KLR650 around the world with passenger

[Kedgi]

Originally Posted by Wolfgang55

Good Luck & don't forget to do your ''doo''.

With respect. There is no need to do your doo. I'm in Peru on a KLR 650 with 45000 kms on it. I have ridden here from eastern Canada. I have never done my do. Simply loosen the bolt on the doo give it a light tap and gently re-tighten every time you change the oil. No doo need be done.

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=832336

Kedgi

[gunnerbuck]

Originally Posted by Kedgi

With respect. There is no need to do your doo. I'm in Peru on a KLR 650 with 45000 kms on it. I have ridden here from eastern Canada. I have never done my do. Simply loosen the bolt on the doo give it a light tap and gently re-tighten every time you change the oil. No doo need be done.

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=832336

Kedgi

Half the problem with doo is not the thing breaking, but rather the spring running out of tension as the chain stretches... I have done several as to where the balancer chain had a lot of slack because the doo spring had no pull left, if run this way for a spell things could come to a grinding halt...

Even if you plan not to change the doo, the tensioner spring should be checked after a nominal amount of miles, you will likely find that there will be not much spring left and it should be swapped for a shorter unit...

[GAS GUY]

Originally Posted by Kedgi

With respect. There is no need to do your doo. I'm in Peru on a KLR 650 with 45000 kms on it. I have ridden here from eastern Canada. I have never done my do. Simply loosen the bolt on the doo give it a light tap and gently re-tighten every time you change the oil. No doo need be done.

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=832336

Kedgi

You should not give bad info based solely on your experience.
Just because you have not had a problem does not mean someone else won't.
It is a well documented problem, and I personally have found springs broken on a stock KLR with 3,000 miles.

You can do what you want, but don't give bad advice.

[willys]

Originally Posted by GAS GUY

You should not give bad info based solely on your experience.
Just because you have not had a problem does not mean someone else won't.
It is a well documented problem, and I personally have found springs broken on a stock KLR with 3,000 miles.

You can do what you want, but don't give bad advice.

Ditto!!!

I too have done more than my fair share of DOO's and springs and found the exact same thing.......springs broken, no adjustment, fallen off the their perch, gone totally to be found nowhere and broken and damaged DOO's. I have a drawer full of them......I would bet dollars to donuts yours is the same...no adjustment left and you just don't realize it!

I second the bad advice...comment......irresponsible to say the least!!!

[globalklr650]

I had the eagle mike doo hickey with torsion spring installed 2,400km ago. I have not adjusted it yet, is that ok?? So all i have to do is loosen that small bolt tap the engine and then snug the bolt up?

[willys]

Basically.....but only loosen it 1/4 turn......if it's new I doubt you need to tap the case.....?
I would loosen it at evey oil change.....just for good measure. I ran 30,000kms last season and never adjusted it, on my spare 08 engine......when I took it apart and loosened it, it moved 1/8"! It was kind of an eye opener.......it just shows you that it is necessary. It also showed me that the stock spring is useless.....something I already knew! I had already installed the straight EM spring after finding the original spring off the spring post. So, if the stock spring was still there the doo lever would have slopped around to any possition and posibly allowed the ballancer chain to go completely slack.

[globalklr650]

Thanks willys,

Sounds straight forward.

Another question I have is about oil. I used to only use motorcycle oil but eagle mike suggested shell rotella T 15w-40 triple protection. I have been using this and it seems to work and is cheap. I would like to use something similar here is mexico but don't know what is good for bikes. There is alot of quaker state oil with sn or sm ratings. Is one of those ok for use in a motorcycle. If I can't find a good cheap oil I will probably have to pay alot of money for special motorcycle oil. As we travel in central and south america too I would like to find a cheap good motorcycle oil.

[Tony K]

Lots of big Diesel trucks in Mexico. I would think that the equivent of Rotella should be available.

[globalklr650]

Any thoughts on the reusable stainless steel oil filter for the KLR650. It would be great to just wash it out while traveling in places that don't have KLR650 parts. Does it filter as good as the normal filter?

[Tsotsie]

Originally Posted by Kedgi

With respect. There is no need to do your doo. I'm in Peru on a KLR 650 with 45000 kms on it. I have ridden here from eastern Canada. I have never done my do. Simply loosen the bolt on the doo give it a light tap and gently re-tighten every time you change the oil. No doo need be done.

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=832336

Kedgi

With respect Kedgi, some attention is needed and highly advised.

A personal friend with an 08 had his implode at 12,500 miles in FL. The off-set adjuster commonly referred to as the 'doo' was fine. The spring, as with mine and many others, was too short and did not tension the chain beyond the first one or two adjustments. The chain came off the sprokets and the mess was not worth fixing. I know of two other 08's that have also imploded. Chainging out the too long stock spring for a shorter one is the least one should do.

Another concern and cause for the stock spring to break is that whoever made the springs for KAWA had pinch points where the end hooks were bent 90 degrees from the coils. This casues metal fatigue possibilities and a weak spot. Other springs broke in their coil lengths. That is due to post coiling over-hardening.

The EMike springs, and he supplies several lengths, are bent without the pinch or distortion as well as more strictly heat treat controlled. I am not aware of any of these having broken.

The pre-08 'welded' 'doo' is a liability and its breakages are extensively documented.

Another issue with the 08's was that the factory did not place a washer on the retaining bolt where it meets with the doo lobe.

Tapping cases is not a substitute for proper spring tension and design and is in the catagory of shade tree mechanic work. However, if it makes you feel good, do it .

While many never break, it is good maintenance (and peace of mind) to remove those parts that are known to have had inadequate quality and process control.

[globalklr650]

Video 24 of our trip.

In this video I had alot of problems with Military check points and my knife and bear spray. First they said I needed a permit and then they said it was ok. I am not really sure what happened hope my Spanish gets better soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bZgO...e_gdata_player

[willys]

Originally Posted by globalklr650

Any thoughts on the reusable stainless steel oil filter for the KLR650. It would be great to just wash it out while traveling in places that don't have KLR650 parts. Does it filter as good as the normal filter?

I've been using one for 5 years now with zero issues, I love the ease and convienience of it......they are much cheaper now to obtain. I wouldn't go on an adventure on paper filters that's for sure! Oil is everywhere, filters aren't!

[globalklr650]

Willys thanks alot. Thats exactly what I was thinking. I will buy one while we are in La Paz so I will not have to worry about oil filters in Central and south america. I think better for the environment too not to throw out all those paper filters.

[globalklr650]

I am having trouble getting parts shipped to Mexico. Motorcycle superstore does not ship to Mexico, Jcmotors charges about $120 for shipping a tire and some small parts and I am waiting for a shipping cost from rocky mountain atv mc.

Also I have finished cutting our travel video 7 from the Yukon last August. In this video, 3 day Yukon river canoe trip and volunteering at the Yukon wildlife preserve feeding animals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ-uq...e_gdata_player

[globalklr650]

It looks like rocky mountain atc mc can ship a tire and some small parts to La Paz Mexico for $67 through DHL express. I am going through all the parts I want to order while we are here for a while and its convenient.

So far i have
Shinko trailmaster rear tire
Clymers manual
Tuck reusable stainless steel oil filter
Clutch cable maybe (i herd they fail)
Throttle cable maybe

Clutch kit maybe see picture below. I have 27,000km on my stuck clutch with an overweight bike (1,100lb). Now is a good time to change it but I don't want to do it to early. Do you been special tools to change the plates? I do not notice any slipping at all and i have only adjusted the clutch lever once. Can anyone give me an idea of how long the stock clutch should last?? I saw 100,000km on the internet but that seems high.