the last newbie question....

[Garth Kline]

Hello, I got a 2001 model (A15) KLR650 last month. I am a big guy and wanted to raise the stiffness on the rear shock. I tried to follow the instructions in the manual and seem to be missing something. I found both the Rebound Damping force adjuster and the Spring Preload adjuster fine. I was able to change the Rebound adjuster fine. Where I am running into problems is the Spring Preload. The instructions in the manual say to take out the canister and turn the adjuster clockwise for harder and counter for softer. To be honest, I am unsure what to turn. Do I turn the bolt with a socket? I tried and it really does not want to move either way. When they say take out the canister, do they mean completely remove it or just move it out of the way? I have been moving it. Any assistance would be appreciated. P.S. I have looked through the archives for this issue and have only found info on older machines that does not seem to apply. Many Thanks! Garth

[monahanwb@yahoo.com]

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "Garth Kline" wrote: I found both the Rebound > Damping force adjuster and the Spring Preload adjuster fine. I was able to > change the Rebound adjuster fine. Where I am running into problems is the > Spring Preload. The instructions in the manual say to take out the canister > and turn the adjuster clockwise for harder and counter for softer. To be > honest, I am unsure what to turn. Do I turn the bolt with a socket? Yes, just turn it with a correctly sized socket (I can't remember what size - 12 or 14). The cannister needs to be out of the way to reach the bolt head. They can be stubborn, and sometimes will have difficulty overcoming the spring force. Mine was set with very slight pre-load when I got it new a few years ago. A little more spring pre-load sure helps on washboard roads or any gravel road, for that matter.

[Mark Wilson]

----- Original Message ----- From: Devon Jarvis Subject: [DSN_klr650] The last newbie question.... > What I forgot to ask- What is the specified break-in procedure for the > '01 KLR650 motor? Rev limit, heat cycling, etc... > > Thanks, > > Devon Keep it under 4000rpm the first 500 miles, under 6000rpm till 1000 miles, then let'r rip! MotorMark