list of "necessary" recomended steps while doohicking!

[theseventhfirst]

I just got an 06 KLR. It has the larger front disk installed (and SS brake line) along with progressive springs. I'd like to lower the front fender, install a smaller "road" wheel, and install a fork brace. The one mention I've seen here was for Arrowhead Sports, but they didn't seem to have anything for the lowered front fender. I've heard of buying a UFO fender, but I'm wondering what is required for mounting hardware. Is a fork brace ever used in conjunction with a lower fender? Also, do folks have the existing hub laced to a new wheel, or buy a new wheel when they want a smaller street-only wheel? Anyone have pictures of these changes?

[Kevin Burns]

Here are two links (you may have to cut and paste them). The second link shows the UFO low fender with the fork brace. By the way, most of us got the fender from Fred at Arrowhead Motorsports (www.arrowheadmotorsports.com) Check his site, there is a picture. You'll also get a laugh when it shows up as the instructions are in Italian. It has been put on bikes many different ways. Some clamp the bottom of the fork boots, some tuck them behind the "bat wings". ( U clamp around the fork housing, screwed to a block on the fender). I clamped and cut off the "bat wings" with a dremel, just not my style I guess. http://www.ravenshadow.com/KLR650/mods/index.html http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~lbauer/klr/low-fender/ Kevin Burns A17 KiLRoy Carson City, NV

[Kevin Burns]

Here are two links (you may have to cut and paste them). The second link shows the UFO low fender with the fork brace. By the way, most of us got the fender from Fred at Arrowhead Motorsports (www.arrowheadmotorsports.com) Check his site, there is a picture. You'll also get a laugh when it shows up as the instructions are in Italian. It has been put on bikes many different ways. Some clamp the bottom of the fork boots, some tuck them behind the "bat wings". ( U clamp around the fork housing, scrwed to a block on the fender). I clamped and cut off the "bat wings" with a dremel, just not my style I guess. http://www.ravenshadow.com/KLR650/mods/index.html http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~lbauer/klr/low-fender/ Kevin Burns A17 KiLRoy Carson City, NV --- theseventhfirst wrote:

> I just got an 06 KLR. It has the larger front disk > installed (and SS > brake line) along with progressive springs. I'd like > to lower the > front fender, install a smaller "road" wheel, and > install a fork brace. > > The one mention I've seen here was for Arrowhead > Sports, but they > didn't seem to have anything for the lowered front > fender. I've heard > of buying a UFO fender, but I'm wondering what is > required for > mounting hardware. > > Is a fork brace ever used in conjunction with a > lower fender? > > Also, do folks have the existing hub laced to a new > wheel, or buy a > new wheel when they want a smaller street-only > wheel? > > Anyone have pictures of these changes? >

[dualsportnut]

Looks kinda like the front fender on the TENGAI Why ot just use one of those? --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Kevin Burns wrote:

> > > Here are two links (you may have to cut and paste > them). The second link shows the UFO low fender with > the fork brace. By the way, most of us got the fender > from Fred at Arrowhead Motorsports > (www.arrowheadmotorsports.com) Check his site, there > is a picture. You'll also get a laugh when it shows > up as the instructions are in Italian. It has been > put on bikes many different ways. Some clamp the > bottom of the fork boots, some tuck them behind the > "bat wings". ( U clamp around the fork housing, > screwed to a block on the fender). I clamped and cut > off the "bat wings" with a dremel, just not my style I > guess. > > http://www.ravenshadow.com/KLR650/mods/index.html > > http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~lbauer/klr/low-fender/ > > Kevin Burns > A17 KiLRoy > Carson City, NV >

[Kevin Burns]

Neil, I hesitate to answer your questions for I have no hard data to back up my answer (not that lack of hard data seems to bother anyone on our beloved list I tested vehicles for years and have not added any accelerometers or done any skid pad work or testing over known, profiled courses to measure how well or poorly the fender alone deals with the forces involved.) I do not have a fork brace on my bike. So... with that caveat, my bike seems to handle much better with the fender alone from a cornering standpoint., which would make logical sense. Even though the fender is not nearly as stiff as the fork brace, it still will take away some of the flexible nature of "long spindly forks". I installed the fender because of the winds in Nevada and that has been an immense improvement. Dry as it is here, I have not had any issue with mudpack on the fender. My guess is that if you have a fork brace, you will not see any noticeable improvement from adding the fender in terms of how the front suspension deals with the shock and vibration loadings of the surface being traversed. I would love to instrument one and run it over some of the military standard testing courses to see how the stock and fork brace vehicles behave/compare over known courses. Kevin Burns A17 KiLRoy Carson City, NV --- Neil Doane wrote:

> So, the 2nd URL seems to indicate that it is > either/or with fork braces and > small fenders as to big gains in performance > handling: > > "I should note that after having gone to all this > trouble (what little it > was) of modifying the fender, I discovered that it > didn't make much > difference in handling. At highway speed the bike is > a touch more stable, > about as much more as might be caused by the > difference between 28 and 33 > psi in the rear tire. People without fork braces > have noticed a much bigger > improvement in handling from the low fender. Still, > the low fender is better > suited to my use of the bike than is the stock > fender." > > So my question is, is this the norm that people who > have a fork brace don't > see much improvement in putting on the low-profile > fender? I really > actually -like- my big fender, I just would love to > see an improvement in > handling...if a fork brace will get me 90% of the > way there by itself, I > probably won't consider swapping the fender to wring > the last 10% out. > > > > Neil > > > > > > * Kevin Burns (captparnell@...), on > [03-08-07 19:57], wrote: > > > > Here are two links (you may have to cut and paste > > them). The second link shows the UFO low fender > with > > the fork brace. By the way, most of us got the > fender > > from Fred at Arrowhead Motorsports > > (www.arrowheadmotorsports.com) Check his site, > there > > is a picture. You'll also get a laugh when it > shows > > up as the instructions are in Italian. It has > been > > put on bikes many different ways. Some clamp the > > bottom of the fork boots, some tuck them behind > the > > "bat wings". ( U clamp around the fork housing, > > screwed to a block on the fender). I clamped and > cut > > off the "bat wings" with a dremel, just not my > style I > > guess. > > > > http://www.ravenshadow.com/KLR650/mods/index.html > > > > > http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~lbauer/klr/low-fender/ > > > > Kevin Burns > > A17 KiLRoy > > Carson City, NV > > > > > > 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 > > > > > > > > >

[Neil Doane]

So, the 2nd URL seems to indicate that it is either/or with fork braces and small fenders as to big gains in performance handling: "I should note that after having gone to all this trouble (what little it was) of modifying the fender, I discovered that it didn't make much difference in handling. At highway speed the bike is a touch more stable, about as much more as might be caused by the difference between 28 and 33 psi in the rear tire. People without fork braces have noticed a much bigger improvement in handling from the low fender. Still, the low fender is better suited to my use of the bike than is the stock fender." So my question is, is this the norm that people who have a fork brace don't see much improvement in putting on the low-profile fender? I really actually -like- my big fender, I just would love to see an improvement in handling...if a fork brace will get me 90% of the way there by itself, I probably won't consider swapping the fender to wring the last 10% out. Neil * Kevin Burns (captparnell@...), on [03-08-07 19:57], wrote:

> > Here are two links (you may have to cut and paste > them). The second link shows the UFO low fender with > the fork brace. By the way, most of us got the fender > from Fred at Arrowhead Motorsports > (www.arrowheadmotorsports.com) Check his site, there > is a picture. You'll also get a laugh when it shows > up as the instructions are in Italian. It has been > put on bikes many different ways. Some clamp the > bottom of the fork boots, some tuck them behind the > "bat wings". ( U clamp around the fork housing, > screwed to a block on the fender). I clamped and cut > off the "bat wings" with a dremel, just not my style I > guess. > > http://www.ravenshadow.com/KLR650/mods/index.html > > http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~lbauer/klr/low-fender/ > > Kevin Burns > A17 KiLRoy > Carson City, NV > > > 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 > > >

[Kevin Burns]

Neil, I hesitate to answer your questions for I have no hard data to back up my answer (not that lack of hard data seems to bother anyone on our beloved list I tested vehicles for years and have not added any accelerometers or done any skid pad work or testing over known, profiled courses to measure how well or poorly the fender alone deals with the forces involved.) I do not have a fork brace on my bike. So... with that caveat, my bike seems to handle much better with the fender alone from a cornering standpoint., which would make logical sense. Even though the fender is not nearly as stiff as the fork brace, it still will take away some of the flexible nature of "long spindly forks". I installed the fender because of the winds in Nevada and that has been an immense improvement. Dry as it is here, I have not had any issue with mudpack on the fender. My guess is that if you have a fork brace, you will not see any noticeable improvement from adding the fender in terms of how the front suspension deals with the shock and vibration loadings of the surface being traversed. I would love to instrument one and run it over some of the military standard testing courses to see how the stock and fork brace vehicles behave/compare over known courses. Kevin Burns A17 KiLRoy Carson City, NV --- Neil Doane wrote:

> So, the 2nd URL seems to indicate that it is > either/or with fork braces and > small fenders as to big gains in performance > handling: > > "I should note that after having gone to all this > trouble (what little it > was) of modifying the fender, I discovered that it > didn't make much > difference in handling. At highway speed the bike is > a touch more stable, > about as much more as might be caused by the > difference between 28 and 33 > psi in the rear tire. People without fork braces > have noticed a much bigger > improvement in handling from the low fender. Still, > the low fender is better > suited to my use of the bike than is the stock > fender." > > So my question is, is this the norm that people who > have a fork brace don't > see much improvement in putting on the low-profile > fender? I really > actually -like- my big fender, I just would love to > see an improvement in > handling...if a fork brace will get me 90% of the > way there by itself, I > probably won't consider swapping the fender to wring > the last 10% out. > > > > Neil > > > > > > * Kevin Burns (captparnell@...), on > [03-08-07 19:57], wrote: > > > > Here are two links (you may have to cut and paste > > them). The second link shows the UFO low fender > with > > the fork brace. By the way, most of us got the > fender > > from Fred at Arrowhead Motorsports > > (www.arrowheadmotorsports.com) Check his site, > there > > is a picture. You'll also get a laugh when it > shows > > up as the instructions are in Italian. It has > been > > put on bikes many different ways. Some clamp the > > bottom of the fork boots, some tuck them behind > the > > "bat wings". ( U clamp around the fork housing, > > screwed to a block on the fender). I clamped and > cut > > off the "bat wings" with a dremel, just not my > style I > > guess. > > > > http://www.ravenshadow.com/KLR650/mods/index.html > > > > > http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~lbauer/klr/low-fender/ > > > > Kevin Burns > > A17 KiLRoy > > Carson City, NV > > > > > > 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 > > > > > > > > >

[Jud Jones]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Neil Doane wrote:

> > So, the 2nd URL seems to indicate that it is either/or with fork braces and > small fenders as to big gains in performance handling: > > "I should note that after having gone to all this trouble (what little it > was) of modifying the fender, I discovered that it didn't make much > difference in handling. At highway speed the bike is a touch more stable, > about as much more as might be caused by the difference between 28 and 33 > psi in the rear tire. People without fork braces have noticed a much bigger > improvement in handling from the low fender. Still, the low fender is better > suited to my use of the bike than is the stock fender." > > So my question is, is this the norm that people who have a fork brace don't > see much improvement in putting on the low-profile fender? I really > actually -like- my big fender, I just would love to see an improvement in > handling...if a fork brace will get me 90% of the way there by itself, I > probably won't consider swapping the fender to wring the last 10% out. > >

I am of the opinion that setting your sag and assembling your bike correctly will give you a bike that is stable with the stock fender. If you get any improvement from a low fender, I would suspect that it is masking some more fundamental problem.

[E.L. Green]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Neil Doane wrote:

> "I should note that after having gone to all this trouble (what

little it

> was) of modifying the fender, I discovered that it didn't make much > difference in handling. "

I will simply point out that my KLR is perfectly stable at speed, even in whipping 45mph cross-gusts, and has neither a low fender, fork brace, or smaller front wheel By "perfectly stable" I mean it goes in a straight line, the bike still flops left and right in cross-gusts of course, that's how it keeps going in a straight line (it's self-correcting for the side gusts thank to gyroscopic precession). You must have your bike set up correctly for this to happen, however. For a typical KLRista with the stock bike, you'll need the rear preload turned up all the way, 10psi in the front forks, and the steering bearing preload turned up to slight drag. Most people's problem in the wind or at high speed is that they hold on to the bars with a death grip. When slabbing a high wind area like, say, Altamont Pass, I basically rest my hands on the bars such that my palms can push on them as needed, and give steering inputs only when I need to change directions. The bike otherwise maintains a straight line with only the normal slight "drift" that needs a slight nudge to correct from time to time, despite wagging from side to side like a yoyo. Note that my bike wasn't always this stable -- I have stiffer springing front and rear to keep my sag under control, and I've found that tire and tube choice makes a big difference too, though not a significant one now that the suspension is set up right. I went through wobbles and tail wags of my own. But now that it's set up right, it just works. And it didn't require either a fork brace or a fender to make it do so. _E

[Dave Svoboda]

At 05:19 PM 3/13/2007 +0000, E.L. Green wrote:

>Most people's problem in the wind or at high speed is that they hold >on to the bars with a death grip. When slabbing a high wind area like, >say, Altamont Pass, I basically rest my hands on the bars such that my >palms can push on them as needed, and give steering inputs only when I >need to change directions. The bike otherwise maintains a straight >line with only the normal slight "drift" that needs a slight nudge to >correct from time to time, despite wagging from side to side like a yoyo.

An old touring trick that really works (YMMV, of course) is to stick a knee out to the windward side as you ride down the road. It seems to make your leg act as a kind of sail, and twist your body on gusts, which automagically applies an appropriate degree of countersteer to keep you effortlessly straight. Of course, relax, get loose, and let the bike move under you, but you should be doing that, anyway. - Dave Svoboda, Sandy Eggo [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]