one missing bolt.... and bad luck

[Jim Hyman]

--- In DSN_klr650@egroups.com, "Eric Lewis" wrote:

> > Aloha, > I was wondering if anyone out there has had this problem. > Sometimes > when I am slowing and begin to downshift, my first plunge on the > shifter > gives me a dead gear. By this I mean, it's like I'm in neutral and > can't get a gear unless I squeeze the clutch again like an old > fashioned > "double clutch" proceedure for a big truck. Any thoughts on this > matter? Appreciate the feedback. > Lost in Space, > Eric > A 8

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eric my 1995 [A9] use to have the common 'false neutral' and balky shifting problems discussed in the "old archives". I don't want to open an old can of worms (ala the infamous 'oil level debate') but the consensus from others was that synthetic or semi-synthetic seemed to help the KLR's BMW-like shifting (remember, this isn't a flaw, it just proves how much "character" our KLRs have!). I used Castrol 20w-50 semi-synthetic automotive oil on my last oil change and there was a noticeable improvement. My next oil change will be with a full-synthetic motorcycle oil & i'll post my results. One trick i've learned in 31+ years of riding seems to help with character-enabled transmissions: when up-shifting or down-shifting, press the shift lever slightly BEFORE dis-engaging the clutch. It takes a little practice, but it works! Also, make sure that the clutch lever free-play is properly set. If it's too loose, shifting will be impaired. Too tight & kiss your clutch good-bye! Professor 1995 KLR650-A9 [13K] 1976 BMW R90/6 [semi-retired, awaiting engine overhaul @ 130K] 1975 Honda CB400F [retired, awaiting permanent display in my living room]

[GFV56@aol.com]

So I finally get some nice weather to do some off road riding here in upstate NY. Too bad the bolts that keep the handlebars attached to the bike had loosened after only 450 miles. It is no fun having the bars rotate forward when you are approaching a washed-out stream bed. Oooopppsss! Down I go ! Man this thing is heavy ! After the spill, one of the bolts (4 total) was so loose that it had fallen out - cap and all ! I had to break out the trusty Kawi tool kit and tighten the remaining 3 bolts just to get back to the pavement. The bike took the spill fairly well, only a few scratches to the rear side panel and hand guard. Things got worse last night while riding with a few four wheelers on some abandoned train tracks. I lost sight of the wheelers and missed a turn in the tracks - WHAM ! - Forty mph into a fence and heavy brush. So, as I am flying over the handlebars and thirty feet into a corn field, I'm thinking that something must have gotten damaged this time (worry more about the bike than myself!). To my surprise, nothing but a few more scratches and alot of brush sticking out all over the place ! ouch Unfortunately, the bike began to run very poorly a short time after this. Almost like it was starving for gas. It would no longer idle and gas was pouring out of the overflow tube at the bottom of the bike when it was running (poorly). Sh%t ! Maybe a stuck float in the carb ? I was too tired after pushing it back to civilization to bother with it, so I dropped it off at the dealer this morning and expressed my anger with the handlebar incident. Everything is being covered under the warranty and I should be riding again in a few days. No major personal injuries, just a few bruises here and there. Greg V! A14 (now personalized with many scratches)