handlebar risers?

[Brian Smith]

I finally got a chance to take out my new KLR today. This is my first motorcycle and I'm not particuarly good at riding, so I decided to be safe and trailer it over to a family member's rural property where I could practice on a nice grassy field. Unfortunately, the day did not go very well. Prior to loading it on the trailer, I made the mistake of parking it in my yard. A few minutes later, the kickstand slipped and the bike dropped. Busted off the left mirror. It snapped the mount right above the control housing. It looks like the housing is still OK, just the part that sticks up above with the threads is broken. I found that Dual Star offers an aluminum replacement, and I think I can probably get by with that without having to buy a whole new control housing. In fact the damage looks almost exactly like the picture on the Dual Star website. The plastic handguards also got bent up a bit. They seem fine, but you can see the strain marks on the plastic. Now I know the importance of always parking the bike on a hard surface! After that incident, things went ok for awhile. I cruised around the field in first gear and practiced my steering and braking. Then I decided to stop for awhile, and then I couldn't get it restarted. Turns out I had probably flooded it. Managed to start it back up briefly, then stalled it out when I attempted to take off again. Now at this point, my battery is almost dead from too many starting attempts. I get some help from my dad and we jumpstart the bike and I ride a bit more. I eventually take a spill and drop the bike again. Fortunately I'm unhurt, but then I run into the dead battery problem again. We jump it again, and I stall it out again. Jump it one more time so we can load it in my truck so I can go home. Dad takes the bike to the top of a little slope and I back the truck up next to it. Unforunately, the bike dies again and we have to manually wrestle it up the ramp. I take the bike home and attempt to unload it myself. I manage to get it out of my truck okay, but drop it again in my yard a couple of times trying to wrestle it around and get it in the garage. Do you guys have any recommendations to help with my battery problem? I think the issue is that I'm having to use my starter too much and I spend most of my time practicing at low speeds, and it just never gets charged back up very well. Can I get a better battery that will hold a charge longer? When I took the MSF course, the Kawasaki Eliminator I was riding there didn't seem to have these starting issues and I was stalling it a lot more frequently then. Also, do you know if there are any aftermarket rear brake pedals? The stock one seems too small and it is kind of hard to use.

[Rick McCauley]

I don't mean to dicourage you Brian, but for your own sake, I would do a lot more practice on a smaller bike. Did you pass the MSF course. Sounds like you had trouble there too. The KLR is not the best bike for learning at a slow pace. It is quite top heavy. Especially with 6 gallons of gas in it. First gear is low, but not excessively low, and the KLR doesn't like engine speed much below 2,500 rpms. To really putt around you may need to lower your gearing. I wish you all the best. And be careful. Rick A17 Brian Smith wrote: I finally got a chance to take out my new KLR today. This is my first motorcycle and I'm not particuarly good at riding, so I decided to be safe and trailer it over to a family member's rural property where I could practice on a nice grassy field. Unfortunately, the day did not go very well. Prior to loading it on the trailer, I made the mistake of parking it in my yard. A few minutes later, the kickstand slipped and the bike dropped. Busted off the left mirror. It snapped the mount right above the control housing. It looks like the housing is still OK, just the part that sticks up above with the threads is broken. I found that Dual Star offers an aluminum replacement, and I think I can probably get by with that without having to buy a whole new control housing. In fact the damage looks almost exactly like the picture on the Dual Star website. The plastic handguards also got bent up a bit. They seem fine, but you can see the strain marks on the plastic. Now I know the importance of always parking the bike on a hard surface! After that incident, things went ok for awhile. I cruised around the field in first gear and practiced my steering and braking. Then I decided to stop for awhile, and then I couldn't get it restarted. Turns out I had probably flooded it. Managed to start it back up briefly, then stalled it out when I attempted to take off again. Now at this point, my battery is almost dead from too many starting attempts. I get some help from my dad and we jumpstart the bike and I ride a bit more. I eventually take a spill and drop the bike again. Fortunately I'm unhurt, but then I run into the dead battery problem again. We jump it again, and I stall it out again. Jump it one more time so we can load it in my truck so I can go home. Dad takes the bike to the top of a little slope and I back the truck up next to it. Unforunately, the bike dies again and we have to manually wrestle it up the ramp. I take the bike home and attempt to unload it myself. I manage to get it out of my truck okay, but drop it again in my yard a couple of times trying to wrestle it around and get it in the garage. Do you guys have any recommendations to help with my battery problem? I think the issue is that I'm having to use my starter too much and I spend most of my time practicing at low speeds, and it just never gets charged back up very well. Can I get a better battery that will hold a charge longer? When I took the MSF course, the Kawasaki Eliminator I was riding there didn't seem to have these starting issues and I was stalling it a lot more frequently then. Also, do you know if there are any aftermarket rear brake pedals? The stock one seems too small and it is kind of hard to use. Archive Quicksearch at: http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/klr650_data_search.html List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: www.dualsportnews.com List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html Yahoo! Groups Links --------------------------------- Yahoo! for Good Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[matteeanne@yahoo.com]

also grass is a lousy surface for even an experienced rider to ride on. I recomend wearing armor and ride in parking lots. Get new hand guards as soon as possible. You would still have your mirror, and heck it is easy to break a hand with the chessey stock hand guards. I too dont mean to discourage you, but 1. This was operator error, dont equate it to a lack of performance by the KLR. If this is a new bike, you may have charging problems. Never give the KLR gas when starting. Use the choke when cold, and just the starter when warm, but never give it gas. However when it falls over it is possible to flood it, but still the battery should laugh this off. 2.Stay off the highway! Until you have passed a basic course and have a few months (a few thousand miles) stay slow and easy. Most people who die have had the bike less than 6 months, and fail to negotiate a turn. Please take it slow and easy. 3. After this though, I am certain you will find riding to be the most fun you can have without a rubber! Sean A-18 --- Rick McCauley wrote:

> I don't mean to dicourage you Brian, but for your > own sake, I would do a lot more practice on a > smaller bike. Did you pass the MSF course. Sounds > like you had trouble there too. The KLR is not the > best bike for learning at a slow pace. It is quite > top heavy. Especially with 6 gallons of gas in it. > First gear is low, but not excessively low, and the > KLR doesn't like engine speed much below 2,500 rpms. > To really putt around you may need to lower your > gearing. > I wish you all the best. And be careful. > > Rick A17 > > Brian Smith wrote: > I finally got a chance to take out my new KLR today. > This is my first > motorcycle and I'm not particuarly good at riding, > so I decided to be > safe and trailer it over to a family member's rural > property where I > could practice on a nice grassy field. > > Unfortunately, the day did not go very well. Prior > to loading it on > the trailer, I made the mistake of parking it in my > yard. A few > minutes later, the kickstand slipped and the bike > dropped. Busted > off the left mirror. It snapped the mount right > above the control > housing. It looks like the housing is still OK, just > the part that > sticks up above with the threads is broken. I found > that Dual Star > offers an aluminum replacement, and I think I can > probably get by > with that without having to buy a whole new control > housing. In fact > the damage looks almost exactly like the picture on > the Dual Star > website. > > The plastic handguards also got bent up a bit. They > seem fine, but > you can see the strain marks on the plastic. Now I > know the > importance of always parking the bike on a hard > surface! > > After that incident, things went ok for awhile. I > cruised around the > field in first gear and practiced my steering and > braking. Then I > decided to stop for awhile, and then I couldn't get > it restarted. > Turns out I had probably flooded it. Managed to > start it back up > briefly, then stalled it out when I attempted to > take off again. > Now at this point, my battery is almost dead from > too many starting > attempts. I get some help from my dad and we > jumpstart the bike and I > ride a bit more. I eventually take a spill and drop > the bike again. > Fortunately I'm unhurt, but then I run into the dead > battery problem > again. We jump it again, and I stall it out again. > Jump it one more > time so we can load it in my truck so I can go home. > Dad takes the > bike to the top of a little slope and I back the > truck up next to it. > Unforunately, the bike dies again and we have to > manually wrestle it > up the ramp. > > I take the bike home and attempt to unload it > myself. I manage to get > it out of my truck okay, but drop it again in my > yard a couple of > times trying to wrestle it around and get it in the > garage. > > Do you guys have any recommendations to help with my > battery problem? > I think the issue is that I'm having to use my > starter too much and I > spend most of my time practicing at low speeds, and > it just never gets > charged back up very well. Can I get a better > battery that will hold > a charge longer? When I took the MSF course, the > Kawasaki Eliminator > I was riding there didn't seem to have these > starting issues and I was > stalling it a lot more frequently then. > > Also, do you know if there are any aftermarket rear > brake pedals? The > stock one seems too small and it is kind of hard to > use. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Archive Quicksearch at: >

http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/klr650_data_search.html

> List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: > www.dualsportnews.com > List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: > www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > --------------------------------- > Yahoo! for Good > Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina > relief effort. > > [Non-text portions of this message have been > removed] > > > > Archive Quicksearch at: >

http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/klr650_data_search.html

> List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: > www.dualsportnews.com > List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: > www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > DSN_KLR650-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com > > > > >

__________________________________ Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 http://mail.yahoo.com

[West Hovland]

Brian, You have received many good responses so far... my $0.02 is to practice in a parking lot and give the battery a real charge. A 1 amp charge for 10-12 hours. Most dealers load the battery with a surface charge then send you out. That works fine for someone that's going to ride it for a few hours at higher RPM's, but not if you are going to immediately work it so hard. __West

----- Original Message ----- From: Brian Smith To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.comDSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Saturday, September 17, 2005 5:11 PM Subject: [DSN_KLR650] My first ride, and my first KLR problems... I finally got a chance to take out my new KLR today. This is my first motorcycle and I'm not particuarly good at riding, so I decided to be safe and trailer it over to a family member's rural property where I could practice on a nice grassy field. Unfortunately, the day did not go very well. Prior to loading it on the trailer, I made the mistake of parking it in my yard. A few minutes later, the kickstand slipped and the bike dropped. Busted off the left mirror. It snapped the mount right above the control housing. It looks like the housing is still OK, just the part that sticks up above with the threads is broken. I found that Dual Star offers an aluminum replacement, and I think I can probably get by with that without having to buy a whole new control housing. In fact the damage looks almost exactly like the picture on the Dual Star website. The plastic handguards also got bent up a bit. They seem fine, but you can see the strain marks on the plastic. Now I know the importance of always parking the bike on a hard surface! After that incident, things went ok for awhile. I cruised around the field in first gear and practiced my steering and braking. Then I decided to stop for awhile, and then I couldn't get it restarted. Turns out I had probably flooded it. Managed to start it back up briefly, then stalled it out when I attempted to take off again. Now at this point, my battery is almost dead from too many starting attempts. I get some help from my dad and we jumpstart the bike and I ride a bit more. I eventually take a spill and drop the bike again. Fortunately I'm unhurt, but then I run into the dead battery problem again. We jump it again, and I stall it out again. Jump it one more time so we can load it in my truck so I can go home. Dad takes the bike to the top of a little slope and I back the truck up next to it. Unforunately, the bike dies again and we have to manually wrestle it up the ramp. I take the bike home and attempt to unload it myself. I manage to get it out of my truck okay, but drop it again in my yard a couple of times trying to wrestle it around and get it in the garage. Do you guys have any recommendations to help with my battery problem? I think the issue is that I'm having to use my starter too much and I spend most of my time practicing at low speeds, and it just never gets charged back up very well. Can I get a better battery that will hold a charge longer? When I took the MSF course, the Kawasaki Eliminator I was riding there didn't seem to have these starting issues and I was stalling it a lot more frequently then. Also, do you know if there are any aftermarket rear brake pedals? The stock one seems too small and it is kind of hard to use. Archive Quicksearch at: [url=http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/klr650_data_search.htmlhttp://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/klr650_data_search.html> List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: www.dualsportnews.comhttp://www.dualsportnews.com/> List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.htmlhttp://www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html> Yahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Chris]

When starting until the motor is really warmed up, use the choke. Don't give it any gas at all, if you have the choke lever in the right spot (mine needs about 3/4 of it) the bike will fire right up. Then, let the bike warm up idling, no gas again, as it warms up the revs will rise, as they do, close the choke little by little until it is completely closed. The bike will idle smoothly and respond well to throttle blips without bogging. Don't ride around with the choke on, you will foul the spark plug, the choke is not made to be ridden on. People will tell you to do so, but they don't understand how the choke works on this carb. Warm up the bike, then ride. As mentioned, consider putting some 'real' handguards with aluminum bars on them to protect your levers and controls. The stock ones are merely wind deflectors. Also, beware of drops to the left side as it is very easy to bend the radiator with a minimal drop. You may want to consider adding a radiator guard as a result. It took me a while to get comfortable with the KLR at low speeds. Lowering the gearing with a 14 tooth front sprocket helped me a lot with throttle control. You didn't mention your size either. Do you have firm footing when stopped? If you are on your toes it will be harder to gain confidence. The KLR is pretty top heavy, having less than a full tank of gas could help you quite a bit.

[Brian Smith]

I'm actually quite tall, 6'5". That's why I had to go straight to the KLR, all the smaller bikes I tried were just too short for me. I've got no problem at all getting footing on the KLR, and I can ride it normally without having to be all hunched over. I thought the same thing about the gas, and I only put a small amount in there. Figured it would only make the bike heavier if it was full and I didn't need a full tank to drive around in a field.

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Chris wrote: > You didn't mention your size either. Do you have firm footing when > stopped? If you are on your toes it will be harder to gain > confidence. The KLR is pretty top heavy, having less than a full tank > of gas could help you quite a bit.

[Brian Smith]

It was actually a combination of a gravel driveway and mowed grass, I didn't find it all that hard to maneuver on. Do you have any suggestions where I can buy some sturdier handguards? I think part of the charging problem could have been because the bike probably hadn't been ridden a lot for a few months. I bought it used, and it is likely it had been sitting in the guys garage for awhile before I got it. It is a 2005, and he'd only made a couple of short trips on it. The battery could have lost some of its charge while it was in storage. I also was not handling the choke very well, everyone here has been helpful with that and I think I've got a better idea on how to do it now.

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, wrote: > also grass is a lousy surface for even an experienced > rider to ride on. I recomend wearing armor and ride in > parking lots. Get new hand guards as soon as possible. > You would still have your mirror, and heck it is easy > to break a hand with the chessey stock hand guards. I > too dont mean to discourage you, but > 1. This was operator error, dont equate it to a lack > of performance by the KLR. If this is a new bike, you > may have charging problems. > Never give the KLR gas when starting. Use the choke > when cold, and just the starter when warm, but never > give it gas. However when it falls over it is possible > to flood it, but still the battery should laugh this > off.

[April Neave & Norm Keller]

posted:

>Do you guys have any recommendations to help >with my battery problem?

I suggest that you remove the headlight fuse which is in the fuse holder under the seat. The owners manual shows the location. Replace it with a 15 amp fuse when you are ready to ride on the road. That will help reduce the load on the charging system and will help recharge the battery faster. It won't take long before you get past this hurdle. The KLR is very tall and falls over at the drop of a hat (bike) when you ride one for the first while especially if you are under 6 feet tall. The problem is that it has tipped so far over by the time one gets enough foot down that one often cannot hold it up. After a year of riding mine I wonder why it seemed so unstable...... The cure for me as a long time street rider and one time road racer, was to spend a lot of time on trails on the pegs getting to know the beast. IMO the trick with the KLR is to stand up on the pegs at low speeds unless there is no stability issue. This is about my 34 th bike over the last 40 years so I'm not new to the concepts but simply never rode this kind of machine. Once you get really good on the KLR try riding a Gold Wing in the back field (VBG)!!!!! After a year I am thinking of trying mine without the 1 1/2" lowering links but I doubt that it will work for me as I have a 28" inseam. If you can locate a set of lowering links IMO you would be well advised to install them until you have a bunch of time in the saddle as the lower seat height makes a huge difference. The KLR is a bit of a brute for a first bike! Hopefully someone from this list lives close to you and will give you some one on one coaching. That will get you going faster than anything.

[Jim]

Check your batter fluid level ASAP. A bike on it's side with an open cell battery...... well you get the idea. Parking the bike on the side stand is an art form when off road, don't get discouraged. Look for rocks, sticks, flat beer cans or other objects that will not deflect or sink into the ground and place one under the stand foot. Keep the fuel level 1/2 tank or less when learning. Most motorcycles and especially the KLR is most unstable when stopped, momentum is your friend. Keep at it, you'll get it, just stay out from under it until then. --Jim A-15

[fasteddiecopeman]

Brian, IMHO, the rear brake pedal's shortcoming is that it's TOO LOW, and unfortunately not adjustable really. My buddy Joe attached a piece of wood on top of his pedal, which works, and I put a short piece from a ski pole on mine, held on w/ 2 electrical ties. It gives about 3/4" extra height and works very well. Ed

> Also, do you know if there are any aftermarket rear brake pedals? The > stock one seems too small and it is kind of hard to use.