Sucks bru but I'm glad you're recovering. You planning to get back in the saddle?
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Sucks bru but I'm glad you're recovering. You planning to get back in the saddle?
Noseworthy
Expert Member
As the saying goes get back on the horse
Didn't stop at rooiels. But did see one of those Led signboard hot blown over as your riding out and up the hill to Pringle Bay.How was Rooi Els?
Gordon's bay, Rooiels, kleinmond, bot river, Grabowski, Theewaters, franschoek. The plan was to carry on and go paarl, wellington, hermon, malmesbury then home, but by the time I got back to the N1 my right-wrist was calling for a time-out.
Had about 2 hours of video from the Tom Tom, but unusable since I mounted it on helmet on old bike. New one you lean waaay forward. So I've got 2 hours of front of the bike and about a meter of the road in front of it
Noseworthy
Expert Member
Yeah triumph thuxton or bobber. Depending on what is available then
Hosehead
Executive Member
Rather buy now as we won't see those Triumph fire sale prices again once new agents are appointed
SauRoNZA
Honorary Master
Didn't stop at rooiels. But did see one of those Led signboard hot blown over as your riding out and up the hill to Pringle Bay.
Gordon's bay, Rooiels, kleinmond, bot river, Grabowski, Theewaters, franschoek. The plan was to carry on and go paarl, wellington, hermon, malmesbury then home, but by the time I got back to the N1 my right-wrist was calling for a time-out.
Had about 2 hours of video from the Tom Tom, but unusable since I mounted it on helmet on old bike. New one you lean waaay forward. So I've got 2 hours of front of the bike and about a meter of the road in front of it
I’ve given up trying to capture video.
You came flying past me on the N2 so assumed the route would be Rooi Els.
But I’m not surprised you would be a bit sore after such a long hardcore ride, even my old man touring bike would push me over the edge a bit.
SauRoNZA
Honorary Master
RnineT.
Helmets are OK if you don't move, which in wind is impossible. Think I'll have a look at mounting on the bike itself. Just need some kind of insulation for the vibrations.
As for the N2, which direction and where? On the way to Gordon's I was mostly just cruising along. Coming back up the pass from botrivier I was...a bit faster.
Was too much traffic. I'm not going to ride like a maniac in traffic.
Saw a RnineT at the dealership with a cutoff tail. Seat cushion and then nothing.
Looked really good.
But I'll keep the RR.
SauRoNZA
Honorary Master
PhireSide
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Congrats on the new ride, Pox!
I haven't chimed in here in a bit but thought I'd do so tonight. I replaced the oil and filter on the KLR today and set the chain slack juuuust right. Here she is, freshly rebuilt from the frame up, in all her pink glory with a mere 40'000km on the odo:
I haven't chimed in here in a bit but thought I'd do so tonight. I replaced the oil and filter on the KLR today and set the chain slack juuuust right. Here she is, freshly rebuilt from the frame up, in all her pink glory with a mere 40'000km on the odo:
PhireSide
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There's a bit of a backstory but the long and short of it is that I bought it back in 2009 for a steal knowing that it had a duff rear shock. I had the shock rebuilt four times and each and every time it lasted for 2 - 3000km before it blew the oil seal and turned into a pogo stick. At R3000 per repair I was getting properly gatvol and for about a year it just stood on the farm, not being ridden.
I tore it down mid-2014 into pieces leaving only the engine intact. I had the frame sandblasted and repainted a matte black colour as well as the footpegs, brackets and so on. There was a lot of rust as the KLR paint division was a bit snoep when it came to properly painting the frame in the first place. FFWD to when I started assembling it around May of this year. I rode it for the first time in since I knocked it down about a week ago when I took it down the road to have the tyres pumped up and the fuel tank filled. Touch wood, the 5th repair on the shock is holding.
I have it stored at my GF's father's place as I only have a carport that my i30 sleeps underneath, but I am sure the KLR appreciates the company of the R1100GS hiding under the bike cover in the corner of the photo
I still need to sort out a small niggle with the front brake light switch that is AWOL and I need to address the pink plastics issue. There are also a few items that I want to neaten up such as the mirrors, handlebars and rims. Considering I am a telecoms techie by trade I didn't really find the rebuild all that difficult. I didn't take any pics as I tore it down but it wasn't hard to find the correct places for all the random bits and bobs that I had moered into a big box in 2014. I think the hardest part was routing the wiring harness correctly as well as the various pipes (vacuum from carburettor, fuel pipe, battery overflow, PCV valve pipe, etc)
I tore it down mid-2014 into pieces leaving only the engine intact. I had the frame sandblasted and repainted a matte black colour as well as the footpegs, brackets and so on. There was a lot of rust as the KLR paint division was a bit snoep when it came to properly painting the frame in the first place. FFWD to when I started assembling it around May of this year. I rode it for the first time in since I knocked it down about a week ago when I took it down the road to have the tyres pumped up and the fuel tank filled. Touch wood, the 5th repair on the shock is holding.
I have it stored at my GF's father's place as I only have a carport that my i30 sleeps underneath, but I am sure the KLR appreciates the company of the R1100GS hiding under the bike cover in the corner of the photo
I still need to sort out a small niggle with the front brake light switch that is AWOL and I need to address the pink plastics issue. There are also a few items that I want to neaten up such as the mirrors, handlebars and rims. Considering I am a telecoms techie by trade I didn't really find the rebuild all that difficult. I didn't take any pics as I tore it down but it wasn't hard to find the correct places for all the random bits and bobs that I had moered into a big box in 2014. I think the hardest part was routing the wiring harness correctly as well as the various pipes (vacuum from carburettor, fuel pipe, battery overflow, PCV valve pipe, etc)
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SauRoNZA
Honorary Master
Yeah I believe they are some of the easiest bikes to work on and why people recommend them to learn on.
Odd that the shock would keep collapsing like that. Did you change the spring or unit from stock at any point? Maybe you are too heavy for the OEM setup?
Funny you mentioned the simpler stuff being the hardest. I once adjusted the idle on my Buell.
Electronic TPS based so voltage controlled but the adjuster is manual like any other with a screw in setup.
Like an utter muppet I then turned it right out of the housing and sat with it in my hand. What was a 5min job to adjust or turned into a half day drama to get it back in.
Odd that the shock would keep collapsing like that. Did you change the spring or unit from stock at any point? Maybe you are too heavy for the OEM setup?
Funny you mentioned the simpler stuff being the hardest. I once adjusted the idle on my Buell.
Electronic TPS based so voltage controlled but the adjuster is manual like any other with a screw in setup.
Like an utter muppet I then turned it right out of the housing and sat with it in my hand. What was a 5min job to adjust or turned into a half day drama to get it back in.
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PhireSide
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I doubt it's a weight issue. I have a relatively small build @ 1.75m and 71kg. It's still on the stock spring and internals, as far as I know.
My personal guess is that, since the KLR doesn't have a guard to keep crud that the rear wheel kicks up off the shock shaft, the shaft became pitted from stones and what not being flung against it and eventually caused the seal to tear and leak. I also do not know how long the bike was ridden with the pogo stick shock so I suspect the shock housing was ovalled out from the excessive up and down of the dry piston which makes any seal replacement an exercise in futility.
I have only put 12km on the bike since I rebuilt it so I will have to see once I reach the 3000km mark if I pick up any issues.
Which Buell did you have? I have ridden a XB12 Firebolt before - absolutely love the torque that thing has. I regularly see a XB12 Lightning in town with a gutted exhaust. I am sure half of PE can hear him when he flies up or down the N2 going through town. I feel your pain with the Buell - I took a long hard look at them and remarked how tight everything was squeezed in between the two cylinders. Must be a mission to do any work on it. That said, the idea of the oil in the swingarm and fuel in the frame is quite novel.
My personal guess is that, since the KLR doesn't have a guard to keep crud that the rear wheel kicks up off the shock shaft, the shaft became pitted from stones and what not being flung against it and eventually caused the seal to tear and leak. I also do not know how long the bike was ridden with the pogo stick shock so I suspect the shock housing was ovalled out from the excessive up and down of the dry piston which makes any seal replacement an exercise in futility.
I have only put 12km on the bike since I rebuilt it so I will have to see once I reach the 3000km mark if I pick up any issues.
Which Buell did you have? I have ridden a XB12 Firebolt before - absolutely love the torque that thing has. I regularly see a XB12 Lightning in town with a gutted exhaust. I am sure half of PE can hear him when he flies up or down the N2 going through town. I feel your pain with the Buell - I took a long hard look at them and remarked how tight everything was squeezed in between the two cylinders. Must be a mission to do any work on it. That said, the idea of the oil in the swingarm and fuel in the frame is quite novel.
SauRoNZA
Honorary Master
Had an XB9SX Lightning.
Slightly less torquey than the 12 but more revvy so I preferred it.
They do sound good with anything other than stock pipes then it sounds like a Kombi/Beetle at low revs.
Actually very simple to work on in general (not that I get super hardcore) this particular issue was just silly and unnecessary.
Can do most things without removing anything at all, but there are oddities like if you wanted to change the header pipes you need to rotate the engine etc.
Doing belt is very simple if you follow instructions. Also being able to jack the bike up by the exhaust makes a lot of stuff easier than most other bikes. Plugs you can change with a hose pipe. Pads can get changed without even taking calliper off.
Air filter is right there where the tank should be. Fuel Injection was open until 2008 and even after you could reflash the original unit just not make changes directly to the maps.
Had I not had some “bom skok “ from a crash would probably still be riding it.
Did 46000km odd without any real drama at all, yet people think they are unreliable for some unfounded reason.
My supposedly reliable Triumph completely blew up at just 33000km.
Slightly less torquey than the 12 but more revvy so I preferred it.
They do sound good with anything other than stock pipes then it sounds like a Kombi/Beetle at low revs.
Actually very simple to work on in general (not that I get super hardcore) this particular issue was just silly and unnecessary.
Can do most things without removing anything at all, but there are oddities like if you wanted to change the header pipes you need to rotate the engine etc.
Doing belt is very simple if you follow instructions. Also being able to jack the bike up by the exhaust makes a lot of stuff easier than most other bikes. Plugs you can change with a hose pipe. Pads can get changed without even taking calliper off.
Air filter is right there where the tank should be. Fuel Injection was open until 2008 and even after you could reflash the original unit just not make changes directly to the maps.
Had I not had some “bom skok “ from a crash would probably still be riding it.
Did 46000km odd without any real drama at all, yet people think they are unreliable for some unfounded reason.
My supposedly reliable Triumph completely blew up at just 33000km.
Archer
Honorary Master
I had a great ride (planned) on Sunday morning - I shall call it revenge of the little people... my daughter got a hectic fever Saturday night
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