From: owner-klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com (klr650-digest) To: klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: klr650-digest V2 #154 Reply-To: klr650 Sender: owner-klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk klr650-digest Friday, March 19 1999 Volume 02 : Number 154 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 12:32:46 EST From: MSchue5938@aol.com Subject: (klr650) klr towing a trailer tim- a klr can tow a trailer if its very light! like 60 lbs. or less! i've built a one wheel trailer to carry my bicycle and or my small ww kayak on. it worked but the weight, approx. 60 lbs. effected the handling to the point of being dangerous (braking, or when you hit a bump at speed causing wobbles, etc.) plus there's nothing on the klr strong enough to attatch the tongue to (the luggage rack is wimpy, the footpegs are also wimpy and the rear frame is also weak and will move (side to side) with that kind of weight. i would not recommend attatching it onto the swing arm because it will rise and fall dramatically with the suspension. it should be suspended. i abandoned the project because i couldn't afford to build the trailer out of aluminum, with a super light wheel (hard to find) to keep the weight down. i now carry my bicycle on the side of my klr or tow it off the rear. see photos at my web site at http://members.aol.com/mschue5938/mschuette.html or mschuette.html now maybe if you could figure out a way to use the canoe itself as a trailer, that would eliminate much of the weight. and bolt a wheel assembly off the end of the canoe. mark "bicycle carriers for motorcycles" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 99 09:39:20 PST From: rob_macleod@bylgate.dbylaw.com Subject: (klr650) Fork Oil Volume (Damping Tweaking) Does anyone know the relationship between volume of fork oil to oil level within the fork tube? In other words how many milliliters of oil do you add or subtract to cause a millimeter change in oil level? I want to try tweaking the oil level without tearing the caps off and getting out my Verniers every time I get the urge to make a change in damping. Rob ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 18:46:58 +0000 From: Sarah Barwig Subject: (klr650) ignition sticking So, my key is being a bit finicky about going into the ignition. Once I settle it into the pins, it turns fine, but getting it in and out is a bit of a bear. Is it ok for me to put WD40 on the key and use it to lube up the pins? Or is that bad? Or is there a better commonly available substance? Sarah - -- Beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, There is a field. I'll meet you there. -Rumi ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 12:01:52 -0700 From: "Kurt Simpson" Subject: Re: (klr650) ignition sticking >So, my key is being a bit finicky about going into the ignition. Once >I settle it into the pins, it turns fine, but getting it in and out is a >bit of a bear. Is it ok for me to put WD40 on the key and use it to lube >up the pins? Or is that bad? Or is there a better commonly available >substance? I wouldn't hesitate to squirt WD in there but if you have a hunch you could try graphite... Kurt ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 11:15:49 -0800 From: Tom Myers Subject: Re: (klr650) KLR Break In (NKLR) >-------------- Skip Faulkner: > Also, keep in mind that you SHOULDN`T baby an engine during break-in. Run >it hard and vary the rpms the first several hundred miles. >-------------- I love these debates where the hardline (what you absolutely must or must not do) covers the entire spectrum! It basically means that you can do whatever you want..... Keep in mind that the redline for an airplane engine is typically a very conservative 2500rpm while a motorcycle engine could rev 4 or 5 times that. An airplane engine is operated in a very controlled and conservative environment. Considering that M/C engine idle is about 1500rpm, I'd classify even the most ferocious aircraft break-in as "babying" compared to a motorcycle. I'd be easy on it for the first 500 miles. Remember that on a new bike you're breaking in the tranny and bearings too. Also as with any new assembly, there could be tranny-related flotsam/jetsam floating around in there. This is mixed in whith your engine oil!!! What you want is to dislodge this stuff and flush it out, and it would seem wise to be easy on the engine during any "shakedown" period. Tom +------------------------------------+ | CycoActive Products tel (206) 323-2349 | 701 34th Ave fax (206) 325-6016 | Seattle, WA 98122 USA | webpage: http://www.cycoactive.com | e-mail: TomMyers@cycoactive.com +------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 12:46:33 -0700 From: "Fred Hink" Subject: Re: (klr650) ignition sticking - -----Original Message----- From: Sarah Barwig To: KLR list Date: Friday, March 19, 1999 4:59 AM Subject: (klr650) ignition sticking >So, my key is being a bit finicky about going into the ignition. Once >I settle it into the pins, it turns fine, but getting it in and out is a >bit of a bear. Is it ok for me to put WD40 on the key and use it to lube >up the pins? Or is that bad? Or is there a better commonly available >substance? > >Sarah I have used good 'ol WD in locks before with no ill effects. There are lubricants made just for locks out there. Fred ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 12:54:06 -0700 From: "Pokluda, Gino F" Subject: RE: (klr650) ignition sticking >>Is it ok for me to put WD40 on the key and use it to lube up the pins? Or is that bad? Or is there a better commonly available substance?<< You can use beer in a pinch ;-) Gino, getting ready for April 1, Pokluda ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 17:53:36 -0500 From: "Stephen Rivett" Subject: Re: (klr650) first shift of the day It's really too bad Kawasaki still makes bikes without synchros. My 1983 CR250 only needs the use of the clutch lever when pulling away from a stop. As far as I know anyway...I don't take care of it too well. Maybe I should, it's hard to lean a bike that has its forks twisted in their mounts and a bent frame. Hehe, scared the hell out of me today when I spun out the rear tire in 5th gear. I love my bike :) Stephen Rivett oh yeah, as for fixing the shift lever, I did try to drill through it with a 3/32" bit but it snapped half way through the shaft (I was going to use coat hangars for shear pins) so I used a short sheet metal screw and put it through the lever and into the shaft a little bit. Time will tell... - -----Original Message----- From: Peter Dahlheimer, MD To: KLR650 Digest Date: March 19, 1999 6:37 AM Subject: (klr650) first shift of the day >that first shift of the day thing happens to my bike too sometimes, >particularly if it isn't being riddin every day or two, and when it's colder >out. luckily, i live on top of a hill, so usually i start er up and roll >downhill, then shift into gear while moving with the clutch pulled in. >shell usually act as if the clutch is not in for a second, then itll slip >loose and behave after that. i find that pulling the clutch in numerous >times before attempting to shift into gear helps. also, remember to have >that brake applied if shifting into gear at a standstill! > >_pete > > > > ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 17:00:34 -0000 From: "Eric Jasniewicz" Subject: (klr650) NKLR - Bad dealer solution! How about compiling a petition of sorts, suggesting Kawi send their dealers to Fred for a month of dealer training in Moab. Sounds like a win/win situation to me. Fred, you've been volunteered! ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 16:54:17 -0700 From: Bogdan Swider Subject: (klr650) RE: klr650-digest V2 #152 This bit of advice has been in print (moto mags) for at least a generation. Engine rebuilders, whose living depends on it, have been stating the same for longer than that. WHY do the moto manufacturers still give out the low rpm line? The wife's Escort wagon's (stick) manual just said vary the speed first 1k miles. Bogdan - -------------- Skip Faulkner: Also, keep in mind that you SHOULDN`T baby an engine during break-in. Run it hard and vary the rpms the first several hundred miles. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 23:55:43 +0000 From: Sarah Barwig Subject: Re: NKLR(klr650) RE: klr650-digest V2 #152 > The wife's Escort wagon's (stick) manual just said vary > the speed first 1k miles. Bogdan A couple of weekends ago, some friends and I rented a car and drove it from LA to San Francisco. Unfortunately, they gave us a Kia Sephia with only 22 miles. We were just pulling into our final destination up in Napa when the car was exiting its 600 mile break-in period. I fear that poor car won't have a long and happy life. But it drove well, just like a rental. (Dirt roads, etc. *smirk*) Sarah - -- Beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, There is a field. I'll meet you there. -Rumi ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 17:09:25 -0700 From: Bogdan Swider Subject: RE: (klr650) NKLR - Bad dealer solution! DON'T DO IT FRED!!! Remember " One Flew over the Cookoo's Nest" and what shape that Jack Nickelson character, Red was in after he received that frontal lobotomy!! Bogdan, who prefers the bottle before me. How about compiling a petition of sorts, suggesting Kawi send their dealers to Fred for a month of dealer training in Moab. Sounds like a win/win situation to me. Fred, you've been volunteered! ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 18:20:46 -0600 From: Alan Henderson Subject: Re: (klr650) bad dealers > In a fit of rage I told them to F**K **F and called a smaller dealer that specialized in Suzuki....same >answer...so I dropped by and prepaid or I'd be short one filler cap! >Cheers, > >Vik > Must be some weird Canadian spelling. What is the sound of an asterisk? :) Alan Henderson, Iowa A13 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 17:12:24 -0800 From: "Arne Larsen" Subject: Re: (klr650) RE: Break-in - -----Original Message----- From: Bogdan Swider To: 'klr650@lists.xmission.com' ; klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com Date: Friday, March 19, 1999 4:03 PM Subject: (klr650) RE: klr650-digest V2 #152 This bit of advice has been in print (moto mags) for at least a generation. Engine rebuilders, whose living depends on it, have been stating the same for longer than that. WHY do the moto manufacturers still give out the low rpm line? The wife's Escort wagon's (stick) manual just said vary the speed first 1k miles. Bogdan - - -------------- Skip Faulkner: Also, keep in mind that you SHOULDN`T baby an engine during break-in. Run it hard and vary the rpms the first several hundred miles. My '97 Valkyrie never had any break-in guide lines other than just go out and ride the thing. The dealer I bought it from said the same thing. Arne ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 17:15:09 -0800 From: "Arne Larsen" Subject: Re: (klr650) bad dealers - -----Original Message----- From: Alan Henderson To: klr650@lists.xmission.com Date: Friday, March 19, 1999 4:22 PM Subject: Re: (klr650) bad dealers >> In a fit of rage I told them to F**K **F and called a smaller dealer >that specialized in Suzuki....same >>answer...so I dropped by and prepaid or I'd be short one filler cap! >>Cheers, >> >>Vik >> >Must be some weird Canadian spelling. What is the sound of an asterisk? :) > Alan Henderson, Iowa A13 > It's what our Canada Geese do when they fly south for the winter... "Flock Off" Arne ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 17:10:25 PST From: "Juan Villarreal" Subject: (klr650) Lodging questionnaire The final posting... For those of you who may not know (reference my "Gimme Shelter" postings from the end of December), I'm wanting to create a list of people who are willing to provide a place to stay to touring or broken down folks. If you're interested, e-mail a request to me and I'll send a questionnaire to you in the form of a Word attachment. If your computer isn't download capable, send me a self-addressed stamped envelope and I'll get one to you. Please fill it out by hand and send it back to me, as forms "filled out" by computer are kind of a drag to read. I'll accept the surveys until 31 March, with a target distribution date for the finished list of 30 April. Remember-- you can't use the list unless you're on the list, so get involved! Thanks to all of you for your time and patience... Juan Villarreal, '97 KLR "The Happy Hooligan" PSC 01, Box 2564 APO AA 34001 Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 20:43:58 EST From: AGSholar@aol.com Subject: Re: (klr650) Kenda 270 << anyone have any comments about the Kenda 270? >> I used to use one, but now run the Avon Gripster. The K270 is very dirt oriented and worked well in that capacity. However, it was very noisy on asphalt pavement. The price was cheap (< $50) and the life expectancy may be around 5000 miles. Greg, A2 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 19:06:55 -0700 From: " Skip Faulkner" Subject: Re: (klr650) KLR Break In (NKLR) >Keep in mind that the redline for an airplane engine is typically a very >conservative 2500rpm while a motorcycle engine could rev 4 or 5 times that. >An airplane engine is operated in a very controlled and conservative >environment. Considering that M/C engine idle is about 1500rpm, I'd >classify even the most ferocious aircraft break-in as "babying" compared to >a motorcycle. > >I'd be easy on it for the first 500 miles. Remember that on a new bike >you're breaking in the tranny and bearings too. Also as with any new >assembly, there could be tranny-related flotsam/jetsam floating around in >there. This is mixed in whith your engine oil!!! What you want is to >dislodge this stuff and flush it out, and it would seem wise to be easy on >the engine during any "shakedown" period. > >Tom > Tom, I`m glad you enjoy these. In a perfect world, aircraft would be operated conservatively, but since we don`t , they aren`t. Rpm`s aren`t the only issue, engine loading is (manifold pressure) and aircraft are take off at full manifold pressure ( for the engine) and most operators abuse the climb rate. You want severe use, watch what a training aircraft goes through in the course of a day. Full power, throttle back, carb heat (to rich), descend (shock cool), touch down at idle, carb heat off, full throttle again, all this time operating at near max oil temps and thermally stressing the engine. If trainers were run the way most motorcycles are, they`d be better off. Turbocharged aircraft operate at anywhere from 32 to 41 inches manifold pressure. Do you have any idea the stresses that are placed on the drivetrain at these pressures? By the way, the average idle for a piston aircraft is 600 to 700 rpm. Anyway, the practice of the industry (motorcycle and auto) for as long as I can remember has been to operate the new engine aggressively. Not abuse it. Why do you think Kawasaki limits you to only 500 miles on a limited rpm and leaves it at that? Because by that point you should be riding it as you normally would, including the upper rpms. And yes there will be quite a bit of metal floating around in the engine at break-in, therefore an oil change at 500 and 1000 miles would be doing your engine a great service. I`m sorry I went this far into this. I recommend anyone not sure on what`s best for break-in, call a reputable cycle shop that can back up their recommendation with years of professional motorcycle experience. Not just your local shops, but nationally recognized shops, like Baja Designs, or NW Cycle (racing). Believe me, they`ll tell you the same thing. By the way, I was talking to Steve at KMM (Kawasaki Motor Manufacture) where a lot of Kawasaki`s USA engines are made, in regard to the oil research I was doing. In case you`re curious, the engines are shipped from the factory with only storage oil in them. The oil is put in after the bike is assembled, and then the initial run-in is done. He said in his opinion that in the first 1000 miles or so, if the engine is not properly loaded up regularly and high enough internal temps aren`t reached, you could expect abnormal oil consumption early on. My bike was broken in ( after the first 500) by periodic hard exceleration, no periods of idling (except for warm up) and hitting past 6000 rpm periodically, and now with over 6000 miles ( I just got this one last summer) I haven`t needed to add oil since my last oil change (3000 miles). I ride my bike hard and since we don`t have a speed limit yet, it`s hard not to tool around at 80 mph when going to work. Everybody`s got their own opinion and they should be considered. Mine`s based on 22years of motorcycling and as a professional mechanic. That`s why I say don`t take my word for it, check around. Tom, seriously, I like you man. I`m sorry we see things a little different, but that`s okay, right. I`m like you in that unless I see a reason or proof to change my ways, I`ll keep on the current course. Skip ( who agrees that always agreeing is boring ------------------------------ End of klr650-digest V2 #154 ****************************