KLRsys build

The shake down run is done! We've made it to Amarillo with no issues other than its hotter than he!!

sweet. if this can be done by guys in their garage why can't Kawi figure it out to make one???

+1! I'd be all over that like a fat kid in a candy store! Kawasaki would probably sell a boat load of them. But I don't have a degree in marketing, so what do I know?!


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After leaving Amarillo Willy did have a bike issue. Apparently running 75mph into a strong headwind with the temperature over 100 heated up the fuel in the tank to the point where it was either boiling or percolating air out of the fuel. That caused too much air in the pump housing and it would starve for fuel. It was only a minor problem, we would pull over and open the vent valve for 30 seconds or so and it would fire right up. I think I need to insulate the bottom of the tank. The 09 bike has insulation so I'm thinking Kawasaki recognized it as a problem. So far it hasn't slowed us down, we made it to Durango today, on schedule. Tomorrow we head for Vernal, UT. *

beautiful work and good luck to you guys out there. enjoy.

I have started a Ride Report at: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=21884644#post21884644

I'm already behind and there will be updates as internet connectivity allows.

Glad to hear you've started your trip, keep drinking the water!!!

We've made it to Cranbrook, BC, Canada without any major bike issues, at least related to the build. Willy got run off a gravel road by a trailer towing pickup on the Ashton Flagg ranch road north of the Grand Tetons and scratched up the bike a bit and Rex had a blowout north of Grand Junction and had an exciting get-off that tore the bike up more than we expected, but both guys escaped without a scratch.*
Otherwise the bikes are doing great. We had the fuel boiling issue early on but it hasn't repeated since we got into cooler weather, not that it's been all that cool but it hasn't been 106 like it was getting out of Texas. *The only other issue was fuel mileage on the two newer bikes, Willy was doing low 30's early on and the 09 bike was getting high 30's - low 40's. So we've been tweaking the Powercommander fuel mapping and finally got both of them up into the low 50mpg range.*

I'm really enjoying riding the bike. It's really nice to be able to ride down some not so smooth gravel/rocky roads and then get back on the highway, wind it up to 70 or so and hit the cruise. And even loaded up like I have it now (which is pretty overloaded, i always bring too much stuff) the weight is not a big issue. *The Cogent Dynamics suspension pieces work great, the rear shock keeps the rear end planted very well and the front springs and Racetech pieces have cut down on brake dive quite a bit. *It has a real nice ride to it that doesn't beat you up or wear you out. *The only thing I want to add is a heat shield on the header pipes near my leg. *The heat isn't much of a problem but I did burn my riding pants on them somehow. *One more thing, insulate the bottom of the fuel tanks to keep the fuel cooler.*

One other nice benefit of it still being a KLR, when we were fixing the damage on the 05 bike we went to the Kawasaki dealer in Grand Junction. They didn't have any of the parts we needed in stock but they had an 08 KLR in the shop with a blown engine and they let us rob parts off of it as long as we paid for replacements. *I doubt we would have had that kind of luck had we been riding one of several other brands I can think of. *

Time to go find dinner. More results down the road.*

This is a great thread. True craftsmanship. You have a small following at klr650.net forums where I said this:
"If I happened to be in the market in a few years and Kaw was making this bike, roughly based on a Gen2 framework (metaphorically), I would strongly consider it. I would be able to switch over many of my current farkles and return my '08 to stock."

This is great work, but obviously laborious on a small scale and probably quite expensive to achieve. I really hope Kawasaki catches on to this.

Love this thread.

I haven't had access to much internet for the past week so I haven't done any posting but its been an epic week. We made it to Alaska, barely. . Here's Willy and his bike above Salmon Glacier north of Hyder AK. It made it all the way with no issues.



One of the best things to happen was the impromptu first KLRE650/KLRsys rally at Adrenalin Motorcycle Co-op in Victoria BC. We surprised Scott, builder of the Super Rio KLR twin, with a visit without much warning. It was great to actually meet him and see his bike. It was finding his bike on ADV that spurred me on to start my first build. He took us on a great breakfast ride Sunday morning around the island and we had a great time. I hope we can cross paths again someday.



We are now near Richland, WA and will be heading to Twin Falls ID via Boise tomorrow. We have about 2000 miles to cover in the next 5 days, we're running 3 days behind schedule. We've covered over 4000 miles so far without any build related problems. It's been a heck of a shakedown ride.

Sweet

You officially made it on to the wheel nerds podcast. Listen to them talk About you for a few minutes on there


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We made it home, the ride is over, and it was an EPIC adventure! An epic ride, an epic life experience for me.

I know that many folks have done more and ridden further but for me it has been quite an accomplishment. Four and a half years ago I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and amongst other things I was told I'd probably never ride again and I believed it because of the physical disabilities I was experiencing. I went through the classic stages of diagnosis - shock, fear, anger and depression. Fortunately the depression was short lived, I quickly realized that being depressed sucked and that there are many people in far worse condition than I that are leading productive and satisfying lives. I decided I was going to ride again come hell or high water and I dragged my butt to my treadmill, started walking and planning a trip to Utah. I signed on with a personal trainer and did weight training. I manage to get rid of my leg and back pain in short order and in four months I was in better shape than I had been in 20 years. And then I went riding, with three of the best friends a guy could ever ask for, through most of the national parks in southern Utah, 1800 miles. It felt freakin wonderful. I've never looked back. The whole experience dramatically changed my outlook on life. Don't sweat the small stuff. Don't just watch, PARTICIPATE. Have adventures, big or small, but don't wait for them to happen, MAKE them happen. Don't let anyone tell you what you can or can't accomplish, only you can make that call. And with that last thought, I decided to build myself a bike. And another. And another. And ride to Moab. And ride to Alaska!

The point of all this is I want to thank everyone that has participated in my adventure, everyone that has read and posted encouraging and helpful comments on this thread, everyone I've met on the road, all those that have helped me with the builds. It's all meant a lot to me. It's been a hell of a ride, and it's not over yet.

And the MS, well, it's just a small black cloud with a giant silver lining.

Thanks again.

< ADV version of the "LIKE" button

Holy crap, man. Good on ya. Keep it up. What's next ? ....

I've met KLRsys...

And believe me, if he said he was going to put a ZX10 engine in a KLX250 there is no doubt in my mind he'd not only do it, but it would look "factory", as well as operate like it, too!

He simply does not know how to take "No" for an answer!

The greatest kudos to you, Fritz/KLRsys, and Congratulations! I don't know anyone else who could have done what you have.

Dallara




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Ride Fritz Ride!

Thank you, Calvin

Fritz. I saw your post earlier today. I didn't reply because I couldn't find the perfect words to express what I wanted to say. Calvin found them.

Now all I have to do is........+1.

Wow. What an incredible story.