shifting problems ?

[prackley]

I have an '05 that I've been using on the highway quite a bit and the cross winds kill me so I'm thinking of trying a lower mounting front fender or a fork brace or both. What's then general opinion on what would work best ofr more control on the highway during windy days? I did go to Fred's site to order the UFO fender, but I noticed he's out of stock until 7/1. Does anyone know of any other sources I could order the UFO superbike low front fender? TIA, Peter A19

[Harry Seifert]

I put a low front fender on 18 months ago, although I used a KTM motard fender along with a K-9 forkbrace. I've run my stock 21" w/a Pirelli Scorpion and my 18" 120/80 18 Michelin with the lowered fender and it has greatly decreased the effect of sidewinds. I also found that removing the stock barndoor hand- guards totally eliminated any and all sidewind effects in the land of the great Santa Ana winds. Maybe Fred can get you an Acerbis motard fender.................up until two years ago, they were the plastics supplier to KTM. Good riding Buddy bseifert71@...

> [Original Message] > From: prackley > To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> > Date: 5/12/2008 7:06:18 AM > Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Low Front Fender/Fork Brace > > I have an '05 that I've been using on the highway quite a bit and the > cross winds kill me so I'm thinking of trying a lower mounting front > fender or a fork brace or both. What's then general opinion on what > would work best ofr more control on the highway during windy days? > > I did go to Fred's site to order the UFO fender, but I noticed he's > out of stock until 7/1. Does anyone know of any other sources I could > order the UFO superbike low front fender? > > TIA, > > Peter > A19 > > > ------------------------------------ > > 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/dsnklr650Yahoo! Groups Links > > >

[E.L. Green]

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

> I have an '05 that I've been using on the highway quite a bit and the > cross winds kill me so I'm thinking of trying a lower mounting front > fender or a fork brace or both. What's then general opinion on what > would work best ofr more control on the highway during windy days?

1. Springing -- stiffen up the back so it doesn't sag so much. Too much sag takes too much weight off the front tire, which makes it unstable. 2. Tires -- street-oriented tires are much more stable in the wind. Also experiment with the pressure in your front tire -- too much will make it unstable, too little will make it not respond quickly enough when it's windy. 3. Head bearing -- should have just a tiny amount of drag, too much will make the bike sensitive to the wind, too little will make the bike sensitive to bumps. 4. *RIDING TECHNIQUE*. Riding technique is probably the most important thing here. When I'm in a strong crosswind, I practice my technique by taking my hands off the bars except for a very slight touch with my palms. I give inputs to the steering only to counter the bike's usual slow drift across the lane, and utterly ignore the fact that the bike is bobbing up and down and left and right madly as 60mph gusts blow from side to side. I've ridden the bike this way into the windiest place in the continental United States (Pointe Reyes) with no problem -- the bike keeps going straight while it bobs around. I have *NO* fork brace, and the OEM fender -- and no problem in the wind. In other words, set up your bike correctly, then *TRUST YOUR RIDE*. The KLR wants to go straight in the wind. The way its geometry is set up, it'll automatically tip into the wind enough to keep the wind from pushing it out of a straight line. If you try to "fight" the wind, all you'll do is make the KLR veer all over the place. With the correct technique, you're making very slight inputs to the handlebars to correct normal drift caused by the angle of the pavement and such, while the bike is automatically leaning left and right to counter the wind. You have to trust your ride, because if you try to counter the wind yourself, all you'll do is make the bike move all over the place on the pavement. I've ridden in 60mph gusts that shifted from left to right based on the geography of a mountain pass and all that happened is that my helmet kept getting whipped around from left to right -- the bike itself just kept going straight, with minor inputs to account for drift being all I did. If I'd tried fighting the wind, I would have been all over the road -- and probably off it. But because my KLR was set up correctly and I trusted it, I had no problem at all (other than a bit of whiplash from the wind whipping my helmet around!). -E

[Gary LaRue]

You know, I've noticed that on my '08 and even commented on it here, but no one else commented. I've often wondered if it was engineered that way or just chance. Thanks for answering that question. Lash ----- Original Message ---- From: E.L. Green To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 12:20:35 PM Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Re: Low Front Fender/Fork Brace

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogro ups.com, "prackley" wrote: The KLR wants to go straight in the wind. The way its geometry is set up, it'll automatically tip into the wind enough to keep the wind from pushing it out of a straight line. Recent Activity * 14 New Members * 5 New PhotosVisit Your Group Y! Sports for TV Access it for free Get Fantasy Sports stats on your TV. Yahoo! News Odd News You won't believe it, but it's true Weight Loss Group on Yahoo! Groups Get support and make friends online. . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[E.L. Green]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Harry Seifert" wrote:

> greatly decreased the effect of sidewinds. I also found that

removing the

> stock barndoor hand- guards totally eliminated any and all sidewind

effects

> in the land of the great Santa Ana winds.

Eep! There's people still running the stock handguards? I completely forgot about the effects of those in the wind, since I haven't run the stock handguards since about 1 month after I bought my KLR (I put on barkbusters with brushguards, which don't have that whole floppy parachute effect).

[Wayne Blackburn]

Try a acerbis supermoto fender .(looks cool to)

--- On Mon, 5/12/08, E.L. Green wrote: From: E.L. Green Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Re: Low Front Fender/Fork Brace To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, May 12, 2008, 2:20 PM --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogro ups.com, "prackley" wrote: > I have an '05 that I've been using on the highway quite a bit and the > cross winds kill me so I'm thinking of trying a lower mounting front > fender or a fork brace or both. What's then general opinion on what > would work best ofr more control on the highway during windy days? 1. Springing -- stiffen up the back so it doesn't sag so much. Too much sag takes too much weight off the front tire, which makes it unstable. 2. Tires -- street-oriented tires are much more stable in the wind. Also experiment with the pressure in your front tire -- too much will make it unstable, too little will make it not respond quickly enough when it's windy. 3. Head bearing -- should have just a tiny amount of drag, too much will make the bike sensitive to the wind, too little will make the bike sensitive to bumps. 4. *RIDING TECHNIQUE*. Riding technique is probably the most important thing here. When I'm in a strong crosswind, I practice my technique by taking my hands off the bars except for a very slight touch with my palms. I give inputs to the steering only to counter the bike's usual slow drift across the lane, and utterly ignore the fact that the bike is bobbing up and down and left and right madly as 60mph gusts blow from side to side. I've ridden the bike this way into the windiest place in the continental United States (Pointe Reyes) with no problem -- the bike keeps going straight while it bobs around. I have *NO* fork brace, and the OEM fender -- and no problem in the wind. In other words, set up your bike correctly, then *TRUST YOUR RIDE*. The KLR wants to go straight in the wind. The way its geometry is set up, it'll automatically tip into the wind enough to keep the wind from pushing it out of a straight line. If you try to "fight" the wind, all you'll do is make the KLR veer all over the place. With the correct technique, you're making very slight inputs to the handlebars to correct normal drift caused by the angle of the pavement and such, while the bike is automatically leaning left and right to counter the wind. You have to trust your ride, because if you try to counter the wind yourself, all you'll do is make the bike move all over the place on the pavement. I've ridden in 60mph gusts that shifted from left to right based on the geography of a mountain pass and all that happened is that my helmet kept getting whipped around from left to right -- the bike itself just kept going straight, with minor inputs to account for drift being all I did. If I'd tried fighting the wind, I would have been all over the road -- and probably off it. But because my KLR was set up correctly and I trusted it, I had no problem at all (other than a bit of whiplash from the wind whipping my helmet around!). -E ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

[Jeff Saline]

On Wed, 21 May 2008 06:54:01 -0700 (PDT) Terry Taylor writes:

> I have an '03 klr with the stock shift lever.The lever has 27000 > miles on it and there is some play or looseness as it sits on the > shaft.The splines that they attach to appear to be in good shape. > Recently I have noticed my first gear shift is harder to engage. It > also makes a more defined "clunk" sound as I shift down. > Mechanically it seems fine as it goes through the other gears > shifting up.Downshifting back to first requires a little more effort > to find it.The clutch itself feels fine as there is no slipping of > the clutch noticed.Do I simply need to replace a worn out shifter or > is there a tranny problem lurking in my future?Any help or advice > appreciated.

<><><><><><><><><> <><><><><><><><><> Terry, Have you tried tightening the bolt on the shifter lever to squeeze it tighter to the shaft? Is there a gap in the part of the shifter lever that surrounds the shaft that will allow the bolt to squeeze the gap smaller and tighten the lever on the shaft? If the gap is closed you could remove the bolt and then slide the shift lever off the shaft. Maybe make a mark on the lever and shaft so you can more easily return it to the same position. Then run a hacksaw blade through the gap to enlarge it so the bolt can squeeze the lever to the shaft. A cut off wheel on a die grinder will also work well for this procedure. Make sure the bolt turns freely and hasn't been over tightened and is about to break. That would be the first place I'd look for correction of your issue. If you take the lever off the shaft also inspect the welded area near the shaft as they are known to crack and bend there. Once the lever is tight to the shaft if you still have issues... Maybe change your oil as that can sometimes cause similar problems. 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, 79 R100RT