From: owner-klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com (klr650-digest) To: klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: klr650-digest V2 #174 Reply-To: klr650 Sender: owner-klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk klr650-digest Tuesday, March 23 1999 Volume 02 : Number 174 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 10:15:26 -0800 (PST) From: Rex Hefferan Subject: (klr650) Re: NKLR...Tom's R100GS rant MAN!, I am so far behind on my email reading. I really enjoyed the story, thanks Tom and Kurt. Also, I always thought I was just too poor to aford one of the "Best" bikes out there....a BMW. Now I know I'm too poor. Ironically however, I do own one of the best bikes out there, my KLR650. Thanks again. == Rex, A7 For Colorado Springs Dual Sport ride info: http://shell.rmi.net/~avbb/cos.htm Next gathering is April 30 - May 2 _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 11:20:59 -0700 From: "Fred Hink" Subject: (klr650) The HITMAN is in the HOUSE! OK! Anybody whining to Gino about the cost of this years Moab Get-Together will have to deal with me! ;<) I have been known to bust a few knee caps in my better days. (mostly my own but that is another story) Gino has been gracious enough in the past putting up all the money for the costs to put on this event. We have grown pretty large in numbers and costs and it is not fair to have Gino continue paying for your fun. That is why we are charging for this years rally. This is not a money making venture. You will be getting plenty for your money. There will be three dinners provided for you along with many great door prizes at the big dinner on Saturday. The riding in all this great scenery that Moab has to offer should be worth more than the price of the registration. You will make new friends and see faces to the email you have seen in the past. We will even have real live porta potties this year. Maybe even a few umbrella girls!! So if you think that the $30 is too much do me and my "Goons" a favor and stay home and stop whining! Those that do come to Moab will take back memories with them that they will never forget and how much will that be worth? Fred HITMAN Hink ps. before you get your panties in a wad, most of this was done tongue in cheek. ;) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 10:20:54 -0800 From: "Darrel & Deanna" Subject: (klr650) Tankbag - Poisoning your food I'm thinking (there I go again), that since the Kawasaki tankbag for the KLR doesn't rest directly above the gas cap that this poisonous vapor shouldn't be a problem for storing food in it. OTOH, since my achilles heel of the KAW tankbag has presented itself (torn clear plastic map window), this probably isn't the case. I'll stick with storing food in my Camelbak Mule and my riding jacket. Darrel *********************************************** It was concluded to NOT store any food in the tankbag (above the tank) due |to contamination. The only thing that would be safe are drinks and food in |sealed glass or cans etc. Plastic will not help as the gasses will pass |through - so it was claimed. | |A number of bags where tested on some 'standard' bikes. The result where |very close for all combinations other than this: Store the food as high away |from the bottom of the bag - where the filler/breather cap is! | |So, use a tank bag or not - just best not to store the food in it! |Of cause if you smoke you probably won't mind a salami sandwich with a bit |of a petrol taste to it. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 11:38:02 -0700 From: "Fred Hink" Subject: Re: (klr650) carb modifications - -----Original Message----- From: Arne Larsen To: 'KLR650' Date: Tuesday, March 23, 1999 4:04 AM Subject: Re: (klr650) carb modifications > >-----Original Message----- >From: Fred Hink >To: Kurt Simpson ; Arne Larsen ; >'KLR650' >Date: Tuesday, March 23, 1999 5:29 AM >Subject: Re: (klr650) carb modifications > > > >The Mikuni is a 41mm bore. One >>dissadvantage of the direct pull carbs, they do have the cough and stall >>problem that the CV carbs don't, but you get used to that real quick. Did >I >>say that I REALLY like my Mikuni? >> >>Fred > >Not that this is a big concern (after all, I used to drive a Valkyrie) but >how much of a drop is there in gas mileage? The stock carb is a 38mm is it >not? And do you have to play around with the jetting on the Mikuni (after a >performance exhaust) in the same way you do with the stocker? > >Arne > > > Arne, I was looking at the Mikuni for my XR which is a "tapered bore" 41mm flat slide. The Mikuni that White Bros. has put together in their performance kit for the KLR is a 38mm round slide. Which would still give you a performance boost over the stock CV carb. Almost everyone that puts on a different carb has already done the exhaust and filter trick. So the new Mikuni is jetted towards the rich side for your other mods. If you are concerned about fuel mileage then you should be going with a smaller carb. The idea here is to make power you have to burn fuel. If you don't want to burn fuel then you won't make much power. Simple, No? My feeling about fuel mileage after a performance change is that the MPG is less because you are twisting the throttle harder utilizing that new found power. You should be able to get about the same MPG with performance mods if you take it easy on the throttle. But what is the point? Fred (the HITMAN has left the house) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 10:49:39 -0800 From: "Arne Larsen" Subject: Re: (klr650) Maintenance & Warranty DOH! I think I've got it figured out now. The evil Empire, AKA "Canadian Kawasaki Motors INC.", seems to have decided that for 1999, they want the dealer (their underlings) to perform all services. This is why they include a separate pamphlet entitled "Kawasaki Owner's Guide" stating such. However, while they did alter the Owners Manual by moving the Maintenance and Warranty section from the beginning of the book (as in Vik's 1998 manual) to page 57 (at least in my 1999 manual), that section DOES say that "an authorized Kawasaki dealer, or someone equally competent can record the maintenance". The interesting thing for us 1999/A13 Canadian KLR650 owners is that the Owner's Manual and the Owner's Guide appear to contradict each other. There-in lies the crack in the armor which the Rebellion (us) must exploit to its fullest potential. Now if we could only have a precedent-setting, legal definition of "record the maintenance". Does record=perform??? Arne ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 13:43:41 EST From: Rcklr@aol.com Subject: Fwd: (klr650) carb modifications This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - --part0_922214621_boundary Content-ID: <0_922214621@inet_out.mail.aol.com.1> Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII In a message dated 3/23/99 12:59:41 PM EST, alarsen@rapidnet.net writes: << Not that this is a big concern (after all, I used to drive a Valkyrie) but how much of a drop is there in gas mileage? The stock carb is a 38mm is it not? And do you have to play around with the jetting on the Mikuni (after a performance exhaust) in the same way you do with the stocker? Arne >> Arne, The answer is probably: more. (more gas, less mileage.. more jetting fixes, etc.) I think I'm going to do this this summer, as I know the beast can run better than it is, and it's going on 7 years old so it's time to see what she has... But as I've changed carbs in the past, this is not for someone that doesn't like to play with tools. I would venture to say that once you've got it dialed in, she's going to ROCK & ROLL..... MN Ron (It's riding time again, and I'm gonna........) - --part0_922214621_boundary Content-ID: <0_922214621@inet_out.mail.rapidnet.net.2> Content-type: message/rfc822 Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Content-disposition: inline Return-Path: Received: from rly-zb01.mx.aol.com (rly-zb01.mail.aol.com [172.31.41.1]) by air-zb01.mail.aol.com (v58.13) with SMTP; Tue, 23 Mar 1999 12:59:41 -0500 Received: from lists.xmission.com (lists.xmission.com [198.60.22.7]) by rly-zb01.mx.aol.com (8.8.8/8.8.5/AOL-4.0.0) with ESMTP id MAA28246; Tue, 23 Mar 1999 12:59:24 -0500 (EST) Received: from domo by lists.xmission.com with local (Exim 2.05 #1) id 10PVQQ-0003k3-00 for klr650-goout@lists.xmission.com; Tue, 23 Mar 1999 10:57:14 -0700 Received: from [207.102.150.144] (helo=mail.rapidnet.net ident=root) by lists.xmission.com with esmtp (Exim 2.05 #1) id 10PVQO-0003jx-00 for klr650@lists.xmission.com; Tue, 23 Mar 1999 10:57:12 -0700 Received: from a (ap006.rapidnet.net [207.102.150.36]) by mail.rapidnet.net (8.8.7/8.8.7) with SMTP id KAA09416 for ; Tue, 23 Mar 1999 10:07:05 -0800 Message-ID: <001401be7556$980bcce0$249666cf@a.-larsen> From: "Arne Larsen" To: "'KLR650'" Subject: Re: (klr650) carb modifications Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 09:57:17 -0800 X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.3110.1 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3110.3 Sender: owner-klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: "Arne Larsen" Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable - -----Original Message----- From: Fred Hink To: Kurt Simpson ; Arne Larsen ; 'KLR650' Date: Tuesday, March 23, 1999 5:29 AM Subject: Re: (klr650) carb modifications The Mikuni is a 41mm bore. One >dissadvantage of the direct pull carbs, they do have the cough and stall >problem that the CV carbs don't, but you get used to that real quick. Di= d I >say that I REALLY like my Mikuni? > >Fred Not that this is a big concern (after all, I used to drive a Valkyrie) but how much of a drop is there in gas mileage? The stock carb is a 38mm is i= t not? And do you have to play around with the jetting on the Mikuni (after= a performance exhaust) in the same way you do with the stocker? Arne - --part0_922214621_boundary-- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 10:58:41 -0800 From: "Arne Larsen" Subject: Re: (klr650) The HITMAN is in the HOUSE! - -----Original Message----- From: Fred Hink To: KLR 650 list Date: Tuesday, March 23, 1999 10:28 AM Subject: (klr650) The HITMAN is in the HOUSE! >So if you think that the $30 is too much do me and my "Goons" a favor and >stay home and stop whining! Those that do come to Moab will take back >memories with them that they will never forget and how much will that be >worth? I thought $30.00 was cheap. On the other hand, that does equal around $400 CAN. Arne ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 11:59:19 -0700 From: "Kurt Simpson" Subject: (klr650) NKLR Fw: Aerostich Leaks: Word from Andy Goldfine of Aerostich The following is from the GS list. Andy Goldfine is the President of Aerostich... - -----Original Message----- From: Marco Prozzo To: BMW -GS motorcycles mailing list Date: Tuesday, March 23, 1999 11:13 AM Subject: Aerostich Leaks: Word from Andy Goldfine of Aerostich Andy Goldfine was kind enought to take the time to email me with the following suggestions for keeping his garments as dry as possible. He did give me permission to forward these comments to the list, as he is not a member (the post was forwarded to him). Here are those comments: >Marco, > >Your 'Crazy Trip and Many Product Reviews' post to the BMW list was >interesting to read. I am sorry your suit leaked in the crotch and >hope the following comments will be useful. There are several things >you can do to lessen or eliminate this leaking. The Roadcrafter suits >and Darien pants are not waterproof designs. The Darien jacket is. >The non-waterproof designs are the way they are because of my subjective >reasons. These reasons usually involve ergonomic convenience, everyday >utility, dressing/undressing speed, etc.... > >The only areas where the roadcrafter and darien pants leaks are at the >zippers. All of the rest of the seams of the garments are securely >sealed with a heat applied tape, and the fabric itself is waterproof. I >made the darien pants front-fly-zipper-design easy to use for dressing, >for undressing, and for urinating (men). All the other waterproof >designs I looked at or tried in prototype form did not meet these >priorities. For most riders their darien jacket covers the pant zipper >fly completely so leaks there are never an issue. This was always the >design intent. For a few taller riders on some specific bikes, the >darien jacket is not long enough to cover so water can come in the pant >zipper fly after long and/or hard rain conditions. We make the darien >pants in regulars and longs, but the darien jackets are only made as >regulars. If we become able to make the darien jackets in longs, much >of the leaky fly zipper problems will be solved. > >We recently (about two months ago) revised the darien pant zipper fly's >pattern and sewing design so the current version of the pants leaks far >less often (and less amount) at this location, but this change is still >not a waterproof double flapped design. (at the same time the pant's >waistband and belt loops were also re-designed for a better fit with >less rise in the front ...and a better fitting belt) > >At our website in the 'customer service' section there is a link on suit >care that reads (in the waterproofing part): > >"Aerostich Roadcrafter suits feature a unique zipper arrangement that is >key to it's convenience and function as armor for everyday riding. This >design can become a source of water entry in extremely wet conditions. >If you are experiencing leaks at these zippers, or at the underarm zips, >they can be hand-sealed using Aqua SealŽ, K-KoteŽ, or similar liquid >seam sealer. Hand sealing a few areas can dramatically improve severe >wet weather performance. Seal only these areas: The outer stitching >around the perimeter of both underarm zips (and the knit zipper tape); >also, the outer stitching on both sides of the right leg zipper (and the >knit zipper tape) from the top to 4 or 5 inches below the bend in the >knee; also, the outer stitching on both sides of the left leg zipper >(and the knit zipper tape) from about two inches above the bottom of the >outer Velcro chest flap, down to about 4 or 5 inches below the bend in >the knee. When using these seam sealing products, make sure that they >are thin enough to partially soak into the fabrics fibers, thread, and >the stitching attaching the zippers to the garment. Use two applications >and allow the sealer to dry between each application. In addition to the >stitching attaching the zippers to the garment, also apply sealer to the >black knit nylon zipper tape that the zippers teeth are attached to. Do >not apply sealer too heavily in this area or it will interfere with the >zipper slider. Seam sealer should soak into the knit zipper tape and dry >invisibly. " > >The above applies specifically to roadcrafter suits, but if you follow >the same principle of sealing the zipper tape (what the zipper teeth are >attached to) and try some seam sealer there it will make a noticeable >difference, particularly if you are in an all-day rain and the folds of >the jacket are directing the water runoff toward this location. I >apologize for your experience and hope these suggestions will help. Let >me know if I can be of other assistance. > >Andy > >-- >Andy Goldfine 218 722 1927 ext 121 fax 218 720 3610 >8 South 18th Ave West >Duluth, MN 55806, USA >agoldfin@d.umn.edu > >DISCLAIMER: Unless otherwise indicated, this correspondence is a personal >opinion and NOT an official statement of Aero Design and Mfg. Co. Inc. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 11:21:49 -0800 From: Christopher J Beasley Subject: Re: (klr650) Valve Adjustment & Kick starter. Kurt Simpson wrote: > |folks, > |I just got my bike running this weekend after a total overhaul of the engine > |top-end. > |Let me tell ya, it's not as easy as it could be! But, it can be done by an > |average backyard mechanic if he takes his time. > > This would be worthy of some detailed posts Chris...did you change the balancer chains and > sprockets? Well, some details are forthcoming, for instance, there are four nuts on "studs" two that hold the head down to the cylinder "block" and two that hold the "block" down to the case. These are outside the engine, on the centerline, front and back of the block. These must be tightened to the proper torque. In order to do so, you MUST remove the starter motor (easy) and the external oil line that feeds the head. You also must purchase a tool called a "crow's foot wrench." This looks like the end of an open-ended wrench that has been cut off and a square hole put in it. You can drive it thru the square hole with a socket ratchet or a torque wrench drive. In short, it's like a cross between a socket and an open ended-wrench. I didn't replace my balance chain, balancer sprockets, or cam chain. My bike only has ~24k miles on it but it's had a hard life, bent valves at least twice. I probably should but I didn't take the side covers off. I could then do the upgrade of the balance chain tensioner parts to the later model parts ( I think I have an A2 (1988)). What do people feel is the service interval on these parts? > > > | > |I now have two remaining questions, and yea I have read the FAQs. > | > |1) how to measure the valve clearances with feeler guages. First, I have > |english guages that go in thousandth increments. They have the metric > |conversions on but this means that they seem kind of "coarse" in the metric > |sizes. is this OK? Will one thousandth be enough "resolution"? > > Not a problem because the shims come in .002" increments anyway..use shimcalc and it is > easier... I was trying to avoid that. Just 'cause I don't wanna get my keyboard greasy! ;-) Seriously, I guess I better download that thing, that will do the conversions between metric and english for me? > > > | > |1a) Ok, maybe there are three questions! Where to put the feeler guage? (no > |wisecracks!) If I put the feeler guages under one side of the cam, there's more > |clearance than under the other side of the same cam. This seems to imply that > |the cam surfaces at TDC are not parallel to the shim surfaces. It also makes it > |hard to decide what the actual clearance is. I am having trouble deciding if > |the tightest spot is the right place or measure, or somewhere else. > > I check mine from the inside to the outside...I use go-no-go gauges... I'm not sure what you mean here, what's a go-no-go guage? Is that different than a set of feeler guages. My guages look like a little swiss-army knife with all the little flat pieces of shim stock stacked up, each numbered in thousandths. I think it's stainless steel. What do you mean by inside to outside? I check from between the cams towards the front (exh cams), or towards the rear (intake cams). The problem I have described is that if you move the feeler guages right to left ( the guages are not as wide as the cam lobes ) you will discover varying clearances. I'm still not sure of the extent of the variation, but I'll characterize it soon. > > > | > |2) finally, has anyone installed the kick starter kit? is it hard to do? The > |instructions that came with it SUCK! Do I need any special tools? I guess I'd > |like to pull the clutch hub while I'm in there and do the back spring inspection > |recommended by Eldon and others. > > No one has reported installing the kit thus far...good idea to pull the clutch...why not > upgrade it while you are in there... Yeah, I'm definitely going to put in a Barnett clutch while I'm in there. But I want to get an idea of what I'm getting into here, what special tools will I need? The clutch hub holder? The magneto tool? That kickstarter sure has a lot of parts! Cheers! See you at Moab! Chris ------------------------------ End of klr650-digest V2 #174 ****************************