swingarm gouging caused by bent passenger peg... cause for alar

[sweetbellsonbike]

I just bought my 2001 KLR650 about a month ago and have only ridden about 70 miles. Riding home from work tonight my engine went rough - then got worse! It began to stall so I had to keep the revs up for it to stay alive. Above 3 grand, while it's pulling, it runs. As soon as I let off the gas it sputters and backfires while coasting and dies if I pull in the clutch without reving it. Any obvious things I should check? If it was a V8 I'd be checking the timing - it seems exacly like that's the right type of symptom. Being new to engines on 2 wheels I can't find the distributor Really though - I'm handy enough, but my Amazon ordered manual isn't coming for a week or 2., so any tips would be appreciated. Brian

[E.L. Green]

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

> > I just bought my 2001 KLR650 about a month ago and have only ridden > about 70 miles. > > Riding home from work tonight my engine went rough - then got worse! > It began to stall so I had to keep the revs up for it to stay alive. > Above 3 grand, while it's pulling, it runs. As soon as I let off the > gas it sputters and backfires while coasting and dies if I pull in the > clutch without reving it. > > Any obvious things I should check?

Two obvious things: 1. Vacuum leak. Check to make sure the hose to the vacuum-operated fuel petcock is still intact, and that the hose going from the tee to the emissions thingamabob (for Kalifornia models) didn't slip off. Plug the hose to the emissions thingamabob and see if that helps. 2. Got gunk in your carburetor. Especially likely if this bike has been sitting around and varnished and rusted up inside the gas tank, which sounds likely since you say you've ridden it less than 70 miles in a month and it's likely the DPO was even less interested in the bike (otherwise he wouldn't have sold it). Pull the float bowl off and dump the gas out of it, then spray everything up there with carb cleaner. If it was an ignition problem, RPM's wouldn't matter, it'd be crap everywhere. Oh, get rid of the old crap gas in the gas tank too. Might just want to pull the gas tank off and both get rid of all the dregs, and rinse it out good with MEK or Stoddard Solvent (available at your local hardware store) to get rid of any rust and varnish in the thing. Also pull the petcock off and make sure that the screens are intact so that bigger gunk can't get into your carb. Gunk in the tank and carb is a common affliction of low-mileage KLR's that haven't been properly stored in the off season. Not a problem with my own KLR, of course . -E

[KLRDON]

Also put a small fuel filter in the line tween the petcock and carb. See thru ones are good and pretty cheap. Don M

----- Original Message ----- From: "E.L. Green" To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2006 1:43 AM Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Re: engine problem... > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "sweetbellsonbike" > wrote: >> >> I just bought my 2001 KLR650 about a month ago and have only ridden >> about 70 miles. >> >> Riding home from work tonight my engine went rough - then got worse! >> It began to stall so I had to keep the revs up for it to stay alive. >> Above 3 grand, while it's pulling, it runs. As soon as I let off the >> gas it sputters and backfires while coasting and dies if I pull in the >> clutch without reving it. >> >> Any obvious things I should check? > > Two obvious things: > > 1. Vacuum leak. Check to make sure the hose to the vacuum-operated > fuel petcock is still intact, and that the hose going from the tee to > the emissions thingamabob (for Kalifornia models) didn't slip off. > Plug the hose to the emissions thingamabob and see if that helps. > > 2. Got gunk in your carburetor. Especially likely if this bike has > been sitting around and varnished and rusted up inside the gas tank, > which sounds likely since you say you've ridden it less than 70 miles > in a month and it's likely the DPO was even less interested in the > bike (otherwise he wouldn't have sold it). Pull the float bowl off and > dump the gas out of it, then spray everything up there with carb > cleaner. If it was an ignition problem, RPM's wouldn't matter, it'd be > crap everywhere. Oh, get rid of the old crap gas in the gas tank too. > Might just want to pull the gas tank off and both get rid of all the > dregs, and rinse it out good with MEK or Stoddard Solvent (available > at your local hardware store) to get rid of any rust and varnish in > the thing. Also pull the petcock off and make sure that the screens > are intact so that bigger gunk can't get into your carb. > > Gunk in the tank and carb is a common affliction of low-mileage KLR's > that haven't been properly stored in the off season. Not a problem > with my own KLR, of course . > > -E > > > > > > > Archive Quicksearch at: > http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/klr650_data_search.html > List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: www.dualsportnews.com > List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html > Member Map at: http://www.frappr.com/dsnklr650 > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.407 / Virus Database: 268.12.12/462 - Release Date: 10/3/2006 > >

[Arden Kysely]

Mine did that recently. I'd just left work early on a Friday for a weekend trip. With 220 miles on the trip odo I switched to reserve so I wouldn't run out of gas on the freeway home. It immediately began to run like you describe. I stopped to fill the tank, barely got it re-started, and rode home. Figuring there was some water in the tank that the reserve tube picked up, I dumped some Sea Foam in the tank. After changing clothes and packing the bike, I fired it back up and haven't had another problem. Grab a gas treatment that has some ethanol in it (STP is one) and give it a try. Won't hurt and it's a lot easier than disassembling things. Could be just a little H2O in the low speed circuit. __Arden --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "sweetbellsonbike" wrote:

> > I just bought my 2001 KLR650 about a month ago and have only ridden > about 70 miles. > > Riding home from work tonight my engine went rough - then got worse! > It began to stall so I had to keep the revs up for it to stay

alive.

> Above 3 grand, while it's pulling, it runs. As soon as I let off

the

> gas it sputters and backfires while coasting and dies if I pull in

the

> clutch without reving it. > > Any obvious things I should check? If it was a V8 I'd be checking > the timing - it seems exacly like that's the right type of symptom. > Being new to engines on 2 wheels I can't find the distributor > > Really though - I'm handy enough, but my Amazon ordered manual isn't > coming for a week or 2., so any tips would be appreciated. > > Brian >

[Chris Norloff]

Or if you use gasoline with ethanol already in it, like the E10 here in the Washington, DC, area, you won't accumulate water in the gas! A friend would always run on reserve for several miles after filling the tank, just to get out any possible water that had been introduced with the fillup. I thought it was a good idea, but I'd worry about forgetting it's on reserve and running it out of gas (BTDT ...) Chris ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: "Arden Kysely" Date: Wed, 04 Oct 2006 13:57:54 -0000

>Mine did that recently. I'd just left work early on a Friday for a >weekend trip. With 220 miles on the trip odo I switched to reserve so >I wouldn't run out of gas on the freeway home. It immediately began >to run like you describe. I stopped to fill the tank, barely got it >re-started, and rode home. Figuring there was some water in the tank >that the reserve tube picked up, I dumped some Sea Foam in the tank. >After changing clothes and packing the bike, I fired it back up and >haven't had another problem. Grab a gas treatment that has some >ethanol in it (STP is one) and give it a try. Won't hurt and it's a >lot easier than disassembling things. Could be just a little H2O in >the low speed circuit. > >__Arden > >--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "sweetbellsonbike" >wrote: >> >> I just bought my 2001 KLR650 about a month ago and have only ridden >> about 70 miles. >> >> Riding home from work tonight my engine went rough - then got worse! >> It began to stall so I had to keep the revs up for it to stay >alive. >> Above 3 grand, while it's pulling, it runs. As soon as I let off >the >> gas it sputters and backfires while coasting and dies if I pull in >the >> clutch without reving it. >> >> Any obvious things I should check? If it was a V8 I'd be checking >> the timing - it seems exacly like that's the right type of symptom. >> Being new to engines on 2 wheels I can't find the distributor >> >> Really though - I'm handy enough, but my Amazon ordered manual isn't >> coming for a week or 2., so any tips would be appreciated. >> >> Brian >> > > > > > > > >Archive Quicksearch at: http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/klr650_data_search.html >List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: www.dualsportnews.com >List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html >Member Map at: http://www.frappr.com/dsnklr650 >Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > >

[Norm Keller]

A problem with welding is that it affects the treatment of the material. The aluminium alloy in the swing arm may be hardened by heat treatment. Adding filler material of a different alloy and changing the treatment of the swing arm may not result in a stronger arm than leaving it as is. If it were mine, an Ebay search would be the option. Consider the consequences of a swing arm failure. Just my $0.02, Norm [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Blake Sobiloff]

On 10/3/06, sweetbellsonbike wrote:

> Riding home from work tonight my engine went rough - then got worse!

Another possibility is that the gas tank vent tube is plugged. If it happens to you again before you get a chance to clean the carb, try opening the gas tank fillter cap and see if the problem goes away. This is probably a long-shot, but I thought I'd add it to the list of possibilities. Good luck! -- Blake Sobiloff http://sobiloff.typepad.com/> http://sobiloff.typepad.com/klr_adventure/> San Jose, CA (USA)