Installed lever guards

This morning I gave my bike an early Christmas present, some rugged lever guards.

They were $30 plus shipping on Amazon, and the seller gave me free shipping (maybe because I ordered the tank bags from them recently?).  RockyMountainATVmc.com

It took a little less than an hour to install them.  I had to cut the end of the throttle tube off and move the controls inward a bit, so that the throttle still moved without any binding.  I used a 1" hole saw to cut through the grips, which may seem like overkill, but it worked very well.

27° ride to Cabelas with new crash bar installed

Definitely confirmed my nagging suspicion that it was too cold to ride without heated grips.  I purchased some hand warmers at Cabelas and did not have to stop to warm my hands on the engine on the ride home.

KLR links

Useful links:
http://klr650.net/
http://klrforum.com/
Eagle Mike KLR650 parts
http://www.leftcoastklrs.com/articles.htm (doohickey instructions)
http://www.leftcoastklrs.com/Install_a_torsion_spring.htm (w/ torsion spring mod)
http://www.klr650.marknet.us/doohickey.html (more doohickey instructions)
http://germz.org/klr650/
http://klr650.com/
Dual Star KLR650 upgrades
Touratech Guards
Big Cee Engineering
        Dash upgrade
        Schematic (.gif)
Paul's KLR650 site
Happy-trail.com KLR650 (1st gen) stuff
Twisted Throttle KLR650 ( ^ ) stuff
AltRider KLR650 (  ^ ) stuff
Building the Adventure Motorcycle
Alex Chacon's adventure mods / advice
Mastech crash bars (Columbia)
KLR650 Timeline (.pdf )
Gear Calculator

Repaired engine shrouds

The left shroud was cracked and the right one was missing the lower mounting peg (where it pops into the grommet on the tank).  I glued the crack with some Locktite adhesive and then used pop rivets, JB weld epoxy, and some new plastic to reinforce it.  I also reinforced the other side to help prevent breakage.

Riveting and reinforcing a broken shroud

Epoxy and new plastic reinforcement

Blurry pop rivets

Since the lower mounting peg was gone, I made a new one using Motion Pro 1/4" Tygon fuel line

I used a brass 1/4" NPT to barb fitting; I cut the threads off

I chose the 1/4" Tygon fuel line because it fit nicely through the grommet

Just pop it on and then snug the bolt to keep it on

Ugly, but functional.  Maybe kinda steampunk?

The new mounting peg components (4mm nut not pictured)

Rode to work

Kickstand safety switch got me

I brought the bike to Lincoln Marsh in Wheaton for a couple of pictures.  After taking a couple pictures, I noticed that the lighting was better on the other side of the lot.  I left the kickstand down and when I started pulling the clutch out to roll over there, the bike died immediately.  In my defense, the newest bike that I have ever owned until now was a 1982 KZ550.  I had heard of kickstand kill switches, but never had a motorcycle with one (although there have been a few times that it would have come in handy).  I sat there for a while, trying to rev it a bit while pulling the clutch-- etc., nothing made any sense.  Finally, after going for a short trail hike and coming back, it occurred to me that there must be a safety switch on the kickstand.  Lesson learned...

Repaired tail light, evicted stink bugs

After work last night, I took apart the tail light to figure out why it was not working (I was about to ride to work that afternoon when I checked the brake light and realized that neither it nor the running light were working).  It turned out to be a bad ground connection at a bullet connector under the fender.  Virginia mud must be slightly acidic.  After cleaning the three bullet connectors, I decided to remove the battery and charge it.  To my surprise, I found a small colony of live stink bugs living on and around the battery!  Luckily, they were very slow and not too bright.  I was able to catch every one that I saw with a pair of tweezers and a container.  Right now, I am waiting for the two hours to pass after fogging the garage.

October 12, 2013 -- The Trade

Just over a week ago, I had posted an ad on USA2strokers.com to trade my 1979 Yamaha RD400F (a very rare and collectible bike) for a KLR650.  There was a response within a day, offering a 2007 KLR650 and a parts bike basket-case.  I replied that I was interested, but wasn't sure how we would make the trade since we were 700 miles apart.  He offered to deliver, we hammered-out the details, and on Saturday he arrived with the bike.  After taking both bikes for a ride in the rain, we shook hands and did the paperwork.  An excellent trade!