doohickey arrived

[greeneyed_rider]

I thought the KLR is a bulletproof reliable machine... here's what a DR650 rider wrote about his riding buddie's KLR's.(by the way i checked out a 93' DR650 and it seemed like a pretty cool bike except for the horrid kick start and overall beat up condition, ) "Yes, here is the breakdown list for a 2001 KLR 650 in the past 16 months under normal riding conditions. I was very surprised because I was considering one too: 1. Broken shift lever 2. Broken clutch cable 3. Malfunction radiator, water leaked out. 4. Swingarm bolt fell out causing extreme vibration. I found it after looking at the bike closely, it was getting ready to fall completely out. 5. Major engine malfuntion; tensioner chain broke. 6. Battery failure after 6 months 7.Blown headlight fuses(many). 8.) Ground wire malfunction. Left the rider stranded twice, had to hike back 5 miles out of the woods. end of quote. The reason i didnt go for the DR650, other than the kick start was its age and the fact most of the aftermarket goodies manufacturers switched to the 96+ models,so i thought i'll go with either a 96+ KLR650(because of better clutch than previous years) or a 96+ DR650 as soon as i can comfortably afford one. i like the DR better but KLR has the water cooling that should be great in summer in traffic and a much bigger following than the zuki. SO, figures the newer KLRs are not nearly trouble free or what?

[Tengai650]

At 5:19 AM +0000 9/6/2002, greeneyed_rider wrote:

>so i thought i'll go with either a 96+ >KLR650(because of better clutch than previous years)

I wouldn't get too excited about the "better" clutch. It only has an additional plate over the earlier models. The current ZX-6 uses the same clutch as the '87-95 KLR650. Mark B2 A2 A3

[klrz4ever]

Regarding KLR 650 reliability:

> 1. Broken shift lever ---> Yep, it's a piece of junk, better ones

available for less than $30.00

> > 2. Broken clutch cable ---> Poor maintenance, not KLR specific > > 3. Malfunction radiator, water leaked out. ---> What kind of

malfunction? Could it have been a rock hit or crash? This isn't a common problem from what I've read on the list.

> > 4. Swingarm bolt fell out causing extreme vibration. I found it

after looking at the bike closely, it was getting ready to fall completely out. ---> Poor maintenance, big singles vibrate...deal with it.

> > 5. Major engine malfuntion; tensioner chain broke. ---> Find this

hard to believe. Doohickey's (part of the balancer chain adjustment system) break, not the chains. Still, anything is possible. Hope it was under warranty.

> > 6. Battery failure after 6 months ---> Not KLR specific. > > 7.Blown headlight fuses(many). ---> Sounds like a short that should

have been tracked down and fixed.

> > 8.) Ground wire malfunction. Left the rider stranded twice, had to > hike back 5 miles out of the woods. ---> Probably a loose

connection, see (4). Strand me once, shame on the bike, strand me twice, shame on me.

> SO, figures the newer KLRs are not nearly trouble free or what?

My '87 went 40k miles with one problem (a rectifier), my A11 is at nearly 20k with no problems. Some of these 'problems' sound owner caused or exacerbated, others could happen to any bike. I'd make a DR/KLR choice based on the kind of riding I do rather than the experience of one KLR owner. __Arden

[Zachariah Mully]

On Fri, 2002-09-06 at 09:28, klrz4ever wrote:

> > 4. Swingarm bolt fell out causing extreme vibration. I found it > after looking at the bike closely, it was getting ready to fall > completely out. ---> Poor maintenance, big singles vibrate...deal > with it.

You could also write this off to dealer incompentence as well. Doesn't help that owner never checked to see if anything was loose.

> > > > 5. Major engine malfuntion; tensioner chain broke. ---> Find this > hard to believe. Doohickey's (part of the balancer chain adjustment > system) break, not the chains. Still, anything is possible. Hope it > was under warranty.

It sounds to me that his cam chain broke (tensioner chain is rather ambiguous). Very odd. Was he riding the KLR near redline all the time? We'll never know! No offence to this rider, but honestly and without knowing more about the owner's riding style and maintenance history, it sounds like a case of owner neglect. All the problems with my KLR have been a result of my riding and my decisions, the bike has never been at fault. Z DC

[Devon Jarvis]

I have put 15,000mi on my '01 KLR, under what I would not consider "normal" riding. The mileage is either running 80mph on the highway, pounding over chunk gravel and rocks at 25mph, city traffic, or tight single track woods trails in 100deg heat in first gear, using the clutch every 50 yards when squeezing between trees. This also included entering a couple of enduros and dual sport rides. The bike has spent its fair share of time on one wheel, in the air, or upside down. Nothing mechanical is trouble free, especially if you don't maintain it. My experience has been totally different than your friends. Devon. greeneyed_rider wrote:

> > I thought the KLR is a bulletproof reliable machine... here's what a > DR650 rider wrote about his riding buddie's KLR's.(by the way i > checked out a 93' DR650 and it seemed like a pretty cool bike except > for the horrid kick start and overall beat up condition, ) > "Yes, here is the breakdown list for a 2001 KLR 650 in the past 16 > months under normal riding conditions. I was very surprised because I > was considering one too: > > 1. Broken shift lever > > 2. Broken clutch cable > > 3. Malfunction radiator, water leaked out. > > 4. Swingarm bolt fell out causing extreme vibration. I found it after > looking at the bike closely, it was getting ready to fall completely > out. > > 5. Major engine malfuntion; tensioner chain broke. > > 6. Battery failure after 6 months > > 7.Blown headlight fuses(many). > > 8.) Ground wire malfunction. Left the rider stranded twice, had to > hike back 5 miles out of the woods. > end of quote. > The reason i didnt go for the DR650, other than the kick start was > its age and the fact most of the aftermarket goodies manufacturers > switched to the 96+ models,so i thought i'll go with either a 96+ > KLR650(because of better clutch than previous years) or a 96+ DR650 > as soon as i can comfortably afford one. i like the DR better but KLR > has the water cooling that should be great in summer in traffic and a > much bigger following than the zuki. > SO, figures the newer KLRs are not nearly trouble free or what? >

[Mark Wilson]

I'm waiting on the tools too... From what I know so far, you'll need a rotor puller, and a rotor holder. And maybe a outside cover gasket, and a rotor bolt. And go here for more info - http://www.devonjarvisphoto.com/posted/KLR650/doohickey/doohickey.html MotorMark

----- Original Message ----- From: "Lujo Bauer" To: "mnron2002" ; DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Saturday, September 07, 2002 12:41 AM Subject: RE: [DSN_klr650] Re: Doohickey arrived > What *are* all the tools needed? > > -Lujo > > > Contact Fred at Arrowhead. I have my tools on order with him (the > > rotor holder is on back-order, but due any day)and he has everything > > that you'll need. Give him a call. >

[kaboi71241]

Perhaps I got lucky, but my only problem so far is losing bolts from the pipe heat shield; the shield actually fell against my leg catching my attention, so I stopped and grabbed it and took it back home. This could have been prevented if I had paid closer attention and checked/tightened per the schedule. Don

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., Devon Jarvis wrote: > I have put 15,000mi on my '01 KLR, under what I would not consider > "normal" riding. The mileage is either running 80mph on the highway, > pounding over chunk gravel and rocks at 25mph, city traffic, or tight > single track woods trails in 100deg heat in first gear, using the clutch > every 50 yards when squeezing between trees. > > This also included entering a couple of enduros and dual sport rides. > The bike has spent its fair share of time on one wheel, in the air, or > upside down. > > Nothing mechanical is trouble free, especially if you don't maintain it. > My experience has been totally different than your friends. > > Devon. > > > greeneyed_rider wrote: > > > > I thought the KLR is a bulletproof reliable machine... here's what a > > DR650 rider wrote about his riding buddie's KLR's.(by the way i > > checked out a 93' DR650 and it seemed like a pretty cool bike except > > for the horrid kick start and overall beat up condition, ) > > "Yes, here is the breakdown list for a 2001 KLR 650 in the past 16 > > months under normal riding conditions. I was very surprised because I > > was considering one too: > > > > 1. Broken shift lever > > > > 2. Broken clutch cable > > > > 3. Malfunction radiator, water leaked out. > > > > 4. Swingarm bolt fell out causing extreme vibration. I found it after > > looking at the bike closely, it was getting ready to fall completely > > out. > > > > 5. Major engine malfuntion; tensioner chain broke. > > > > 6. Battery failure after 6 months > > > > 7.Blown headlight fuses(many). > > > > 8.) Ground wire malfunction. Left the rider stranded twice, had to > > hike back 5 miles out of the woods. > > end of quote. > > The reason i didnt go for the DR650, other than the kick start was > > its age and the fact most of the aftermarket goodies manufacturers > > switched to the 96+ models,so i thought i'll go with either a 96+ > > KLR650(because of better clutch than previous years) or a 96+ DR650 > > as soon as i can comfortably afford one. i like the DR better but KLR > > has the water cooling that should be great in summer in traffic and a > > much bigger following than the zuki. > > SO, figures the newer KLRs are not nearly trouble free or what? > >