nklr some new equipment (big riders might take note) and a trip

[jay_ritchie]

Hey, Got my new KLR last Wed. and had it in the shop on Tuesday for its 500 mile service interval. Picked it up yesterday, but not sure if the valves got checked. Forgot to ask...and thought about it later. Didn't see anything on my invoice (new gasket...) to indicate the service. 1.2 hours of labor on the first service. Going back to ask, but wanted to know how much to push if my dealers says don't worry about it. Seems like this is pretty important, based on my reading on the Web... All help is appreciated. Thanks Jay

[rsanders30117]

Yes the first & subsequent valve checks are extremely important. So important, I suggest you do it yourself & begin keeping records. If lucky, all valve lashes will be acceptable & you will simple record their current values. If something is amiss, then you've done yourself a favor by catching early. After you've checked them a few times, you'll be able to judge how often your particular engine needs to be check. Remember, the valve lash changes the most on new engines, hence the 1st check is at only 500 miles. As the engine wears in, valve lash normally settles down to a slower rate of change but each engine & its operation is unique. --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "jay_ritchie" wrote:

> > Hey, > > Got my new KLR last Wed. and had it in the shop on Tuesday for its

500

> mile service interval. > > Picked it up yesterday, but not sure if the valves got checked.

Forgot

> to ask...and thought about it later. Didn't see anything on my

invoice

> (new gasket...) to indicate the service. 1.2 hours of labor on the > first service. Going back to ask, but wanted to know how much to

push

> if my dealers says don't worry about it. > > Seems like this is pretty important, based on my reading on the

Web...

> > All help is appreciated. > > Thanks > > Jay

[April Neave & Norm Keller]

Recent advice to record valve clearances and to keep records is right on target. I suggest that you make a form with columns for "Initial Clearance", "Initial Shim Number", "Adjusted Clearance", and "Adjusted Shim Number". Make a row for each valve. In this way you will be able to see changes in valve clearance and to decide whether greater or shorter intervals may be desirable for your machine combined with your riding style. Another advantage of keeping records is that you can go looking for shims without having to remove the cams, etc. This can be really important as you may be able to simply move one or more shims to other positions rather than ordering duplicates. In addition, you can simply check clearances and then consult your records to see which shims must be ordered. If one or more shims must be ordered in, it will save pulling the cams twice or having to leave the bike down while awaiting the shims. FWIW Norm

[dooden]

Wow I have been thinking about: http://www.rockymountainmc.com/Product_Details.atv?pid=00039954 At half the cost of these others you folks are posting, I suppose $90 is good enough for me. Out of Stock right now, but its spring time too.. Dooden A15 Green Ape --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Peter Meilstrup wrote:

> The VelocityGear jersey (http://www.highvelocitygear.com/armor.html) > has been on my wish list for a while, it's the only one I've seen so > far with CE approved armor. > > -pm

snip

[rsanders30117]

FWIW On a new KLR650 I strongly suggest: 1. Pull the axles & suspension pivot bolts ASAP & greasing them to prevent corrosion. This will save you much grief in the future by assuring easy removal for servicing. 2. Continuing step one, grease all the suspension pivots & wheel bearings with moly grease. Kawasaki is notoriously cheap with their grease & they did use moly grease on my A14. I ignorantly waited till the mileage recommended in the manual before doing the above & found very little factory grease & the bolts beginning to corrode. Since properly greasing bolts, they slide out smooth as butter & no further corrosion. I hadn't stumble on the wealth of KLR knowledge available on the web until about 9K miles. You're lucky to get a better start than I did. --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "jay_ritchie" wrote:

> > Hey, > > Got my new KLR last Wed. and had it in the shop on Tuesday for its

500

> mile service interval. > > Picked it up yesterday, but not sure if the valves got checked.

Forgot

> to ask...and thought about it later. Didn't see anything on my

invoice

> (new gasket...) to indicate the service. 1.2 hours of labor on the > first service. Going back to ask, but wanted to know how much to

push

> if my dealers says don't worry about it. > > Seems like this is pretty important, based on my reading on the

Web...

> > All help is appreciated. > > Thanks > > Jay

[Blake Sobiloff]

On Apr 22, 2005, at 5:16 AM, rsanders30117 wrote:

> I ignorantly waited till the mileage recommended in the manual before > doing the above & found very little factory grease & the bolts > beginning to corrode. Since properly greasing bolts, they slide out > smooth as butter & no further corrosion.

So, my girlfriend is away all day Saturday, meaning I get to play in the garage all day. Doing the above is on my list of things to do to my new-to-me A13, and I think I'm finally ready. Since the PO stored the bike outside under a tarp, I'm assuming that my bolts are in pretty bad shape and will have some corrosion on them. Assuming, again, that the corrosion isn't fatal to the bolt, can I take some emery paper and sand off the corrosion, clean, then apply fresh grease? I don't know if sanding the corrosion off is a no-no, or a yes-yes. Thanks! -- Blake Sobiloff San Mateo, CA (USA)