KLR 250 Project: Part XIV

This may well be the final post in the KLR 250 saga. (that is, unless something goes wrong soon)

On Christmas Eve, the needed parts finally arrived. As the entire family was in the midst of holiday madness, I postponed working on the bike until after Christmas. Sunday morning, despite the frigid temperature, I gather up all the parts, put on some gloves, and got to work.
After replacing the bad oil gear and installing new oil seal, mechanical seal, and O-ring, I was ready to put it all back together. I installed new gaskets on both the clutch cover and the water pump, installed the impeller, and bolted everything back together. So far so good. While the tank was still off, I checked and lubed all cables, and then installed the tank and the seat.
When I poured gas in the tank I was a bit nervous since the last time the petcock leaked. My fear, however, proved not necessary as my homemade petcock fix worked and no gas leaked out.
Everything, except side covers was on and ready, so I tried starting the bike. Nothing, zero, zip, nada. I kicked and kicked for almost an hour. Fuel - check...air - check...spark - check. A mystery.
It was getting late, so I gave up.

This morning, I went back to the garage, determined and ready to hit the bike with a sledgehammer if needed to be.
After checking all connections (again) and not finding anything wrong, I tried starting it. Nothing again. Well, with nothing seemingly wrong, I took out the spark plug and replaced it with a new one. I then sprayed some ether down the airbox and the bike started on the third kick. I let it run long enough for the thermostat to open, then added some coolant, and shut her off. Later on, I checked the oil level and added as necessary.

An hour later, the bike started on the second kick and I went for a test run up the hill (through snow). Except for slipping on the ice, the bike revved up just fine and handled well. Shut it off, tried starting again -- first kick this time. Tried again half an hour later and the same thing happened. The only thing left was to adjust the clutch cable and ride back in to the garage.

Project is done!! (for now)
A few pics of the completed bike on its maiden voyage and in the garage next to my G650GS. 

Front

Left side in the snow

Right side in the snow

Looks like a toy next to the GS (excuse the messy floor)

Next to the GS, reversed color scheme (the GS is red with black seat, etc, while the KLR is black with red seat, etc)

 

 

A little tribute to ADV Rider (a great community!)

I hope you enjoyed this journey with me and the little KLR 250.   

KLR 250 Project: Part XIII

Trying to make the most of the current downtime caused by the leaking coolant, I made some progress on the to-do list.

All wiring has been completed and all lights, turn signals, and horn now work. I found the culprit responsible for the wiring glitches I experienced while connecting the lights -- a broken primary wire inside the harness. What was happening is that the wire was snapped/cracked and would loose connection unless it was bent a certain way. Thus, upon moving the bike around, power connection between front and rear wiring harness would come and go. Once I discovered the location (noticed charred isolation) it was as easy as cutting the wire, stripping it a little, and tying the two ends together in a butt connector.
I also bypassed the kickstand switch by tying the two wires together, which not only saves me purchasing a new kickstand switch, but it also prevents me from having future issues in this area known to cause running problems.

I remember reading (somewhere on the Internet) that a 1991 Honda Civic temp switch can be used to replace the KLR temp switch. This switch only powers the cooling fan, and it does so via relay. Well, since the Civic part costs less that $15 and the Kawasaki part costs over $80, I decided to give it a try as my fan was hardwired and an automatic operation would be much better. After a got the switch from a local car parts store, it became immediately clear that the Civic part would not work. The poster of this info online claimed that a new thread 10mm coarse would have to be cut in the civic part. Well, the threaded part of the Civic switch is not large enough to accept a 10mm coarse thread. I verified the parts numbers with several stores and always received the same part. So, for now my fan remains hard-wired.   

I reupholstered the seat with marine vinyl (red, to match the accents on the black bike),

 

and added some finishing touches to the flat-black gas tank

So, at this point, the to-do list looks like this:

Install new oil pump gear (which is also the shaft for the coolant impeller)
Install coolant pump seals and gaskets
Install right side engine cover and gasket
Fill (again) with oil, coolant, and gasoline
Adjust clutch
Bleed front brake
Go through all bolts and check
Start and pray that nothing new comes up


Now, allow me to go back a little.

My initial kickstart issues were traced to two things: First, the kickstart spring was broken; and second, the previous owner assembled the ratcheting parts incorrectly. As my camera did not work when I was posting the kickstart info a few posts back, here are some pictures.

First, if you disassemble the ratcheting system,  make sure it goes back together the same way. To aid this, there are factory punch marks on both the shaft and the racthet. Make sure these marks align. You won't see them at first, but once the retaining clip and washer are removed, they are hard to miss.

Second, the order of washers and springs should look like this:

This is where the entire assembly goes to. Unlike on other bikes, the crankcase of the KLR 250 does not have to be split to install the kickstart assembly. Just slide in and turn clockwise to lock it in place. (There is a shim/washer between the crankcase and the kickstart assembly -- don't loose it!)

Next, install spring (in shaft first), then pre-load the spring by turning 1/3 of a turn and sliding its tab into the hole in crankcase (make sure the plastic spring guide is in place and pressed all the way down on the shaft or the tab that goes in the shaft could get loose)

There is also a washer.shim that goes on the shaft after this step is done.

KLR 250 Project: More Downtime

Saturday morning, I was ready to bolt on the few missing pieces, fill her up with gas, and hit the trails. Nevertheless, as luck has it, I discovered a small amount of coolant coming out of the weeping hole underneath the coolant pump. The weeping hole itself is small hole between the oil seal and the mechanical seal portion of the water pump assembly. Since the shaft for the impeller runs through the case from the oil pump, there are two seals which prevent oil from getting into coolant and vice versa. While the O-ring and a part of the mechanical seal are accessible from the impeller's side, the mechanical seal itself cannot be removed without taking the clutch cover off. Thus, for the third time, I took the cover off (breaking the newly installed gasket in the process).
When I had the clutch cover off the last time, I did not replace these seals as they appeared to be in good condition. This time, however, I noticed two small grooves in the shaft itself, which could be the main culprit. After all, even a new seal will not seal an uneven surface.
And so, I'm currently waiting for more parts and hoping this will be the last thing to go wrong (at least for a little while).  

KLR 250 Project: Part XII

Finally some real progress!

After clearing the nut and the screwdriver from the timing/cam chain area, and putting everything back together, I was able to proceed.
Engine was filled with fresh oil and new coolant. All motor wires were connected back together, chain installed, rear brake hooked up and set, and the gas tank was temporarily installed. Control cables were routed and adjusted. I poured a little bit of fresh gas in there, waited a minute to prime the carburetor, and, holding my breath, reached for the kickstart. On the second kick, the engine started and ran, ran, ran. She is a little loud, but that could be because the previous owner opened up the airbox. There was a little white smoke coming from the exhaust, but that could be due to running the choke (still waiting for my choke cable), and the fresh oil on the air filter. Nevertheless, she ran.

And then I noticed gas leaking from the petcock. I shut her off, took the tank off and drained what I could. Clearly, the petcock is busted, but I didn't have the chance to look at it yet. I'll try to play with it tonight to see if it can be repaired.

Bike then sat overnight with a clean piece of cardboard underneath to spot any leaks, and I'm happy to report there are none!

If all goes well, she'll be going on her maiden woods voyage this weekend.

Still to do:

Radiator covers and plastics.
Body panels.
Choke cable, plunger, and spring.
Wire lights, switches, controls, horn, and turn signals.
Upholster seat.
Boil coolant and add as necessary.
Check all gauges.
Bleed front brake and replace brake fluid.
Adjust clutch.
Install shifter.
Bypass sidestand switch.

Test and ride.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but I'll find out as I work my way through the list. 

KLR 250 Project: Part XI

After a very eventful couple of days, I finally have some real progress to report.

Lets begin with Saturday:

In the evening, I had a couple of hours to work on the bike. Since, the day before, I install the engine in the frame, I was hoping to start wrapping things up a bit. I began with the wiring harness and routed everything the way it was before I took it apart. At first I worked from memory, which is normally a good thing; however, as it has been weeks since I took it apart, my memory failed me. Fortunately, I took some digital pictures of the wiring harness before I took it apart, and after a quick refreshment course, all went smoothly.

Then, since I had the tank, radiators, and everything else still off, I decided to check valve clearances before proceeding further. I took the valve cover off, and removed the magneto cover (this is normally not necessary, but I wanted to replace the gasket). After I replaced the gasket with a new one, reinforced with silicone on both sides, I took off the two caps necessary to rotate the engine (via magneto bolt) and to check timing marks on flywheel. 

Rotating the engine counterclockwise, I watched for the intake (rear) valves to complete a full operation, then move the flywheel further 1/3 of a turn to align the T mark on flywheel with a the notch in the observation window. The valves were slightly off. Kawasaki provides valve clearance of .20mm - .24mm for both intake and exhaust valves. My exhaust valves were in excess of .25mm, while the intake valves were less than .20mm. Using a feeler gauge purchased on Friday for this very reason, I set the valves at .23mm each, and rotated the engine two full turns. I then rechecked the clearances. Intake valves were closed again, less than .20mm, while exhaust valves stayed as set. I readjusted the intake valves, rotated engine two additional turns, and rechecked them again. This time, all valves remained at .23mm. Perfect! Just as I was about to pull the feeler gauge out from underneath the last rocker, I heard something dropping into the engine. Not a sound one wants to hear when working on an open top-end. Since I had no tools laying around, I was puzzled at first. And then I spotted it – the nut, which held my feeler gauges together, came loose and dropped into the engine, on the side of the timing chain. I tried locating it with a flashlight, but to no prevail. Since, by then, it was almost 10:30 at night, I gave up on the idea of locating it, and went upstairs. Needless to say, I did not have anything nice to say about what happened.

Sunday morning:

After numerous failed attempts to locate the missing nut, I was left with only one thing to do – the nut had to come out. Leaving a metal piece in an engine that spins six thousand times per minute is not only a bad idea, but it is also a dangerous thing to do. Should the nut get picked up by flowing oil, it could not only cause a substantial damage to the engine, but it could also cause the rear wheel to lock up at high speed due to damage to gears.

I first attempted the easy thing – flipping the bike upside down, in hopes that gravity will do its part and the nut will drop out the way it fell in. While picking up a 200-pound bike and flipping it around is not an easy task, it is easier than the alternative – splitting the engine. I laid the bike on its side, grabbed the wheels, and pushed it upwards. In no time the bike stood on the subframe and handlebars. But no matter how hard I shook or how many times I tapped on the engine, the nut did not fall out.

Frustrated, I opted for option two – looking for it inside the engine. 

Since the KLR 250 has a magnetic rotor, I assumed the nut could be near the magneto (which is located right underneath the cam chain). I took the magneto cover off (breaking the new, beautiful gasket I installed only a few hours earlier), and looked in there. Nothing. Next, off came the magneto flywheel. This was not an easy task, as the flywheel has to be held in place to remove the bolt that holds it on its shaft, and the bolt itself is torqued at 87 ft/lbs. Not owning the proper gear for this, I used a large socket wrench and an adjustable wrench. Yes, it worked. As soon as the flywheel came off, I spotted the nut laying in some sludge right behind it. Greatly relieved, I used the opening to inspect gears and timing chain. This is when I noticed something red between the timing chain and the cam chain.

At first I though it was some red silicone the previous owner used to reinforce his home-fixed stripped drain plug. I tried pulling it out with a gasket pick, and this is when I discovered that it was not silicone, but something rather hard. Twenty minutes of pulling, pushing, and wiggling, it finally dropped down between the gears, from where I was able to pick it up. Nope, it wasn’t silicone, it was ... a screwdriver!

I have no idea of how long it’s been in there, or who left it in there. However, I’m glad I found it, as this would most certainly cause much bigger problems than the little nut I dropped it.

From this point on, it was cleaning things off and installing the magneto cover back on (reused the paper gasket, but cleaned off silicone and applied new silicone on contact surfaces).

Initially, I planned on finishing the bike this weekend, but the lost nut “episode” set me back by a few hours, and there was no way I could have finished everything else.

This, however, did not stop me from making some serious progress.

To be continued...

KLR 250 Project: Part X

When, two days ago, I received a call from the bike shop that my kickstart spring finally arrived, I rushed over to pick it up. Filled with anticipation, I ate dinner quickly that night, and headed down to the garage.

After removing the clutch cover, I took the kickstart assembly apart, cleaned and lubed everything, and started working on putting things back together. The first thing I noticed was that the punch marks on the ratchet and the shaft were not aligned properly, which explains why the kickstart did not engage at times. The second thing I noticed was that the spring, which pushes the ratchet gear in place, was weak. To remedy this, I stretched the spring while it was out. With the gears, spring, and washers in place and properly aligned, I inserted the kickstart assembly in the crankcase and took out my new, still packaged, kickstart spring. However, luck proved to be once again not on my side. As soon as I removed the spring from the bag, I knew it was the wrong spring. While the external markings all bore the right part number, the part itself was completely different.

At that point, I spend three weeks waiting for the new spring, and I was not about to wait any longer. Instead of aiming my frustration at the shop (who ordered the right part), I took my frustration out on the old, broken spring. The part that was broken was the tab that inserts into the shaft itself. The last ¼” or so was snapped off, and the spring would not stay in place. I placed the spring into a vise, and squeezed it, repeatedly, until it changed the angle of the tab. With the spring bent, the shaft insert actually stayed in place even under tension. This was somewhat of a dirty fix, but it worked. With everything in place and tested, I removed the old gaskets with a razorblade, cleaned the contact surfaces with brake parts cleaner, and applied a thin bead of Hondabond. This was followed by a new gasket, then a second bead of Hondabond on top of it, and finally the installation of the new clutch cover I purchased on Ebay.

This cover came off a 2005 model, but, except a few minor changes, was identical to my old 1989 cover. The old cover had been welded and re-welded, and I wanted to make sure that I won’t have any leaks, and, more important, that the case cover is dimensionally correct. It fit perfectly.

I took pictures of the entire process, along with detailed pictures of the differences in the two cases. Unfortunately, my computer refuses to recognize the pictures and does not allow me to download them.

Well, with the case cover in place, it was time to install the water pump propeller. Since the new cover has an almost-new looking mechanical seal in place, I did not bother changing the seal. However, I did apply some black Permatex sealer on the shim, and along the new gasket. Otherwise, installation was pretty straightforward.

Then it was time to insert engine into the frame. Being a 250cc, this was easily done solo. The only time I struggled was inserting the rear engine bolt, which also attaches the swingarm to frame. Essentially, one long bolt goes through swingarm, frame, and engine block at the same time. It was tricky, because I already had the rear shock in place, and the shock’s spring kept forcing the holes out of alignment. A few whacks with a rubber mallet and several curses later, it gave up and let me insert the bolt.

All threads were treated with blue Loctite, and all bolts tightened.

Next up: Installing everything else, filling engine with oil, filling cooling system, and fixing wiring harness.

  

Trail Riding

A few days ago, I came across a post on ADVRider mentioning a meet with fellow ADV Riders in Acton, MA. Considering the inevitably approaching winter, this seemed to be the last chance to take the bike for one last ride before the snow covers the New England roads, making travel difficult, if not impossible, for the next several months. Understandably, I was looking forward to taking a nice ride to Acton, seeing some familiar faces and meeting new ones, as well as enjoying the promised free pizza. When today finally arrived, I got my gear in order, filled the bike with gas, and was about to hit the road. And then, the phone rang.

Last week, a friend of mine and I discussed a possible woods ride. Having not heard from him in a couple of days, I assumed the ride was not about to happen, nevertheless, it was he who called: “See you in an hour,” he said.

Decision time: An hour on Rte 2 down to Acton, then some pizza, and an hour back home OR a few hours in the woods. The woods won! After all, what kind of an adventure rider would choose pizza over a real adventure.

When I arrived at the meeting place, a fire pond in Swanzey, he was already there, getting his ATV ready. Now, I have nothing against ATV, but I choose not to ride one. I find bikes more challenging, more versatile, and more enjoyable. He, on the other hand, rides only street bikes and would not venture into the woods on a bike. This, however, does not stop us from exploring the myriad of trails together.

The thermometer barely climbed to 30F and there was the impending sense of snow in the air. Unlike the last time we rode together, the trailhead was completely empty, and thus we had the whole place to ourselves. We started on a familiar trail, covering reasonable distance without much difficulty. His ATV seems to conquer any terrain anyway, while my GS with semi-street tires can be a real handful when things get rough. Yet, except a few ice-covered mud holes, the first section was easy. 

When we reached the entrance to sand dunes, we had to turn around, as the entrance is now posted as prohibited to all all-terrain vehicles. On our way back, we passed a Jeep trail where I got stuck the last time, so instead we opted to take the next trail and venture into the unknown. The GS handled reasonably well, despite the fact that the trail was muddier and much more rough. After several water crossings where the front tire acted as an icebreaker, we came to a rather steep incline. Having no way to turn around, there was only one way out – straight ahead. I tried tackling the incline, repeating to myself, “Keep the momentum going, keep the momentum going!” But the bike with the current tires has its limitations. Lets just say the Anakee is no match for mud. I got stuck a few yards from the top of the hill. 

The front tire locked in mud, between a rock and a boulder, while the rear kept spinning. I had to get off. That’s when I found out the bike was about to slide backwards down the hill, and I was not about to let that happen. Working the clutch, throttle, and brakes, I only managed to dig myself deeper, with the front fully locked. And here is where my friend’s ATV came handy. Since no amount of pushing, bouncing, or cursing freed the bike, we had to winch it up over the boulders. Too bad he was operating the winch while I kept the bike up, because that would be a one cool picture. 

Once on top of the hill, we made several more water crossings, I managed to get stuck on some submerged logs, covered my recently washed riding gear (as well as the bike) in mud, and completely depleted my energy level. And yet, just as I was thinking that I was out of the bad, we found ourselves on the very same Jeep trail where I got stuck the last time. What a joy! At that point, I was cursing all the ADV riders enjoying the warm pizza in Acton.    

Fortunately, I didn’t get stuck this time as the mud was mostly frozen over, and after a hair-raising descent, we came back to the main part of the trail, which eventually lead us back to the starting point. 

Two and a half hours after we started, muddy, cold, and exhausted, having visited places no self-respecting BMW GS should ever visit, I kicked the mud off the footpegs, kicked in the first gear, and hit the road home as the first snowflakes began to fill the air.

KLR 250 Project: Part IX

The fork boots finally arrived yesterday, enabling me to complete the front-end reassembly. I did, however, run into some problem with the tire change: For whatever reason, the tire does not seat well in the rim, as one end sits too deep in the rim, while the opposite end sits too far out. Thus, the tire on the rim, instead of creating a perfect circle, creates sort of an oval.  I've tried inflating and deflating the tire multiple times, hoping that enough air pressure would seat it correctly, but to no avail. I then tried inflating to 5psi and bouncing the tire off the ground to seat properly, but again, to no avail. I even ran a tire spoon along the rim to loosen any grip the tire might have on the rim and bouncing/inflating again, but it continues seating just as before. So, I either have a rim that is not true, or a tire that is not round. Or, I'm an idiot who does not know how to change his own tires. I'm hoping that it is the last one.

Well, at this point I'm still waiting for the kickstart spring which has been on order for about three weeks now, as well as the front brake lever. The kickstart, however, is the crucial part, as without it I cannot reassemble the motor to see if the little kitten purrs or not. While I wait, I'll play with the wiring, or, as I like to call it: the electrical mess. There are way too many replaced wires and missing connectors, and it seems to me that the previous owner replaced whatever he needed to with one wire spool, leaving all the "fixed" pieces in a single color.  So, the next step is going to be entering the labyrinth and making it right. 

KLR 250 Project: Part VIII

KLR 250 Project: A photo-less update

A few productive days at last.

Over the weekend, in between family and chores, I was able to sneak in to the garage and put the old wrenches to some good use. First, I went through the swingarm and tightened the shock in place with blue Loctite. I then reinstalled the airbox, and bolted rear subframe in place, again with blue Loctite. Now the bike is finally starting to look like a bike. Rear fender, which was completely stripped, was reassembled, including lights and license plate mount, and broken electrical connectors for lights were replaced with bullet-type quick-disconnect ones. With all that done, the fender was mounted in the subframe. At long last, I feel like I am getting somewhere.

Tonight, having only a limited time in the garage, I decided to tackle an issue, which has been on the to-do-list since the beginning: Drain plug and front tire.

Lets begin with the tire. I bought a new Kenda 80/100 x 21 Trailmaster tire, as the front was pretty worn out. A while ago, when I started riding my G650GS in the woods, I bought two tire spoons (an 8” and an 11”), just in case. Today was time to use them for the first time. Well, the last tire I changed by hand was a bicycle tire some 25 years ago, and it was much easier. The short spoons required more “oomph” than I wanted to give it, but once enough force was applied, the tire came off its rim. Boy, am I glad I did this first in the garage and not on a trail on the rear of the BMW! That would be very interesting, fighting with a tire in the mud somewhere. Well, long story short, the Kenda is now on. The only thing that puzzles me is the fact that this tire does not have any directional arrow on its side. It appears that it can be installed either way.

The plug: The previous owner managed to strip the threads in the crankcase, and got away with the dirty fix – an expanding rubber plug. Well, I find this unacceptable, especially since, while taking clutch cover off, I discovered some of the rubber in the oil strainer. The original drain plug was a 12mm bolt. After contemplating my options, including inserts, helicoil, epoxy, larger bolt, and self-tapping plug, I chose the least invasive one (in my opinion): a ½” drain plug.

The reasons for this:

Inserts are expensive.

Epoxy may or may not leak over time.

Helicoil is not available locally in the size I need.

Self-tapping plugs exert large, unnecessary force on the crankcase, which may or may not damage the case.

Therefore, tap and bolt it came to be.

The original being a 12mm thread, stripped out, I wanted to find something close to its size, as drilling into the crankcase is not the best idea. Well, a 14mm bolt would have been too big, and 13mm bolt is virtually non-existent around here. Thus, the ½” plug came to be just about perfect. ½” is just about 12.7mm diameter, which is only .7mm larger than stock. The threads being stripped out completely, I did not need to drill at all, and using a tapered ½” tap, I was able to create nice, solid thread in the old case, without taking it apart.

On the plus side, I found a good ½”x20 plug of the right length, along with magnetic top to attract any engine shavings. Speaking of shavings, when tapping the new thread, I greased the tap with White Grease, and all the aluminum shavings stuck right in it, and came out with the tap. Of course, I’ll give the motor a good flush with fresh oil before final fill and assembly.

This brings me to my final point today:

I’m opting out of rebuilding the entire engine at this time. Initially, I was going to split the crankcase to ix the plug issue, and while at it, replace all seals and gaskets at the same time. Well, since the plug is no longer a problem, and the engine does not leak anywhere, I’m going to keep it the way it is, and see if it runs. I have the entire gasket/seal kit anyways, and may do a complete rebuild at a later date.    

KLR 250 Project: Part VII

With the forks fully drained, I proceeded to replace the seals and fill the forks with a fresh, new oil.
Removing the old seals was fairly easy: Removed retention clip, screwed cap back on fork, and, using a bicycle pump, pumped air into the forks. It took just about 80PSI for the seal and dust cover to blow out, with a little more oil squirting all over the place. I then pried the seal completely off with a small screwdriver, taking care not to damage the fork surface. A little scrubbing with a nylon brush and a small amount of brake cleaner to get the gunk out, and it was ready for new seals.
Since I do not own a seal driver, I just pressed them in place with a small dovel, tapping on several spots to ensure proper seating. I then cleaned the dust covers, and pushed them back into place, followed by the retention clip. Repeat the whole procedure on the second fork, and I was ready for oil. I went with an anti-foaming 10W fork oil (clear). Per Kawasaki manual, (270ml on oil change, 320ml on complete disassembly), I filled the forks with 320mm each. The manual states to fill up to 190mm off top, fully compressed with no springs. I found an old spray bottle and cut the straw at 190mm, then inserted into the fork and sprayed oil out until only air came out. The 320ml overfilled the forks by about 10ml each.
Installed springs, washers, spacers, and caps. Even without any air pressure, there is a significant improvement in how the forks compress and decompress.

Second, I cleaned and lubed swingarm and reinstalled it to the frame. At first I thought the rear shock was busted and needed to be rebuilt. This, however, may not be the case. It turns out the preload was set all the way to max, which cause the spring force overcome what's left of the damping. I unscrewed the retaining rings and let decompressed the spring by about 50%. With the shock mounted back on frame, I can tell that it oes not bounce back as quickly as it did before. The shock will eventually need to be rebuilt, but for now this will get me going.

Lastly, I cleaned ballbearings on steering stem and greased them with some White Grease. The steering stem, along with triples, is back on the frame, temporarily holding the forks upright until I get my forks protectors and mount them right. 

KLR 250 Project: Part VI

There hasn’t been much progress with the KLR 250 as of late. This is due to two things: First, I’m still waiting for a crucial part – the kickstart spring; and second, it’s been just too damn cold. Even my building buddy is growing crazy-eyed when he sees the lack of progress.

The part should be here soon, or so I keep hearing from my dealer, although he has been telling me the same for two weeks. Today, I finally got the call that my spring arrived. Well, after a twenty minutes drive over there, I found out that the supplier sent a kickstand spring instead of the kickstart spring I ordered. Thus, we are back to square one on this issue.

The cold itself does not bother me, despite the fact that my garage is unheated. It, however, does bother the painting schedule. There simply isn’t any way to get a decent paint job done at temperatures hovering near 30 degrees. While I was lucky enough to get the frame and subframe done during the last two nice days we had, there wasn’t enough time to get the tank done as well. Instead of trying to heat the garage and keep it above 60 degrees, I resolved in dropping the tank off with a buddy of mine, who owns a body shop. Not only is his place heated, but he will also use decent two-part epoxy paint on the tank, which is something I could not have done myself. The color of the day? Flat black.

In the mean time, while it was still warm outside, I managed to paint the plastic parts with truck bed coating.

Initially, I was leaning towards gloss black, but the polymer coating wears better and is easier to touch up. Lets be honest here: The KLR will see about 90% dirt and 10% pavement, and thus is likely to be dropped, scratched, and molested in ways unimaginable. There will be damage, and there will be touch ups.

Lastly, I took the forks apart and drained them. Whatever the fluid in the forks used to be is unknown to me, but what came out was a very liquid emulsion of old oil and water, which explains the non-existent damping force. Right now, the forks are standing upside-down to drain all remaining fluid out.

Tomorrow, I’ll clean everything with a solvent, replace the seals, and fill them up with fresh 10W fork oil. A few pounds of air pressure and they should be as good as new. My new fork protectors should arrive next week, which should allow me to bolt everything, except the engine, back together. Once I have a rolling frame, I can start working on repairing the wiring harness.

   

KLR 250 Project: Part V

It’s been a semi-productive, semi-frustrating weekend here, at the Project headquarters. Saturday, we had a beautiful 60-degree day – probably the last one of the season. Thus, painting was in order.

When I work on a project like this, I like to get all the cleaning, painting, and repairs done before reassembly. There is nothing worse than having bins full of parts, working on putting everything together, only to come across a piece that needs to be painted or fixed or replaced, which then stalls the entire project. No, there is a method to my madness – having all done and ready before the D-day.

Lets just say that I have learned from past mistakes, when I restored/fixed/hacked an FZ 600, and a Shadow 750.

So, where do I begin…

Working on the various painted parts, I soon came to realize why the previous owner applied the hideous camouflage paint: It was to hide all the nicks, scratches, and dents in the bodywork. Lets begin with the tank. I started sanding off the paint and discovered a blue/white/green combo factory paint underneath. Unfortunately, I also came across some rust spots and a fairly large dent in the right side of the tank. Along with a few smaller dents, this needed to be filled in. Working with a fuel tank, I did not want to use the power sander so as not to heat the metal up too much. Maybe this was an unnecessary safety precaution, but the smell of gas residue does not combine well with the close-proximity of an electric motor. Hand sanding it was. Seeing that the paint did not want to come off, I resorted to using a 60 grit paper to get to bare metal in and around the dents, to get a good “grab” surface for the fiberglass filler. Instead of a plain-old Bondo, I used a short strand reinforced body filler, which I have used in the past with good results. It provides for about 5-8 minutes working time and can be sanded in less than 30 minutes. The small dents were easy, but the large dent required two applications – first to fill the dent, and the second to contour the filler to match the tank’s curves. A couple of hours later I had it all primed and ready for paint. For a final color choice – despite the “push for green” – I went with a gloss black. There is a simple reason for this: This is what I had on hand, and the bike being a project on a budget, I have to save wherever I can. Using acrylic enamel, four coats of paint, followed by four coats of clear, were shot about 10 minutes apart. The tank is now drying, waiting for final sanding (wet-1500 grit) and buffing. This was a simple “rattle-can” paint job, but with the right prep it should last a while a weather well.

While waiting for primer to dry and so forth, I painted the frame and sub-frame with a “hammered” finish Rust-Oleum can. Of course, the frame was scuffed and primed as well. In my experience, this inexpensive paint is very durable if applied properly, and easily repaired if needed. The frame of a bike that will see a lot of off-road use is hardly the place to get fancy, so this finish is more than adequate. I’ve used this paint in the past inside fenders, and it amazed me how much abuse the cured paint can sustain without damage. This about concludes the semi-productive part.

Now onto the frustrating part:

The plastic panels were covered in the same camouflage paint, but removing it proved more complicated than with the metal tank. Sanding with 60 grit paper would kill the soft plastic, wire brushing was not an option either, and acetone would just eat the plastic away. After many unsuccessful attempts, I resorted to using a 150grit paper on a handheld power sander. Some of the paint came off easily, while the black base held on like glue. This was not expected, as the camouflage chipped without much effort. Sanding it, however, I discovered that the black was not fully cured and got sticky, clogging the paper very quickly. After many hours of fruitless labor, I was left with plastic panels that looked awful. Scratches, dings, and rough spots.

I sanded it as smooth as I could, then primed, only to discover that it needed sanding again. Now, if the previous owner would just let it be white as it used to be, I wouldn’t have all these problems. Well, after three separate coats of primer and three separate sandings, I have plastic panels that are not smooth yet, and need more primer/sanding. I, however, ran out of suitable sunlight/temperature and had to stop. By mid afternoon, it’s gotten too cool for paint to work properly.

Primed Plastic Parts

On another positive note, my new-to-me sidecover arrived Saturday night via FedEx. It was an Ebay find for $13.99, and it looks to be in a very good shape.

For now, the engine sits on top of my workbench, as I’m still waiting for the kickstart spring. Once that arrives, I’ll start taking the engine apart. 

Everything else is stacked on the side. 

KLR 250 Project: Part IV

No pictures this time around.

There hasn’t been much progress on the KLR 250 Project as of late. This is partly due to the weather, and partly due to me waiting for parts.

At the present time, the frame is all stripped, and ready for cleaning and paint preparation. I ran into some rusted threads while removing the forks from the triple tree, and now have to look for a few replacement bolts. Other than that, things went smoothly.

The bike sits in a large cardboard box, tucked in the far corner of the garage. Sometime this week, I should be receiving a new Athena complete gasket kit, which will come handy when I set to rebuild the engine. While the motor started and ran, I found some metal shavings in the oil strainer, so rather than hoping that everything is fine, I’ll take it apart and make sure. Even though the engine has only 14k miles on it, it is twenty years old, so new gaskets and seals may be in order.

Along with the gasket kit, I should be getting new fork seals – a must, since the current forks have absolutely zero dampening ability. I’m hoping that new seals along with fork oil and some compressed air will bring the forks back to life.

I took the kickstart assembly off, and discovered that the spring was, indeed, broken. A new one should be here tomorrow as well.

While this project is going to be more time-consuming that what I thought initially, there aren’t many parts that will need replacing, so the cost to value ratio should remain reasonable. Thanks to Ebay, I scored a clutch cover from a 2005 bike, for only $13.99. The original one has been welded and re-welded, so at this price, I did not have to think twice about acquiring a replacement cover. As an added bonus, I will be able to see the oil level again, as the original had a pretty messy oil window.

 
Since, once all is fixed, the bike will have to be repainted, I’m having fun contemplating different color schemes. Part of me wants to do an all-flat black, but I have to keep in mind the visibility disadvantage, especially in the woods. There has to be some bright color in there somewhere. Feel free to post color scheme recommendations here.    

KLR 250 Project: Part III

The bike now sits in several pieces, looking all miserable on the garage floor.

Engine removal was a breeze, especially since this is a little 250, so I could manage solo taking it out. A little wiggling and pulling and cursing, and it came out of the frame.

The most stubborn parts were the frame-through-engine bolts that had some rusted threads, and the large bolt that goes through frame, engine, and swingarm. This one had some dried grease which made it very sticky. But nothing that a 2lb rubber mallet cannot get out.

Nevertheless, some TLC with fine steel wool and a good coat of waterproof grease should make reassembly much easier. Whenever that happens.

Next I have to look at how to remove the rear shock from the swingarm to inspect it well and see if it can be rebuilt. After that, I plan on digging into the whole kickstart assembly to find what's wrong there.
At this point, I'm contemplating getting a new gasket kit and going through the entire engine. I found some questionable repairs along the way -- nothing major, just some tinkering the previous owner had done -- which makes me want to go through the whole bike to make sure it's done right.

KLR 250 Project: Part II

To get a better view of what I'm working with, I removed the plastics, light housing, instrument cluster and...essentially everything non-essential. The bike being naked, I was able to see a little better. After wrestling with some rusted threads on subframe bolts, the entire thing came apart without incident. The rear shock is busted -- well, it has no dampening whatsoever, so that has to come out next.

At this point, I'm working without a manual or any resource whatsoever, so I'm following my 'gut feeling' what it comes to what to tackle next. Well, since the kickstart is non-operational, I decided to head there. After looking at the motor, I discovered that the only way to get there is to remove the entire clutch cover. This, however, proved to be a slightly more complicated, as the cover would not come off. A little bit more tinkering and I found out that the cover was hanging on the water pump assembly, so the water pump had to come off as well. Is it just me or is this a really strange design? A few more bolts and a nut holding the turbine on its shaft and the cover slid off with ease.

Surprisingly, it's much cleaner there than what I thought.

No metal shavings or loose parts whatsoever, so that's the good news. I was quite surprised to find the oil filter in decent shape. Of course, it will have to be replaced.

So, looking at the kistart assembly, I'm not sure what to look for. The spring, which I initially thought to be broken since it does not return the lever up right, seems to be in one piece. Tomorrow I'll try to take the whole assembly off and figure out what's going on with it.

For now, I'm happy the clutch plates look okay with plenty of life left in them. One less thing to take apart.

Any tips or suggestions on the kickstart?

KLR 250 Project

Today, a 1989 KLR 250 followed me home. Looking all sad in the driveway, I took pity on her, and allowed her to come inside the garage. She has battle scars, a few dings and dents, but she has potential. Well, in my eyes she does. Needless to say, not all members in my household agree with me.

The little KLR came to mind when I searched for a smaller woods bike that I could still drive on the road to my destination. I hate dragging things on a trailer, so having a bike that can have a license plate makes things much easier. While the 250cc engine is no power house, I think it will do just fine in the woods. Right now, just sitting on her, the bike feels so light compared to my G650GS.

So, here she is.

Battle scars :)

 

 

 

Okay, so now the decision has to be made.  If I end up not keeping her, I'm sure someone out there is looking for KLR 250 parts.

To rebuild or not to rebuild?

Tool Tube for the G650GS

My first real acquaintance with two wheels happened, well, almost two decades ago. Since then, a lot has changed, both in my life, as well as in the world of motorcycles. One thing, nevertheless, remains the same: the feeling of freedom when one hits the open road, the grin on one’s face when the helmet comes off after a nice ride.

For me, any excuse to ride is a good one; be it a four-hour trip to return something in a store I visited with the family or a ten-minute ride to the grocery store. I ride often and regardless of weather, except for when it really snows.

So, for the better part of two decades, I’ve been mostly lucky with my machines – I either was close enough to home to push it, or suffered only minor mechanical inconveniences. Then again, I spent all those years riding street bikes.

Nevertheless, when the G650GS invaded my realm, which, until then, was free of major mishaps, my peace was to be no more. This, however, is not the bike’s fault. The machine has been super reliable and mechanically sound, giving me zero problems except for the occasional bolt that needs tightening. My peaceful realm has been disturbed by no other than myself.

The G650GS just begs me to take more chances...more adventures so to speak. Often, I find myself riding a dirt road I know nothing of, or a trail that leads to who-knows-where. I feel like a kid again, the kid that used to ride BMX bikes and jump over rocks and splashed in the mud and... Yup, that kid!

While, in the past, I’ve been lucky enough to get away with the joke-of-a-tool-box most companies provide with their bikes, I know that with this new adventure-bidding machine I won’t be so lucky in the future. I never worried about blown tires on the road, but now, what if I’m twenty miles from the nearest house in middle of the woods? What if...

As anyone who has the G650GS or the older F650GS knows, there simply isn’t enough room under the seat for anything but the factory tool kit. Well, that just won’t do. Luckily, most of the bike hardware is now Torx head bolts, so fitting a full size set of Torx bits will solve most problems. Throw in a pair of adjustable pliers, a ratchet wrench, a combination screwdriver, a couple of tire irons, and a tube repair kit, and you simply find out there isn’t enough room to fit this anywhere in the bike in its stock form. Most of the time, I carry a set of hard bags on my bike, but then, most of the time, these are full of other items, such as clothing, camping gear, first-aid kit, and the like.

Hence this solution: A tool tube.

I found an “owner’s manual tube” on Agri-Supply website: Tool Tube

These little tubes are the deal to be had at $4.99 plus shipping, so I ordered two and set out to mount them on the bike. The only suitable location I came up with is the Givi sidecase racks I have bolted on my bike. Fortunately, there is enough room to mount these inward, on the inside of the racks facing in to the wheel well. A trip to the local hardware store, and I came home with four rubber lined clamps, four ¼” stainless bolts with washers and nuts, and some plastic zip ties. The clamps are great in that not only they reduce vibration, but they also protect the powdercoating on my racks. The zip ties are only used as a backup, should the clamp break so the tubes won’t fly into the spinning wheel.

After mounting these, I did a “dry” run on some local trails with the tubes empty, to make sure there is enough clearance and the mounting holds up to some serious abuse. After about 80 miles over rough terrain, I came home and checked all connections, and am happy to report that all is well and secure. During this test run, my suspension bottomed out several times, and never did the swingarm come in contact with the tubes. 

One of the tubes holds my stock tool kit, along with the pliers, the Torx bits, and the wrenches, while the other has my wheel repair parts/tools. This kit is not perfect, but I’m confident that I now carry enough to make it back home instead of ending up stranded in the woods somewhere. 

Oh, and as with any bolt-on additions: blue Loctite is a must.