chain and spocket

[Ross Lindberg]

With 15,000 miles on the clock, my 2006 KLR was in dire need of a rear shock. Actually, the shock was pretty much junk at 8,000 miles, but being cheap I figured I would try to squeeze one more year of riding out of it. Bad idea. The stock shock was soft as the riding season in MN began, and it wasn t long before it was very clear that it wouldn t make it another summer. Even with the preload cranked up to 5, the rear suspension compressed to the point where using the sidestand was a risky proposition. The bike would sag and want to tip over on its right side if I was not careful. A few miles of riding warmed up the shock oil and made the problem even worse. Clearly I was going to have to do something, no matter the cost. The overly soft shock was also taking its toll on the handling, both on and off road. On the road and loaded, the bike felt light in the front and it wallowed down the road. On the trail with all the luggage off, it wouldn t turn corners and the handling was loose and unpredictable. The handling had gotten so bad that it had become a matter of safety. Time to do some serious shopping. Here s what my shopping yielded. Stock shock from Local Dealer $450 Overpriced junk. The same crap I just took off. Not worth it at any price. Buy used off E-Bay? How do you know you re not getting a worn out shock? Progressive shock from Arrowhead $551.95 + shipping Progressive has been around for a long time. Some folks are happy with them, but there are more than a few complaints about gas leakage and other problems. While I like doing business with Fred, a call to Progressive didn t impress me. I wound up talking to some bored kid who just wanted to sell me a one-shock-fits-all solution. That s okay, I have a long list of other goodies to get from Fred. Rebuilt stock shock from Happy Trails Stage 1 Rebuild - $288.23 Stage 2 Rebuild - $467.50 Stage 3 Rebuild - $750.87 These are definitely a big improvement over stock with premium components installed, but you still have the stock cast shock body and only five preload adjustments. For that kind of money I expect a little more. Moab Shock from Cogent Dynamics - $581 delivered. Premium components throughout. Entirely custom built to your needs. Infinite preload adjustment. Easy, no tools required rebound adjustment. Reasonable rebuild cost. So why did I choose the Moab Shock? After reviewing prices and what you get for the money, the Moab shock looks downright affordable. The next thing that really got my attention was the customer service. When you call Cogent Dynamics you ll be talking with Joyce Tannenbaum. Joyce and her husband Rick are the driving force behind the Moab shock. When you call Joyce, she just doesn t take your money and send you an off-the-shelf pre-built shock; rather you should be prepared to answer a lot of questions. She will be asking you about your weight, height, what type of riding you do, how much gear you carry on your bike, etc. All this information goes on a build sheet that follows your shock through the manufacturing process, and becomes part of the permanent record maintained for the shock. Rick reviews all the information you provide, and then makes a plan how your shock should be set up. Joyce will then call you back and discuss the recommended settings and cover any questions. Joyce is very friendly and extremely knowledgeable about motorcycle suspensions and will happily answer all your questions. Rick runs the shop and personally builds each shock. The machining of the parts is done by a trusted outside vendor, and they are built in small lots to help ensure quality. When the machined parts arrive at Cogent, Rick personally inspects each part and assembles the shocks himself. Each shock is completed one at a time with your build sheet along side it. Rick tailors each individual shock to its future owner, setting the valveing, spring rate and dampening accordingly. Rick is extremely busy in the shop building shocks so it is rare to be able to talk with him on the phone, but I was lucky enough to be able to speak with him and ask a few questions and discuss the recommendations he had for my application. He suggested that the main shaft be shortened by because of my short 29 inseam. He said that this would reduce the seat height by 1 and would make it easier for me to touch the ground while stopped. With a properly sprung shock, I wouldn t have the soft sagginess that I had become accustomed to when mounting the bike. I was hesitant to lose 1 of travel, but he assured me that I would be happy with the reduced seat height, and that the spring and the valve settings he selected would pretty much make certain that I would never notice the loss of travel. He also advised me that with the new rear shock, it was very likely that I would want to upgrade the front suspension with either Gold Valve cartridge emulators or Intimidators. I decided to wait until winter though when I plan to disassemble the forks and do a thorough service on them. When ordering the shock I also opted to spring for the $20 bearing option. This is a thin needle bearing that fits between the spring and the preload adjustment nut, making preload adjustments much easier. There is no maintenance required with this option, and it is so thin that you won t even know its there until you adjust the preload. Now all I had to do was be patient and wait. I called to order my shock when Joyce and Rick were at the last day of a motorcycle rally out east somewhere, so my name was a ways down the list, but Rick worked a lot of overtime, got caught up and delivered my shock in a very reasonable amount of time. Joyce called me when it shipped and gave me the Fed-Ex tracking number. When the big day arrived, I think I scared the delivery guy by how fast I came out of the house. I was surprised to see the job of packing Joyce had done. The interior of the box was thoroughly padded so no shifting of the contents could occur, and the shock was packed again inside another tube. What was really interesting to note is that on the outside of the storage tube is a neatly printed sticker with some of the build info and your name on it. Remember that build sheet I was telling you about? Here is where that comes in. The package includes a copy of the build sheet for your records, and the shock is stamped with a serial number so they can pull up the build specs when you send it in for service. Rick recommends that the shock be returned to then for a service every 15,000 miles or two years. The service consists of a thorough internal cleaning, fresh oil and seals and a complete inspection of all parts. Assuming you haven t had a crash of a lifetime and damaged the shock, Rick figured the cost of a service at a very reasonable $75. Another great feature of the serial number is that should you purchase a used bike with a Moab shock, Rick can look back in his records and see who the shock was originally built for, compare your information to that of the previous owner, and rebuild the shock to fit your specifications. Try that with any other shock manufacturer. The package also included a 12 page manual for the shock covering suspension theory, installation and set-up instructions, a pre-load adjusting tool, a few cool stickers and another small package carefully wrapped in bubble pack. I was wondering what it could be, and you can imagine my surprise when I found a package of Life-Savers candies that Joyce that sent with. I haven t had those since I was a kid, and the smile it brought me as well as the thoughtful, personal touch by Joyce made this a special purchase indeed. The build quality and the components that go into the Moab shock are simply stunning. I used to be a toolmaker working with extremely close tolerance medical parts and plastic injection molds, so I know great machining when I see it. All aluminum parts are anodized and the spring is made to Cogent s specifications by Eibach. Eibach is known for building springs and suspension components for road racing cars, so you know it s a quality spring. Before I installed the shock I showed it to a riding buddy Steve Nielsen, and we both just stared at it. Finally Steve said Something that beautiful belongs in a place of honor, like on the mantle. It s a shame to put something that nice in a bike where it s going to get dirty. He is right, but finally I gritted my teeth and installed the shock, after all it is a tool built to do a job and it s meant to be used. Installation is pretty easy, but mine had a couple of minor kinks. First, I have a centerstand on my bike, and it wouldn t fold all the way down with the bike on my motorcycle jack. I fixed that minor irritation by bungee strapping it to the jack. Problem solved. The second problem I had was that the bolt on the bottom of the shock that goes through the linkage would not come out. No way, no how; so I had to take the added step of removing the linkage to remove the shock. I then decided that since I had it this far apart, I might as well take it the rest of the way apart and re-grease all the bearings again. I had greased my suspension a little over a year ago after hearing horror stories about bolts and pivot points being rusted solid. I figured things would be in good shape with the thorough cleaning and greasing I had given them, and for the most part things were in good shape. I was surprised to find some water in places it shouldn t be though. No damage had yet been done, but I can t stress enough the importance of greasing your suspension. Things went back together without a problem, so it was time to set the sag. The included instruction manual does a good job of explaining suspension sag and gives a range where it should be set at. The measurements are given in millimeters, so I did a little converting. Using my motorcycle jack I determined that the unloaded height of my bike from a point on my rear luggage rack to the ground was 40 inches. Rick s instructions show measuring to the centerline of the rear axle, but with my panniers on that was easier said than done. With the help of my brother we determined that the loaded height was 34 inches; a static height of 6 inches. The manual recommends static sag of around 4 inches, so I had a bit of adjusting to do. The supplied adjustment tool works very well. It s simply a straight metal rod with a 45 degree angle bent on one end so you have some flexibility in getting into the tight area on the left side of the bike. As a rough estimate, 3 turns of the adjustment nut yields approximately a inch change in static height. The preload nut has a series of holes around the perimeter that you install the rod in and swing the nut accordingly. One of the holes is a threaded hole that held a locking screw on some of the earlier models. Through testing it was determined that the locking screw was not needed, but the threaded hole was retained as it makes a very handy indicator for counting how many turns you have made with the nut. My brother got too busy to help, and since he was keeping my dad out of my hair, I figured I d leave him alone. I enlisted my 9 year old nephew Brekken to help with the measurements as I adjusted the preload. Brekken always thinks it s a special treat to help Uncle Ross in the shop and I was pleasantly surprised at what a capable helper he was. He made sure the tape measure was square to the ground to ensure accurate measurements. He could even read the tape in fractions. When he was taking the final measurement, I thought it was taking a long time for him to give me the final number. I looked in the rear view mirror to see that he decided to measure from the ceiling to the bike. It was good for a laugh and I had a fun morning with Brekken asking lots of questions and me explaining my limited knowledge of suspension theory. Since I had quite a bit of adjusting to do due to the added weight of all my gear, I was very happy that I opted for the needle bearing option. It makes preload adjustments so much easier. Rebound adjustment is extremely easy with no tools required. There is an anodized knob on the bottom of the shock shaft just above the clevis where it attaches to the linkage. There are 25+ adjustment clicks, and it is easy to turn by hand. Originally I had planned on an immediate test ride, but other projects got in the way. After work on Monday curiosity got the best of me and I decided to go for a test ride. The weather wasn t the greatest with light rain and gusty 35 M.P.H. winds, but I was really wondering if my money had been well spent and if I would be happy with my purchase. I was most concerned about the effect the heavier spring would have on the ride quality, as I have two ruptured disks in my low back and simply can t handle much pounding anymore. My first impression was that the bike stood much taller than I was used to, and much more level. The tail end wasn t sagging as I had become accustomed to. I certainly am happy that Rick talked me into shortening the shock by inch, as I can just so barely touch the ground now. I m not sure how to describe the ride other than firm but plush. The bike felt composed, and the front tire seems as if it was glued to the gravel of my driveway. My driveway is mile long, and as I was gaining confidence in the new feel, I hit the lone pothole at maybe 30 M.P.H. to see what the ride was like. Strangely I felt the pothole through the front suspension, but not the rear. I turned right at the end of the driveway and headed down more gravel roads instead of taking the pavement. Normally I would head for the pavement, but I had to find out if the sensations of a composed ride and competent handling were my imagination or reality. It turned out to be reality. No matter the conditions, hard pan, loose sand or marbles, the bike was confident and composed. I rode about 5 miles of gravel with a stiff side wind and I never felt uneasy. The bike went and stayed wherever on the road I pointed it. Next, I figured I would try some pavement riding. 5 miles of bumpy, patched pavement. The change in the ride is phenomenal. I would have never believed that such a stiff spring could produce such a supple ride, but it s true. I thought my front suspension was unbelievably smooth with Progressive springs and 7 weight oil, but the front is now a bit harsh compared to the rear. Not objectionably so, but I can definitely feel the difference. As much as I enjoyed the smooth ride on the pavement, I had to get back on the gravel and see if this was all for real. I turned off on a minimum maintenance road, then immediately questioned my decision. It had been recently graveled with marbles ranging from to 1 in diameter, and graded to about 2 deep. This is the kind of crap that has always been a high pucker factor for me, as the bike would tend to plow with the front wheel and wander all over the road regardless of my inputs. Different tires, fork springs and a fork brace had made a noticeable difference, but I still have never felt comfortable or totally in control on loose, deep gravel. I thought about all you guys who would benefit from an honest road test, so I gritted my teeth and took off. The bike was stable even in the wind and felt composed over crap that used to scare the crap out of me. No matter how deep the gravel, or how slippery, the front tire felt solid and planted and never once plowed. By 1/3 of a mile I looked at the speedometer and realized I was up to 50 MPH. This speed is totally unheard of for me on this type of surface, yet I was comfortable and felt totally in control. It honestly was like riding a totally different motorcycle than the wobbly goblin I ve put 15,000 miles on. 6 miles of marbles, then it was back to the last mile of decent gravel and home to the shop before the heavier rain moved back in. Heading down the driveway I whacked the lone pothole again at speed just for fun. The Moab shock soaked it up like it wasn t even there. As much of a difference the Progressive fork springs made, the Moab shock made an even bigger difference. Now the weak point of the suspension is the forks. Clearly either Race Tech Emulators or Intimidators are next on the list for me. My verdict? The Moab shock is a quality component that will increase the handling, comfort and enjoyment of your KLR immensely. There simply is no comparison to the stock shock. My bike never rode or handled this well when it was new, much less after a few thousand miles. Now I realize that there are many riders out there with a higher riding ability and a lot more miles under their belt than I who will say that they ve been happy with the stock shock and can t see any good reason for spending the money. If you are happy, well more power to you. But if you get a chance to test ride a bike with the Moab shock, it will change your mind because you will feel what you have been missing. It s like the difference between a Piper Cub and a Lear Jet. With the obvious build quality and the top shelf components, I think the Moab shock should be considered a reasonably priced long term investment that will pay off for many miles and years to come. Cogent Dynamics 33 Meadow Brook Drive Fletcher, NC 28732 828-628-9025 www.motocd.com http://www.motocd.com/> Ross Lindberg Fertile, MN [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Robert Waters]

Don, Often the search function does not work well. At least for me. At any rate, I had about 14500 miles on the chain and it was pretty well warn out. However, the sprockets seemed to have little ware. One person advised previously that I might not need to change the sprockets, but others said to do it. I'm still not sure I needed to change the sprockets. rw Re: Chain and Spocket Posted by: "spike55_bmw" spike55_bmw@... spike55_bmw Fri Aug 21, 2009 3:13 pm (PDT) A quick search didn't turn up any background on your mileage that required the new chain and sprockets. Please advise. Don R100, A6F

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogro ups.com, Robert Waters wrote: > > Well, I got my new chain and sprockets in yesterday. Installed it all and now my bike does not have sounds that you should not be hearing. The chain was worn out. However, the old sprockets appeared to have much more life left than the new ones. THe new ones had much sharper points on the teeth. At any rate, I'm glad it is done and I'm going to try to take better care of this chain. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[fasteddiecopeman]

GREAT write-up Ross! Ed