freeway commuter? nklr

[iwilliams@creo.com]

Help please, I have a 99 (bought new last April) and I have been following Tom's thread since I also have to do the valve adjustment soon. I checked the clearances last summer at 500 miles and they were within 1 ~ 2 thou above the tolerances so I left them alone. I now have 2000 miles on the bike and want to check the clearances again. The problem I had was that I could not remove the valve cover! I tied it up out of the way so I could check the clearances. I could not get it to clear the plate behind the cam chain. Does anyone have any advise on removing the valve cover? Thanks Ian

--- In DSN_klr650@egroups.com, Tom Vervaeke wrote: > Hello: > > Okay, the shims came in the mail today from Fred (thanks Fred, my > check is on it's way). I got right to it. I cleaned and measured the > new shims. Got them in all the right places. Put the cam caps on. > Torqued the cam caps down to the right value with my new 1/4" Harbor > Freight el-cheapo 20-200 inch pount torque wrench. I then turned the > engine over with my 19mm socket and took another measurement of the > new clearances. Just perfect. I put the valve cover back on and oh- > so-carefully torqued these bolts to spec as well. > > Okay, I'm not stuck a bit on the next step. I'm supposed to put the > cam tensioned bolt, washer, and spring back in. Sounds simple. I wiggle > the spring into place several times until it feels right, then put the > washer over the bolt and put the end of the spring into the bolt. I > then go to screw the bolt in. I just get the feeling that the spring > should be going further into the engine, i.e. just as I'm putting the > bolt threads in place the end of the spring near the bolt is bending > all around. > > Question: Does the end of the spring that goes into the engine need > to be "wiggled" somehow so that it goes inside something? Or, do I > just push it into the hole and then put the washer and bolt on the end > and that's it? I can't see inside the engine but it just doesn't feel > right having the spring bend alot at the end as if the spring is 1" too > long or something. > > On another note, with regards to the balance change adjustment. Is > there an article online somewhere with details on this? Or, must I > look at the horrid KLR service manual? The KLR manual (and the > supplement) > is such a piece of shit. I know Kawasaki can do better as the manual > for my 2000 Kawi ZRX1100 is better than any other manual I have ever > used. Any help on what/how to adjust the balance chain is appreciated. > I want to get all the dirty work done while I'm in there. > > Thanks, > > Tom > > > ===== > ========================================================= > Tom Vervaeke, Colorado, USA |Email: tom_vervaeke@y... > '99 Kawasaki KLR-650, 5.5K |Ph: 719-495-2152 (home) > '96 BMW R1100GS, Black 62.7K|Ph: 719-590-2133 (work) > '00 Kawasaki ZRX1100 Black |Ph: 719-650-4578 (cell/riding) > "My dog doesn't worry about the meaning of life" - C Beck > ========================================================= > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Auctions - Buy the things you want at great prices. > http://auctions.yahoo.com/

[Kurt Simpson]

> The problem I had was that I could not remove the valve cover! I > tied it up out of the way so I could check the clearances. I could > not get it to clear the plate behind the cam chain. Does anyone have > any advise on removing the valve cover? > > Thanks > Ian

yes Ian. You need to move the valve cover toward the front of the bike and "crush" the coolant hose before pulling it off to the leftside of the bike. Most of the time, I disconnect the hose and catch the fluid in a container...then I top it off with fresh cycle anti-freeze/coolant...the hose is the culprit... Kurt

[Zachariah Mully]

Ian- I have found that it is easiest to unbolt the coil and the rear top engine mount. It doesn't look like the cover will clear, but if you're real careful you can slide out to the left and forward, might have to push the coolant hose out of the way... (I'm going on my memory here, so feel free to correct me if I get it wrong)... Careful of the gasket though, you'll want to carefully dislodge it from the head so that it comes off with the valve cover. Good Luck... ---- Zack SE DC 1991 KLR650 "Buster" 1986 Concours -----Original Message----- From: iwilliams@... [mailto:iwilliams@...] Sent: Monday, January 22, 2001 2:40 PM To: DSN_klr650@egroups.com Subject: [DSN_klr650] Re: Novice Valve Adjuster - help please! Help please, I have a 99 (bought new last April) and I have been following Tom's thread since I also have to do the valve adjustment soon. I checked the clearances last summer at 500 miles and they were within 1 ~ 2 thou above the tolerances so I left them alone. I now have 2000 miles on the bike and want to check the clearances again. The problem I had was that I could not remove the valve cover! I tied it up out of the way so I could check the clearances. I could not get it to clear the plate behind the cam chain. Does anyone have any advise on removing the valve cover? Thanks Ian

--- In DSN_klr650@egroups.com, Tom Vervaeke wrote: > Hello: > > Okay, the shims came in the mail today from Fred (thanks Fred, my > check is on it's way). I got right to it. I cleaned and measured the > new shims. Got them in all the right places. Put the cam caps on. > Torqued the cam caps down to the right value with my new 1/4" Harbor > Freight el-cheapo 20-200 inch pount torque wrench. I then turned the > engine over with my 19mm socket and took another measurement of the > new clearances. Just perfect. I put the valve cover back on and oh- > so-carefully torqued these bolts to spec as well. > > Okay, I'm not stuck a bit on the next step. I'm supposed to put the > cam tensioned bolt, washer, and spring back in. Sounds simple. I wiggle > the spring into place several times until it feels right, then put the > washer over the bolt and put the end of the spring into the bolt. I > then go to screw the bolt in. I just get the feeling that the spring > should be going further into the engine, i.e. just as I'm putting the > bolt threads in place the end of the spring near the bolt is bending > all around. > > Question: Does the end of the spring that goes into the engine need > to be "wiggled" somehow so that it goes inside something? Or, do I > just push it into the hole and then put the washer and bolt on the end > and that's it? I can't see inside the engine but it just doesn't feel > right having the spring bend alot at the end as if the spring is 1" too > long or something. > > On another note, with regards to the balance change adjustment. Is > there an article online somewhere with details on this? Or, must I > look at the horrid KLR service manual? The KLR manual (and the > supplement) > is such a piece of shit. I know Kawasaki can do better as the manual > for my 2000 Kawi ZRX1100 is better than any other manual I have ever > used. Any help on what/how to adjust the balance chain is appreciated. > I want to get all the dirty work done while I'm in there. > > Thanks, > > Tom > > > ===== > ========================================================= > Tom Vervaeke, Colorado, USA |Email: tom_vervaeke@y... > '99 Kawasaki KLR-650, 5.5K |Ph: 719-495-2152 (home) > '96 BMW R1100GS, Black 62.7K|Ph: 719-590-2133 (work) > '00 Kawasaki ZRX1100 Black |Ph: 719-650-4578 (cell/riding) > "My dog doesn't worry about the meaning of life" - C Beck > ========================================================= > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Auctions - Buy the things you want at great prices. > http://auctions.yahoo.com/ Visit the KLR650 archives at http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 Support Dual Sport News... dsneditor@... Let's keep this list SPAM free! Visit our site at http://www.egroups.com/group/DSN_klr650 To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@egroups.com

[Dale Johnson]

--Snip--

> hose is the culprit... > > Kurt

I agree It's the hose that gets in the way.. I don't take it off I just push it down while pulling on the valve cover. Dale

[Harry Thames]

> maxim comes to mind, no substitute for cubic inches.

GoldWing????