klr up and klr down

[Steven van Twuyver]

> Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 19:44:30 -0700 > From: "Oleg Sinitsin" > Subject: > > I hear a lot about the "doohickey". Can anyone shed some light for > uninitiated? > Oleg > A16

Sooner or later most KLRs implode unless you replace the doohickey. Kawasaki supplies replacement doohickeys that fail just like the original one. A failed doohickey makes a mess out of the whole motor and will cost thousands to repair. Only Jake Jakeman makes bomb-proof doohickeys. Contact Jake soon or soon your KLR will come down with doohickey disease. -svt-

[Dave Watkins]

"> Sooner or later most KLRs implode unless you replace the doohickey" Given the number of "failed" doohickey's reported by users and in conversation with the service manager at the local Kawi dealer I think that statements like this are a bit extreme. I do agree that Jake can supply a replacement dohickie that will however provide you peace of mind. Dave Watkins Calgary, Alberta Canada Voice: 1.403.701.5746 Fax: 1.403.266.0626 E-mail: dave@... WWW: http://www.davewatkins.net 1995 KLR650 "The Prodigal Son" (came home 4 years after it was stolen) NO DISCLAIMERS: I SAID IT, I MEANT IT, I STAND BEHIND IT

----- Original Message ----- From: "Steven van Twuyver" To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Sunday, September 29, 2002 11:49 PM Subject: [DSN_klr650] Doohickey Disease > > Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 19:44:30 -0700 > > From: "Oleg Sinitsin" > > Subject: > > > I hear a lot about the "doohickey". Can anyone shed some light for > > uninitiated? > > Oleg > > A16 > > > Sooner or later most KLRs implode unless you replace the doohickey. > Kawasaki supplies replacement doohickeys that fail just like the original > one. A failed doohickey makes a mess out of the whole motor and will cost > thousands to repair. Only Jake Jakeman makes bomb-proof doohickeys. > Contact Jake soon or soon your KLR will come down with doohickey disease. > -svt- > > > > Checkout Dual Sport News at http://www.dualsportnews.com List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: http://www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > >

[Russell Scott]

Is Jake paying you a commisson? Yeah, its a problem, but sooner or later a lot of other things are going to break on any machine. It depends on what your definition of sooner or later is. I have 30,000 on my bike, and last time I checked, my doohickey was disease free. Now it doesn't mean I may not replace it when the chain wears out, but that is not for at least another 10-20K. And I do agree its an outdated lousy design. I am also sure more KLR's have made it past 30,000 miles without a failure than with one. The key to having a disease free doohickey is not to overtighten or overloosen the adjuster bolt, and to replace the chain before it completely wears out. A tired chain can put more stress on the doohickey. Russell

----- Original Message ----- From: "Steven van Twuyver" To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Sunday, September 29, 2002 10:49 PM Subject: [DSN_klr650] Doohickey Disease > > Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 19:44:30 -0700 > > From: "Oleg Sinitsin" > > Subject: > > > I hear a lot about the "doohickey". Can anyone shed some light for > > uninitiated? > > Oleg > > A16 > > > Sooner or later most KLRs implode unless you replace the doohickey. > Kawasaki supplies replacement doohickeys that fail just like the original > one. A failed doohickey makes a mess out of the whole motor and will cost > thousands to repair. Only Jake Jakeman makes bomb-proof doohickeys. > Contact Jake soon or soon your KLR will come down with doohickey disease. > -svt- > > > > Checkout Dual Sport News at http://www.dualsportnews.com List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: http://www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > >

[Arden Kysely]

> Sooner or later most KLRs implode unless you replace the doohickey. > Kawasaki supplies replacement doohickeys that fail just like the

original

> one. A failed doohickey makes a mess out of the whole motor and

will cost

> thousands to repair. Only Jake Jakeman makes bomb-proof doohickeys. > Contact Jake soon or soon your KLR will come down with doohickey

disease.

> -svt-

While the doohickey is indeed a weak point in the KLR engine design, I think the above is a bit of hyperbole. My A1 went 40k miles without a sign of doohickey troubles before I sold it. I didn't put Jake's vastly improved doohickey into my A11 until nearly 20k trouble-free miles. One other weak point in the balancer chain mechanism is the doohickey spring. It can fail and cause the same types of problems as a failed doohickey (bits of hard metal floating around in engine are never a good thing). Jake also sells a new and improved spring. If you change out your doohickey, change the spring, too. www.sagebrushmachine.com As Jake likes to say, he sells peace of mind. Others have postulated that the jolt your engine gets when you put it in gear first thing in the morning while the clutch plates are stuck together can put strain on the doohickey. Also, regular balancer chain adjustment, a 1 minute task, is highly recommended. Also recommended is having the bike as upright as possible or even leaned to the right some while you do the deed. __Arden

[Devon Jarvis]

Arden Kysely wrote:

> Others have postulated that the jolt your engine gets when you put it > in gear first thing in the morning while the clutch plates are stuck > together can put strain on the doohickey.

I remember hearing this a while back, but I don't think it makes sense. The engagement dogs on first gear get whacked when you first shift into gear in the morning, but that's it. And the transmission is designed to take shock-load impacts that far exceed what it takes to unstick the clutch plates. The morning clunk or bang (depending on how long your bikes has been sitting) is a disturbing nuisance but that's about it. I unstick the clutch before I shift into gear, because I find the noise unpleasant. Also, sometimes the bike will actually jump forward which is not safe for obvious reasons. But it has no bearing on the doohickey. Bikes with wet clutches have done this since the wet clutch was invented. Devon

[Darrel & Deanna]

The key to having a disease free doohickey is not to overtighten or overloosen the adjuster bolt, and to replace the chain before it completely wears out. A tired chain can put more stress on the doohickey. Russell ************ I would add blippin' the throttle heartlily whith the clutch lever in before snickin' her in gear -- when cold. The sudden jerk that results otherwise, probably puts unecessary strain on the idler lever and the suspect weld quality (disease). Darrel <--could've been me you saw on Engineer Pass along with 20 others. A12 -- 31K miles, original doohickey, but 3rd drive chain about to go on.

[Darrel & Deanna]

The morning clunk or bang (depending on how long your bikes has been sitting) is a disturbing nuisance but that's about it. I unstick the clutch before I shift into gear, because I find the noise unpleasant. Also, sometimes the bike will actually jump forward which is not safe for obvious reasons. But it has no bearing on the doohickey. Bikes with wet clutches have done this since the wet clutch was invented. Devon **************** While this is true, it's unlikely that all those bikes had counterbalancer systems with KLR650 idler levers. The sudden torque applied to the idler lever when the balancer chain's slack is taken out, has got to put undue strain on that weak pup. Darrel A12

[Rick]

My 2001 KLR with 6000 miles just imploded due to the doohickey problem. "Mr. Balancer Chain, meet Mr. Cam Chain. Seize him!" I only put 253 miles on it as it was a used bike bought from a dealer. Luckily (no, make that VERY luckily) it is under warranty, or I would be facing a $2000 plus repair bill. You can bet that a stock doohickey will NEVER be put in my engine again, I'm getting Jake's very nice improved one-piece doohickey instead of the cheesy two-piece welded together OEM idler lever. Having an engine seize on me at 50 mph is not my idea of fun. In fact, it's horribly dangerous. I hope to never hear that grinding metal sound again in my lifetime. rick

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "Russell Scott" wrote: > Is Jake paying you a commisson? Yeah, its a problem, but sooner or later a > lot of other things are going to break on any machine. It depends on what > your definition of sooner or later is. I have 30,000 on my bike, and last > time I checked, my doohickey was disease free. Now it doesn't mean I may > not replace it when the chain wears out, but that is not for at least > another 10-20K. And I do agree its an outdated lousy design. I am also > sure more KLR's have made it past 30,000 miles without a failure than with > one.

[chris_rolt]

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., Devon Jarvis wrote:

> > The morning clunk or bang (depending on how long your bikes has been > sitting) is a disturbing nuisance but that's about it. I unstick the > clutch before I shift into gear, because I find the noise

unpleasant.

> Also, sometimes the bike will actually jump forward which is not

safe

> for obvious reasons. But it has no bearing on the doohickey. Bikes

with

> wet clutches have done this since the wet clutch was invented. >

In my experience you can eliminate the morning clunk on a cold transmission with either of these 2 methods: 1) Before starting the bike put the bike in gear, and pull in the clutch and roll the bike back and forth a foot or so to break the clutch plates free. 2) With the engine running in nuetral, squeeze the clutch lever & release it 4 or 5 times before putting the bike in gear. Now when you drop it into gear you shouldn't get that clunk.

[Zachariah Mully]

On Mon, 2002-09-30 at 13:27, chris_rolt wrote:

> > In my experience you can eliminate the morning clunk on a cold > transmission with either of these 2 methods: > > 1) Before starting the bike put the bike in gear, and pull in the > clutch and roll the bike back and forth a foot or so to break the > clutch plates free. > > 2) With the engine running in nuetral, squeeze the clutch lever & > release it 4 or 5 times before putting the bike in gear. Now when > you drop it into gear you shouldn't get that clunk. >

You forgot 3 and 4: 3) store it in a heated garage. 4) move south. Z