What To Fix On My KLR650
The number one thing that needs attention on every KLR650 is replacing the rear shock spring
KLR650 Rear Shock
Glossary MSM – Multisurface Motorcycles/Motorcyclist MMP – Multisurface Motorcycle Products TGMP – Top Gun Motorcycle Products MSM Weight Categories Lightweight – up to 250lbs Middleweight – 250lbs – 300lbs Light-Heavyweight – 300lbs – 350lbs Heavyweight – 350lbs – 400lbs KLR650 REAR SHOCK One of the biggest complaints made about all stock KLR650
Selecting the Correct KLR650 Shock Spring
Ask any KLR650 owner what the number one thing is they don
DR650 Rear Shock Spring Replacement
Contact Rocky Mountain ATV for more information on our 7.2 kg/mm DR-650 spring
Improved Rear Shock Spring for the KLR650 – New Size for 2018
Contact Rocky Mountain ATV for more information on our selection of shock springs for your 1987-2018 KLR 650!
Rear Shock Service/Rebuild
Application: Kawasaki KLR650 ’87 – Present Prices: Email mmpsales@topgunmotorcycles.com
Balancer Spring Inspection Port Kit – KLR650
Applications: Kawasaki KLR650 ’87 – Present Manufacture: MMP Exclusive MMP P/N: 10018: $41.25 This kit is used to modify the left engine inner cover to create an inspection port which will allow the ability to actually see the condition of the balancer chain tension adjustment spring. Kit includes Otoscope, specially modified pilot bolt and sealing […]
Suspension Matters
Assuming your multisurface motorcycle weighs not much more than four hundred pounds, has reliable electronics and engine, handles well and is equipped with chain drive and excellent suspension, you can have great deal of fun in Baja where even the paved roads vary from smooth to really bumpy.
What
I was discussing motorcycle oil and filter change intervals the other day. We wondered among other things why my wife
Running Into and Over
If you
KLR Engine Top End Failure
I recently had a customer call about getting a new piston for his 2007 KLR650. During the discussion I asked what had happened and he told me that the piston seized. That usually happens when the engine overheats due to lack of oil. He continued that when he pulled the clutch cover and checked the […]
How To Ruin Your Holiday Ride
As usual during the winter I try to take advantage of any good weather days to get out on my KLR and I did on Sunday, December 23, 2012. Of course living in San Diego makes winter riding an easy task even when the weather reports say chance of rain. If they report anything below […]
The Doohickey Revisited
Never has such a frivolous word been used to describe such a dangerous motorcycle engine part. Yes, indeed the late Jake Jakeman of Sagebrush Engineering had a sense of humor. Who’s Jake Jakeman you ask? Well, he’s the guy who furnished the KLR650 world with the first good balancer adjustment lever. Hundred thousand mile plus […]
DR650 Gas Filter
We covered this subject some time ago but it’s time to mention it again.
Fresh Engine and Hints
We just finished rebuilding the engine in my 1996 KLR650A and I wanted to share some things with other KLR owners. I’m the second owner of the bike which had 29,000 miles on it when I purchased it from a friend and original owner, Joe Carpenter. The bike had 55,610 mile on it when we […]
Banned From Site
A customer recently sent me an e-mail that he had received his new KLR650 shock spring and absolutely loved it. He added a PS saying that he would never, ever buy anything from one particular vendor because of how he markets his s___ by corrupting forums. The customer had gone to a KLR Forum and […]
WHICH OIL TO USE
The question of which oil to use in a motorcycle has been discussed and cussed for as long as I can remember and still doesn’t have a definitive answer. Deciding on which type of oil to use is like picking out your clothes, what beer to drink, and the list goes on. You buy what […]
Doohickey
Real name: Balancer Chain Lever. The name doohickey was first coined by Jake Jakeman in 1987; the very first person to start making improvements on the KLR650. The story I heard was that the words balancer chain lever were too hard to remember and Jake referred to it as, “you know, that doohickey thing”. Jake […]
Choke It – But Don’t Kill It
I learned about the downside of carbureted motorcycle enrichening systems the hard way. In the first instance I loaned my KL-650A to a former riding companion for a long ride in Baja. On the second day he rode the bike hard for 20+ miles with the choke full open. Oil consumption increased dramatically thereafter resulting […]
Hwy 94 – San Diego County
I’ve have the good fortune to live close to one of the best motorcycle roads in San Diego County; Hwy 94. The good parts start at Otay Lakes Rd. and Honey Springs Rd. and wander east for some 40+ miles through rough mountains that separate you from the Mexican border, although you can see the […]
KLR650 Fork Brace
For years some KLR650 owners have been installing a fork brace for the wrong reason and we’ve been writing about why not to install a fork brace on a KLR650 at any time. Lots of KLR650 owners have complained over the years about the KLR being unstable during windy conditions and cornering. Somewhere along the […]
Why Buy a KLR650
Elden Carl and I had been riding together on the black strip for almost 20 years when he started back into off-roading on a Suzuki DR350 Dual Sport. His stories of the great riding in Baja really got me fired up and somewhere in the mid 1990’s I was re-introduced to off-road riding on a […]
Happy KLR650 Owner
“I got my spring within a few days of sending. Installed it with some rachet straps. I had raising links on the KLR but changed back to stock. I’m running the shock with the pre-load on the first position. It works perfect and eats the bumps.
More KLR Shock Stuff
We seem to do more articles on the KLR650 shock than any other subject and there’s good reason. Every KLR650 from 1987 to present needs a spring upgrade.
Honda NX250 – What?
On Saturday 3/12/11 the sun was shining and the temperature was in the 60’s and I
Bad Baja Roads
by Elden Carl Even though I’ve spent the past 20+ years riding, servicing, building and studying KLR650s, I find I’m still faced with new problems based on changing conditions.
Passing of a Hero
On May 21, 2010, Medal of Honor recipient John W. Finn passed away at a Veteran’s Home in San Diego California. Mr. Finn was the oldest (100) Medal of Honor recipient from World War II, the first Medal recipient of WWII and the oldest recipient from Pearl Harbor. John was born on July 24, 1909 […]
John W. Finn – American Hero
It’s not often in a life time that you encounter a true hero, but I’ve had that privilege in the person of John W. Finn. John is the oldest (100) living Medal of Honor recipient from World War II and Pearl Harbor. He was born on July 24, 1909 in Los Angeles and I’ve known […]
Power to the KLR650 and DR650
There’s always been a long list of negatives attached to the KLR650 that goes all the way back the the first models and continues through today. Makes you wonder why it’s one of the most popular all around bikes on the market. It doesn’t do any one thing especially well, but it does seem to […]
One Wild Motorcycle Weekend
by Elden Carl The weekend of 10/3 and 10/4 of 2009 started out normally enough with and early morning 30 mile ride from my home in La Mesa, CA east to Restaurant La Fogata in Tecate, Mexico for breakfast. After a great meal, I re-crossed the border and headed west for my return trip down […]