KLR650: things bent and crunching

[mylodon]

Hello,

I went up to the Akatarawas area and on the way back, in a good mood, i accellerated off a jump downhill on a turn. Physically, i really couldn't have landed it so i left the bike behind and continued on alone.

When I returned to pick the bike up, the handlebars were a little off, and on closer inspection, were bent (and cracked) . But on the highway, i discovered that the bent handlebars were actually compensating for an offset in the fork. basically where the handlebars attach, it is rotated about 5-10 degrees off even when the bike is heading in a straight line. KLR forks are very wobbly, so if I wedge the front wheel in something and bend the handlebars back and forth, I can straighten it out (temporarily of course, it springs back).

Is this easy to fix? The bike rides fine at any speed, it's just a little cockeyed.

Also:

After going through some deep puddles, my chain is making horrible crunching noises. One of the guys at Boyle Kawasaki in wellington told me earlier that the chain is in 'bad nick'. If I spray the thing down with lube, the noise goes away, until the next time i run through a puddle.

So this question is: On long trips, or when you expect to be going through a lot of sand, water, and mud, is it normal to stop every once and a while and spray the chain down?

Or shold I remove the chain and condition it somehow?

In case you are wondering, this is my first bike and I've got a handful of basic questions left.

thanks...

[CBobR]

Hi, you can try raising the front wheel off the ground then loosening off the triple clamp and axle bolts, with a bit of luck everything will un-torque itself. But having said that, as it's your first bike, I would recommend having someone take a look at it for you to make sure there is no major damage. bent suspension is not good.

How much slack is there in the chain, and when was the last time you adjusted it? It sounds like your chain may be knackered. If you get a new chain, get new sprockets also. With road use I lube my chain every 4-500km. I clean and lube my chain after every offroad trip.

No problem asking lots of questions here, pics of what you are asking about help but are not essential.

[mylodon]

ok the chain is pretty bad, i'll have to scrub it down. Or get a new one. I want to go back to a 15 tooth sprocket anyways.

i guess it makes sense to have to scrub it down every once and awhile, never really thought of that -- in fact, the first time i heard the noise i opened up the engine and replaced the balancer lever. while the lever was broken, the noise itself was the chain and didn't go away till i cleaned it.

thanks for the tip on the front forks, i think i might try untorquing them, if that's what it is.

that pic of the handlebars, that's about what it looks like going in a straight line down the highway. turned a little to the left.

[CBobR]

It could just be the angle of the pic, but that looks like it's taken a reasonable hit. If you've got the time I think it would be worth taken off a leg at a time and checking for straightness with a straight edge.

Grab the chain at the back of the sprocket, if you can pull it away from the sprocket more than a tiny bit you should consider replacing it (there could be some pics of the 'net of this test). Can anyone here with a KLR say how much is left in the adjustment there?
From the pic, if it were mine I would give it a clean and lube.

[GaZBur]

I am no mechanic but I was told to clean the chain with kerosine. Scrub the old oil and collected crud off and then only lightly oil it with proper chain spray, best done when chain is warm. Thick oil is great for sticking sand to so too much oil is just as bad as not enough.
Pull your chain off the back of the sprocket while the tension is set right. If you can see light underneath the chain its stretched. If it hasn't already buggered your sprockets it soon will so chuck it.

[mylodon]

i've adjusted the tension of the chain. it used to be pretty loose but it's tighter now, i don't see light through the underside of the chain anymore - i did before.

am i supposed to replace both the front and back sprockets when replacing the chain? and would it be wrong to use a lightly used sprocket, the original one for the bike that was replaced with a custom one?

another question. this chain has gone 14,000 miles or 22.5k ... do they normally wear out or stretch so quick?

thanks for the responses. i'll try that kerosene trick.

[GaZBur]

Sounds like you need to at least replace the chain and probably the sprokets as well at that many Kms. Best you make friends with some people who have some mechanical knowledge and will have a look as you don't want to spend money you don't have to. Im sure you could probably meet up with some guys in your area on here.
Modern chains are sealed with rubber o rings so don't need a lot of oil but do need to be kept clean so dont use any cleaners that attack rubber. Judging by the pic of your bike up to the sprocket in sand I think you will be replacing chains very regularly.
Hey its the price you pay for where you ride, as I said before the calculation is simple. Sand + Oil = Grinding paste.
Anyway looks like you enjoying yourself, these big adventure bikes are fun aren't they.

[Ocean1]

i've adjusted the tension of the chain. it used to be pretty loose but it's tighter now, i don't see light through the underside of the chain anymore - i did before.

am i supposed to replace both the front and back sprockets when replacing the chain? and would it be wrong to use a lightly used sprocket, the original one for the bike that was replaced with a custom one?

another question. this chain has gone 14,000 miles or 22.5k ... do they normally wear out or stretch so quick?

thanks for the responses. i'll try that kerosene trick.

Carefull you don't overtighten the chain. The correct tension can only be checked with the rear suspension depressed so that the front sprocket, the swingarm pivot and the rear sprocket are lined up. Can usually get that by having someone sit well back on the seat while you check it with a straight edge. With these three points in line the chain should have at least 15mm freeplay. Any less than that and you risk damage to the countershafe bearings, chain, sprockets etc etc.

Think 22.5K would be a very reasonable chain life for your bike, much less if it hasn't been keept clean. I'd replace the lot mate.

If you can nudge the front tripple clamps straight and they tend to want to twist up again I'd say something's bent, probably forks. You can strip the front end yourself, it's reasonably simple. Check the steering head stem is straight and undamaged around the bottom bearing register. You don't need to strip the forks fully to check, just lightly clamp the fork's alloy bit and carefully rotate the chromed bit, any bend you can see needs fixing.

[mylodon]

well!

i went down to boyle kawasaki and one of the guys came out and took a look at my forks. he said it was pretty common for things to get twisted in a fall, yanked around a bit, and voila, everything was straight, except for the handlebars, which i have to replace.

[Ocean1]

well!

i went down to boyle kawasaki and one of the guys came out and took a look at my forks. he said it was pretty common for things to get twisted in a fall, yanked around a bit, and voila, everything was straight, except for the handlebars, which i have to replace.

Cool, not too hard on the pocket then.

[pete376403]

-- in fact, the first time i heard the noise i opened up the engine and replaced the balancer lever. while the lever was broken,..

first bike and you replaced the doohickey unaided? Impressive indeed!

Also there is a huge amount of info on the net for KLRs - try www.klr650.net for a start

[mylodon]

Well, it took all afternoon and I ended up stripping a couple engine cover bolts (who needs a torque wrench), but ... it's a klr... if i break it or bend its not so bad because they are cheap. if i had bought something fancy, i'd probably be sick to my gut half the time.

i was originally going to get a dakar, but i think now that would have been a big mistake.

although klr's aren't as populous here in NZ. :\ it might be hard to find a replacement. So I should be careful. in the SF Bay Area, used ones pop up twice a week.

[mazz1972]

If you are investing in a new chain, and the sprockets look a bit worn, best to replace them also....generally they aren't overly expensive. The Boyle boys are a good bunch and can look after you for parts.