Hello everyone,

It's Pawel from Poland saying hello to all the travellers!

I am just preparing my '97 KLR 650 C (European model) for the effort - and the pleasure - of a trip to Iran and Armenia and thought it would be good to replace the original Doohickey (balancer chain tensioner) and a spring before it breaks in the least expected moment... The bike has driven around 25,000 km so far.

While I can see the replacement set is pretty easy to get in the US, I haven't found a supplier in Europe. If you heard of any or may reccomend any Internet stores - I'd be grateful for your tips!

Also, if you had any suggestions for KLR-specific preparations of a bike before a 10,000 km trip, I will be more than happy to listen to them. Thanks!

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"Run away my son, see it all, what's in the World" E. Vedder

Good day,

I owned a 1999 KLR 650 from new to selling it in 2006 and put on over 80,000 km in that time and had pretty much every modification one put on a KLR. In my opinion (opinions are like arseholes, everyone has one) the most important are;

- Front Fork Brace (Superbrace, fork brace, motorcycle fork brace, super brace, honda goldwing, fork truss).
- Aluminum Skid Plate (if you will be off-road).
- After Market Rear Suspension (I ended up having Penske Racing make a three-way Rear Shock that they now have availabkle in there regular inventory).
- Steel Brake Lines.
- Over sized Front Rotor.
- High Output Stater (KLR650.com-Stator).

Attached Thumbnails

 

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Character is what you are into the dark.

Sorry about the Superbrace add on, it redirected after I added it just do a search for Superbrace.

Have a great day...

Steve

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Character is what you are into the dark.

I'll spare you my tale of woe but advise that you not neglect the doohickey, no matter how awkward it may be to get the proper (Eagle Mike) parts. Mine was replaced initially under warranty (following a catastrophic failure) with Kawasaki parts, but failed again (without apparent consequence) within 12,000 miles.

I'd certainly install a maintenance free battery, do the carb vent t-mod, add a fork brace as suggested above, heavy duty tubes if ever intending to go off-road, think about engine guards and such, and do something about the seat (at minimum, buy an Airhawk as I did). Also change out the main fuse box for a better one, maybe the fan fuse as well, probably upgrade at least the headlight bulb (and maybe the socket), and see that the headlight fuse is 15 amps, not the original 10. Better footpegs if you're ever going to let them get wet (they're slippery), and some sort of mirror dampeners or replacements

Lots of aftermarket parts available, some of which are better quality than others. Endless opportunities for upgrades and other farkles, some of which are of limited utility. Many people complain bitterly about forks and rear suspension, but I've done nothing with these yet (47,000 miles and going strong). There's an excellent KLR Yahoo group, easily found by search.

Hope that helps.

Mark

The largest KLR 650 group that I see online is -
KLR650.NET - Your Kawasaki KLR650 Resource! KLR Discussion Forum - Forums Home

Thank you so much for your piece of advice, guys! it looks like you are very lucky having such a rich market of spare/tuning parts in the US! Europe is far beyond that.. Luckily, my buddy will be coming back from the States by the end of the next week, so I should be able to order the parts (at least the doohickey and the fork brace) by that time and he will bring those with him. Currently I'm checking all those e-shops you guys have..

I think I will do without the extra seat - the original one is "acceptable" for my butt - checked during a few European trips

Keep on rollin'!

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"Run away my son, see it all, what's in the World" E. Vedder

I, too, thought the seat was fine....for about 25k miles, whereupon I finally noticed that my suffering had increased exponentially, to the point where moderate days (8 hours riding) had become profoundly unpleasant. What's the point in that? I bought an Airhawk and have been pleased with it, but probably almost anything would do as well: sheepskin, gel pad, adding foam, whatever.

Finding KLR parts in Europe was sometimes awkward, and parts people often laughed at me for not owning a late-model BMW. But in Eastern Europe and Africa repairs were simple just because the bike is simple (and everything about it old fashioned). Somehow it all works out....but I've wondered whether another bike might be a better choice in that part of the world. Here in North America, KLR is very mainstream and parts are everywhere.

enjoy,

Mark

eagle mike is your man, he will supply tools and parts and very cheap.

give him ring or send PM on klr webpage on the link already posted.

great help on that forum for klr's

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I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted

+1 on klr650.net
did you get the doo???
cheers
josh

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"imagine all the people sharing all the world"

Hi!

I got the Doo from Eagle Mike in less than 2 weeks using regular mail service which is a good result in my opinion . Now I just need to replace it, change the tires for new ones and count the days till "Day Zero"...

Thank you, guys!

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"Run away my son, see it all, what's in the World" E. Vedder