Well now that I own a Thumper I have to brush up on my mechanical skills. No more drive shaft, Fuel injection, hydraulic clutch, hydraulic valves, or tubeless tires. Couple that with the fact that I’m spending a lot of time riding off road and the singles penchant for vibration and that means I need to be very proactive about preventive maintenance.
This point was driven home during my morning commute last week when the exhaust came off the bike going down the highway. As it turns out there is a recall notice on the KLR because it seems that the bolts that hold the exhaust on were not torqued properly or missing from the factory. I was close to work so after it cooled off I strapped it to the rack and went to work. One of the building maintenance guys gave me some safety wire and I was able to safety wire it back on for the trip home I opted to go ahead and replace it, this then prompted a whole list of things to do as well.
So I ended up with this for a "To Do" list last weekend.
1.Change oil & filter
2.Clean & charge air filters
3.Adjust rear shock pre-load
4.Adjust headlamps
5.Install Battery tender plug
6.Install new exhaust
7.Do the 22˘ “Smile Maker” mod
8.Do the “L” mod to the air box
9.Install new grips
10.Remove the Clean Air system
Considering I haven't done much wrenching lately, this was quite the task. Oh and I didn't even have a new exhaust system yet.
Well first peel off all the plastics, tank, and seat.
Carefully remove the bailing wire holding the factory exhaust.
Ok what do I tackle first... I guess I better get another pipe, found this at the Kawasaki dealer in Irving so I brought it home. It was actually cheaper the I could get it for online.
Pipe installed
Oh here's what happens when your exhaust falls off, lucky it didn't burn through to the actual brake line. It also melted the edge of the tire.
