KLR riders out there

[Woodman]

But doesn't the cylinder head require a lot of work to feed the 705? So the cost goes up, and up, and before long you've spent so much that your bargain KLR now costs more than some Eurotrash.

If you're really paranoid about barrel distortion, a 705 sleeve bored for a 685 piston might be the answer, plus the thermobob to better regulate the engine temps

apparently there isn't a lot you can do to the head portwise as there is not a lot of room for error. 1mm oversize valves are available and there are a few cams that will help it breath but at the expense of fuel economy and rideability etc. Don't really need more grunt off road unless you are out riding it. Better to spend money on suspension. Actually better to spend time riding the bloody things.

[Padmei]

Thought I had better check the oil after reading about Creepers old bike.
Before last weekends 40km ride it was fine - just under max. Today it was just above min when hot. I noticed the motor was noisy going down the driveway to get the paper so thought I'd better check the level.
I wonder if having the bike on it's side made the oil disappear. Otherwise I guess it was keeping it at sustained higher revs that used it all.

Maybe I will try the PVC mod. Woodman may need your guidance on this.

[Woodman]

Thats very interesting cos I filled mine to just below the full line and then did the same ride as you, and the bike was sorta upside down for a while too and the next day it was below low. In frustratinon I drained the oil out and measured it. There was abot 1.5 litres came out and the engine is supposed to take 2.5. I then measured the oil into the motor gradually until it was exactly on the full line, and I hadn't even put in 2 litres yet. WTF? So I put in exactly 2,5 litres which according to the sight glass is overfull. Starting to wonder now if it is using as much as I thought and possibly the smaller amount of oil is heating up etc. Could also explain my overheating issue as oil plays a big part in cooling. We will see what happens.

PCV valve is easy Padmei, happy to help.

[pete376403]

Ordered a thermobob kit from Watt-man on Friday. Not expecting it to do a lot WRT oil use, but I'd like to see a bit of temperature on the guage other than when the thing is plugging hard in the dirt. Running as cool (cold) as it does, even with duct tape over half the radiator, can't be a good thing.

685 kit once the discretionary income reserve builds up a bit (could be a while...)

[pete376403]

Thats very interesting cos I filled mine to just below the full line and then did the same ride as you, and the bike was sorta upside down for a while too and the next day it was below low. In frustratinon I drained the oil out and measured it. There was abot 1.5 litres came out and the engine is supposed to take 2.5.

2.5 litres with a filter change as well?

[Padmei]

2.5 litres with a filter change as well?

That's what I understood. 2.3l without filter.

[Woodman]

2.5 litres with a filter change as well?

Even with a cartridge filter? The oil should not stay in the filter. I will check though.

[Woodman]

Ordered a thermobob kit from Watt-man on Friday. Not expecting it to do a lot WRT oil use, but I'd like to see a bit of temperature on the guage other than when the thing is plugging hard in the dirt. Running as cool (cold) as it does, even with duct tape over half the radiator, can't be a good thing.

685 kit once the discretionary income reserve builds up a bit (could be a while...)

Is your gauge working properly?

[warewolf]

You can't simply pour oil in to the crankcase and check the level. Usually it must be with the engine at operating temperature. This also distributes the oil within the engine. When you fill it, oil _may_ be pooled against the sight glass, giving a false-high reading, but running the engine spreads it around to give the correct reading. This is particularly important with dry sumps, multiple oil pumps and multiple chambers (filters, frame store, gearbox, etc etc).

[pete376403]

Is your gauge working properly?

Yeah it does show temps in snotty slow conditions where the engine is working hard nd there's less airflow though the rad. Fan comes on when the guage is at about 3/4 travel and it's pretty consistent at that. Just as soon as the load eases and speed gets up the temp just goes straight down

[Padmei]

Spannerman raised a good point re gauges on older bikes- if they're not there you don't worry so much. Maybe the gauge is calibrated funny where it doesn't show even temp rise & & fall.

I gave my bike a very good workout yesterday & it didn't rise past just over 1/2way. Like yours tho as soon as the terrain flattened out & a bit of speed got up it was low.

[veny]

Oil Fill Excercise...
http://www.klr650.net/forums/showthread.php?t=77985

[Woodman]

Yeah it does show temps in snotty slow conditions where the engine is working hard nd there's less airflow though the rad. Fan comes on when the guage is at about 3/4 travel and it's pretty consistent at that. Just as soon as the load eases and speed gets up the temp just goes straight down

My gauge is the same, but my fan comes on a lot. Actually I accidentally bent the shroud round the fan which stopped it from going round and the gauge went higher than it had ever gone, so much so that I had to stop cos i was getting quite worried. BTW this was in traffic, it was a hot day but not that hot. On the open road it reads cold. I have checked and everything flows nice etc, but as long as the fan works its not a worry.

[Padmei]

Oil Fill Excercise...
http://www.klr650.net/forums/showthread.php?t=77985

Intersting but WTF is the attraction to the oil cap? Fking Seppos or what?

[pete376403]

Have a look at Watt-mans site - he has the figures to back up the theory (of thermal cycling, overcooling, etc). The bypass hose concept has solid engineering behind it and the majority of automotive engines use this same idea (bit hard to call it technology, it's way more basic than that)
Check out http://members.cox.net/watt-man/TB%20Testing1.htm

I now from my own training and experience (automotive diesel mechanic with GGH) engines are supposed to run at a fairly constant temperature pretty much regardless of load and road speed.