Service
Service
RAY NIERLICH
BIGGER TANK? -> TIGER GEARING -> BEST USED BIKE -> HARLEY OIL TEMPS -> ASK KEVIN
Kawasaki’s KLR650, an affordable go-anywhere explorer, has legions of fans around the globe. But ata claimed 432 pounds, it’s a bit heavy for soft sand like this.
DUAL-SPORT DILEMMA
Q: I currently ride a 1998 Kawasaki KLR650 with 35,800 miles on it, and though it is decent at everything, it’s just too darn heavy for the kind of dual-sport riding I have been doing lately. Basically, what I think I want is a street-legal 450 enduro, even though everyone says to just go with a DR-Z400. I’ve been reading forums about dual-sport conversions, and one of the biggest drawbacks to doing this that I read is the lack of oil capacity for these highstrung off-roaders leading to burning oil on long highway stints. What I hear mostly is the need of additional oil capacity by way of an auxiliary oil tank, and many say an oil cooler.
My question: If my main riding plans include less than a 200-mile (mostly highway) ride to and from the trails, and a day on trails and forest service roads, would I actually need a big investment in oil capacity, or could I ride it and spend the spare cash on bigger fuel tank?
¡EFF NOYES CYCLEWORLD.COM
A DR350/400S Get a bigger have fuel tank. been Suzuki sold B for an eternity, basically unchanged, because they flat work. A real bang-for-the-buck bike. Not the highest tech by current standards (just like the KLR650), but stone reliable, and you shouldn’t have any oiling concerns. Test ride one before buying a DR-Z400. It might seem gutless after riding the that 650 Kawasaki.
I’d strongly recommend looking at a Yamaha WR250R as an alternative.
The WR is only 17 pounds lighter but the heaviest 17 pounds you’ll ever ride. It incorporates much newer tech, including fuel injection, titanium valves, and an aluminum frame. Add a pipe and an EFI tuner and make a minor airbox mod and you should easily see a real 28 hp. Big-bore kits are also available.
See the “ADV Lite” WR250R project bike on cycleworld.com. Editor Mark Hoyer goes on and on about how much he loves his.
WANTED: A QUICKER TIGER
QB with I have about a 2012 5,000 Triumph miles, Tiger and 1050 I am * a speed-demon on a budget. I just installed a steel front sprocket geared down one tooth to 17 teeth for a 530 chain. I left the rear sprocket alone, as I didn’t want to remove the rear-wheel assembly. I did have to tighten my chain several millimeters after the change to a 17-tooth front sprocket. I haven’t noticed much difference on initial acceleration. My ratio is now steeper (17/44 versus 18/44), so I should have better off-theline acceleration and lowered top speed. Correct? Should it be noticeable? Lastly, is there any advantage to going to a 525 or 520 conversion for both front and rear sprockets and a new chain?
PAUL FRANKEL DETROIT, Ml
A Dropping the countershaft
sprocket one tooth is the first B thing to do to make your bike quicker. The change is noticeable, but only slight, as you have only changed the overall gear ratio by a couple of percent. Your top speed will be slightly lower, assuming you’re brave enough to find out. The real downside is that your engine rpm will be higher at any given speed, increasing wear, decreasing fuel mileage, and perhaps increasing engine vibration while cruising. That’s probably not an issue on your smooth triple.
I wouldn’t recommend anything smaller than a 17-tooth front sprocket. Fitting a 520 chain and sprocket will make no noticeable improvement, unless you happen to increase the rear sprocket size at the same time, thus lowering the gear ratio even more. Next to consider is high-performance exhaust. Triumph has two Arrow pipes for your bike—one for race and the other for street. Both cost $749.99 each, and remap is usually another $100. Speed gets expensive after changing the sprocket.
POWER COMMANDER MAGIC
I have a bit of a generic question.
I have read in your magazine * that the addition of a black box for fuel-injection systems, such as a Power Commander or similar system,
GOT A MECHANICAL OR TECHNICAL PROBLEM with your beloved ride? Perhaps we can help. Contact us at cwservice@cycleworld.com with your questions. We cannot guarantee a reply to every inquiry.
can fix poor-performing factory fuelinjection systems. My question is this: What are these systems doing right that the factories can’t seem to? With all of the money that factories spend on R&D, it seems to me they would be able to get the fuel mapping right. Are the Power Commanders just running the bikes richer or leaner? Are we sacrificing emissions for smoother/better performance? What gives?
MARCUS REKERS KIMBERLEY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
A Yes, But designing, everything manufacturing, should be perfect. and marketing any product is never about perfect; it’s about getting the product to market ready for sale, in a limited time, and at a price that will make money. In addition, factories have constraints placed on new vehicles courtesy of our government regarding emissions and noise levels. Some factories are more successful than others in how well these regs are satisfied while still providing a rewarding riding experience. Emissions is the primary reason a factory has to deviate from the theoretically ideal air-fuel mixture of 14.7:1, and we have seen firsthand with some models a very wide fluctuation in fueling over the rev range.
Most EFI tuners allow the end user to add or subtract fuel at specific throttle openings and rpm. This can smooth out throttle response, eliminate lean surge, or most other fuel-related problems that can exist from the factory. Maximum power, for example, is typically achieved the 13.5:1 range, but a factory map typically won’t be very close to this.
Some boxes also allow for an auto-tune feature, where you target an air-fuel ratio and an O2 sensor tells the unit how to build the map while you ride. Dyno tuning is another option that allows your engine to be tuned precisely to suit the climate conditions, altitude, and use, whereas the factory has to try to be all things to all people.
CAN YOU EVER BE TOO COOL?
QB temps I found in your the response December about Service oil * column interesting. I ride an 8oci 1997 H-D Road King with a Stage II kit. I recently added a Baker Plus One oil pan and a digital H-D oil temp gauge. On long runs, the temp rarely gets over 180.
My friends ride 88 or 103d Harleys, and their oil temp is usually about 80 degrees warmer. Is the oil pan working too well?
MIKESULAK
WEST, TX
A have Yes, but your I would oil temps much than rather your buddies’ oil temps. Baker claims an average 14-degree drop in 110-degree Fahrenheit conditions. Before fitting the Baker oil pan, your bike probably ran cooler than those other bikes with larger engines. The 200-degree Fahrenheit temperature mentioned previously is the optimum temperature to evaporate moisture out of engine oil while maintaining the widest possible safety margin. Anything close is good.
If your temps are on the low side, avoid short trips as much as possible, don’t store the bike in damp conditions, and change the oil more often. The newest Harley oil is rated for up to 360 degrees Fahrenheit!
AIRBOX101
What is the purpose of an airbox?
What determines how big they * have to be? Has the function/ size/location changed with modern bikes? And lastly, why are café builders obsessed with removing them? Do they have to do carb work to make the engine perform well without the airbox?
JAMES REID TOLEDO, OH
AAn enough airbox’s calm, function unobstructed is to provide air B to meet the requirements of the particular engine. Bigger is usually better in this case. Engineers are always limited by the available space on a vehicle. In the old days, carbs just sat open to collect whatever gravel could be sucked in. Precious little attention was given to intake length tuning or flow. Later on, restrictive screens, filters, and boxes were added and quite often quickly removed by the respective
owner. Now, it’s not uncommon to find that the “fuel tank” is actually an airbox and the fuel is located under the seat or in the frame. Inside there are generously sized, low-restriction filters and velocity stacks. Some of the best designs use resonance to help fill dips in output and ram-air pressurization to provide a few percent more power at high speed.
TEMPERAMENTAL TRIUMPH
I have a 2011 Triumph Speed Triple 105oSE that sometimes * won’t start after sitting for a week or so. The battery is always on a trickle charger, and I did a load test, which checked out okay. The starter does two or three revolutions then kicks out. I retry and it does the same thing.
If I come back later, or the next day, it will start and not have a problem if I use the bike regularly. On a recent ride, my buddy’s Tiger 1050 also had the same problem. Any help is appreciated.
PATRICK O’LEARY CYCLEWORLD.COM
Classic symptoms of a weak battery. Either the battery is bad or it isn’t charged up. Never run a trickle charger continuously, unless it is a battery maintainer type that won’t cook the battery. Hook up a voltmeter to the battery posts. To check the standing voltage, turn on the ignition (and lights) without starting it. Leave the key on for a while to remove any “surface” charge. Ten to 15 seconds is enough. Now wait a minute until the voltage stabilizes.
It should be 12.6 to 12.8 volts or so, depending on temperature (higher = higher, lower = lower). If voltage is below 12.6, charge the battery and repeat. If it is okay, crank the bike on the starter and watch the voltage. It must remain above 9.5 volts.
If you can get the engine fired, check the voltage when running. This must be about 1.5 volts higher than the standing battery voltage, or between 14.1 to 14.5 volts. If it isn’t, check the regulator/ rectifier. These can fail and, in worst cases, damage the stator.
ONLY THE SHADOW KNOWS
I have a 2003 Shadow ACE with 17,000-plus miles. Recently, it * stopped running well. At first it was fine; then it started sputtering at speed and dying at stops. It was quite rich. My mechanic turned gas flow off, ran it, turned it on again a few times, and it solved the problem. He said a tiny piece of dirt might have stuck the float. The carbs are very clean and adjusted well with only ethanol-free gas ever being used. Should I expect this again?
MATT MILLER PALM BAY, FL
AB Relax. You now know what to do if it ever happens again. If you B really want to be thorough, pull the fuel tank, remove and open up the petcock to look for dirt. Pull the carbs so you can inspect and clean them. Since you’ve gone to all this trouble, consider installing a Cobra Jet Kit. Check out the CWProject Recycle Honda Shadow Ace 750 on cycleworld.com. CTU
