led voltmeter

[Ross Lindberg]

Just thought I'd let you guys know how my fork spring install went tonight in case anyone is contemplating the same mod. I have a 2006 KLR that I purchased last July. One of the things that eventually got on my nerves was the way the forks dived on braking. It really got annoying as things wore in a bit. Here's how it went. I was looking on the web and stumbled upon at website at http://www.finishlinewest.com/progressive_front_install.htm Pictures are worth 1000 words and it didn't look too tough to do. All you need for tools is a Phillips screwdriver, a graduated container, a deep well 19mm socket, a long extension, ratchet, and a bike lift or some other way to get the front of the bike off the ground. I got a Craftsman Professional Motorcycle/ATV lift for Christmas, so I was ready to go. My install went slightly different than the one on the website. I was able to complete the work without moving the handlebars which was nice and saved a bit of time. First, with the bike firmly on the ground, I used the ratchet and socket to loosen the top caps on the forks. They were very tight on my bike and took a fair amount of force to break loose. Also, the fork caps have a rubber O-ring inside which helps keep things tight. Don't try this while on the jack. Next, I lifted the bike using the jack to take as much pressure off the fork springs as possible. I carefully removed both fork caps keeping in mind that the fork springs do push against them. Once the fork caps are removed, the fork spring spacers will extend out the fork tubes about 1 inch. I then removed the spacers and put them with the corresponding fork tube caps, separating left from right. It probably doesn't make any difference which goes where, but I like to keep things organized. While I'm thinking about it, let's talk about spacers. The factory spacers are metal and maybe about 4 inches long. Also quite thin in the sidewall. I'm sure it is stronger than it looks, but it came across as being pretty chintzy material. I purchased my springs from Fred at Arrowhead Motorsports, and they came with pre-cut PVC spacers. I think this is worth mentioning as it is a time-saver since you don't have to shorten the factory spacers, and the PVC spacers look far more robust than the factory ones. Since the spacers don't move inside the forks I believe they are a definite upgrade from stock. Next step was draining the oil out of the fork legs. Here's where you use the screwdriver. There is a handy drain plug at the bottom of each fork leg facing towards the outside of the bike. I did one leg at a time using a Ratio-Rite graduated cup to measure how much oil came out. 420 cc's of oil in each leg. As the oil came out I looked at the pretty red fork oil and thought it was kind of a shame to replace it as it looked so clean. However, when I drained the cup after each fork leg I was surprised to see some dark material (likely dirt) and aluminum dust in the bottom of the cup. I decided right there that regular fork oil changes are going to be part of my maintenance routine. Fork oil isn't that expensive and it's an easy job to do. Regular changes will probably extend the life of your fork seals too. Next step is removing the old fork springs. I just grabbed the front wheel with one hand and compressed the forks and grabbed the spacer washer and fork springs with the other hand. With no spring pressure the forks compress very easily. Pay attention to the orientation of the spacer washers. They are just a steel washer with a hole punched through them with a shoulder on the inside of the hole. With a little imagination they resemble a cowboy hat. Just remember that the crown of the hat goes inside the spacer to keep it properly located on top of the springs. I then replaced the fork leg drain plugs and measured out the fork oil. I purchased 1 quart of oil with the springs and was wondering if I might be a bit short, but not to worry. There was enough left over that I could have flushed out each leg with about 50 cc's of oil. Of course I figured this out after I had filled the tubes with the new oil. If I had some clean containers available, I could have measured it out before hand, but I now have extra oil for flushing at the next service. Following the instructions I placed both new springs in the fork tubes making sure the tightly coiled ends were facing up and replaced the spacer washers making sure I had the correct orientation. PVC spacers go in next. Here is the part of the install where you have to be careful. The Progressive springs are longer than stock even with the shorter PVC spacers, so you have to compress them a bit more to get the fork tube caps started in their threads. A way to make this easier is to use a long extension on your socket so you have something to grab with both hands. Work carefully to make sure you don't cross-thread the caps in the tubes and really ruin your day. The left one screwed on with no trouble, but it took a few tries to get the right one started. With both caps securely started I lowered the bike to the ground and tightened accordingly. Project finished and it only took about 45 minutes. My thoughts on completing the project are this. First, it is an easy upgrade that anyone can do. It isn't mechanically taxing and requires tools you likely already have. Second, while purists will insist that the fork tubes should be completely disassembled and thoroughly cleaned, it's not a bad idea but doing it this was will probably work just as well. My winter crew is doing woodworking in the shop so everything was covered with a fine layer of dust. I'd have had to take the forks apart on the kitchen table to find a spot clean enough to do that, and I really didn't have that much spare time. Regular oil changes should flush most of the crud out after time. Finally, I had called Progressive Suspension in September and asked their advice about upgrading the suspension. I really expected them to try and sell me a complete suspension, but that wasn't the case. They did recommend that I lose the factory fork springs and then set up the rear suspension. Handling and ride is supposed to improve dramatically. If after setting up the rear, you still want more performance, then spring for an upgraded rear shock. Since I'm on a budget it seems like good advice. In closing I hope this will be of use to some of you. Feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions. Ross Lindberg Fertile, MN Oakdale, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[revmaaatin]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Ross Lindberg" wrote:

> > Just thought I'd let you guys know how my fork spring install went

tonight

> in case anyone is contemplating the same mod.

SNIP

> First, with the bike firmly on the ground, I used the ratchet and

socket to

> loosen the top caps on the forks. They were very tight on my bike

and took

> a fair amount of force to break loose.

SNIP

> > Ross Lindberg

Hi Ross, I hope you enjoy your P/springs as much as I have enjoyed mine. Q. You don't say in the write up, but did you loosen the upper pinch bolts on the fork legs? I might have made a difference in how much pressure it took to loosen the fork tube caps. Just curious. or, It could be that your forks are higher than flush with the top of the triple tree and you did not need to loosen the pinch bolts. Yes? You did mention flushing the forks/regular service, etc in the future, I think you will be surprised at how gunky the recently replaced fork oil will be, in only a short amount of time. revmaaatin.

[oldstove]

Ck this site - www.tpimotorcycleparts.com . They have lots of klr stuff including LED voltmeters. I have ordered from them in the past and have been pleased with the parts. Glenn, NW Connecticut -- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Samuel Hudson wrote:

> > Anyone know of a source or ebay item number for these? Looking for

one

> of the strip type if possible. > --sam hudson, san antonio tx. >

[Neil Doane]

Awesome write-up. I'm going to save this for when I do my spring upgrade this spring. Question: once you install new springs, do you still use the air valves at the top of the forks (setting them to ambient pressure) or do you remove the cores from the little 'valve stems' at the top of the forks or something? I'm just a little confused by the statement at the end of the web page you quoted that says "Progressive also states that no air is needed now that you have the proper springs and spacers installed." Neil * Ross Lindberg (rosslind@...), on [02-28-07 19:30], wrote:

> Just thought I'd let you guys know how my fork spring install went tonight > in case anyone is contemplating the same mod. > > > > I have a 2006 KLR that I purchased last July. One of the things that > eventually got on my nerves was the way the forks dived on braking. It > really got annoying as things wore in a bit. Here's how it went. > > > > I was looking on the web and stumbled upon at website at > http://www.finishlinewest.com/progressive_front_install.htm Pictures are > worth 1000 words and it didn't look too tough to do. All you need for tools > is a Phillips screwdriver, a graduated container, a deep well 19mm socket, a > long extension, ratchet, and a bike lift or some other way to get the front > of the bike off the ground. I got a Craftsman Professional Motorcycle/ATV > lift for Christmas, so I was ready to go. My install went slightly > different than the one on the website. I was able to complete the work > without moving the handlebars which was nice and saved a bit of time. > First, with the bike firmly on the ground, I used the ratchet and socket to > loosen the top caps on the forks. They were very tight on my bike and took > a fair amount of force to break loose. Also, the fork caps have a rubber > O-ring inside which helps keep things tight. Don't try this while on the > jack. Next, I lifted the bike using the jack to take as much pressure off > the fork springs as possible. I carefully removed both fork caps keeping in > mind that the fork springs do push against them. Once the fork caps are > removed, the fork spring spacers will extend out the fork tubes about 1 > inch. I then removed the spacers and put them with the corresponding fork > tube caps, separating left from right. It probably doesn't make any > difference which goes where, but I like to keep things organized. > > > > While I'm thinking about it, let's talk about spacers. The factory spacers > are metal and maybe about 4 inches long. Also quite thin in the sidewall. > I'm sure it is stronger than it looks, but it came across as being pretty > chintzy material. I purchased my springs from Fred at Arrowhead > Motorsports, and they came with pre-cut PVC spacers. I think this is worth > mentioning as it is a time-saver since you don't have to shorten the factory > spacers, and the PVC spacers look far more robust than the factory ones. > Since the spacers don't move inside the forks I believe they are a definite > upgrade from stock. > > > > Next step was draining the oil out of the fork legs. Here's where you use > the screwdriver. There is a handy drain plug at the bottom of each fork leg > facing towards the outside of the bike. I did one leg at a time using a > Ratio-Rite graduated cup to measure how much oil came out. 420 cc's of oil > in each leg. As the oil came out I looked at the pretty red fork oil and > thought it was kind of a shame to replace it as it looked so clean. > However, when I drained the cup after each fork leg I was surprised to see > some dark material (likely dirt) and aluminum dust in the bottom of the cup. > I decided right there that regular fork oil changes are going to be part of > my maintenance routine. Fork oil isn't that expensive and it's an easy job > to do. Regular changes will probably extend the life of your fork seals > too. > > > > Next step is removing the old fork springs. I just grabbed the front wheel > with one hand and compressed the forks and grabbed the spacer washer and > fork springs with the other hand. With no spring pressure the forks > compress very easily. Pay attention to the orientation of the spacer > washers. They are just a steel washer with a hole punched through them with > a shoulder on the inside of the hole. With a little imagination they > resemble a cowboy hat. Just remember that the crown of the hat goes inside > the spacer to keep it properly located on top of the springs. > > > > I then replaced the fork leg drain plugs and measured out the fork oil. I > purchased 1 quart of oil with the springs and was wondering if I might be a > bit short, but not to worry. There was enough left over that I could have > flushed out each leg with about 50 cc's of oil. Of course I figured this > out after I had filled the tubes with the new oil. If I had some clean > containers available, I could have measured it out before hand, but I now > have extra oil for flushing at the next service. > > > > Following the instructions I placed both new springs in the fork tubes > making sure the tightly coiled ends were facing up and replaced the spacer > washers making sure I had the correct orientation. PVC spacers go in next. > Here is the part of the install where you have to be careful. The > Progressive springs are longer than stock even with the shorter PVC spacers, > so you have to compress them a bit more to get the fork tube caps started in > their threads. A way to make this easier is to use a long extension on your > socket so you have something to grab with both hands. Work carefully to > make sure you don't cross-thread the caps in the tubes and really ruin your > day. The left one screwed on with no trouble, but it took a few tries to > get the right one started. With both caps securely started I lowered the > bike to the ground and tightened accordingly. Project finished and it only > took about 45 minutes. > > > > My thoughts on completing the project are this. First, it is an easy > upgrade that anyone can do. It isn't mechanically taxing and requires tools > you likely already have. Second, while purists will insist that the fork > tubes should be completely disassembled and thoroughly cleaned, it's not a > bad idea but doing it this was will probably work just as well. My winter > crew is doing woodworking in the shop so everything was covered with a fine > layer of dust. I'd have had to take the forks apart on the kitchen table to > find a spot clean enough to do that, and I really didn't have that much > spare time. Regular oil changes should flush most of the crud out after > time. > > > > Finally, I had called Progressive Suspension in September and asked their > advice about upgrading the suspension. I really expected them to try and > sell me a complete suspension, but that wasn't the case. They did recommend > that I lose the factory fork springs and then set up the rear suspension. > Handling and ride is supposed to improve dramatically. If after setting up > the rear, you still want more performance, then spring for an upgraded rear > shock. Since I'm on a budget it seems like good advice. > > > > In closing I hope this will be of use to some of you. Feel free to drop me > a line if you have any questions. > > > > Ross Lindberg > > Fertile, MN > > Oakdale, CA > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: www.dualsportnews.com > List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html > Member Map at: http://www.frappr.com/dsnklr650 > Yahoo! Groups Links > > >