what are my front fender options

[rschulte46]

Ok I'm new to KLR's but I have not seen any posts concerning shifting abnormalities. Here is what happens to me all too often, and what I have done about it to minimize the impact. ================================= THIS HAPPENS: Sometimes if I come to a stop and don't downshift through all the gears, I don't wind up in first. I think I'm there, but I am in second and always stall when I try to take off. In traffic this is not fun, and once starting off on a hilly turn out of a field, I almost dropped the bike (still a virgin). I get around this by downshifting through each gear in turn routinely. Is this something that is common? ================================== THIS ALSO HAPPENS: When I take off from a light sometimes I can't get into 3rd. or maybe 4th. It stays in the used up gear, jurks me to attention as I realize that I missed a shift and I have to re-shift...it usually works on the second try. I may not be upshifting correctly however...when I put pressure up on the shifter before I squeeze the clutch, the gear falls right in. When I squeeze the clutch and then lift the shifter the problem shows up sometimes. Any thoughts? Bob in CT.

[revmaaatin]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "rschulte46" wrote:

> > Ok I'm new to KLR's but I have not seen any posts concerning

shifting

> abnormalities. > > Here is what happens to me all too often, and what I have done about > it to minimize the impact. > ================================= > THIS HAPPENS: > Sometimes if I come to a stop and don't downshift through all the > gears, I don't wind up in first. I think I'm there, but I am in > second and always stall when I try to take off. In traffic this is > not fun, and once starting off on a hilly turn out of a field, I > almost dropped the bike (still a virgin). > > I get around this by downshifting through each gear in turn

routinely.

> Is this something that is common? > > ================================== > THIS ALSO HAPPENS: > When I take off from a light sometimes I can't get into 3rd. or

maybe

> 4th. It stays in the used up gear, jurks me to attention as I

realize

> that I missed a shift and I have to re-shift...it usually works on

the

> second try. > > I may not be upshifting correctly however...when I put pressure up

on

> the shifter before I squeeze the clutch, the gear falls right in. > When I squeeze the clutch and then lift the shifter the problem

shows

> up sometimes. > > Any thoughts? > > > Bob in CT. >

A STORY (imagine that) titled: Every thing I Know about KLR oil, shifting I learned at http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/DSN_KLR650/ Hi Bob, A couple of things come to mind. 1) Is the clutch adjusted correctly, does it have the suggested free play at the clutch lever? Too much, and you will not be able to fully dis-engage the clutch. Many of written in the past 3 years that their bikes required adjusting to the minimum free play, so that when the clutch lever is fully pulled, it dis-engages fully. 2) How old is the oil and what is the weight? When my Valvoline 10- 40 got tired, worn-out, verified by oil analysis the 40 wt was only 20wt at 1500 miles, it had became more difficult to down shift, maybe as early as 1000 miles into the oil change. Oil: YIKES! Run for cover when you mention OIL!!!! and KLR in the same breath. To each his own, I now use 15-40 Rotella; others do the same, because at 1500 miles it is still a 40-wt oil (verified by several on this list through extensive oil analysis.) Some will go/reportedly to as much a 3000 miles because the oil is still in the 40-wt ballpark. In a nut shell, when the bike shifts hard, I now know (and now, so do you!) it is time to change the oil, regardless of how many miles on the odometer. 3) Practice. Some may be the bike, some may be you. Go to a place, like a mall and get off in a corner and just practice riding: shift 1- 2-3 up to ~30mph, downshift smoothly -2-1 and come to a preplanned stop. etc. Do this till it is not fun anymore. SIDEBAR NOTE: Being in N at a stop light is not generally recommended as you then need to move from N to 1 incase you have to move because the cage in your rear view mirror does not see you. Staying in 1, and a spot to move into, will always give you an exit strategy. 4) You are a great candidate for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation BASIC safety course. Theory and application. Others might comment on a course in your area. 5) Concerning up shifting: you may need to drop the shifter one spline so that when you rotate you foot, you get a positive 'stroke' upward to the full throw. You may be/seem to be exhibiting a 'lazy' up shift. If you have really long feet, you may benefit from a longer shifter, made by stretching yours or an aftermarket one that is longer. Check the cable and change the oil.... You might also benefit with a change to a 14T CS as it will make coming off the line a lot smoother for you, with less chance of stalling. Changing the 15T to 14T is like adding 3 teeth to your rear sprocket. It will also add ~500 RPM to your 60mph indicated speed, but so what...you will be a better KLR driver. The KLR really likes the ~3000-5000 rpm range. The longer you are in that range, the smoother you will be. revmaaatin. It also sounds like you should change the gas; convert gasoline to smiles for the gipper

[revmaaatin]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "rschulte46" wrote:

> > Ok I'm new to KLR's but I have not seen any posts concerning

shifting

> abnormalities. > > Here is what happens to me all too often, and what I have done about > it to minimize the impact. > ================================= > THIS HAPPENS: > Sometimes if I come to a stop and don't downshift through all the > gears, I don't wind up in first. I think I'm there, but I am in > second and always stall when I try to take off. In traffic this is > not fun, and once starting off on a hilly turn out of a field, I > almost dropped the bike (still a virgin). > > I get around this by downshifting through each gear in turn

routinely.

> Is this something that is common?

A STORY (imagine that) titled: Every thing I Know about KLR oil, shifting I learned at http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/DSN_KLR650/ Hi Bob, A couple of things come to mind. 1) Is the clutch adjusted correctly, does it have the suggested free play at the clutch lever? Too much, and you will not be able to fully dis-engage the clutch. Many of written in the past 3 years that their bikes required adjusting to the minimum free play, so that when the clutch lever is fully pulled, it dis-engages fully. 2) How old is the oil and what is the weight? When my Valvoline 10- 40 got tired, worn-out, verified by oil analysis the 40 wt was only 20wt at 1500 miles, it had became more difficult to down shift, maybe as early as 1000 miles into the oil change. Oil: YIKES! Run for cover when you mention OIL!!!! and KLR in the same breath. To each his own, I now use 15-40 Rotella; others do the same, because at 1500 miles it is still a 40-wt oil (verified by several on this list through extensive oil analysis.) Some will go/reportedly to as much a 3000 miles because the oil is still in the 40-wt ballpark. In a nut shell, when the bike shifts hard, I now know (and now, so do you!) it is time to change the oil, regardless of how many miles on the odometer. 3) Practice. Some may be the bike, some may be you. Go to a place, like a mall and get off in a corner and just practice riding: shift 1- 2-3 up to ~30mph, downshift smoothly -2-1 and come to a preplanned stop. etc. Do this till it is not fun anymore. SIDEBAR NOTE: Being in N at a stop light is not generally recommended as you then need to move from N to 1 incase you have to move because the cage in your rear view mirror does not see you. Staying in 1, and a spot to move into, will always give you an exit strategy. 4) You are a great candidate for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation BASIC safety course. Theory and application. Others might comment on a course in your area. 5) Concerning up shifting: you may need to drop the shifter one spline so that when you rotate you foot, you get a positive 'stroke' upward to the full throw. You may be/seem to be exhibiting a 'lazy' up shift. If you have really long feet, you may benefit from a longer shifter, made by stretching yours or an aftermarket one that is longer. Check the cable and change the oil.... You might also benefit with a change to a 14T CS as it will make coming off the line a lot smoother for you, with less chance of stalling. Changing the 15T to 14T is like adding 3 teeth to your rear sprocket. It will also add ~500 RPM to your 60mph indicated speed, but so what...you will be a better KLR driver. The KLR really likes the ~3000-5000 rpm range. The longer you are in that range, the smoother you will be. revmaaatin. It also sounds like you should change the gas; convert gasoline to smiles for the gipper

> > ================================== > THIS ALSO HAPPENS: > When I take off from a light sometimes I can't get into 3rd. or

maybe

> 4th. It stays in the used up gear, jurks me to attention as I

realize

> that I missed a shift and I have to re-shift...it usually works on

the

> second try. > > I may not be upshifting correctly however...when I put pressure up

on

> the shifter before I squeeze the clutch, the gear falls right in. > When I squeeze the clutch and then lift the shifter the problem

shows

> up sometimes. > > Any thoughts? > > > Bob in CT. >

[Lourd Baltimore]

I had a similar problem, but it just took a while to get used to the KLR tx. Hope it's the same for you. I've noticed that the tx is kind of sensitive at low speeds kind of like their dirt machines. But that's just me... Josh . rschulte46 wrote: Ok I'm new to KLR's but I have not seen any posts concerning shifting abnormalities. Here is what happens to me all too often, and what I have done about it to minimize the impact. ================================= THIS HAPPENS: Sometimes if I come to a stop and don't downshift through all the gears, I don't wind up in first. I think I'm there, but I am in second and always stall when I try to take off. In traffic this is not fun, and once starting off on a hilly turn out of a field, I almost dropped the bike (still a virgin). I get around this by downshifting through each gear in turn routinely. Is this something that is common? ================================== THIS ALSO HAPPENS: When I take off from a light sometimes I can't get into 3rd. or maybe 4th. It stays in the used up gear, jurks me to attention as I realize that I missed a shift and I have to re-shift...it usually works on the second try. I may not be upshifting correctly however...when I put pressure up on the shifter before I squeeze the clutch, the gear falls right in. When I squeeze the clutch and then lift the shifter the problem shows up sometimes. Any thoughts? Bob in CT. --------------------------------- Want to be your own boss? Learn how on Yahoo! Small Business. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Robert Chay]

You should always be in the right gear at all times. When you slow down, downshift. The rev covered most of what I would've recommended except for the 14T front sprocket. -Bobby

> -----Original Message----- > From: rschulte46 > > Ok I'm new to KLR's but I have not seen any posts concerning > shifting abnormalities. > > Here is what happens to me all too often, and what I have > done about it to minimize the impact. > ================================= > THIS HAPPENS: > Sometimes if I come to a stop and don't downshift through all > the gears, I don't wind up in first. I think I'm there, but > I am in second and always stall when I try to take off. In > traffic this is not fun, and once starting off on a hilly > turn out of a field, I almost dropped the bike (still a virgin). > > I get around this by downshifting through each gear in turn routinely. > Is this something that is common? > > ================================== > THIS ALSO HAPPENS: > When I take off from a light sometimes I can't get into 3rd. > or maybe 4th. It stays in the used up gear, jurks me to > attention as I realize that I missed a shift and I have to > re-shift...it usually works on the second try. > > I may not be upshifting correctly however...when I put > pressure up on the shifter before I squeeze the clutch, the > gear falls right in. > When I squeeze the clutch and then lift the shifter the > problem shows up sometimes. > > Any thoughts? > > > Bob in CT. >

[Mike Peplinski]

My other bike is a BMW airhead. AFter riding that one for a day the KLR trans feels like teflon butter. With the beemer you can hear the shift from a block away, Ka klunk. Thats German engineering.

>From: Lourd Baltimore >To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com >Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] Shifter /shifting >Date: Thu, 6 Jul 2006 23:49:59 -0700 (PDT) > >I had a similar problem, but it just took a while to get used to the KLR >tx. Hope it's the same for you. I've noticed that the tx is kind of >sensitive at low speeds kind of like their dirt machines. But that's just >me... > >Josh >. > >rschulte46 wrote: >Ok I'm new to KLR's but I have not seen any posts concerning shifting > abnormalities. > > Here is what happens to me all too often, and what I have done about > it to minimize the impact. > ================================= > THIS HAPPENS: > Sometimes if I come to a stop and don't downshift through all the > gears, I don't wind up in first. I think I'm there, but I am in > second and always stall when I try to take off. In traffic this is > not fun, and once starting off on a hilly turn out of a field, I > almost dropped the bike (still a virgin). > > I get around this by downshifting through each gear in turn routinely. > Is this something that is common? > > ================================== > THIS ALSO HAPPENS: > When I take off from a light sometimes I can't get into 3rd. or maybe > 4th. It stays in the used up gear, jurks me to attention as I realize > that I missed a shift and I have to re-shift...it usually works on the > second try. > > I may not be upshifting correctly however...when I put pressure up on > the shifter before I squeeze the clutch, the gear falls right in. > When I squeeze the clutch and then lift the shifter the problem shows > up sometimes. > > Any thoughts? > > Bob in CT. > > > > > > >--------------------------------- >Want to be your own boss? Learn how on Yahoo! Small Business. > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > >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 > > > > > > >

[Mike Peplinski]

I have a couple of suggestions. Check your clutch take-up. The problem getting into gear may be due to a misadjusted clutch. Just a little looseness out at the end of the handle is good. I like 1/4 inch. As far as shifting to first, I've had the same problem and learned to subconsciously count the shifts. You know, slow down and tap, 1-2-3-4 into first. The other thing I've done is to look down at the neutral light when slowing and look for the green to flash. The only other suggestion I can make is to give it one last stab at the stop sign or light before taking off. After of times you'll get used to it. If you just can't get the hang of maybe you'll have to concentrate on your riding and less on having fun. That's a tough one.

>From: "rschulte46" >To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com >Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Shifter /shifting >Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2006 04:24:01 -0000 > >Ok I'm new to KLR's but I have not seen any posts concerning shifting >abnormalities. > >Here is what happens to me all too often, and what I have done about >it to minimize the impact. >================================= >THIS HAPPENS: >Sometimes if I come to a stop and don't downshift through all the >gears, I don't wind up in first. I think I'm there, but I am in >second and always stall when I try to take off. In traffic this is >not fun, and once starting off on a hilly turn out of a field, I >almost dropped the bike (still a virgin). > >I get around this by downshifting through each gear in turn routinely. > Is this something that is common? > >================================== >THIS ALSO HAPPENS: >When I take off from a light sometimes I can't get into 3rd. or maybe >4th. It stays in the used up gear, jurks me to attention as I realize >that I missed a shift and I have to re-shift...it usually works on the >second try. > >I may not be upshifting correctly however...when I put pressure up on >the shifter before I squeeze the clutch, the gear falls right in. >When I squeeze the clutch and then lift the shifter the problem shows >up sometimes. > >Any thoughts? > > >Bob in CT. > > > > > > >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 > > > > > >

[Robert Chay]

Last weekend, I took my R6 out for a ride. First time since I got the KLR a few weeks ago. I hopped on the R6 in the morning and was having problems finding the pegs and took a few blocks before I got used to it again. The R6 is a much better road bike and the transmission is much smoother than the KLR. Both are really fun bikes, just different mission statements. -Bobby

> -----Original Message----- > From: Mike Peplinski > > My other bike is a BMW airhead. AFter riding that one for a > day the KLR trans feels like teflon butter. With the beemer > you can hear the shift from a block away, Ka klunk. Thats > German engineering. >

[John]

Practice makes perfect. I had the same problem up shifting after,get this, buying a new pair of Joe Rocket touring boots. I had put a couple 1000 miles on the bike wearing steel toed work boots and never missed a shift. After changing shoes I missed regularly. After much practice I can now shift the KLR with the new boots. By the way it's 8:21 am Friday 7\7\06 . I'm headed for the Blue Ridge Parkway starting in Boone NC and headed South or North which ever way I feel when I get there. John A-18

----- Original Message ----- From: rschulte46 To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 07, 2006 12:24 AM Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Shifter /shifting Ok I'm new to KLR's but I have not seen any posts concerning shifting abnormalities. Here is what happens to me all too often, and what I have done about it to minimize the impact. ================================= THIS HAPPENS: Sometimes if I come to a stop and don't downshift through all the gears, I don't wind up in first. I think I'm there, but I am in second and always stall when I try to take off. In traffic this is not fun, and once starting off on a hilly turn out of a field, I almost dropped the bike (still a virgin). I get around this by downshifting through each gear in turn routinely. Is this something that is common? ================================== THIS ALSO HAPPENS: When I take off from a light sometimes I can't get into 3rd. or maybe 4th. It stays in the used up gear, jurks me to attention as I realize that I missed a shift and I have to re-shift...it usually works on the second try. I may not be upshifting correctly however...when I put pressure up on the shifter before I squeeze the clutch, the gear falls right in. When I squeeze the clutch and then lift the shifter the problem shows up sometimes. Any thoughts? Bob in CT. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[dooden]

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

> > Practice makes perfect. I had the same problem up shifting after,get

this, buying a new pair of Joe Rocket touring boots. I had put a couple 1000 miles on the bike wearing steel toed work boots and never missed a shift. After changing shoes I missed regularly. After much practice I can now shift the KLR with the new boots.

> By the way it's 8:21 am Friday 7\7\06 . I'm headed for the Blue

Ridge Parkway starting in Boone NC and headed South or North which ever way I feel when I get there.

> John A-18 > ----- Original Message ----- > From: rschulte46 > To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Friday, July 07, 2006 12:24 AM > Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Shifter /shifting > > > Ok I'm new to KLR's but I have not seen any posts concerning shifting > abnormalities. > > Here is what happens to me all too often, and what I have done about > it to minimize the impact. > ================================= > THIS HAPPENS: > Sometimes if I come to a stop and don't downshift through all the > gears, I don't wind up in first. I think I'm there, but I am in > second and always stall when I try to take off. In traffic this is > not fun, and once starting off on a hilly turn out of a field, I > almost dropped the bike (still a virgin). > > I get around this by downshifting through each gear in turn routinely. > Is this something that is common? > > ================================== > THIS ALSO HAPPENS: > When I take off from a light sometimes I can't get into 3rd. or maybe > 4th. It stays in the used up gear, jurks me to attention as I realize > that I missed a shift and I have to re-shift...it usually works on the > second try. > > I may not be upshifting correctly however...when I put pressure up on > the shifter before I squeeze the clutch, the gear falls right in. > When I squeeze the clutch and then lift the shifter the problem shows > up sometimes. > > Any thoughts? > > Bob in CT.

Might want to check shifter to ensure its tight. Notice mine was loose and its been drifty at hitting gears lately, which is another sign for oil change it seems also. Dooden A15 Green Ape