KLR handling badly

[Woodman]

My Klr has just all of a suddenlike started handling like a shopping cart full of Samoans. It doesn,t make any sense as I have changed nothing.
The tyre combo has done a good ride with no issues, but now the back just wants to pass the front all the time and the front has become a bit vague. Went up the wairau today and I was riding like the keystone cops over places I had ridden heaps of times with no issues. Eventually I fell off , got shitty and came home.
Does anyone have any ideas about what may be causing this e.g. blown shocky or something????

[buggsubique]

recheck tyre pressures? Whats the wear like on the back?

[warewolf]

No real experience with that phenomena, but I have some suggestions.

If the shock is buggered, it would have leaked oil and made a mess... easy to spot? If the oil seal was still good, but the pressurising gas leaked, it might be harder to assess statically. Can you bounce the rear end quite freely?

Check all suspension-related bolts: both axle nuts & pinch bolts, triple-clamp pinch bolts, handlebar mounting bolts.

Check wheel and steering bearings for free play.

For it to get that bad that fast, I would agree with you, something must have worked loose and created a lot of free play. Either that, or your skills suddenly equal Roma's and you're finding the limits of the KLR??

Puncture: slow leak job?

[NordieBoy]

How is it handeling in a straight line over bumps?

Tyre pressures?

[buggsubique]

didn't have a load on the back sitting up high at all?

might well have just been an off day - I have them like you describe too. Makes me wanna come home and park it up for good.

I've also had shocking rides where my tyres are getting a bit worn and I'm running them too hard. Add to that some rougher terrain and an off day and it's enough to get you swearing inside yer helmet.

Tyre condition and pressures would be my first thoughts.

[Peril]

My Klr has just all of a suddenlike started handling like a shopping cart full of Samoans.

Quote of the year? I'm still giggling while typing this.

[CrazyFrog]

Dare I say it...well, you DID buy a KLR.
(Ok, so I've just got home from the pub and have got a bit of dutch courage goin' on.)

[jafar]

Quote of the year? I'm still giggling while typing this.

Gets my vote, a truly impressive image

[Howie]

Hi Woodman, not quite sure what you mean by vague, do you mean it is really loose, or do you mean it feels like it doesn't want to turn in properly? if the later I would suggest checking the steering head bearings, I recently had an intermittent handling problem on my 07KLR with only 14000k which turned out to be a rusty top steering head bearing, but you couldn't feel anything wrong with it when you lifted the bike up and checked for free play as all weight was resting on the bottom bearing. It wasn't until after I had the fork legs out, when I decided to regrease them that I felt any roughness in the steering head, as then the weight wasn't on the bottom bearing. The other thing to check could be that your swingarm, and rear suspension bearings/bushes are all properly greased.

Cheers

Paul

[hospitalfood]

my 87 KLR 650 is always like that, i need to replace a few parts.....like the electrical parts, mechanical parts and rubber bits.
but i love it.

[Woodman]

[QUOTE=warewolf;1829963]No real experience with that phenomena, but I have some suggestions.

If the shock is buggered, it would have leaked oil and made a mess... easy to spot? If the oil seal was still good, but the pressurising gas leaked, it might be harder to assess statically. Can you bounce the rear end quite freely?

Check all suspension-related bolts: both axle nuts & pinch bolts, triple-clamp pinch bolts, handlebar mounting bolts.

Check wheel and steering bearings for free play.

For it to get that bad that fast, I would agree with you, something must have worked loose and created a lot of free play. Either that, or your skills suddenly equal Roma's and you're finding the limits of the KLR??

Thanks for the suggestions guys. There is no sign of leakage on the rear shock and nothing seems loose at a quick glance, although tomorrow I will have a real good look after a good clean. Never thought of checking tyre pressures even though I carry a digital gauge in me jacket Rear tyre is about half worn , and it is a trailwing, mind you the previous tyres were Anikees which aren't far off road tyres and it didn't have these issues. The front and rear bottom out quite a bit so a suspension upgrade is on the wishlist. Prior to this I was pretty impressed with the klrs offroad handling.

[Woodman]

Hi Woodman, not quite sure what you mean by vague, do you mean it is really loose, or do you mean it feels like it doesn't want to turn in properly? if the later I would suggest checking the steering head bearings, I recently had an intermittent handling problem on my 07KLR with only 14000k which turned out to be a rusty top steering head bearing, but you couldn't feel anything wrong with it when you lifted the bike up and checked for free play as all weight was resting on the bottom bearing. It wasn't until after I had the fork legs out, when I decided to regrease them that I felt any roughness in the steering head, as then the weight wasn't on the bottom bearing. The other thing to check could be that your swingarm, and rear suspension bearings/bushes are all properly greased.

Cheers

Paul

By vague I mean that it seems very light, imagine a car with real light powersteering. I will check and regrease everything tomorrow while I'm in there.

[buggsubique]

I put a Vee Rubber dual purpose tyre on the back of the DRZ start of this year and did the molesworth on it. It was bad - so bad I swore I would never use it again. But I did, and it still sucked the fat one, so I've got a half used tyre that I would cut in half if I had a pair of scissors big enough.

Basically it would skid the rear under engine braking, under normal braking it would lock up and skid (without the "slowing you down" bit), and in corners it would suddenly let go and come around. No good for anything but pure asphalt.

[Woodman]

I put a Vee Rubber dual purpose tyre on the back of the DRZ start of this year and did the molesworth on it. It was bad - so bad I swore I would never use it again. But I did, and it still sucked the fat one, so I've got a half used tyre that I would cut in half if I had a pair of scissors big enough.

Basically it would skid the rear under engine braking, under normal braking it would lock up and skid (without the "slowing you down" bit), and in corners it would suddenly let go and come around. No good for anything but pure asphalt.

Yea it may be that the tyre has just "gone off" , shit it hasn't been on there that long, I will try a more aggressive rear similar to the front. Have read the tyre choice thread and have come up with a plan. Your problems describe mine almost perfectly, it wouldn't be so bad if it was predictable but it ain't. I wasn't even planning on doing much offroad when I got this bike but I just cannot ignore little sidetracks so tyre choice has to be more offroad. Will still check and grease everthing but.

[marks]

The front and rear bottom out quite a bit so a suspension upgrade is on the wishlist. Prior to this I was pretty impressed with the klrs offroad handling.

On anything rough my klr bottoms/sledges and is generally horrible if I'm sitting down. If I stand up it has a character transformation and becomes a fat/wide/slow trailbike that is much more fun to be on.