problem with fit of galfer green piston side front pad for 2000 kaw

[Edmund Ho]

Hello, Could sombody provide me the diameter of the forks for the KLR650 p[lease? I have scoured the parts diagrams etc.. are they 38mm, 41mm or 43mm? Thanks Ed

[Mike Torst]

38mm. Mike Torst Las Vegas

> -----Original Message----- > From: Edmund Ho [mailto:ed-ho@...] > Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 11:13 PM > To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com > Subject: [DSN_klr650] diameter of KLR forks? > > Hello, > > Could sombody provide me the diameter of the forks for the KLR650 > p[lease? > > I have scoured the parts diagrams etc.. are they 38mm, 41mm or 43mm? > > Thanks > > Ed >

[Wishart, John]

Galfer Tech Support: Recently I purchased and installed a set of Galfer stainless steel brake lines (front & rear) and Galfer green pads (front) and Galfer black pads (rear) for my 2000 Kawasaki KLR650 motorcycle. The installation was problem-free except for one item. The front pad backing plate that fits against the piston did not fit in the caliper properly. As I had it originally installed, the backing plate would cock slightly in the caliper and not allow the pad to seat flat against the brake rotor. This manifested itself in the symptom of not being able to get the brakes bled properly to have a firm stop when the front brake lever was pulled. After several attempts at bleeding the front brake system, I removed the caliper and pads. I compared the size of the Galfer backing plate with the original backing plate. They appeared to be the same. However, when I installed the Galfer piston side pad back in the caliper, I had great difficulty in getting the retaining pin through the hole in the backing plate. The hole in the piston side backing plate did not line up properly with the holes in the caliper. When I forced the pin through the hole, this offset the backing plate position so that it bound up on the caliper. Note: the backing plate did not appear to be bent. To correct the problem, I had to file out one side of the backing plate hole and also remove material on the edges of the backing plate where it was binding. After I did this, everything fit OK and the remainder of the installation proceeded normally. I have put about 200 miles or so on the new brakes and they work fine. They are a substantial improvement over the OEM brakes. As I am a graduate mechanical engineer, I thought that you should be aware of this problem and check the fit of your KLR650 front pad piston side backing plate against a current production KLR650 front caliper. If you would like, I can send you the pad I modified, IF you can send me a replacement that fits properly. Sincerely, John Wishart [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]