KLR650 Rear Shock Springs

KLR650 Rear Shock Springs

For a long time we’ve been preaching about spending your money wisely on aftermarket items for the KLR650. We often find that owners are way too willing to fork-out big bucks on parts that do nothing more than look good and often simply add unwanted extra weight to the already heavy KLR. In fact, we’ve […]

Let the Kawasaki Vs. Top Gun Games Begin

Let the Kawasaki Vs. Top Gun Games Begin

by Elden Carl As you may know, Top Gun is doing a study of the 2008 KLR650. We had made many improvements on our 2008 before we confirmed that we had an oil guzzler on our hands. We attempted to get Kawasaki to fix the problem within the one year warranty period only to be […]

Mel’s Back in the U.S.A.

Mel’s Back in the U.S.A.

by Elden Carl MSM Squadron 1 member Mel Clark has headed back south from Canada, but it almost didn’t happen. Seems like our Homeland Security wanted more than a passport from England and he came up short on paperwork.

Shearing Forces and the KLR650

Shearing Forces and the KLR650

At first I wondered why Pauline and I with our gear all loaded onto the KLR650 never broke a stock upper sub-frame bolt. With over 40,000 miles two-up on and off- road carrying approximately 375lbs on the sub-frame, we should – according to the so called experts on the Internet – have been bitten by […]

First and Last, by Melvyn Clark

First and Last, by Melvyn Clark

  When I first met Elden Carl and Pauline Read some four years ago in Mulege, Baja California, I had a little less than 10,000 miles on my 2003 KLR650. I remember that he was very scathing of all the gear I was carrying. Little did I realize that after four years I would ring […]

“Meredith” has KLR Transmission Problem

“Meredith” has KLR Transmission Problem

Several months ago, Jay Bass, Rod Morris, and I were north bound in Baja near Punta Prieta when we passed three north bound KLR650s which we later found out were piloted by Phillip Orth of Sierra Vista, Arizona and two female companions. Meredith, one of the two ladies, phoned me the other day from Mexico […]

Dangerous Travel in Baja and Mainland Mexico

Dangerous Travel in Baja and Mainland Mexico

Lately there have been numerous stories about travelers in Baja and Mainland Mexico encountering bandits and other bad elements; fortunately this has happened on a relatively small scale. Usually it’s because the traveler is unaware or ill-prepared for safe travel in not only Mexico, but third world countries in general. Most crime in Baja occurs […]

KLR650 Drive Chains 101

KLR650 Drive Chains 101

As you probably know, there are three drive chains in a KLR650 engine; one drives the cams, one drives the balancer system/water pump, and the third drives the rear wheel. The balancer and rear wheel drive chains are probably the most abused in motorcycledom. Why you ask? The rear wheel drive chain, despite living in […]

Baja Ride January 2008

Baja Ride January 2008

On the 3rd of January, Jay Bass, Elden Carl and I took off for a whirlwind 7 day Baja ride to San Borja, San Francisco de la Sierra, Mulege and Rancho San Isidro near San Jose Magdalena, Baja Sur. The highlight of the trip was the time we spent eating Elsa’s great food and watching […]