Okay so being stranded in GDL is pretty hard to complain about, but I really miss riding so if anyone has advice on how to revive my dear partner in crime it would be greatly appreciated!

The sitrep:

2 crashes twisted the rad and buggered the fan. This lead to overheating and shooting coolant out the exhaust. At this point I really needed to pass out so i had a new friend take it to a mech in Durango who did a real hodgepodge repair, first wired in a new setup so the fan was running permanently (grounded to a crankcase bolt!
Also changed the gasket for the cylinder, buggered up my valve cover gasket, lost some bolts... anyway... I went back the next day and got them to fix it so the fan ran as originally designed. I think there may be some new wiring there now though...
Anyway the fan motor casing is covered in some kind of epoxy so they must have busted it open to check it our or something. It seemed to work pretty decently until a truck hit me on the rad side. Now the bike overheats in less than ten minutes of idling while the fan anemically whispers at it.

Before the truck hit me an electrical gremlin popped out of nowhere, turned off the bike and it wouldn´t turn on again. Clicking from the starter, starter motor wouldnt turn, took it to a mech and he just fiddled with the fuses under the seat and told me one was loose. Quick fix later I´m back on the road, but now I wish I had paid more attention because the bike once again fails to do more than click when I push the starter. Tried messing around with the fuses, can´t find any bad ones, but I did manage to start the bike when I switched fuses to the white wire. Of course it was a one time thing, now when I try the starter the neutral light goes out for a little bit before I can try again.

So, the bike won´t start, and the fan needs either power or repair.

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Lost on the way to the End of the World - Adventures of a vagabond photographer and his tRusty steed

If the fan was working before you got hit by a truck, then it's likely the fan shroud got pushed in and is interfering with the free spinning of the fan. Check and make sure everything is clear before you ride it, an obstructed fan can damage itself.

If you're sure the fan can spin freely, check the fuse, the radiator fan switch and the relay. If you ground out the wire that goes to the switch the fan should kick on.


Your electrical gremlin sounds like a loose battery terminal to me. Find the battery and make sure everything is nice and snug. Check the grounding points also if no luck.

Thanks a ton for the advice, turns out it was dirty ground at the battery that was buggering everything up starterwise.

The fan got so hot it softened and deformed, melting completely in some places. I managed to shave it back into a shape that mostly spins freely but it still overheats pretty easy... I look at the rad and would guess I haven´t even lost 10 percent cooling capacity with all the bent fins, but still it is heating up way too fast. At least I can turn the bike on and off to control it now!

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Lost on the way to the End of the World - Adventures of a vagabond photographer and his tRusty steed

Might be an airlock in the cooling system. Not sure what the bike specific proceedure is but google is your friend!

Blake, you need the Yahoo group (DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com) or one of the other dedicated KLR650 sites.

The battery connection issue comes up periodically. My KLR seat is not attached--I removed the bolts and have a rubber bungie over it. When the bike doesn't start I can tighten the connection with a swiss army knife in 15 seconds and be on my way.

KLR's are full of irritating stuff like that, including the various start/run safety cutouts, some of the fuses, the carb vent (which clogs at inopportune moments, killing the bike, if you don't 'T' it), etc. Most have simple, permanent fixes once you know what they are. The FAQ at the Yahoo group above is a good start, and the regular posters will fill in any gaps, including your overheating problem.

Hope that's helpful. Keep the spirits high and the photos coming!

Mark

Hey Mark, thanks for the tip!

I get the KLR650 emails in digests and try to keep up with them because there are definitely some really useful bits of info there.

I also gave up on the seat bolts (read: They rattled out and I've liked it just fine ever since). No bungee needed, that seat is well crafted to stay where it belongs.

So far...

Made it to Belize, just ended up discovering I had fried the fan so it wasn't working hard enough. Made a new one out of the old body and a junked fan I found with the help of some fellow motorists in GDL. Add a fan switch, goodbye overheating!

Now to see if I can keep remembering to flip that damn switch...

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Lost on the way to the End of the World - Adventures of a vagabond photographer and his tRusty steed

get the bike to antigua guatemala, i am specialized in KLR's, we can fix it easely here, have spareparts too