Good day Riders! I just bought a 2016 KLR that I will be taking possession of in a few hours. I'm very excited about it.

I have two Harleys that ive been riding for a while now. A 2011 Wide Glide and a 2000 Sportster 1200. My first bike was a 1976 KS 125 that I beat the heck out of when I was 15. It never failed me and it always ran good. fast forward many years, I was wanting a bike I could have fun on and promptly thought of my old Kawasaki I had back in the day (KS125 76 model) so I went searching and after many reviews and videos I chose the KLR 650. I'm a big ole fat boy from the hills of Ark and moved to OK several years ago. I'm hoping the 2016 KLR will serve me properly. I don't plan on doing any heavy riding in the mud or anything but would like to go trail riding and knowing rather than putting it in my truck to haul it somewhere I can simply ride it to wherever I'm going then off to the trails.

Yall have a good one and take care . ride safe!!!

 

3 days and not one greeting.

I'm off to the KLR forums.

 

Well, shoot.
I'm gone for a few days and miss a KLR guy.

Don't worry. There's not much KLR action here anyway.

 

Hello, ill still lurk around a little. I was just shocked how in 3 days not a soul responded.

Thanks and we can talk KLR! I have had mine for three days now and wow. what a great bike!

 

Cool, I'm glad you're enjoying it. Thanks for coming back. There's really about zero KLR action here. 95% of the action on this forum nowadays is on the KLX250. I have both.

If you're really a big ole fat boy, once you start hitting some trails and feel the rear end is a little harsh from bottoming out, think about getting a heavier rear spring and maybe heavier fork springs. Heavier spring weights will go a long way with this mediocre suspension for the bumpy stuff once rider weight starts getting north of 180 lbs or so.

My KLR is an '06 "Gen I" model that I'm modding to thrash around on. Post up a pic of your shiny '16 when you get a chance.

When I first got her



then I had my way with her and got her all nekid

 

Great pics! I think ill learn a lot from you. yea I'm about 300lbs and 6/2 tall. my KLR is as stiff as a board apparently they upgraded the springs and the mono shock to be way more stiff in 2015. I don't think ill have a problem with that. ill be running a pigtail from my battery tonight for my battery tender, and I'm almost convinced to do my own 600 mile service. changing the oil and air filter is about as easy as it gets. I'm getting a K&N oil and air filter but not sure what oil to use? I wont be doing any Motocross on it, and will just mainly ride it here in Hicksville,lol
My Harleys I use Mobile One synthetic.
here is a pic of mine today,

 

That's purdy!
A pigtail for the battery tender is on all my toys with a battery.

Use any oil that is NOT energy conserving. These energy conserving oils have friction modifiers that can cause problems with your clutch. If it says JASO, it is acceptable. I use inexpensive Rotella T 15w-40.

I've not spent much time on a Harley, but I can imagine a Harley's ride being more plush. The KLR is meant to take at least some off-road abuse so a bit more stiffness is I suppose expected. I think your shock has a 5-position pre-load adjuster. Get in the habit of squirting a little lube like WD40 or similar on the moving parts before adjusting or the bolt will shear off sometime in the future. Read up on setting pre-load to see if you have the sag set correctly. Your rear has 7.3 inches of travel. Find measurement points, like from axle bolt to the fender. Put bike on stand and measure with unloaded suspension. Let's say this measurement is 37.3 inches (it won't be, I'm just using this as a simple example). So, fully loaded with shock bottomed out would be 30 inches (37.3 - 7.3 inches of travel).

Now, take the bike off the stand, put on any gear you wear, have someone help hold the bike steady and take measurements. Stand on the pegs, or sit, or both, bounce around and then take a measurement. Do it a few times. There's different methods here, but the point is your measuring "race" or "rider" sag. This sag should be around 1/3 of total travel, or 0.33 * 7.3 = 2.4 inches. So, the measurement would be 37.3 - 2.4 = 34.9 inches. Give or take a tenth or three. If it sags more than 2.4 +/- inches, increase preload, and v/v.

The next steps to see if you have the proper spring weight would be measuring unloaded sag. No rider, just holding the bike up. This should be about 10% of total travel, or about 3/4 inch. If it's much more, or less, indicates needing a heavier or lighter spring.

here's some light reading: kb1

This is from the KLX250 FAQ page. It gives you a better idea...

Adjust Your Sag

The KLX handles well right out of the box, but anybody over 135 pounds will find it too soft in the front and too stiff in the rear. To get the suspension correct for your weight and riding style, you'll have to measure and adjust both Sag and Dampening. Sag is determined by preload and spring rate, which primarily affect how your suspension handles the big stuff, whereas dampening primarily affects how it handles the small stuff. But there is considerable overlap, and when they work together properly, you get both comfort and control over a wide range of riding conditions. You’ll be better able to adjust your suspension correctly if you first understand how it was designed to operate and can identify symptoms of incorrect operation. So checkout... Suspension Basics before you jump into the sag adjustments. It's also recommended that you.. Service Your Swingarm before adjusting the suspension. Once you've got sag correct, continue with... Adjust Your Dampening
Sag Adjustments

Rider sag, also called "race" sag, is the amount the bike sags under its weight and yours during static conditions from its fully extended (topped out, no load) position. If your Rider sag is correct, your suspension is in the middle of its range, where it can handle the widest range of riding conditions without topping or bottoming out. Most suspension experts recommend a race sag equal to 1/3 the bikes travel. On the KLX-300, that's about 3-5/8 inch, or 92 mm. Most KLXers will therefore find that a static sag somewhere between 90-100 mm translates to the correct preload for dynamic conditions. Bike sag, also called "free" sag, is the distance the suspension sags without a rider, from its fully extended position. Once you get your Rider sag correct, Bike sag will tell you whether or not you have the correct spring for your riding weight. So always check Bike sag after you set your Race sag, because the preload adjustment affects both.





STEP 1 => MEASURE ZERO SAG...

Put your bike on a stand
Measure vertical distance from axle to fender.
Record this value as M0... ________



STEP 2 => MEASURE RIDER SAG...

Take your bike off the stand
Put on your riding gear
Take a standing position
Measure vertical distance from axle to fender
Record this value as M1... ________
Subtract M1 from M0... ________

This is your RIDER SAG. If it's between 90 and 100mm, skip to Step 4. If it's not, continue with Step 3...



STEP 3 => ADJUST PRELOAD...

Put your bike on a stand
Lubricate threads on shock body
If rider sag is less than 90 mm...
Move rings up shock body (ccw)
If more than 100 mm
Move rings down shock body (cw)

Repeat Steps 2 & 3 until you've got 90-100mm, then continue with Step 4...



STEP 4 => MEASURE BIKE SAG...

With your rider sag now correct
Measure vertical distance from axle to fender
Record this value as M2... ________
Subtract M2 from M0... ________

This is your BIKE SAG, and if it's between 25 and 35mm, your preload and spring rate are correct. This is cool, very cool. Take a test ride, then... Adjust Your Dampening

If you can't get rider and bike sag correct, you've got the wrong spring. Goto Install the Correct Spring to fix this problem, then repeat steps 1-4...

 

Excellent info and totally copied and pasted to my notes! Thanks a million. Never thought about the sag thing, mine is stiff on the fron and the back but making the adjustments you mentioned will I'm sure make it much smoother in terms of the off/on road.
Riding my 2011 Wide Glide is like having a V8 between your legs,The sound with the V&H Pipes and the weight of it is pretty awesome. When I went to research an Enduro as we called them when I was a kid in the 70s I soon learned they were now called dual sports,(still getting used to the name) and since my first bike was a KS 125 I looked at the Kawasakis first. Then I learned they were the best selling and the most reliable dual sports. I wanted a Bike that I could ride on the street and the dirt. And here we are, This one was set up well at Lawton Motorsports in OK and being brand new it didn't cost me an arm and a leg. I use my old Bell Custom 500 with a tinted bubble shield when I ride,no helmet riding the Harleys,(yea pretty stupid), Obviously you service your own bikes, with a 600 mile service other than the oil and air filter changes I guess just go around and check all the nuts/bolts etc? I'm fanatical on tire pressure which the manual states around 21 in the front and 28 in the back everyone ive spoke with does around 30 or so in the front and around 35 in the back? Energy conserving oil as in high mileage etc?
Thanks...

 

Stock reear spring rate on your KLR is 5.1 kg/mm. At 300 lbs plus 20 for gear, you should have about a 9.6 kg/mm spring.

On the forks, stock is 0.40 kg/mm. Recommended for you is about 0.67 kg/mm.

See Race Tech Suspension and do a spring rate search under dirt bikes for your KLR. At your size, you're never going to get a plush ride by adjusting sag with the stock setup. It feels stiff because you're maxing out the suspension. You may tolerate it, but it could be much better. Trust me here and check around with others who've set up their bike, getting the spring rates correct is one of the best improvements you can make when the rider is significantly over or under the design weight (which is somewhere around 180 lbs for the KLR if I recall correctly).

Yes, I service my own bikes. I like working on them.

Follow the recommended service intervals in the manual for oil, filters, changing coolant and brake fluids, etc. Energy conserving oil isn't high mileage. Instead, it has added friction modifiers to reduce friction in the engine, thereby improving mileage. These modifiers can cause your bike's wet clutch to slip (same oil lubes the engine and clutch). If it says 'motorcycle oil' you should be okay. The Rotella I run is for diesel trucks, doesn't say 'motorcycle oil' but also doesn't have friction modifiers. It has become quite popular with motorcyclists. Really though, the most important thing is to have oil. Your motor will fail if you run it low on oil, typically because the cams seize up first. On another forum is this thread: The Big Oil Thread!!!! The Only Oil Thread!!!! - Stromtrooper Forum : Suzuki V-Strom Motorcycle Forums

And this site is interesting too, check articles & forums. Used Oil Analysis - Bob is the Oil Guy

I run about 33/35 front/back on the street and will drop in the gravel and dirt to 20/23 or so. Most tires will wear better and run cooler at higher pressures.

This is a good thread that I follow: http://advrider.com/index.php?thread...thread.742912/

There are a couple other good KLR forums out there, but sometimes their members get a little funny so I don't spend much time on them.

 

Thanks a million for the links and the knowledge! I really appreciate it. Lots of great reading for sure.
I wasn't sure I was smart enough to actually maintain my Bike correctly,changing the oil and air filters isn't a biggie but setting up the bike for maximum performance is a must do! And with the links you've provided and advice I'm sure I can totally do it now! I installed the battery tender pigtail today and I had to get a one size longer bolts for the positive and negative sides but it came out pretty good.
On the 600 mile service that I'm determined to do myself other then the oil change and air filter change should I also change out the radiator/brake fluid etc? even if it looks allrite?
One thing that always irritated the hell out of me was having to take my HDs to the HD shop for any maintenance, man that always cost a million dollars no matter what the deal is/was! That is precisely why I bought this bike. I want to do everything myself. The dealer made sure to set an early appointment for my 600 mile service which I ttold them I would get back to them. They want 189$ plus any parts etc meaning oil and that's probably it. Realizing the KLR is like the Jeep of the motorcycles I almost refuse to have anyone but myself do the servicing. Like you mentioned, I like working on my own bikes but haven't since I haven't owned anything I could work on myself since I was 15 (1979). I ordered a Wolfman tail bag and a Renthal bar pad (< for looks)

Thanks again for the advice and tutorials,this is going to be fun!