.....as I was saying.......

(insert photo of a '95 ZX9 here.)

 

Hmmm ... here "winterizing" means you put on a warmer jacket and let the engine warm up a little longer.

 

Winterizing the KLR:



Winterizing the KLX:

 

So ... you're insinuating the KLR doesn't like the cold? I'm currently wishing for a KLR650 but since we're expecting a top of 108F here today (and it's only snowed here twice in living memory) cold weather issues aren't something I'm overly concerned with.

 

heh heh heh.

The KLR's getting some quality shop time this winter. The POs neglected maintenance so it's getting a fairly thorough work over. Lube suspension and head bearings, replace wheel bearings, valve check, armoring, heated grips, axillary lights, new bars, upgraded suspension, painting the faded red (pink) plastics desert tan to blend in with the Idaho outback, and a ThermoBob because, IMO, the KLR doesn't necessarily like cold weather in its stock form. It was 5F this morning and clear up to a balmy 20F right now!

Last winter the KLR rode while the KLX got a 351 kit.

 

I've read mixed reports, and some funny claims, about those thermo-bob (bypass) kits. Here we don't have bypass arrangements in our cars (a claim made on the thermo-bob site I found) and it's something I've only ever seen as an after-market mod. A friend of mine built one himself (machined from solid aluminium billet, very nice work) for his Renault but they're quite rare to find. We don't get nearly as cold as where you are though.

 

Yes, I know it's a controversial item. The temp gauge barely gets above the "C" in cold weather and the oil barely warm. That can't be good. Can it run for tens of thousands of miles without it - sure. And I commute only five miles to work. Lots of short trips without ever warming up. So it may not be necessary, but it can't hurt. I put one on the KLX too and it ran noticeably better on cold days with coolant up to operating temperature within a mile or two.

 

That's the same kind of thing my friend said about his Renault. Faster warm up and more even temperature in cold weather. When I get mine I'll see how it behaves. I'm intending to keep it for some time so little things that improve stability could be important.

 

If you haven't already seen it, the maker gives some pretty detailed information here: Information, Articles

I believe the coolant bypass on my automobiles runs through the heater core (which warms the cabin).

 

On some cars, but not others. My current car, a '96 Toyota Camry (boring-mobile), my previous Subaru and before that a Holden Commodore and Toyota Tarago all shut the coolant flow to the heater core off completely when it's not on.
All these variations could be down to the difference in climate. I noticed on a trip to Singapore that my friend's car there didn't even have a heater, let alone one that shut off the coolant.