KLR 650 Modifications

Hmm. Seems like maybe you aren't sure. Guessing is what got me in this predicament.

The starter button connects positive voltage to the yellow/red wire. If you jump yellow/red to black then the starter switch will turn on the starter relay no matter what the clutch and side stand are doing.

If you jump the yellow/red to blue/red, you get nothing until you pull in the clutch and push the starter button at the same time. This will cause a short. I cannot tell if this will blow one fuse or two. Not highly recommended.

I did almost this behind the dashboard: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=20759159&postcount=5197

EDIT: Black to blue/red as suggested in another post above carries no power ever. Does nothing.

(Yeah, I did the clutch bypass too.) Back to my original quandry... The black to yellow/red must be jumped in this scenario. I did the alternative, as you so strongly suggested (prior to your post edit), and nothing happened. No more starter. Jumped the black to yellow/red and now I have my starter again. That's the way it should be.

So I'm back to square one from this morning. Starter but no spark. All fuses are good. No apparent wiring or connector issues. The crash grenaded my kill switch and we hot-wired it. Still had no spark. Subsequent bumbling fried the coil. I have since replaced the kill switch and the coil. No spark. Hoping it was a safety bypass that got bumped loose or something which would interrupt the spark.

Now I wonder if it might be the CDI. Hope not. Assistance from electrical gurus is appreciated.

Do you have a service manual ?
There is testing procedures for the cdi in the manual, but you will also need an ohm meter.

Also don't forget about the pickup coil, that is under the left cover with the stator.It gives the cdi the pulse signal so the cdi knows when to pulse the power to the coil.

There are 2 coil wires.One should be ground, and the other comes from the cdi and should pulse 12 volts on and off when you crank the bike.
If you have an automotive test light you should be able to see it blink.

You can also test the resistance of the pickup coil.

When you crank the bike does your tachometer needle on your dash work ?
Because the wire from the cdi that pulses the coil also feeds the tach signal, so if your tach is working when your cranking you more than likely are getting your 12 volt pulse at the coil.

I was under the impression that those diagnostic procedures for the cdi always come back out of spec. Therefore, I didn't figure it was a viable test.

I have a local KLR inmate that I'm pleading to come by on Monday for some testing. Probably source a ohmmeter for the cdi test and rig up a light anyhow.

No gauges.

DD, There is a walk through on www.klr650.marknet.us that might answer some questions for you. I cant remember how I jumpered mine either....

One of the first places I went. That writeup is insufficient.

DirtyDog has a GENERATION 1 KLR650, GAS GUY, with a CDI igntion. The primary ignition coil windings of the Generation 1 bikes are pulsed with considerably more voltage than the 12 volts you suggest.

The Generation 1 CDI's are powered from alternating current from the stator exciter coil; this AC is stepped up to maybe 100 volts or so inside the CDI (the "igniter" component), this voltage is rectified, and used to charge a capacitor.

When the timing mass on the rotor passes proximate to the pickup coil, a thyristor discharges the capacitor's 100 or so volts through the ignition coil's primary windings; this voltage is transformed many times higher by induction through the ignition coil's secondary windings, firing the spark plug.

The Generation 2 ignition, by contrast, saturates the ignition coil primary windings with 12 VDC; interruption of this current induces a high voltage in the igntion coil secondary windings from the collaps of the electromagnetic field created by the saturation.

More simply put, Generation 1 KLRs have Capacitive Discharge Ignitions; Generation 2 KLRs have Inductive Discharge Ignitions, "fully-transistorized breakerless ignitions," as Kawasaki marketing prose would have it.

Thanks for the clarification on the cdi.I have never had to actually test one and assumed they were like other recent automotive systems.
I had no idea that kind of voltage was sent to the coil.

I'm looking at a Gen 1 wiring diagram in a Clymer manual and that same black wire that goes from the Cdi to the coil also splices off and goes to the tach.

So the tach gets 100 volts ?

And if it does, wouldn't DD's tach read while cranking, if he is in fact getting the make and break signal at the coil from the cdi ?

Talk about feeling like a dumbass! It took me 5 minutes to figure out I was in gear because it wouldn't start. Horn worked. Light worked. Brain didn't. Must be used to a kickstarter. FNG alert!

I got an '09. Does the steering lock? If so then how do you do it?

Is this bent too much and is it old school? I read the new ones are more stout.

Turn the handlebars all the way to the left, then turn the ignition key to the left and it will go to the lock position and simply pull the key out. I have noticed that some bikes don't lock at the full left postition so in that case, turn the the handlebars left and try turning the key left, then slightly move the handlebars to the right. It shouldn't take much. I always lock my 09. It is a good habit to do.

My latest addition, a highway dirtbikes guard setup. Going to modify the dash quite a bit, and working with Paul on some mods to the top clamp.





I love them. Top notch product.

franklinmanklin,

Yeah, it is. If that piece were straight it would take a pretty good side hit and still give support. Since it is has that bend to it any side force will just cause it to push back allowing the crashbar to cave in on the side of the bike.

If you replaced it with just a straight piece of 1/8th inch thick by one inch steel bar it would be stronger, but if you were to use a piece of similar sized steel angle iron (1/8th inch thick by one inch legs) it would be WAY stronger still.

The extra leg would give it a LOT more lateral support and even help keep it from flexing at all.

Good to know. I recently bought an '08 engine bottom end... have an '06 bottom end too, and was looking at building up a 2nd mildly hopped up (685 kit + mildly ported head) engine to stuff in my '92. I have a spare Electrix UK brand high output stator (and matching regulator) I acquired - are you saying that the '08 and up OEM stators won't work with pre '08 CDI and coil setup?

If so, can a pre '08 stator be installed in an '08 and up left side case? Anyone know?

I couldn't get mine to work.

I guess I will have to beef it up, thanks.

Stinky151
I dig that set up, nice and tight, clean looking too, that is as cool as cornflakes, i am sure you have $$ in it.