I noticed this when installing the 300 spring. IIRC, the preload adjuster wanted to contact the airbox while first threading and tightening it down. I think I got past the rub point, but I should give her another look. Thanks much for the note.

There's going to be a local suspension guru (suspension by sasquatch) at a weekend meetup I'm attending in June and really look forward to his suspension lesson. The KLR is still stock and it just isn't much fun on the bumps, or even a rough road, compared to the feel of the KLX. And I know the KLX has room to be dialed in better so that says a lot about how bad the KLR is.

 

I know that sasquatch guy. He's a wizard at modding the shock for a KLR. He's made full blown remote piggyback setups for the KLR that are impressive. Of course he also has some moderate but effective shock mods for it too. I had a KLR600 and an '88 KLR650 with a remote piggyback Works Performance shock on it, and it provided an unbelievable amount of suspension performance improvement. You'll never conquer the weight of the piggy KLR, but you can sure improve the way the wheels stick to the ground.

 

The bike would actually pull the front (wheelie) after i modded the muffler and adjusted the jetting a bit where as it would not with just the jetting and airbox mod alone. So yes i think it gained some power.

Personally i don't think the stock muffler is really all that restrictive once the end cap is replaced as some people might think. Of course an aftermarket straight through pipe is going to be a bit better but considering this cost me $0, i think it was worth it. I'm going full exhaust eventually but this works in the mean time.

And i did not have to weld anything. I did use a blowtorch to cut out the existing endcap, but the new cap is just a tight friction fit and riveted in place.

 

Wildcard - your modified can sounds as good as any aftermarket exhaust I've heard. So your mod has my interest. Could I just take an industrial hole saw and cut out the buttplug in the stocker and then affix a KLX300 aftermarket endcap (with rivets) onto the existing backend of the stock can?

I don't know the inner working of the stocker so it's hard to picture what's behind the buttplg and what it's attached to - the endplate, or the midpipe.

Could I cut that backend off with something other than a blowtorch?

Whyzee - yes, my 2007 was absolutely untouched in any way when I bought it 2 weeks ago. So I'm starting with the easy high-yield items first in an attempt to keep the cost down. I loved my KTM 400EXC but it wasn't so great on the street. With a little work, however, the KLX will be nearly as good offroad and the EXC. It weighs maybe 30 pounds more but the cg is lower so it doesn't feel like 30 unless you pick the back end of the bike up. I think I can make the KLX forks nearly as good as the WPs. Especially with moto-pro and RT kits already assembled for the bike.

 

There's a picture of a stock muffler cut in half out there on the net somewhere.