Hi, I'm Chris.
I'm hoping to purchase a Kawi KLR soon, and wanted to hear what some of the
owners have to say. The only other dual sport I've owned was a Triumph
Tiger.
But my tiger was ruined by my thoughtless brother while I was on deployment
with the Navy. Apparently, the heavy Tiger mauled him. :)The Kawi looks like
a fun bike.
Any advise on mods or special care would be
appreciated!
-Chris S
________________________
The KLR will be vastly different than your Triumph. It is vastly different
than any of the other heavyweights (although it is not exactly a
lightweight). The Tiger, GS, Quota, Navigator, et. al., are touring
machines. They excel at that. In comparison, the KLR can tour but it will
punish you on the interstates. It is most at home on backroads between
55-70. Its power delivery and braking are not in the same league as the
Tiger.
Why buy the KLR then? Because there is no finer all-purpose bike made. It
excels at practically nothing (in other words there are bikes that do parts
of what it does better) and does everything reasonably well (no bike does
better at all).
Purchase advice: Unless you want to immediately get involved with balancer
adjuster and clutch basket upgrades, buy a '96 or later. The downside is
that front sprocket change is more difficult.
Setup: Make sure that the dealer has installed the front fork tubes flush
with the top of the triple clamp. You can experiment with this later but
this is where you should start. Bring the bike home and park it. New or not
go through the entire bike and check the tightness of all bolts, screws and
nuts. Loctite or anti-seize (choose the correct one for the particular
application) on everything you can get at. Check tire pressure/chain
tension.
500 miles:
Change oil/filter; check all bolts and nuts for tightness. Change fork oil.
Check valve clearances. Check tire pressure/chain tension.Adjust balancer
chain mechanism.
Mods:
1. Remove all cannisters
2. Remove sidestand safety switch.
3. Modify neutral/clutch safety switch
4. Put a "T" in the clear tube coming from the carburetor
5. Add fused link for heated vest/battery tender. Move fuses to former
location of sidestand safety switch and install blade type fuses. Run
auxillary power circuit to the front of the bike for accessories and GPS.
6. Replace the two threaded luggage rack bolts with larger bolts with nyloc
nuts.
7. Replace the carb float bowl and master cylinder with stainless allen head
bolts.
8. Change the countershaft sprocket to either a 14T or 16T
9. Perform Skip Faulkner's fuel tank mod
10. When ready for a new chain go to DID Gold. New tires: trail/road: Dunlop
K139 front; Dunlop 606 rear Pavement: I'll wait on this until I hear the
reports on the new Avons.
11. Purchase rear master cylinder protector
12. Puchase spare clutch/throttle cables and route them alongside originals
13. Install 3" pvc tool carrier on Happy Trails highway peg bar (see below)
Accessories: What do you want to do with your bike? There are more KLR
upgrades and mods than you can imagine. Most work well. Here will be my list
when I get my next KLR (presently riding a DR650 as a project bike) in my
personal order of preference. Note all parts would be purchased from Fred at
www.arrowheadmotorsports.com if not contraindicated:
1. Larry Roesler Series Progressive springs for the front forks.
2. Stainless Steel brakelines front and back
3. Modified Corbin seat ordered from Raul Randariz at Corbin (however, rumor
has it that the Canyon Dual Sport model may soon be available for the KLR.
Don't ask Corbin about it because there is only one person there that nows
about it).
4. Tubular racks, side and tail from Tim at
www.happy-trail.com or Arnie at
www.mac-d.com . Radiator guards; highway pegs engine guard; Moose Bash
Plate; McDonald shifter from
www.happy-trail.com .
5. Wolfman Explorer Tank Bag.
6. Centerstand; ToolWorks; Co-Pilot; axle nuts; Light guard from Mike at
www.dual-star.com .
7. Aluminum handlebars filled with something; PRO Gel grips; Vista throttle
lock
8. IMS serrated pegs
9. Luggage: either aluminum panniers or GIVI from
www.happy-trail.com
10. GPS, MapSource software, touratech mount, tow strap, and emergency
tie-downs from Tom at
www.cycoactive.com
11. Maier Woods Pro handguards
12. Laser Pro Duro silencer and pipe.
13. Ohlins rear shock
14. Front fork lowers anodized and valving checked by Precision Concepts and
Bob Bell.
This should get you started (g)....
Kurt Simpson
Editor
Dual Sport News
The Kawi looks like a fun bike. Any advise on mods or special care would be
appreciated!
-Chris S