. 45 miles at steady 5k rpm - I've made this commute several times before. I've been here for 90 minutes and my hands still haven't recovered from the vibration. Something is definitely wrong. This A14, with 1600 miles on it, has been reduced from "swiss army knife" to "pathetic toy". Hell, it's not even a toy - Toys are supposed to be fun to play with. I'm going to cross my fingers and hope that it's just a loose engine mount fastener. While we're on the subject, I want to buy a throttle lock, gel grips, 16T sprocket, and maybe handlebars. Even if I get the vibes fixed, I'd still like to have some improvement over the "normal" vibration level. If the vibes are here to stay, I have to try to make it tolerable for a while until my conscience will let me sell the bike. I've seen quite a bit of discussion regarding install procedures for various throttle locks. Are there any "no futzing required" solutions on the market? Buy from Fred? Which grips are the agreed-upon best grips for reducing vibes? I'd like to add as much grip diameter as possible. Get these from Fred, too? Handlebars? Which ones? Fred? I'd search the archives and try to fish for all this information but I need to be doing work, not wasting time while fighting with Listquest's damned lousy search engine looking for solutions to this $5000 problem I just acquired. RM

[Vernon Cooke]

To reduce handlebar vibration (after you determine the root cause of an overall increased level), go with the Suzuki bar-end weights (stock on the 650 dual sport). Accompanied by the 16T sprocket, I feel very little vibration at 60 - 65 mph (3700 - 4000 rpm). My other bike is a 97 Gold Wing, so I know what very little vibration is. Vernon -----Original Message----- From: RM [mailto:richardm@...] Sent: Monday, March 05, 2001 11:29 AM To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com Subject: [DSN_klr650] V-V-V-V-V-Vibration This vibration thing is for the friggin' birds. About a week ago, I posted about how I removed and re-installed my upper engine mount while doing the valves on my new A14. I think the vibration increased afterwards. My thought was that removing the mount allowed the engine to "settle" against the other two mounts (maybe the upper mount was carrying more than its share of weight prior to the removal). Well, last night I did an oil change and I also did the counter-balancer chain tension adjust procedure (where you loosen and re-tighten the little bolt). I backed it out exactly three turns and upon re-tightening, it turned easily for the first turn and had some resistance thereafter. Seems curious. Anyway, I went for one of those 10PM-on-a-Sunday-I-really-should-be-going-to-bed rides and the bike was doing fine for the first 10 miles. At one point, I went down a side street, turned around, and got back up to 4k rpm (60mph) on the highway. Gee, this vibration is pretty bad all of the sudden. I don't remember feeling my spine transmit seat vibration into my cranium a few minutes ago. Not good. I rode the bike home and checked the tightness of the engine mount fasteners that I could reach without taking the bike apart. They were all tight. I plan to check the rest of them tonight (once I have my service manuals). Is it possible that my counter-balancer chain has jumped a tooth due to a defective tensioner? How much effort is it to remove the engine cover and check the timing marks? Are any special service tools required for this? I rode the bike to work this morning on the freeway. 45 miles at steady 5k rpm - I've made this commute several times before. I've been here for 90 minutes and my hands still haven't recovered from the vibration. Something is definitely wrong. This A14, with 1600 miles on it, has been reduced from "swiss army knife" to "pathetic toy". Hell, it's not even a toy - Toys are supposed to be fun to play with. I'm going to cross my fingers and hope that it's just a loose engine mount fastener. While we're on the subject, I want to buy a throttle lock, gel grips, 16T sprocket, and maybe handlebars. Even if I get the vibes fixed, I'd still like to have some improvement over the "normal" vibration level. If the vibes are here to stay, I have to try to make it tolerable for a while until my conscience will let me sell the bike. I've seen quite a bit of discussion regarding install procedures for various throttle locks. Are there any "no futzing required" solutions on the market? Buy from Fred? Which grips are the agreed-upon best grips for reducing vibes? I'd like to add as much grip diameter as possible. Get these from Fred, too? Handlebars? Which ones? Fred? I'd search the archives and try to fish for all this information but I need to be doing work, not wasting time while fighting with Listquest's damned lousy search engine looking for solutions to this $5000 problem I just acquired. RM Visit the KLR650 archives at http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 Support Dual Sport News... dsneditor@... Let's keep this list SPAM free! Visit our site at http://www.egroups.com/group/DSN_klr650 To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@egroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

[Bogdan Swider]

> Well, last night I did an oil change and I also did the counter-balancer > chain tension adjust procedure (where you loosen and re-tighten the little > bolt). I backed it out exactly three turns and upon re-tightening, it > turned easily for the first turn and had some resistance thereafter. > Seems curious. > > Anyway, I went for one of those > 10PM-on-a-Sunday-I-really-should-be-going-to-bed rides and the bike was > doing fine for the first 10 miles. At one point, I went down a side > street, turned around, and got back up to 4k rpm (60mph) on the highway. > Gee, this vibration is pretty bad all of the sudden. I don't remember > feeling my spine transmit seat vibration into my cranium a few minutes > ago. Not good. >

Whoa !! This is serious. I believe the balancer adjustment mechanism took a dump. Those of us that have been in there and observed have verified what klr guru Elden Carl has long maintained. One turn is all you need to loosen the adjuster; more than that and you risk it falling off. I know the manual says three. With 1600k this is a warranty problem. Trailer the bike in; don't ride, the engine might lock up as happened to Kurt G. Bogdan, who hopes he's wrong

[geiserman@golder.com]

Are the bar end weights for the 650 the same as the ones for a DRZ400E?? Does anyone know if they are made to fit in an aluminum bar? I bought some fancy red bar end weights for my KLX(red), but they don't fit in the smaller ID aluminum (aftrmarket) bar. I tried the old silicon filled bar thing, and that seemed to help a little. Or maybe I was just trying to convince myself. Guy

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., Vernon Cooke wrote: > To reduce handlebar vibration (after you determine the root cause of an > overall increased level), go with the Suzuki bar-end weights (stock on the > 650 dual sport).

[Dan Oaks]

RM wrote:

> This vibration thing is for the friggin' birds.

**************** I honestly don't think anyone has a handle on why the KLR shakes like an electric start dildo. For the first 300 miles or so, mine shook so bad that I had to literally clench my teeth to keep them from doing damage to themselves. For some unknown reason, after 300 miles it settled down to a roar. Ironically, experienced KLR riders and mechanics tell me "that's normal" both before and after the change. The Kaw still shakes terrible compared to my DR650, but at least it isn't painful at this point. I still can see nothing in my left mirror, and only blurry shit in the right. Blurry shit in the right mirror being a substantial improvement. I do know that some of what I perceived as "vibration" was actually wind buffeting and was reduced drastically when I removed the "windshield". My advice is to wear your tightest pants and enjoy the ride. Or, if it's just too much, trade for a DR650. 8^) -- bierdo

[Vernon Cooke]

Probably the same as the DRZ, but don't know about the aliminum bar (call the dealer). However, if the ID of the bar is smaller, the expanding rubber plug of the bar-end weight could probably be shaved down. It is worth it. Vernon -----Original Message----- From: geiserman@... [mailto:geiserman@...] Sent: Monday, March 05, 2001 2:11 PM To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com Subject: [DSN_klr650] Re: V-V-V-V-V-Vibration Are the bar end weights for the 650 the same as the ones for a DRZ400E?? Does anyone know if they are made to fit in an aluminum bar? I bought some fancy red bar end weights for my KLX(red), but they don't fit in the smaller ID aluminum (aftrmarket) bar. I tried the old silicon filled bar thing, and that seemed to help a little. Or maybe I was just trying to convince myself. Guy

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., Vernon Cooke wrote: > To reduce handlebar vibration (after you determine the root cause of an > overall increased level), go with the Suzuki bar-end weights (stock on the > 650 dual sport). Visit the KLR650 archives at http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 Support Dual Sport News... dsneditor@... Let's keep this list SPAM free! Visit our site at http://www.egroups.com/group/DSN_klr650 To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@egroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

[Susan Moorhead]

Speaking of vibration, I remember reading somewhere that you could fill the handlebars with silicone to reduce vibration. Has anyone on the group tried this? Was there a noticeable decrease in vibration? Thanks for any info. Marshall in OK '95 KLXC3

----- Original Message ----- From: Vernon Cooke To: 'RM' ; DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Monday, March 05, 2001 1:39 PM Subject: RE: [DSN_klr650] V-V-V-V-V-Vibration > To reduce handlebar vibration (after you determine the root cause of an > overall increased level), go with the Suzuki bar-end weights (stock on the > 650 dual sport). Accompanied by the 16T sprocket, I feel very little > vibration at 60 - 65 mph (3700 - 4000 rpm). My other bike is a 97 Gold > Wing, so I know what very little vibration is. > > > > > > Vernon > > -----Original Message----- > From: RM [mailto:richardm@...] > Sent: Monday, March 05, 2001 11:29 AM > To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com > Subject: [DSN_klr650] V-V-V-V-V-Vibration > > > > This vibration thing is for the friggin' birds. > > About a week ago, I posted about how I removed and re-installed my upper > engine mount while doing the valves on my new A14. I think the vibration > increased afterwards. My thought was that removing the mount allowed the > engine to "settle" against the other two mounts (maybe the upper mount was > carrying more than its share of weight prior to the removal). > > Well, last night I did an oil change and I also did the counter-balancer > chain tension adjust procedure (where you loosen and re-tighten the little > bolt). I backed it out exactly three turns and upon re-tightening, it > turned easily for the first turn and had some resistance thereafter. > Seems curious. > > Anyway, I went for one of those > 10PM-on-a-Sunday-I-really-should-be-going-to-bed rides and the bike was > doing fine for the first 10 miles. At one point, I went down a side > street, turned around, and got back up to 4k rpm (60mph) on the highway. > Gee, this vibration is pretty bad all of the sudden. I don't remember > feeling my spine transmit seat vibration into my cranium a few minutes > ago. Not good. I rode the bike home and checked the tightness of the > engine mount fasteners that I could reach without taking the bike apart. > They were all tight. I plan to check the rest of them tonight (once I > have my service manuals). > > Is it possible that my counter-balancer chain has jumped a tooth due to a > defective tensioner? How much effort is it to remove the engine cover and > check the timing marks? Are any special service tools required for this? > > I rode the bike to work this morning on the freeway. 45 miles at steady > 5k rpm - I've made this commute several times before. I've been here for > 90 minutes and my hands still haven't recovered from the vibration. > Something is definitely wrong. > > This A14, with 1600 miles on it, has been reduced from "swiss army knife" > to "pathetic toy". Hell, it's not even a toy - Toys are supposed to be > fun to play with. I'm going to cross my fingers and hope that it's just a > loose engine mount fastener. > > While we're on the subject, I want to buy a throttle lock, gel grips, 16T > sprocket, and maybe handlebars. Even if I get the vibes fixed, I'd still > like to have some improvement over the "normal" vibration level. If the > vibes are here to stay, I have to try to make it tolerable for a while > until my conscience will let me sell the bike. > > I've seen quite a bit of discussion regarding install procedures for > various throttle locks. Are there any "no futzing required" solutions on > the market? Buy from Fred? Which grips are the agreed-upon best grips > for reducing vibes? I'd like to add as much grip diameter as possible. > Get these from Fred, too? Handlebars? Which ones? Fred? > > I'd search the archives and try to fish for all this information but I > need to be doing work, not wasting time while fighting with Listquest's > damned lousy search engine looking for solutions to this $5000 problem I > just acquired. > > RM > > > > > > > > > Visit the KLR650 archives at > http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 > Support Dual Sport News... dsneditor@... > Let's keep this list SPAM free! > > Visit our site at http://www.egroups.com/group/DSN_klr650 > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@egroups.com > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > > Visit the KLR650 archives at > http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 > Support Dual Sport News... dsneditor@... > Let's keep this list SPAM free! > > Visit our site at http://www.egroups.com/group/DSN_klr650 > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@egroups.com > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ >

[richardm@gowinnt.com]

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., Bogdan Swider wrote:

> Whoa !! This is serious. I believe the balancer adjustment

mechanism took a

> dump. Those of us that have been in there and observed have

verified what

> klr guru Elden Carl has long maintained. One turn is all you need

to loosen

> the adjuster; more than that and you risk it falling off. I know

the manual

> says three. With 1600k this is a warranty problem. Trailer the bike

in;

> don't ride, the engine might lock up as happened to Kurt G.

Well, against your advice I gently rode the bike home. I took side streets and kept it under 3.5k rpm. This little ride home confirms that the vibration is not in my imagination. I have a NASTY resonation at 3.5k rpm that rattles my fillings and makes street lights appear to flicker (eye tricks). I removed the left engine cover and realized that I can't see very much with the rotor in the way. With the cover off, I loosened the adjuster bolt one turn and gently moved the slide lever (13168A) back and forth with a screwdriver. In one direction I'm pushing against a spring. In the other direction it seems to move freely. So I guess the spring is OK and in position. Maybe? With the bolt re-tightened, I rotated the engine to TDC and looked at the one counterbalancer that I can see a little bit of (possibly 13164). There appears to be a timing dot that's positioned straight up. That doesn't tell me much. Next, I did a little screw-up. I totally removed the retainer bolt and watched in awe as lever 13168A popped off of idler-shaft 39115. I was hoping to be able to see 13168 - As it is now, I can't locate that part. Oh well, not a major screwup since I wanted to pull the rotor to inspect the counterbalancer positioning anyway. Soooo, now I'm in need of the two rotor pulling tools. I can call Fred or I can try to mooch one from a local for a few days. Anyone in SoCal have these tools? I'd be willing to leave a cash deposit to ensure their return (after all, you guys don't know me from Jack). If you e-mail me to offer the use of your tools, be sure to include the name of your favorite beer. Being that this is a new bike, should I be able to re-use the outer (and possibly inner) engine cover gaskets? The one I've pulled looks fine. Do they need a sealant of some sort? Someone wrote to me and said that if the chain jumped a cog, the bike wouldn't run right. I'm thinking that maybe just one of the counterbalancers is out of sync while everything else stayed in proper timing. Then again, maybe I'm just full of shite. RM

[PRBKLR@cs.com]

I am all for working on your own bike and learning the ins and outs, but with something this new, man you should have taken it back to Kawi dealer and had it fixed under warranty! Now you are stuck with a practically brand new bike with missing pieces... and I am betting close to void warranty! Good luck! richardm@... wrote:

> > --- In DSN_klr650@y..., Bogdan Swider wrote: > > > Whoa !! This is serious. I believe the balancer adjustment > mechanism took a > > dump. Those of us that have been in there and observed have > verified what > > klr guru Elden Carl has long maintained. One turn is all you need > to loosen > > the adjuster; more than that and you risk it falling off. I know > the manual > > says three. With 1600k this is a warranty problem. Trailer the bike > in; > > don't ride, the engine might lock up as happened to Kurt G. > > Well, against your advice I gently rode the bike home. I took side > streets and kept it under 3.5k rpm. This little ride home confirms > that the vibration is not in my imagination. I have a NASTY > resonation at 3.5k rpm that rattles my fillings and makes street > lights appear to flicker (eye tricks). > > I removed the left engine cover and realized that I can't see very > much with the rotor in the way. > > With the cover off, I loosened the adjuster bolt one turn and gently > moved the slide lever (13168A) back and forth with a screwdriver. In > one direction I'm pushing against a spring. In the other direction > it seems to move freely. So I guess the spring is OK and in > position. Maybe? > > With the bolt re-tightened, I rotated the engine to TDC and looked at > the one counterbalancer that I can see a little bit of (possibly > 13164). There appears to be a timing dot that's positioned straight > up. That doesn't tell me much. > > Next, I did a little screw-up. I totally removed the retainer bolt > and watched in awe as lever 13168A popped off of idler-shaft 39115. > I was hoping to be able to see 13168 - As it is now, I can't locate > that part. Oh well, not a major screwup since I wanted to pull the > rotor to inspect the counterbalancer positioning anyway. > > Soooo, now I'm in need of the two rotor pulling tools. I can call > Fred or I can try to mooch one from a local for a few days. Anyone > in SoCal have these tools? I'd be willing to leave a cash deposit to > ensure their return (after all, you guys don't know me from Jack). > If you e-mail me to offer the use of your tools, be sure to include > the name of your favorite beer. > > Being that this is a new bike, should I be able to re-use the outer > (and possibly inner) engine cover gaskets? The one I've pulled looks > fine. Do they need a sealant of some sort? > > Someone wrote to me and said that if the chain jumped a cog, the bike > wouldn't run right. I'm thinking that maybe just one of the > counterbalancers is out of sync while everything else stayed in > proper timing. Then again, maybe I'm just full of shite. > > RM > PS. Did Electrex ever get their aftermarket stator problems sorted > out? > > PPS. Girlfriend 1.0 is having serious doubts about the quality of the > KLR. Clutch-switch issues, vibration issues, sidestand switch that's > guaranteed to fail... I'm looking forward to paying off the KLR and > adding a ZR-7 or maybe a Bandit6 to the stable. That way I'll have > something to ride while the KLR is in pieces. > > > Visit the KLR650 archives at > http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 > Support Dual Sport News... dsneditor@... > Let's keep this list SPAM free! > > Visit our site at http://www.egroups.com/group/DSN_klr650 > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@egroups.com > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > >

[k650dsn@aol.com]

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., PRBKLR@c... wrote:

> > > > PPS. Girlfriend 1.0 is having serious doubts about the quality of

the

> > KLR. Clutch-switch issues, vibration issues, sidestand switch

that's

> > guaranteed to fail... I'm looking forward to paying off the KLR

and

> > adding a ZR-7 or maybe a Bandit6 to the stable. That way I'll

have

> > something to ride while the KLR is in pieces. > >

Sorry about your misfortunes and not to be disrespectful, but from what I've read, you have spent more time wrenching on you new KLR that I have spent total on my 95 KLR650 with 30K miles. KLR650 reliability is not an issue. Gino