newbie inquires -- new '08 vs new '07 vs used vs suzuki dr650.

[garyunderdahl]

Engine, of '96 KLR650 with 37,700 miles, runs fine, but has developed from a minor knock on take off beginning a 1000 miles ago to a loud knock from idle up through all gears on acceleration. Upper end of engine seems fine. Valve clearances were checked after knock first noticed and found to be in spec. Carb was cleaned to smooth out idle. Mileage on last fillup was 62.5 mpg on run from Reno down to Tracy, CA over Carson Pass. Knock is coming from left side lower case. Could it be anything other than main bearing spinning in case? If it is a frozen bearing, what could have caused it? Bike was in storage for 7 years, til I bought it and rode it for the past 21,000 miles. Could bearing have rusted enough to freeze, or lockup, and have been spinning with the crank for that many miles? Or could a small piece of the broken doohickey locked up the bearing? Whatever the cause, is the engine now not worth fixing, assuming that it is a frozen main bearing? This is a great discussion group. Wish my KLR would run forever.

[jokerloco9@aol.com]

I have a 2006 with 8k miles. I replaced doohickey at 2k miles. I noticed that I need to adjust doohickey at every oil change (which I think is recommended by Kawasaki), otherwise I will get a ticking/knocking noise. As soon as I adjust doohickey, noise goes away. It is just slop in the timing chain. If you haven't done the doohickey, I would most definitely recommend you start there. Bearings don't spin for 21k miles. More like 50 miles. But I suppose it is possible it could be a bearing. But a knock-knock-knock is usually a rod bearing. Definitely check doohickey NOW! Jeff A20 In a message dated 6/8/2008 6:53:11 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, garyunderdahl@... writes: Engine, of '96 KLR650 with 37,700 miles, runs fine, but has developed from a minor knock on take off beginning a 1000 miles ago to a loud knock from idle up through all gears on acceleration. Upper end of engine seems fine. Valve clearances were checked after knock first noticed and found to be in spec. Carb was cleaned to smooth out idle. Mileage on last fillup was 62.5 mpg on run from Reno down to Tracy, CA over Carson Pass. Knock is coming from left side lower case. Could it be anything other than main bearing spinning in case? If it is a frozen bearing, what could have caused it? Bike was in storage for 7 years, til I bought it and rode it for the past 21,000 miles. Could bearing have rusted enough to freeze, or lockup, and have been spinning with the crank for that many miles? Or could a small piece of the broken doohickey locked up the bearing? Whatever the cause, is the engine now not worth fixing, assuming that it is a frozen main bearing? This is a great discussion group. Wish my KLR would run forever. **************Get trade secrets for amazing burgers. Watch "Cooking with Tyler Florence" on AOL Food. (http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4?&NCID=aolfod00030000000002) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[garyunderdahl]

Thanks to a tip from a fellow rider, I reset the balancer bolt and the knock is gone, or at least it is now much quieter. At least I now feel the engine is ok and does not have a bad bearing. Garyinsf

[E.L. Green]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Jud Jones" wrote:

> --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, LF wrote: > > Then, there is always the Suzuki DR650. It's lighter than the KLR, > > and air-cooled. Probably simpler to work on. But it seems the

KLR is

> > more popular. Please tell me why. > Bats the hell out of me. The DR is better in most respects, the

exceptions being ergos for tall

> riders, and possibly longevity of the powerplant.

In my case I bought a KLR because that was what was available used in the local market area. I would have preferred buying a DR because of its lighter weight and air cooling, but they're scarcer than roosters' eggs on the used market. But anyhow, here's some reasons why some folks might buy a KLR rather than a DR: * Seat. The stock seat on a DR is a torture device. The stock seat on a KLR isn't the world's best seat, but I rode multi-day trips on it with no problem before I finally invested in a Corbin. * Fuel capacity. The DR comes with a tiny gas tank that'll get you a hundred miles or so before you run out of gas. The KLR comes with a giant gas tank that'll take you over 200 miles before you run out of gas. For many "adventure" trips, gas is more than 100 miles apart. You do the math . * Luggage carrying capacity. The KLR is physically larger behind the rider, thus easier to physically fit a lot of luggage back there. For adventure riders who are carrying lots of stuff for a long trip, that's an important benefit. * Weather protection. Okay, so the classic KLR's little mini-fairing wasn't the world's best weather protection, but it still provides protection against rain beating directly upon your chest (which I can attest from a previous naked bike is a very miserable experience). For someone who's riding thousands of miles through all sorts of weather, that's important. * Cockpit size. When you're riding hundreds of miles per day for eight or more hours a day for day after day after day, a roomy cockpit helps keep you from being debilitated at the end of the day. Now, most of the above (other than the cramped cockpit and the short distance behind the rider) is remediable in the aftermarket -- now. That was not true ten years ago, when the DR650SE was new to the market. So the KLR sort of got its toe hold in the adventure touring area while the DR was still in its infancy. And from there it just sort of like spread like a virus. I've seen DR's "in the wild" and they're great bikes. If I had an infinite garage, I wouldn't mind owning one. On the other hand, my KLR is, for me, a more comfortable long-distance cruiser than a DR will ever be because of simple ergonomics (I'm 5'11" and the DR's cockpit is just too cramped for me). So as a road bike that can go offroad, the KLR is a better bike -- for me. -E