I will try not to wear y'all out with questions. I have owned several bikes over the years including one DS (KLR 650) but I have never done ANY mods. I am going to try to use this bike to learn a little. 2 questions. Where can I find a service manual? I found them on repairmanual.com but they are $50 for the manual and another $32 for the supplement! Are they available cheaper else where? Also, I have a 13t sprocket on the way and I want to open up the stock exhaust some. I have read posts about drilling out the first baffel plate with a 1/2 inch bit. Do I need to get into the pipe to do this or can I just go through the opening. Thanks

 

I haven't purchase the manuals, but I have shopped on the internet. I don't believe you will get them much cheaper than that..not from what I've seen. The exhaust is drilled out through the opening. You will need a long drill bit though. I had to go and buy one that was long enough. All of the mods that you will get from these forums are pretty simple to perform. The hardest part about performing the carb mods is getting to it. Just have patience, and you will do fine.

 

I picked up my manual off e-bay for about $30 and the supplement from my dealer for about $20, so if you shop around you can save a little. But if you learn to do a few things yourself, such as basic maintenance items like checking and adjusting your valves, you can save a rather large sum of money just in labor costs. Mechanics charge quite a rate for service - around $70 or $80 an hour around here. Figure you are not going to get out of the shop for under $100 labor for just about anything you have done and most service jobs will be several hundred and on up. Not to mention that service shops are usually backed up for work and you are going to have to get in line to get your work done. I was just quoted over $300 to install the 300cc upgrade kit. Not that I was going to have them do it, but I was curious as to how much it would be. That's money better spent on more bling, IMO . I personally like DIY because not only do I save the money which is nice, but more importantly I know the job is done right.

So - even if the service manual seems a little pricy, think of all the money it will save you in the long run.

 

I got a used manual on e-bay for $18 shipped, still haven't picked up the supplement. Can anyone tell me just what is in the supplement thats not in the other manual?