tank panniers for klr

[Zachariah Mully]

Hello all- Last night on my way home from the beach I managed to rear-end a Jeep and throw my forks totally out of alignment. I wasn't hurt, but the incident proved that even with a SS brake line, the standard KLR front brakes are not enough for me and a fully loaded bike... and that you can do stoppies on the KLR if you use a Jeep. I think I had enough space and time to avoid the jeep had my brakes not locked up. Regardless my problem is this: After inspecting the bike on the side of the road I decided to limp it home with the front wheel twisted about 10 degrees to the right (from the riders perspective). The wheel seemed fine, no obvious flat spots or loosened spokes and it ran true when mounted. I pulled the front wheel when I got home and the axle was fine and as well as the rotor. What looks like the problem is that the bottom triple clamp looks like it has been rotated to the left (or the top to the right, depending on how you look at it)... But the wheel actually points to the right (the opposite of what I would have expected)... The front suspension seems like it is binding a little bit on rebound, so now I think that I may have bent an upper fork tube or really messed something up in the internals. So this morning I went out early and picked up a 27mm socket to get the top nut off the stem... I was hoping that if I loosened that up I could twist the triple clamps back into alignment, but even with some focused rubber mallet pounding the top clamp would not budge (I had loosen up all the pinch bolts as well). So I totally removed the top clamp from the bike and looked down the fork legs... The left fork leg seemed to be angling towards the tank at the top and the right in the opposite. Is it possible that I bent the lower triple clamp causing this weird skew? Any help would wonderful as I am supposed to ride back out to the beach this afternoon for my girlfriend's 21st birthday, which I will probably never live down if I miss it. Nice that she's on vacation and expects me to run around for her I appreciate help and suggestions... Thanks, Zack 91 KLR

[Jim Hyman]

Zack, With your KLR's front end elevated, loosen all the fork tube pinch bolts, 4 per side, 2 upper & 2 lower. You can grasp the front wheel with your legs & push on the handlebars to straighten the alignment. You may have to loosen the large nut on the top triple tree. The easiest way to verify that the tubes are parallel & not bent is to take a piece of glass, 10" wide and 6 - 8" long & lay it across both fork tubes. You will have to slide the fork boots all the way up (& held by a helper or bungee cords). The glass will not seat on both tubes simultaneously if the tubes are bent or if the forks are not properly aligned. The tubes normally bend just below the lower tripple tree (fork stem). Because you were braking heavily & weight transfer compressed the front end, the bend may be just above the top of the fork slider(s). If everything checks out okie-dokie, remove both fork springs (with your front end still elevated) and manually move the wheel assembly up & down, looking for any binding. The best way to verify that the tubes are still straight is with a dial indicator to measure runout with each fork leg removed. It would be a good idea to remove the front tire completely & carefully inspect the inards for any sign of brusing. Keep a watch on the tire from here on out or replace it. The KLR's fork tubes are not at all stout & bend fairly easily. Good luck, Professor A9 Federal Way, WA. [USA] ========================== --- "Zachariah Mully" wrote:

> Hello all- > Last night on my way home from the beach I managed to rear-end > a Jeep and throw my forks totally out of alignment.

[snip]

> After inspecting the bike on the side of the road I decided to > limp it home with the front wheel twisted about 10 degrees to > the right (from the riders perspective). The wheel seemed fine, > no obvious flat spots or loosened spokes and it ran true when > mounted.

[snip]

> What looks like the problem is that the bottom triple clamp > looks like it has been rotated to the left (or the top to the > right, depending on how you look at ... But the wheel actually > points to the right (the opposite of what I would have expected)... > The front suspension seems like it is binding a little bit on > rebound, so now I think that I may have bent an upper fork tube or > really messed something up in the internals.

[snip]

> Thanks, > Zack > 91 KLR

[meyers@cfanet.com]

Hi, Does anyone know if the Aerostitch tank panniers can be mounted onto the klr tank? My panniers have been with me around the world on various mc's. My next trek is to the west coast on a rental klr out of Vancouver. Mary in Ohio