Kawasaki KLR 650 Restoration & History

Time to tackle the KLR 650...
Tools & Equipment;
KLR650 Complete Engine Gasket Kit rebrand.ly/brzzrtz
KLR650 OEM Valve Cover Gasket rebrand.ly/1hrlfa6
Professional Ultrasonic Cleaner rebrand.ly/menf005
Ultrasonic Cleaning Solution rebrand.ly/35fzlaa
Fork Seal Driver rebrand.ly/g9236eg
Motorcycle Fork Oil Leveling Tool rebrand.ly/d92zvsz
Motorcycle/Automotive Brake Vacuum Bleeder Kit rebrand.ly/bqnb9ig
Best Brake Caliper Rebuild Kit KLR650 Front ebay.us/is5MBp
Best Brake Caliper Rebuild Kit KLR650 Rear ebay.us/VA8ZND
Engine Valve Adjustment Feeler Gauge & Tools rebrand.ly/k3fpho9
KLR650 Doohickey Upgrade Kit rebrand.ly/c0ovz5x
Motorcycle Flywheel Puller Tool rebrand.ly/986klhr
Motorcycle Chain Breaker/Riveting Tool rebrand.ly/4apr36e
KLR650 Chain/Sprocket Combo Kit ebay.us/ixguwZ
Motorcycle Clutch/Throttle Cable Oiler/Lube Tool rebrand.ly/045fcj2
More videos...
Motorcycle Wheel & Swingarm Bearing Replacement • How to Change Your Mot...
Two Piece Motorcycle Brake Caliper Rebuild • Tokico 2 Piece Brake C...
Single Piece Motorcycle Caliper Rebuild • Single Piece Motorcycl...
Master Brake Cylinder Rebuild • Rebuilding Brake/Clutc...
Conventional Fork Rebuild • CHEAP Motorcycle Conve...
Easy Fork Alignment • Easy Motorcycle Fork A...
Steering Stem Bearing Replacement • Motorcycle Steering St...
00:00 Intro
01:27 KLR650 History Pt. 1
03:32 Special Message
03:50 KLR650 Forks
08:20 Steering Stem Bearings
08:50 KLR650 History Pt. 2
10:44 KLR650 Brake Rebuild
11:26 KLR650 Rear Suspension & Swingarm
13:29 Chain & Sprockets
13:50 Engine & WTF is a Doohickey?
14:33 What's Next for this Project
#KLR650 #rodrideswrenches

[@mark-lj5dc]

Hi Rod - I always loosen the fork bottom damper bolt while the fork is still assembled. I turn the fork leg upside down and compress the fork as much as I can and rattle gun the bolt loose.

[@dmvs]

Indeed, drane your fork ad the lower end. But leaf your spring and cap on and undo the bolt screw ad bottom. If that's done, unscrew the cap and collect your spring. Easy, peasy.

[@ii7317]

The freshly lubed rear end looks just as good as it sounds :)

[@RodRidesWrenches]

Were you looking at my freshly lubed rear end? Thanks for the view! 😅

[@ii7317]

@@RodRidesWrenches how could I miss such a show! Thanks for making this bike the best it ever was and would have been if not for you! Don't forget the milk crate though.

[@alz2713]

Congrats!! You deserve 10x the subscribers! Great content!

[@RodRidesWrenches]

Thanks for the support!

[@bogusm8940]

Congratulations on the 10k Rod. You do a great job with all this extra effort on the videos and thank you so much for sharing.

[@RodRidesWrenches]

Thanks for the support!

[@sharonhazen4463]

Rod you are so amazing at making these videos. They are very well put together and you are an amazing teacher. I’m sure many have the benefits of watching.

[@RodRidesWrenches]

Thanks for the feedback & View!

[@christianweller4288]

Had the KL600R “A”… generally ok, but the electrics…. wire rot, two rectifiers and other strangeness. Never though they’d still be for sale in the 2020s… The “A” was light, fast and could charge across a ploughed field at 70+, especially if pursued by an angry farmer. I actually miss it.

[@RodRidesWrenches]

Thanks for the feedback & View!

[@whitneyestate1402]

Rod, I heard you can’t kill a KLR? Good to see you again:)

[@RodRidesWrenches]

Thanks good to hear from you!

[@maltejuergensen2118]

Good video …. Cheers from Vancouver Island …. Ride a 2013 KLR (same colour scheme as yours) - just installed the EM 685 kit at 72000 km’s.

[@RodRidesWrenches]

Thanks for the support and view!

[@nick4506]

the proper way is to not get ahead of yourself taking the forks apart. that bolt comes off before you take the top cap off. preferably before the forks are even out of the trippleclamps, they are free fork vices why not use them. the spring tension keeps the damper rod from spinning, that bolt can come out with hand tools. ive done a fork rebuild in the dorm parking lot in and out before campus police noticed. the way to install the top bushing and oil seal with no chance of damaging the fork is to wrap a bunch of electrical tape around the stancion and slide hammer it in just as you slide hammered it out on the stancion, stops moving you're done. no expensive one time use only metal tools or getting dangerous with washers, punches, and hammers. drop on the washer, roll in the clip, then mash down the dust seal with pure finger strength. rest is just reverse of disassembly. fork oil level and weight are just more adjustments to play with to get the dampening you want, height is compression, and weight is rebound and compression. do with this information as you will best not to mess with it if you dont know what you want.

[@mbrad2669]

Nice job

[@RodRidesWrenches]

Appreciated!

[@jan18]

Congrats about 10k subs🎉 I think I found your channel by your film with rebuild of triumph sprint 1050 st fork. Now I cannot find it. Do you have it? Thank for your work. Cheers😊

[@RodRidesWrenches]

If you click on the icon of the channel logo at the bottom of any video you should automatically navigate to the channel page but here is the link as well www.youtube.com/@RodRidesWrenches

[@jan18]

@@RodRidesWrenches thank you for your replay. I search there, but i still cannot find it. Have a nice Day.

[@RodRidesWrenches]

@@jan18 Sorry I didn't realize you were looking for that specific video. This video kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKjaaHV9pc2Kfrc does a better job at explaining the process and includes the bushing replacements as well as overall better video content. That original video was taken down since the newer one covers the same topics and then some. If you really want to see it again here is a link kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqaod4abeKqXmbs I will leave it active for a few days.

[@jan18]

@@RodRidesWrenches thank you very much! I will be more confident when disassembling my fork if I have a one-to-one example :) Thanks again very much

[@squeezeracer]

Rod, I have a question or maybe a few: 1- do you have a video on the V-Strom 650? 2- I plan on doing some outdoor adventure riding in Colorado next year. I was told to look for a bike with good clearance. I am not certain what kind of riding I'll be doing. I live in TX and currently do no mountain or dirt bike riding. (I have an Honda ST1300). Can you give me any pointers on what I bike I might be looking for? 3- I am looking for a bike that I can ride both on-road and off-road as I want to ride in and around TX, and from TX to CO and not pull a trailer behind a car.

[@RodRidesWrenches]

So many bikes, so little garage space. If you want to do more offroad than on, I would suggest the DR650 over the V-Strom. The V-Strom 650 is a capable bike but when compared to the 1000cc Strom it quickly loses its luster since it is slow and really uninspiring from the saddle. Unless you plan on riding over logs/boulders and so on, the clearance is less of an issue that the aggressive nature of your tires. I once road my 03 ST1300 straight up a logging trail while two up with my step son. We turned around when the bears outnumbered us. If highway is the primary focus then more engine displacement is better, you can compensate with adventure tires if you think you will be seeing gravel and dirt. If you want to get off all the roads and onto the trails then I would for lighter machines like the DR or KLR single cylinder. They can run all day at 60mph (but not much more, similar to the 650 Strom) and take you places you just drove by before on your ST. - Good Luck

[@TitoTito-ju1te]

Hi, an unrelated Kawasaki question from a fellow lower mainland motorcycle enthusiast. Do you know if it's possible to put a quick shifter on a 2009 VFR? Thanks and love your content.

[@RodRidesWrenches]

You can put a quickshift on anything fuel injected provided you find a kit that interfaces with the ecm. Not sure they are worth the money on a VFR since you can power shift them up from 2nd gear on pretty easy just by blipping the throttle.

[@thenigelfinley1]

@@RodRidesWrenches Thank you for your answer. For some reason I 'm just not able to master the throttle blipping method. Not related, I know you like buying cheep bikes and fix them up. There's a 2006 VFR Interceptor with 26500 km in it for $2,550 in Surrey. Was listed on F/B market place 8 weeks ago. Nobody wants it looks like.

[@LoganJonesJ]

How did you get the pivot piece back on the bike? I'm currently stuck and can't get it back into the channel for the pivot bolt to go back through it.

[@RodRidesWrenches]

It's hard but not impossible. I lined the rocker arm up to the frame by resting it flat on my scissors lift and them tapped it into the frame, some taps harder than others. If you don't have small scissor lift have someone hold it there. Make sure the frame, grease seals and sleeve are very clean, no left over grease dirt. If it is really tight you can also put the complete rocker arm assembly in the freezer overnight to gain a few microns but you will have to work fast once out of the freezer. Honestly it just take a but of force but make sure it is lined up to the frame squarely. - Good Luck

[@LoganJonesJ]

@@RodRidesWrenches Thanks! I ended up getting it by loosening the rear engine mount bolt on the right side of the bike, then prying the frame a little from the left side of the bike. It slipped in with PLENTY of space. Two late nights wiggling and hammering when it only took 5 seconds after making that little extra space lol.