Blake and Matt's KLR Adventure

Memorial Day Bike Prep

This past weekend I headed north to visit Matt and help him do some work on his bike (a 2002 model KLR650) to prep it for the trip. One of the tasks was the 6,000 mile valve check, so I brought my 1/4" drive tools (including torque wrench), a metric feeler gauge and my shim pack from Fred at Arrowhead Motorsports. We were also going to change out his doohickey, which I promised would be a painless procedure, and we were going to install the drill-through rear sub-frame bolt upgrade kit on both of our bikes.

Helpfully, Matt had already done all the prep work before I arrived, so after enjoying a Guinness and catching up for a while we dove into the valves. I verified the measurements Matt had already made and agreed with them; none were out of spec, but they were all close to the minimums so off came the cam caps.

The right-hand-side shims came out just fine and I had appropriately-sized replacements in my shim pack, but I didn't have the size needed for the left intake. Worse yet, the bucket for the left-side exhaust wouldn't turn so we couldn't get to the notch to lift the shim out. We decided we had better take the exhaust cam out so that we could get to the shim, so we started to remove the cam chain tensioner. However, we couldn't get an open-ended wrench on the tensioner's lower bolt and Matt didn't have a box wrench in that size.

Given that it was almost dinner time, we headed into town and found a set of box wrenches at the auto parts store that would work, then ate way too much Chinese food at a local restaurant. Coming back to the garage, the lower bolt on the tensioner couldn't resist Matt's new box wrench and we were back in business. Off came the exhaust cam, and with complete access to the shim bucket we were able to get the bucket turning, albeit a bit stiffly. We removed the shim, found that we had an appropriately-sized replacement, and put the new shim in place. Assembly was the reverse of removal. (Doncha just hate reading that in a service manual?)

However, when we did the final valve clearance measurements after spinning the motor a few times, we found that the exhaust valves' gaps increased by only .01 mm, not the .05 mm we expected from using one size thinner shim. The intake side, where we did not remove the cam, changed as expected. We moved the exhaust cam forward and backward one tooth on the chain to see if we'd put the cam back incorrectly, but we were spot on. We also made sure the shims weren't cocked in the buckets, as can sometimes happen.

Lacking two of the next-smaller sized shims, we called it quits on the valves this time around. The exhaust valves were near the middle of the adjustment range, so they should be good until the 12,000 mile check, at which point Matt will have the proper shims on hand. I'm still puzzled as to what could have caused the exhaust side to not adjust as we expected, though. I'm wondering if the re-installed cam chain tensioner provided a little different tension, resulting in a slightly different degree on the exhaust cam. (The bike ran just fine on the following day's ride.)

After our "success" with the valves we tackled the doohickey replacement. Matt's doohickey and spring were both intact, and the doohickey even adjusted when we unscrewed the adjusting bolt. However, the dealer who performed the last service had over-tightened the adjusting bolt, leaving a nice impression of the bolt on the face of the doohickey.

We re-assembled the bike, using only a little Permatex Ultra Black RTV along the left side of the valve cover surface. This is in contrast to my practice of using RTV along all surfaces (side covers as well as the valve cover). The bike failed to leak during the following day's ride, so it looks like I'll be changing my standard practice.

Lastly, we drilled through the upper sub-frame mounting points on both bikes to install Dual Star's upgrade kit. This kit replaces the two stock 8 mm bolts with one long 10 mm bolt that goes all the way through the frame and mounting bosses. The idea is that the OEM setup puts most of the stress on the threads of the stock bolts, making them likely to fail with very undesirable consequences. The upgrade kit requires that you drill through the OEM bolt holes and all the way through the frame so that one long, larger (10 mm) bolt can be used instead. This replacement bolt carries all the sub-frame weight on an unthreaded shank, reducing the likelihood that the bolt will break. Even better, if it does break it is easier to remove the remnants since it isn't threaded into the frame—no need for extractors.

Footwear

By mileage, our trip on the Trans-America Trail will be more highway than dirt, but we expect to spend about the same number of days on each. In a 50/50 scenario like this it'd make sense to have a 50/50 boot—something like Sidi's Discovery or Oxtar's (just-discontinued) Infinity, right? Right!

...Which is why you can probably call me crazy with my footwear selection. But, being a newbie dirt rider I expect to fall, and fall a lot. As such, I'm looking for maximum protection for both my bike and myself, which is why I decided to get a pair of Sidi's Crossfire boots. The Crossfires are Sidi's most protective boots, but they also have two hinges around the ankle to allow easy, controlled foot flexion. The rigid hinges prevent both side-to-side bending and over-extension of the foot in both the up and down directions. Coupled with an extremely rigid sole and armored pads on the shin, the Crossfires protect quite well while being easier to walk in than, say, a ski boot (or non-hinged boots, for that matter).

I figure that the Crossfires will be fine for the road and excel in the dirt, plus the ankle hinges will make them flexible enough to walk around in for short distances without trouble. But what about my time off the bike, or for hikes? As camping and photography are the other activities we're planning on enjoying during the trip, I'll need some other footwear for these occasions. My old Teva Sci-Fi sandals, which were the very first things I ever bought at REI back in 1991, finally gave out last year. They would have been great as they were comfortable, light, and they packed flat.

I headed back to REI and took advantage of a sale to buy a pair of Chaco Z/2 Steath sandals. These will pack even flatter than my old sandals, plus they have a nice loop around the big toe to provide a little more control. They also use a strap system that lets me snug them down enough to fit my narrow feet quite well. A couple of the staff members at REI have switched from light boots to the Chacos as lightweight hikers for day trips or weekend get-aways, so they promise to work well for my intended use.

So, I think I have the footwear angle figured out: Maximum protection while on the bike, and comfortable, light-weight, easy-packing sandals for off the bike. Matt and I will be putting my theory into practice over Memorial Day weekend as we take advantage of the extended weekend for a little wrenching, riding, camping, and photography. We'll see how well this gear performs then.