KLR Troubles

The 2002 KLR650 seems to be having troubles these days. Sounds familiar. In hopes of having some winter fun with it, I brought it to Inglis Cycle Centre in London, Ontario, to have it re-jetted. It was difficult to start in the cold and was hoping to get it set up a little better.

Well as it turns out, the KLR is hard to start for another reason. The intake valves are worn so much the area that comes into contact with the seat is worn to a sharp point. The valve now raises high enough that there is no clearance between the shims and the camshaft, and the seat is compromised so much that there is not adequate compression.

If this had been the exhaust side, it probably would have burned.

The exhaust system is also rusted. The muffler is so rusted it is beyond saving.

The solution is new valve hardware and a new muffler. Since I am in this far, I will also be replacing the rings and possibly the piston itself. The crosshatch is still visible on the cylinder walls so there is hope the piston can be re-used, but the rings will be refreshed with new.

The cylinder head is in good shape. No work required on this piece at all, thankfully.

After doing the doohickey and installing grease nipples in the rear suspension, I am inclined to keep this bike running. The bike has only 55,000 kms on the clock, but has worked hard. It has taken me to some cool places, and will do so again.

Perhaps the ice studs will go onto the Yamaha XT225 instead...

The KLR650 Is Alive And Well

It has been a long road. From the point where the suspension seized up until the motorcycle is again fully functional is a span of a year and a half.

So what was the holdup? I wanted to install six grease nipples on the rear suspension, and didn't know how I was going to get that done. In fact, for a while, I was considering a seventh and difficult location to install a grease nipple: on the head of the shock linkage pivot bolt.

I finally got those grease fittings installed earlier this year, abandoning the seventh. Thanks for doing this, Bruce. Also, since the engine was out of the frame, I opened up the engine to replace the balancer chain tensioner - the infamous doohickey.

Having taken some time off work to devote to this project, it finally progressed - sort of. Sometimes it was one step forward and two steps back.

I got the subframe on - a fiddly job that requires attaching a stiff rubber hose from the airbox to the carb. Then I had to remove it again in order to install the exhaust system. Then I had to remove the exhaust system in order to attach the negative battery cable to the starter. Of course, removing the exhaust system meant also removing the subframe - again!

Then after getting the bike mostly together, I discover that the initial problem which precipitated this entire process still existed. The rear suspension was still acting as if it was seized. One problem was the left linkage arm was installed the wrong way to allow clearance between the bolt head and the drive chain.

But after taking things apart to correct that issue, the suspension was still seized. I could press the seat down and it would stay down. I could pull the seat up, and it would stay up. What was wrong?

I once again disassembled the rear suspension (was this the third time or the fourth, I can't remember!) to remove the shock and check everything out. With the help of Gord Inglis of Inglis Cycle Centre in London, we put the shock on the hydraulic press and it did seem to rebound.

However, another check of the suspension eliminated all other possibilities. I enlisted Gord to help me find an aftermarket shock for the bike. Aftermarket shocks have the advantage of being rebuildable down the road when the damping system inevitably becomes less effective.



In the case of the original shock, instead of losing all damping whatsoever and turning the back end into a pogo stick, the internals of the Kawasaki shock went the other way; the shock became slow and stiff to extend and rebound as if filled with molasses.



Now, with my new Progressive Suspension shock in place, the bike rides as it should. Things have settled down in the back and the bike rides much smoother.

Upon initial disassembly of the bike way back when and finding the shock linkage pivot bolt rusted and seized, I looked no further for any other possible causes with regards to the seized suspension. Obviously, there were more than one problem with the bike!

Once again, thanks Gord for helping me out.

Today, my wife and I went out for an extended dirt ride to check things out and have a bit of fun. It was an excellent ride. We racked up more than 200 km, the vast majority on dirt and gravel backroads. There were also several old no-longer-maintained roads which required elevated care to the point of standing up at times.

Here are some pics.


Jane and her Yamaha XT225 - and the "new" KLR650





Port Stanley, Ontario - on the north shore of Lake Erie



Yellowstone Park! (see the sign in the background)

Coming Together

My last post on this subject detailed my changing of the engine balancer inside the KLR650 engine. The engine was out of the frame and so I could position the engine to make it easier to work on.

Now, the engine is back in the frame, and other bits and pieces are starting to be assembled into something that resembles a motorcycle. The following pictures show the grease nipples that my friend Bruce applied to the suspension bits. These will make it easier to lubricate the suspension so that hopefully a seizure like what happened on the Michigan Cross Country Trail can be avoided.


The shock linkage and center swingarm pivot showing grease nipples




Left side swingarm pivot grease nipple mounted on top near chain




Left side swingarm pivot grease nipple mounted underneath




Coming together, but still lots to do




Here I am on the Michigan Cross Country Trail
before the suspension seizure




Parts of this trail are very difficult and treacherous




GPS track of trail (including the crossover which forms
the letter A) it would take over a week to do it all

Did The Doohickey

Today I completed a further step towards getting my KLR6500 back on the road. I replaced the balancer chain idler pulley. This part is commonly referred to in the world of the KLR650 as the "doohickey."

I won't bore you with describing the whole procedure. It can be found here:
www.klr650.marknet.us

Something not updated in this procedure is the new spring design pioneered by Mike of Eagle Design and Mfg. I bought my kit, including the custom wrench and rotor puller, from A Vicious Cycle in New Dundee, Ontario. Great place for dirt bike and dual sport enthusiasts.

www.aviciouscycle.ca

The new torsion spring is not discussed in the above procedure. For that, the instructions can be found at Left Coast KLRs.

http://leftcoastklrs.com

Here are a few pictures from my own experience. I should say that with the above instructions, there were no surprises whatsoever.

My setup - I used ratcheting straps to tie the motor down
as a lot of torque is necessary to remove the rotor inside.



Close up of the left side strap. I removed the strap from
the ratcheting mechanism to thread it behind the oil
line which feeds the head.



Wider view- the back of a pickup truck is the perfect
work area. D-rings to hold the motor right at waist level.



This view shows my work lights. Plenty of light!



Left side cover removed showing the stator. The
rotor is still on the engine.



Torque on the rotor bolt is 130 ft.lbs. This custom
wrench holds the rotor/engine from turning.
Worked great!



Here is my old doohickey on the left. A welded part.
New doo on the right is machined from solid billet.



Vacuuming off engine before removing second
engine casing in order to access old spring.



This original spring, at 45,000 kms, has lost
all of it's pulling ability.



The engine casing has been drilled out to accept
the new torsion spring - shown.



Inner engine casing, torsion spring, and new
doohickey are applied. Using tack lifter
to stretch spring into place.



Here the spring is in place, and pushed back into the
groove on the doohickey. No more weak extension
spring or welded part.



Re-tightening the rotor bolt.

The KLR Project - Got The Bolt and Bearings Out

On Monday, March 30th, I finally was able to get the frame on a hydraulic press to remove the stuck pivot bolt.

Thanks to Inglis Cycle Centre in London, Ontario and Gord Inglis for his help.

It took a lot of force to remove the stuck pivot bolt for the rear shock linkage. But it finally broke free. The sleeve inside the linkage was fused by rust to the bolt.


In the above picture, rust is visible inside the tubes of the frame.

We also used the press to remove all of the bearings from the shock linkage and the swingarm.


The next step will be to strip the swingarm, and thoroughly clean the link so that they can be drilled and grease nipples installed.

Gord had a good idea that may prevent the sleeve from rusting to the pivot bolt in the future. He suggested a grease nipple be installed on the pivot bolt, with a small hole down the middle of the bolt, and a small hole drilled through the radius of the bolt to where it will eject grease underneath the sleeve. In order to get the plastic cap back on the right side where the bolt head is, I may have to remove the grease nipple and install a plug.

Interesting idea that I will discuss with my machinist friend.

The KLR650 Project - What's Wrong With It?

My 2002 KLR650 has delivered me from my home in southern Ontario to many adventurous places.

Here is my bike on the Newfoundland Rail Trail, after traveling over 2000 km via New England backroads and a ferry.


Here it is in northern Quebec near the James Bay Hydro projects.


Here it is on the Michigan Cross Country trail.


My bike also roams the backroads near my home, and takes me to work when the dirt road I live on is really loose and muddy in the spring. Here is me and my wife who is riding her Yamaha XT225.


Trouble started last fall while halfway through my trip to the Michigan Trail with my friend on his DR650. The rear suspension lost all compliance and free motion. I could press down the seat while standing next to the bike, and it would not spring back up. Trouble, and I was a day from home. I had to ride it back.

So recently I began to tear down the rear suspension to grease the rear suspension and install grease nipples. Unfortunately, I could not remove the front pivot bolt of the suspension linkage. Pounding on the bolt, the two frame halves began to separate. The frame needs to be put on a hydraulic press to press this bolt while holding the frame halves together.

Today I tore down the bike to be able to put the frame on a hydraulic press.

Here is a close up picture of the threaded end of the bolt on the left side of the frame. This is the bolt underneath the little round plastic cover on the bottom of the frame verticals.


Here is a wider shot which shows the linkage this bolt is for.


Here is the frame sitting on the floor of my garage, leaning up against the engine.



As I mentioned, I want to install grease nipples on the rear suspension bits. I also recently bought a doohickey kit to install. Also planned is to grease the steering head bearings, replace the wheel bearings, change the fork oil, install upgraded subframe bolts, inspect the oil intake screen on the right side. I may also install a new Progressive shock. Also to be done is to check the valve clearance. If I get ambitious, I may also decide to replace the piston rings and valve guides. We'll see how that goes.

I'll post more after more progress is made.