I haven't posted in a while, as I was busy roofing my house. Still, in between working the "honey-do" list, I managed to sneak into the garage every now and then, and the KLR is about ready. Well, maybe not ready, but almost there.
The new-to-me motor runs smoothly and is quieter than the original one. All fluids were changed and motor bolted and torqued to specs in the frame. So, what is taking me so long? Well, I spent this past week waiting for a new chain and sprockets. I never really bothered counting the teeth on the original sprockets. The teeth looked okay, the chain had some slack, but wasn't bad enough to replace, so why would I? Well, since I had her all apart again, I decided to count the teeth. It turns out, the previous owner messed with the sprockets as well, and left me with a less-than-desirable ratio. His setup was 16 front and 40 rear. Since my primary purpose for this bike is trail riding, this setup would likely leave me cursing while slipping the clutch to get out of mud.
After some researching, I found the stock ratio to be 15 front and 44 rear. This seems to be a decent, all-around combo. However, since I'll be riding 80% trails with this, I decided to go 1 tooth lower on the front, while keeping the rear size stock. This will allow me to put in the 16 front if something changes and I need to use the bike on a long pavement ride.
I think the 14 front 44 rear will prove to be a good trail combo for me.
The sprockets and chain finally arrived today, so I stole away to the garage and installed those. While at it, I cleaned the rear brake drum of all mud and caked-on residue, lubricated bearings, and reassembled everything back together. Tomorrow, if time allows, I'll finally take her down from the 5gal paint bucket (I've been using as a work stand), set the chain tension, bolt the side plastics back on, and go for a ride. Of course, being in New England, there is still snow on the ground and the weather is to be in the low 30s.
About Me
- Henry Martin
- Henry Martin spends his nights writing fiction and poetry, which predominately deals with the often-overlooked aspects of humanity. He is the author of three novels: Escaping Barcelona, Finding Eivissa, and Eluding Reality; a short story collection, Coffee, Cigarettes, and Murderous Thoughts; and a poetry collection, The Silence Before Dawn. His most recent published project is a collection of Photostories in five volumes under the KSHM Project umbrella, for which he collaborated with Australian photographer Karl Strand, combining one of a kind images with short stories and vignettes. He is currently working on his next novel narrated in two opposing points of view. He lives with his family in the Northeast.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
KLR 250 Project: Part XV
Today, I brought home a "spare" KLR 250 I bought for its engine. Since purchasing new parts to replace my cams, rockers, cam chain, and whatnot would cost a small fortune, buying a running bike to use for parts made sense.
A 1989 with 11k miles on the clock.
It spent the last year sitting in a barn, so the idle was a bit rough, but the motor has compression and barks.
At first I felt bad, taking apart a complete bike, but with all the time I devoted to my project, I wasn't about to start with a new bike and leave mine to be. Well, I overcame my sentiments and two hours later the 'new' KLR looked like this.
And all this because I needed a motor.
The first thing I did was to check the cams and valves. Cams look good. Valves needed adjusting, and since the motor is out of the frame, it was the perfect time to do it. A new valve cover gasket was installed, and I put the engine in the frame. Running out of time tonight, I did not complete the entire installation, but I'll continue tomorrow.
It spent the last year sitting in a barn, so the idle was a bit rough, but the motor has compression and barks.
At first I felt bad, taking apart a complete bike, but with all the time I devoted to my project, I wasn't about to start with a new bike and leave mine to be. Well, I overcame my sentiments and two hours later the 'new' KLR looked like this.
And all this because I needed a motor.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tool tubes and what's in them
A while ago I had a post covering the installation of 'tool tubes" on my GS. Since then, I've noticed quite a few bikes using either the same, or similar, tubes, to accomplish the same goal: Carry extra tools.
While these tubes are originally designed to carry operator's manual papers on farm equipment, their toughness, design, and water-tightness make these the ideal choice for extra tool storage on a bike.
Since I installed these, I've been able to carry extra stuff there just wasn't enough space for under the seat. In preparations for an upcoming trip, I decided to revisit what I use these tubes for. A feedback on what you carry would be appreciated.
The content, equally divided between the two tubes is as such:
While these tubes are originally designed to carry operator's manual papers on farm equipment, their toughness, design, and water-tightness make these the ideal choice for extra tool storage on a bike.
Since I installed these, I've been able to carry extra stuff there just wasn't enough space for under the seat. In preparations for an upcoming trip, I decided to revisit what I use these tubes for. A feedback on what you carry would be appreciated.
The content, equally divided between the two tubes is as such:
Amazingly, all this (except the chain lube) fits into the two tubes. I carry screwdrivers, 10mm-18mm socket set, Torx set, Allen wrench set, tire spoons, Self-fusing silicone tape (for hoses), electrical tape, spare fuses and bulbs, zip ties, multi-tool with a knife, ratcheting wrench, adjustable pliers, tube repair kit, and a small strap to either tie things down or to lift the bike from mud.
In addition to these, I also carry a small first-aid kit featuring the typical assortment of pain killers, band aids, gauze, cold compress, alcohol wipes, iodine wipes, braces for finger (or wrist) fractures, burn pads (these are amazing), an emergency blanket, and other stuff.
These items go with me whenever I take off for a ride.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
KLR 250 Project: Here we go again!
Having semi-successfully completed the KLR 250, and I say semi-successfully for a reason, I went for a ride this past weekend. A few miles into it, (and this brings me to the semi-successful part in this saga), a strange top-end noise made me turn around, go home, and investigate. At first I thought it was caused by the valves, even though I set them myself. When I arrived home, I took the valve cover off, checked clearances, and found them to be just as I set them 20 miles earlier. But lo, upon closer inspection, I discovered the exhaust cam to be, how to say this mildly...busted!
Needless to say, I was pissed off! I spent all evening researching cams, their prices, and any aftermarket options. Having discovered that the cost of new cams, rockers, and cam chain exceeded $500, I was about to give up, cut my losses, and sell the bike for parts.
Fortunately, I frequent ADV Rider, and fellow ADVers whipped me a new one for trying to take the easy way out. I don't know if it was the pep talk about inspiring others, or the attempts to make me feel guilty, but in the end I decided to give this another try.
So, after an hour and a half in the garage tonight, I managed to pull the engine out (again) to investigate further.
Turns out the rockers look okay, as does the head.
Thus, the overall repair will be slightly less expensive and may consist of only a new cam (or two), new cam chain, and a new cam chain tensioner. By the way, the tensioner is the probable culprit at this time.
Which brings me back to the semi-successfully part again. I've checked almost everything on this bike. One of the things I did not check was the cam chain tensioner. Why would I? When doing the valves, the chain tension seemed okay, the engine rotated freely, and started and ran fine. Well, it turns out that the previous idiot of an owner broke the automatic cam chain tensioner and to remedy this, he inserted a long bolt in place of the cap screw. The bolt then applied pressure on to the chain and acted as a tensioner. One problem though: the bolt did not allow the chain to retract as it rotated around, which the stock automatic tensioner would have. So, and this is only my own theory, the chain was too tight and pulled the cam harder against the rockers, causing the cam to wear out. Surprisingly, the much softer cam bearing surface (the engine head) did not suffer great damage.
Tomorrow I'll be pricing parts, as well as looking for a complete used engine. Whichever way will be less expensive is the route I plan to take.
Needless to say, I was pissed off! I spent all evening researching cams, their prices, and any aftermarket options. Having discovered that the cost of new cams, rockers, and cam chain exceeded $500, I was about to give up, cut my losses, and sell the bike for parts.
Fortunately, I frequent ADV Rider, and fellow ADVers whipped me a new one for trying to take the easy way out. I don't know if it was the pep talk about inspiring others, or the attempts to make me feel guilty, but in the end I decided to give this another try.
So, after an hour and a half in the garage tonight, I managed to pull the engine out (again) to investigate further.
Turns out the rockers look okay, as does the head.
Thus, the overall repair will be slightly less expensive and may consist of only a new cam (or two), new cam chain, and a new cam chain tensioner. By the way, the tensioner is the probable culprit at this time.
Which brings me back to the semi-successfully part again. I've checked almost everything on this bike. One of the things I did not check was the cam chain tensioner. Why would I? When doing the valves, the chain tension seemed okay, the engine rotated freely, and started and ran fine. Well, it turns out that the previous idiot of an owner broke the automatic cam chain tensioner and to remedy this, he inserted a long bolt in place of the cap screw. The bolt then applied pressure on to the chain and acted as a tensioner. One problem though: the bolt did not allow the chain to retract as it rotated around, which the stock automatic tensioner would have. So, and this is only my own theory, the chain was too tight and pulled the cam harder against the rockers, causing the cam to wear out. Surprisingly, the much softer cam bearing surface (the engine head) did not suffer great damage.
Tomorrow I'll be pricing parts, as well as looking for a complete used engine. Whichever way will be less expensive is the route I plan to take.
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