Back when Honda announced the coming of the XR400, I was so excited that I told the sales manager at House of Motorcycles (619 229-7700) to please put me at the top of the list. Although I didn’t like the XR400’s proposed rear suspension set-up (harsh ride) or their radial valve head, I figured I […]
On our latest two-dayer in Baja, Rod Morris and I enjoyed challenging conditions in the mountains. After crossing the border on our KLR650A’s we headed east from Tecate into rather fierce 40 – 50 mph gusting head and crosswinds that would steer your bike for you if you weren’t alert. I stayed in 4th gear […]
Every time I turn the WR250R key to the on position and hear the fuel pump pressuring the injection system I get the “willies”. Why? Because, to paraphrase Kevin Cameron “Motorcycle fuel injection systems are very reliable, but if one fails, be ready for a long walk”. Fuel injection systems are far more complex and […]
2015 hours, 8 nautical miles northeast of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Ceiling 300 feet, visibility 2 miles in light rain. Winds out of the northwest, 20 knots gusting 30-35 knots. Atilla 600, twin engine Cessna Citation, is on final approach
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.
I recently did a “Fuel For Thought” article on our website relating to the difficult dirt road conditions that Rod Morris and I encountered on a recent 300 mile trip in Northern Baja. As I wrote in the article I made some changes to the front end which resulted in improved handling in deep chopped […]
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 […]
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 […]
In a recent issue of “Cycle World” magazine, Paul Dean discussed the problem of sticky clutch plates in motorcycles with integrated transmissions and clutches. As Mr. Dean pointed out, damage to shift forks and gears can occur if you do not first “free up” and unstick the steel clutch plates from the fiber ones before […]
The KLR650 and DR650 have engines that are among the most abused in
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 […]
There have been lots of bad ideas furnished to KLR riders on the internet. Three of the worst are: Replace your 08/09 strong forged thick bladed “doohickey” with a weaker machined aftermarket copy of the original. Equip your KLR650 with 16/43 final gearing which is likely to decrease engine life and lower your fuel […]
