clutch springs lessons learned and a question

[Jefferson Johnson]

I am a newbie to this group but have been lurking for a few weeks now. I am a long time BMW rider and recently bought a 1993 KLR in very good condition. It came with 1.5 inch lowering links uninstalled. I just mounted the lowering links and am wondering how much to raise the fork tubes to maintain proper balance. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Jeff Johnson Houston, TX [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Jeff Saline]

On Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:35:27 -0500 "Jefferson Johnson" writes:

> I am a newbie to this group but have been lurking for a few weeks > now. I am > a long time BMW rider and recently bought a 1993 KLR in very good > condition. It came with 1.5 inch lowering links uninstalled. I > just > mounted the lowering links and am wondering how much to raise the > fork tubes > to maintain proper balance. > > Any help would be appreciated. > > Thanks > > Jeff Johnson > Houston, TX

<><><><><><><> <><><><><><><> Jeff, I've got almost no experience with lowering a KLR. But I won't let that stop me in this case. : ) If you lowered the rear 1 1/2" I suggest you raise the forks 1 1/2". I think that will keep your steering geometry pretty close to correct. Once you've got the forks where you want them I suppose you'll then have to shorten the side stand a bit. My suggestion with that is to park the wheels on flat 2x4s and then get the bike angled the way you'd like it. Measure the stand to figure out how much to remove to keep that angle. When you cut and weld the stand I suggest you cut it nearer the top then the bottom. That might make it easier on the spring if you put a tube inside which is weight added. Of course you've also removed some weight too. Before cutting scribe a line the length of the stand so after you remove the section you'll be able to get the stand pieces aligned easily. Maybe use a short piece of tube inside to help with alignment and maybe put a couple of holes in each piece and do some plug welds. Then after a quick test to make sure you got it right you can finish the welding around the joined sections. MIG welding should be fine for this. One place that might do the welding pretty inexpensively is an exhaust shop. They weld on exhaust pipes everyday so should have the gear ready to go. It'll only take them a minute if you've done the prep work. I'd guess cost would be less than $10. To finish the job Dupli-Color Mag Wheel paint in silver matches the frame and stand pretty well. You can probably get it at Checker Auto Parts. It's in a spray can. Shake it well as the reflective stuff settles quickly. Welcome to the group. 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

[Ed Chait]

----- Original Message ----- From: "Jefferson Johnson" To: dsn_klr650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 9:35 AM Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Assistance regarding lowering KLR >I am a newbie to this group but have been lurking for a few weeks now. I am > a long time BMW rider and recently bought a 1993 KLR in very good > condition. It came with 1.5 inch lowering links uninstalled. I just > mounted the lowering links and am wondering how much to raise the fork > tubes > to maintain proper balance. > > Any help would be appreciated. > > Thanks > > Jeff Johnson > Houston, TX > I put 1.5" lowering links on my KLR and then raised the tubes by 1.5". It seemed like the front end was a bit low with that setup so I raised the tubes 1" and it felt right. I have no explanation for the geometry or physics involved, but 1.5" on the forks wasn't the ticket. ed A17

[Crazy canuck]

Hi Jeff, Being vertically challenged I lowered my A21 1-1/2" using the Dual Star dogbones and lowered the forks 7/8". The geometry seems fine to me! I posted photos of the adjustable sidestand I made. In hindsight, a better idea would have been to put (MIG weld) the top 3/4 NC jam nut close to the peg that holds the bottom of the spring to keep the weight closer to the pivot point. In total I took 1-1/2" out of the sidestand. I'm not an aggressive off-roader, and by boring the length of the 3/4" stud, the weight of the adjuster has had no affect. A great benefit is I can load the KLR with bags etc. for a trip and quickly adjust the sidestand to the best angle. HTH, Gord --------------------------------- Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Robert Waters]

I installed one inch lowering links and did NOTHING to the forks. Drives better than ever. Sets fine, and did not even affect the kick stand length significantly. In some cases a half inch more might be a lot but I don't know in this case. You can get the links on the Web for 25 dollars. If you don't need 1.5 then you could sell them and order the one inch links. rw TotalHealth.bz Focus On Truth --------------------------------- Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Jud Jones]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Jefferson Johnson" wrote:

> > I am a newbie to this group but have been lurking for a few weeks now. I am > a long time BMW rider and recently bought a 1993 KLR in very good > condition. It came with 1.5 inch lowering links uninstalled. I just > mounted the lowering links and am wondering how much to raise the fork tubes > to maintain proper balance. >

Uhhh, 1.5 inch?

[andykisz]

> > 2. Question: Anyone know which way the water pump impeller springy

rubber thing goes? I

> retardedly didn't pay attention when removing it from the impeller

shaft. I think the flanged

> side faces outward and the flat side faces the engine. >

You can use the microfiche on this site to bring up a sketch.