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Great video - thanks for putting this out. I was considering the new gen KLR but have now crossed it off my list. No excuse for not fixing this known issue.
Same here. I was going to pull the trigger on one this upcoming weekend. I don't care for the V Strom so I'm going to look at a new DR650 instead. Such a shame.
I think it gets back to what Ian said. You get a lot for your money with this bike, but there are some corners cut. It' advisable to factor the cost to retrofit this spring into the total cost and decide if it's worth the cost to you. Kawasaki will change the part when it is financially advantageous to do so, and so far it hasn't been. That could change, but, in the meantime, share this information with others so they can avoid costly repairs and ride their KLR more. It is a good bike in many ways if you respect its limitations.
2017 KLR 650. Just did my second valve adjustment at 50k km. Spring still works fine. No doohickey on my bike but I do have thermobob just because I live in Canada and ride even in the winter if the roads are snow and ice free. Maintain you motorcycles folks.
Such a cool video. I've know about the legend of EM for over 10 years but never seen a video of him or his work space. Thanks for posting this video big rock. Fantastic as always!
Thanks very much for taking the time to do this video. It's a great help. IMO this is one of the things that brings the KLR650 community together. Shared information, stuff that can be easily fixed. It gets the owner to know the bike, and become involved with it. We started tech days to help one another, share info, and fix the various flaws. If the bike was perfect, I don't think it would have the same community. The KLR650 people are great!
@@Don2006 We've held tech days at my shop in the past. None since the Covid situation though. Other people have held them around the US too. I helped with several up in Boise, a few in northern Ca, and a few in Az. 20th anniversary of tech days next year! I hope we'll be able to start again at some point. It's a tiring day for whoever decides to host one.
So how do you fix this problem with a Gen 3 KLR 650? Did I miss something in this video that tells me how to remedy this? Sorry I have cognitive issues. So of someone could help set me straight on how to fix the issue so that my bike will be fine after 5000km?
Great video. Kawasaki took a years long break on production and I can't accept the fact that they did not make a meaningful design change and eliminate this problem. I'm in the market and considering this bike but after a lot of homework, it's a big turnoff to have to make this repair when I get this bike new🤕. Again, you get what you pay for. Thanks for the video Ian.💯
@@tactical690r2 awesome thank you! The CB has been on my list too, having trouble finding even a dealer to have one to sit on though. Sounds like you're happy with it?
I rode a 2008 KLR 650 from Canada to Argentina on the stock doohickey. No problem. 26000kms On a subsequent trip From Key West Florida to Canada I used an oil filler cap from Eagle Mike and it stripped half way through the trip. I had to use vise grips to get it off. Adjust your doohickey as per the manual. No worries. Keep your stock oil filler cap.
It's mind boggling that Kawasaki would neglect the most documented KLR issue ever...Imagine how reliable the 2022 could have been. It's absolutely stupid to buy a new bike and have to update the engine to avoid a catastrophic failure. Bad on you Kawasaki. They probably didn't get enough warranty claims because it failed out of warranty, a lot of people ride just 5k per year.
@@davidgrunklee8407 that would cost them triple what redesigning would have. It’s not like they just learned about it. Imagine how pissed other Gen KLR owners would be if they offered that to just Gen 3s?
Eagle Mike sent me his Doo Hickey kit when the spring failed on my 2010 KLR when I was in Mexico (doing Alaska down to Argentina). Mike's doo hickey kit worked perfectly. Legend.
I owed 3 klr650 within the last 31 years , from generation 1 to the latest generation ( riding a 2022 klr650 with now 13000km) never had any problems with the engine , just do the recommended maintenance and oil changes , that's it .
Man, I have a new 2022 KLR650, I love the bike, I worked at auto dealerships in the part's dept. for over 30 year's, any part can take a shit at any time, just my 2 cent's !
Great video - thank you both. I did the EM Doohickey mod on my 2013 then did the TAT - safe in the knowledge that the KLRs worst snag had been addressed. (The bike performed faultlessly for the 5,880 miles offroad).
Thanks gentlemen. So Kawasaki have had many years to fix a problem they knew existed and still haven't done so. Therefore, because I ride in remote areas over vast distances, I will not be purchasing a gen 3 KLR. I feel that I could not trust the KLR. My choice now will be either Honda 500X or a Honda CRF300 Rally.
Im also in the market for a ADV bike and the KLR was inching up to the top of the list. Seeing this it just dropped to the bottom for the exact same reason you mentioned. Aparently it wouldnt matter if I bought a used or a brand new one they all have the doohickey issue. No thanks!
Great video, thanks for getting this information out! Heard of this problem, great to see such a detailed explanation. I'm amazed Kawiasaki hasn't done more to fix this. Even seeing the orientation of the stock doo-hickey spring in this video, I'm even more amazed that the spring is installed open side up versus down. As the spring wears and stretches in the stock configuration, it's appears more likely to drop into the case...
This is the best video on the KLR that I have ever seen. So glad Mike is around to help us through the issues with the bike. Thanks Mike and Big Rock Moto
Eagle Mike is the best! Have a ton of his stuff on my 2007. Everything is first class quality! His customer service is second to none. Buy with total confidence! Thanks Mike!
This is more about the fact that Kawasaki would have to finally admit the design is flawed, which should have been re-engineered years ago, many thanks Eagle Mike Eng for saving my KLR, with your torsion spring and machined lever replacement, a top engineer of our time.
I don't even have a KLR as of yet, simply researching. All I can say is this video & the thermobob one are some of the most informative ones I've seen! Well done, you & Mike are doing some great stuff! The knowledge & headaches saved are invaluable in this community 👍
No doubt Mike is an expert on this topic. I am new to the KLR platform. Its hard for me to understand why Kawasaki engineers have designed a system at such risk. Almost hard to believe.
@@BigRockMoto as someone who works in engineering, this is absolute truth. If engineers were in charge nothing would break, but everything would cost 5x as much.
@@dw5523 true. That’s when they refer to it being over-engineered, or exceeding the cost benefit. They would rather eat the cost of a few warranty claims than retool the entire process.
@@michiganmoto7687 But how much is there to retool in this case? It seems these are mostly a matter of changing the spring, the machining of the doohickey and extending the shaft. Hardly a prohibitive cost for a company such as Kawasaki and a rather trivial adjustment for a decades old problem. Add $50 to the price of the bike, that should more than cover the cost of adjusting 3(!) parts out of hundreds. This is not a good look for Kawasaki. They're being stingy at the wrong end and I will think twice of buying a Kawasaki.
@@sv650nyc7 exactly. There must be more to it than cost benefit. Warranty claims is one thing. Having such a well know flaw, damages their reputation. We’re not talking about crankshaft design here, it’s a spring for a tensioner. About as minor as it gets. I don’t buy the average bike is low mileage opinion personally. Yes a lot of them, but there’s a lot with high miles. Accounts don’t run the company. They must have some real data and senior engineers who have valid points.
Bought my 05 in 09 with 12,500 miles on it; immediately did the EM Doohicky replacement. The stock spring had NO tension on it! Also did the ThermoBob and every other upgrade/fix known then... at 35,000 miles now, and other than the faded pink plastic, I've had no issues. Adjust the Doohicky at every oil change, and ROLL! Big THANK YOU! To Eagle Mike and all the other great guys that contribute their knowledge and expertise... BTW, I paid $2995 for mine 12 years ago; I think it was quite a bargain, LOL!
The Thermobob is a wonderful mod. I did it on my 08. I never did the doohickey, but I also sold the bike at 14k miles. I should have done it. Every Eagle Mike item I used was well designed and built.
Thanks for this upload. I'm on my fourth KLR now and have always changed the doohickey after my first KLR chewed up the spring and sent metal parts through the whole motor.
what a legend. before youtube, a guy like me would have a really hard time finding in depth information and tech tips like this, especially being from iceland and not really having any friends into this stuff.
I had a gen 3 and put roughly 25k miles on it before being ran over by a (insert name youtube says no to) pulling out of a parking lot absolutely smashing my bike and my ankle. Luckily wasn't broken thanks to my hard panniers taking the brunt of the force, but was meshed up and couldn't walk for months. But I did not have any issues out of the doohickey. I also did no other upgrades on the bike. Was doing really well. I believe it's a getting lucky with manufacturing thing. Would have loved to still have it but it wasn't worth trying to repair it. I still plan on doing the upgrades if I get a new one. Just makes sense.
Great video! My 03 only had 3k miles on it and I went to one of Mike's tech days and I was surprised to find the lever broken. Luckily I found the pieces. New lever and torsion spring fixed it. Mike is a great guy and more than willing to help anyone.
Thanks Mike! Great video. I had an ‘03 with a utility/off road sidecar. It took me to Batopilas Mexico and to a Northern Michigan AMA ice racing championship. Temperatures were in the teens for our week long trip where we also circumnavigated Lake Michigan. I abused this bike terribly and it never failed me. The Mexico trip was run near redline for more than half the trip!
Great guy! Have personally spoke with him when searching for doohickey fragments on my Gen 1. Found in clutch side in the sump under the transmission. Will do on my 22 at 1000 miles.
Interesting, and thanks for putting this up. I have to say that for anyone who doesn't own a KLR but is thinking about getting one, this video doesn't make a compelling case for going out and buying one. Why would someone want to pay $7,000 to 8,000 plus for a new bike (those $ might be peanuts to some, not to me) and then have to break into the engine to replace parts? I watched another video on how you go about replacing the balancer and spring and it's not that easy, not for the casual home mechanic anyway. It requires getting a couple of tools that I would probably never use again. In spite of your video, I still have some reservations about the need to replace the parts. More on that later.
The problem is all the old school dual sports have serious issues. DRs have nsu issues and 3rd gear pitting, XR650L has design and sprocket issues, kawasaki has doohicky issues. Not a lot of competition happening for big thumpers. I'm sure KTM has issues too.
Great video-first rate explanations. I had a 2006 KLR and kudo's to Mike for his replacements parts. That being said, mine was still way too viby to enjoy and I sold it. To think that Kawi did not make the obvious corrections to Gen3 is inexcusable-Hard Pass.
Hard to tell what the solution is. I hate vibes too but theres 1 cylinder reliability pros and cons too. Only way youre truely getting rid of vibes is a 4 cylinder man. So thats going to pump up the cost and its going to be hardee to do a valve adjustment in the middle of the sahara or mojave or arabian desert or something
I Changed mine over to an eagle mike torsion system on my 2018 at 1500 miles,, the stock spring had no tension and was also rubbing a groove in the outer case cover.
My DRZ puked the stator right at 22,000 miles, like clockwork. Suzuki service manuals are top shelf. These bikes are easy to work on, and kinda fun to work on. Looks like a "doohickey" is just as easy. Fuel capacity and comfort gentlemen, I see a KLR in my future. Kawasaki service manuals are excellent as well, Japanese instructions, when translated to American English, are rather poetic. Same with Honda service manuals. My Sportster service manual is excellent also. What do all these bikes have in common? Ease of maintenance and repair.
When I did mine on my 2006 the spring was broken. 11,000km on it back when I did it. Did that and the thermobob mod and couldn’t live without either of those mods!
Thank yous. I have no doubt this is true. I had a gen1, A1 (geared it up, less 2 teeth on the rear very early on) I did 102k klm and sold it. Second owner put another 50k klm. Never opened up, top or bottom. Then had a engine failure. Cause?? I guess its only a matter of time. Thanks Mike
Had a 09 dr650se with 70k miles and hard miles with no problems whatsoever. now I was looking at the klr I liked the look of it figured go with another brand. I’m so glad I watched this video I’ll get another Suzuki. It’s bad that I need so spend 200 bucks to keep a new bike from blowing up
Got my 2022 KLR a few days ago and it's my very first adventure bike. I don't like changing anything on the engine while on warranty. In the meantime I need to upgrade other things. This bike needs adjustment for a tall rider like me. It's good to know what to do when the engine starts running rougher. But in general I'm going with if it doesn't break don't fix it.
Why wait until it Breaks? You heard the things it can cause. But hey, if you don’t want to fix a known problem before it Ruins your Bike, you deserve it!!!!
Wow, all because of a Kawasaki design flaw. I was seriously considering one of these bikes actually went and looked at them today for the third time. I’m very glad I came across this and it has easily helped me remove them from my list. No thanks...
@@BigRockMoto but is true, nowadays when mechanical knowledge is so rare, a video like this is very precious. We must apreciate experts like your friend and content creators like yourself who publish this gems !
This bike may very well be the best bang for the buck, out the door, especially if you watch Dork-In-The-Road's channel, but the fact that the 2022 KLR650 has this same problem, is a headache I just don't want. After watching your KLX300 video, that's probably the route I'm going to go (or possibly the Honda CRF300L) until I can save up the bucks for an Africa Twin. The Honda CRF300L would definitely give me the reliability peace of mind I want, but the suspension sounds like it might be an issue for me. The other issue I'm going to have to compare is the tank size between the CRF300L and the KLX300.
Wow, thank you for making this video!! I never knew about the rubbers on the sprockets wearing out. Love your channel and all the extra effort you are putting in!! Cheers from South Africa
even with both fixes..doo-hicky and thermo-bob..the gen 3 KLR is still a value priced duel sport..I sold my 2014 KLR..looking for less weight ..on trails/fireroads..now on a 2014 DR650 100 lbs lighter..thanks BRM and EM
My 2007 had a blown doohickey at 4 miles. We had a Tech Day at Mike's and we trailered the bike down from the dealer, North County Kawasaki, to check the doo before I put any miles on it. Opened the case, busted doo inside. Eagle doo went right in. Along with frame bolts and all the little farkels that Mike had at the time.
Eagle Mike is the best we have done almost every upgrade,mod to my 2014 klr put aside his incredible klr knowledge he’s absolutely one of the most kind helpful people you’d ever meet truly a gem
I've had four gen one KLRs. Two ran for over 100k miles. I'd change the tensioner cam and spring every 25k miles. Mainly I thrashed hell out of them. Probably that's why they ran so smoothly.
Thank you, really informative video, well done. That said, I failed to see the part giving detailed info on where to buy the tension spring and how to install it properly.
TADT: I had a customer who brought in a seriously noisy 2008 as he thought the doohickey might be the cause. I sent him back to the Kawasaki agent who previously had "fixed" his oil burning engine by fitting a new piston and new rings into the poorly machined out of shape cylinder (yeah, after "re - honing as you might have guessed). I sent him back to the Kawasaki agent with a print of the parts diagram with DAMPER 92075-1968 circled in red and annotated: This is the part you forgot to fit! 🤣
I have to believe not fixing this issue and the general lack of Gen 3 upgrades, that the KLR is just a "place holder" until they can deliver a KLR replacement bike. As the saying goes, some products are created out of R&D and engineering and some products out of marketing and hype.
I would have bought a KLR had kawasaki addressed this issue. I have two versys, a 300 and 650 and am looking for a third adventure bike. I really love my versys and have had virtually no problems with either, even with high mileage. I guess I'm going to look elsewhere for a more off road inclined machine. Maybe even a dual sport. Thanks for the great video!
Well, I really didn't get much technically out of this video, but I'd reckon if I were to buy a KLR I oughtta talk to a mechanic and,address this issue before taking any serious trips. Good to know of something called a Doohicky problem in KLRs
Come on Kaw- the doohickey is the exhaust port on the Deathstar- It is in the plans-everybody knows about it so fixit- so happy I have the Eagle upgrade! I can cruise the galaxy worrying about lots of other stuff!
No problems (yet) with the "doohickey" on my 2015 KLR 650, after over 36,000 miles. Most likely the cause of excessive balance shaft chain slack is worn chain guides, if I was going to up-date the tensioner I would replace the guides as well, if it makes it to 50,000 miles I'll consider doing it then.
It weird but in Europe no one speaks about the doohickey issue. At least in countries like Greece n Spain. I ordered the Eagle Mike doo myself and replaced it on my 1993. The original one looks definitely flimsy but it was in perfect shape
You can take one apart with zero miles and it'll have a notch in the peg that holds the spring.the notch is there to keep the spring from sliding around on the pin.just sold a gen 2 with 44,000 miles and the motor has never been opened up and it still runs like new.the little kit looks a little more robust so it might be a good upgrade but I'm not a fan of drilling holes in my motor so I'd leave it like the engine designers did it.
My dad and I must be the luckiest mofos on the planet. I had two KLRs. One I rode for 60k miles and the other I rode for over 30k and the stock doohickeys and springs were flawless when I opened them up to see. My dad has two with over 20k miles each and they are also flawless as of last week's service
I've been interested in the KLR650 because of it's reputation of "legendary unbreakable" You come here and show us a box full of broken pieces that could break gears in the engine, thanks for ruining the magic But seriously that was super interesting, i never knew such things existed
Don't let this video keep you from buying a KLR650. Keep in mind, Eagle Mike has worked on hundreds if not thousands of KLR's over decades so he's going to have examples. Yeah, there's plenty of quirks about the KLR but their dependable and a great value for the price.
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Keep commenting on this are you kidding me 5000 miles I have over 13000 on my 08 and hammer it daily. Never a problem
Eagle mike is the GODFATHER OF KLRs. But more than that, a great guy to do business with! Thanks for all your help Mike!
Chris here from England. Listening to Mike was just brilliant. More of these techy videos please if possible
Ahh yes the doohickey mod. I remember him on the forums in the early 2000's he's always been the best one the subject!
It’s great to listen to someone who knows what they’re talking about, very interesting. Thank you.
Great video - thanks for putting this out. I was considering the new gen KLR but have now crossed it off my list. No excuse for not fixing this known issue.
I hear you
Same here. I was so close to getting one too. Such a shame.
Same here. I was going to pull the trigger on one this upcoming weekend. I don't care for the V Strom so I'm going to look at a new DR650 instead. Such a shame.
I think it gets back to what Ian said. You get a lot for your money with this bike, but there are some corners cut. It' advisable to factor the cost to retrofit this spring into the total cost and decide if it's worth the cost to you. Kawasaki will change the part when it is financially advantageous to do so, and so far it hasn't been. That could change, but, in the meantime, share this information with others so they can avoid costly repairs and ride their KLR more. It is a good bike in many ways if you respect its limitations.
What will you buy?
2017 KLR 650. Just did my second valve adjustment at 50k km. Spring still works fine. No doohickey on my bike but I do have thermobob just because I live in Canada and ride even in the winter if the roads are snow and ice free.
Maintain you motorcycles folks.
Such a cool video. I've know about the legend of EM for over 10 years but never seen a video of him or his work space.
Thanks for posting this video big rock. Fantastic as always!
Thanks very much for taking the time to do this video. It's a great help. IMO this is one of the things that brings the KLR650 community together. Shared information, stuff that can be easily fixed. It gets the owner to know the bike, and become involved with it. We started tech days to help one another, share info, and fix the various flaws. If the bike was perfect, I don't think it would have the same community. The KLR650 people are great!
Thank you @Eaglemike for helping get this info out there. And for your time.
Thank you Mike, for what may be the most important video for my KLR. How do I find information on when/where tech day is?
@@Don2006 We've held tech days at my shop in the past. None since the Covid situation though. Other people have held them around the US too. I helped with several up in Boise, a few in northern Ca, and a few in Az. 20th anniversary of tech days next year! I hope we'll be able to start again at some point. It's a tiring day for whoever decides to host one.
Hi Mike, where is your shop located? I’d like to bring my KLR to you for a doohickey replacement!!
So how do you fix this problem with a Gen 3 KLR 650? Did I miss something in this video that tells me how to remedy this? Sorry I have cognitive issues. So of someone could help set me straight on how to fix the issue so that my bike will be fine after 5000km?
Great video.
Kawasaki took a years long break on production and I can't accept the fact that they did not make a meaningful design change and eliminate this problem. I'm in the market and considering this bike but after a lot of homework, it's a big turnoff to have to make this repair when I get this bike new🤕. Again, you get what you pay for. Thanks for the video Ian.💯
i am in the exact same boat myself. What did you end up with?
@@MattRhodes_Music
Ktm 690R
Backup is a CB 500x.
Both capable and accomplished in their own right.
@@tactical690r2 awesome thank you! The CB has been on my list too, having trouble finding even a dealer to have one to sit on though. Sounds like you're happy with it?
Tremendous video. Super interesting. Eagle Mike is brilliant at describing this stuff. I look forward to seeing a bit more - he needs a channel!
I rode a 2008 KLR 650 from Canada to Argentina on the stock doohickey. No problem. 26000kms
On a subsequent trip From Key West Florida to Canada I used an oil filler cap from Eagle Mike and it stripped half way through the trip. I had to use vise grips to get it off.
Adjust your doohickey as per the manual. No worries. Keep your stock oil filler cap.
I put 109 000 km on the original doohickey without any problems. As you say, just follow your manual and everything should be ok.
Eagle Mile is trying to sell us snake oil
Anecdotal evidence undermines good science. This is well known. A sample size of one is exponentially (irony) insignificant.
It's mind boggling that Kawasaki would neglect the most documented KLR issue ever...Imagine how reliable the 2022 could have been. It's absolutely stupid to buy a new bike and have to update the engine to avoid a catastrophic failure. Bad on you Kawasaki. They probably didn't get enough warranty claims because it failed out of warranty, a lot of people ride just 5k per year.
They should in good faith allow any new gen3 owner a no cost to owner upgrade to these parts...of course they won't. Lame Kawasaki.... very lame.
Seems like an easy lawsuit. Eagle Mike as your expert witness. Boom!
@@davidgrunklee8407 that would cost them triple what redesigning would have. It’s not like they just learned about it. Imagine how pissed other Gen KLR owners would be if they offered that to just Gen 3s?
@@P1ayD0hpaul good points
5k is optimistically high. Unless you mean Km.
Eagle Mike sent me his Doo Hickey kit when the spring failed on my 2010 KLR when I was in Mexico (doing Alaska down to Argentina). Mike's doo hickey kit worked perfectly. Legend.
Very generous for Mike to share this info so freely.Excellent video.Thanks.
I owed 3 klr650 within the last 31 years , from generation 1 to the latest generation ( riding a 2022 klr650 with now 13000km) never had any problems with the engine , just do the recommended maintenance and oil changes , that's it .
I don't even own a KLR and I found this very interesting. Thanks for the teaching moment.
thanks!
Go and get one now 😊
Man, I have a new 2022 KLR650, I love the bike, I worked at auto dealerships in the part's dept. for over 30 year's, any part can take a shit at any time, just my 2 cent's !
Great video - thank you both. I did the EM Doohickey mod on my 2013 then did the TAT - safe in the knowledge that the KLRs worst snag had been addressed. (The bike performed faultlessly for the 5,880 miles offroad).
Thanks gentlemen.
So Kawasaki have had many years to fix a problem they knew existed and still haven't done so.
Therefore, because I ride in remote areas over vast distances, I will not be purchasing a gen 3 KLR.
I feel that I could not trust the KLR.
My choice now will be either Honda 500X or a Honda CRF300 Rally.
Im also in the market for a ADV bike and the KLR was inching up to the top of the list. Seeing this it just dropped to the bottom for the exact same reason you mentioned. Aparently it wouldnt matter if I bought a used or a brand new one they all have the doohickey issue. No thanks!
@@titanbum7365 same here. DR650 is what I'm gonna go after now.
Great video, thanks for getting this information out! Heard of this problem, great to see such a detailed explanation. I'm amazed Kawiasaki hasn't done more to fix this. Even seeing the orientation of the stock doo-hickey spring in this video, I'm even more amazed that the spring is installed open side up versus down. As the spring wears and stretches in the stock configuration, it's appears more likely to drop into the case...
This is the best video on the KLR that I have ever seen. So glad Mike is around to help us through the issues with the bike. Thanks Mike and Big Rock Moto
Eagle Mike is the best! Have a ton of his stuff on my 2007. Everything is first class quality! His customer service is second to none. Buy with total confidence! Thanks Mike!
The best!
This is more about the fact that Kawasaki would have to finally admit the design is flawed, which should have been re-engineered years ago, many thanks Eagle Mike Eng for saving my KLR, with your torsion spring and machined lever replacement, a top engineer of our time.
Well said!
I don't even have a KLR as of yet, simply researching. All I can say is this video & the thermobob one are some of the most informative ones I've seen! Well done, you & Mike are doing some great stuff! The knowledge & headaches saved are invaluable in this community 👍
No doubt Mike is an expert on this topic. I am new to the KLR platform. Its hard for me to understand why Kawasaki engineers have designed a system at such risk. Almost hard to believe.
accountants don't listen to engineers or mechanics
@@BigRockMoto as someone who works in engineering, this is absolute truth. If engineers were in charge nothing would break, but everything would cost 5x as much.
@@dw5523 true. That’s when they refer to it being over-engineered, or exceeding the cost benefit. They would rather eat the cost of a few warranty claims than retool the entire process.
@@michiganmoto7687 But how much is there to retool in this case? It seems these are mostly a matter of changing the spring, the machining of the doohickey and extending the shaft. Hardly a prohibitive cost for a company such as Kawasaki and a rather trivial adjustment for a decades old problem. Add $50 to the price of the bike, that should more than cover the cost of adjusting 3(!) parts out of hundreds.
This is not a good look for Kawasaki. They're being stingy at the wrong end and I will think twice of buying a Kawasaki.
@@sv650nyc7 exactly. There must be more to it than cost benefit. Warranty claims is one thing. Having such a well know flaw, damages their reputation. We’re not talking about crankshaft design here, it’s a spring for a tensioner. About as minor as it gets.
I don’t buy the average bike is low mileage opinion personally. Yes a lot of them, but there’s a lot with high miles. Accounts don’t run the company. They must have some real data and senior engineers who have valid points.
Bought my 05 in 09 with 12,500 miles on it; immediately did the EM Doohicky replacement. The stock spring had NO tension on it! Also did the ThermoBob and every other upgrade/fix known then... at 35,000 miles now, and other than the faded pink plastic, I've had no issues. Adjust the Doohicky at every oil change, and ROLL!
Big THANK YOU! To Eagle Mike and all the other great guys that contribute their knowledge and expertise...
BTW, I paid $2995 for mine 12 years ago; I think it was quite a bargain, LOL!
thanks for sharing!
@@BigRockMoto Thank YOU for the great vids!!!!
The Thermobob is a wonderful mod. I did it on my 08. I never did the doohickey, but I also sold the bike at 14k miles. I should have done it. Every Eagle Mike item I used was well designed and built.
Ah, finally I see with my own eyes what doohickey is. Thank you!
Thanks for this upload. I'm on my fourth KLR now and have always changed the doohickey after my first KLR chewed up the spring and sent metal parts through the whole motor.
wow, that sucks!
what a legend. before youtube, a guy like me would have a really hard time finding in depth information and tech tips like this, especially being from iceland and not really having any friends into this stuff.
unforgivable they didn't fix the doohickey.......Eagle Mike helped me and a bunch of others do my 2007.......
My 2008 just flipped 45000 today. Thanks to Eagle Mike and Wattman. Great info for all KLR owners.
hi you two!
Great video! Many thanks to you and Eagle 🦅 Mike for putting this info out there for all of the new KLR owners. Accept it, fix it, and ride on.
Glad to help!
Great video for the skeptics out there. Too bad they couldn't have fixed this problem with the new bike.
I had a gen 3 and put roughly 25k miles on it before being ran over by a (insert name youtube says no to) pulling out of a parking lot absolutely smashing my bike and my ankle. Luckily wasn't broken thanks to my hard panniers taking the brunt of the force, but was meshed up and couldn't walk for months. But I did not have any issues out of the doohickey. I also did no other upgrades on the bike. Was doing really well. I believe it's a getting lucky with manufacturing thing. Would have loved to still have it but it wasn't worth trying to repair it. I still plan on doing the upgrades if I get a new one. Just makes sense.
Get a new one , now.
Over 90.000 views! What a community this motorcycle has built!
Thank you. Finally a video to explain this to a newby like me. I just bought my KLR which has the DooHickey in it but now I understand what it does
Thank you for everything eagle mike. You are in my prayers
Great video! My 03 only had 3k miles on it and I went to one of Mike's tech days and I was surprised to find the lever broken. Luckily I found the pieces. New lever and torsion spring fixed it. Mike is a great guy and more than willing to help anyone.
Thanks Mike! Great video. I had an ‘03 with a utility/off road sidecar. It took me to Batopilas Mexico and to a Northern Michigan AMA ice racing championship. Temperatures were in the teens for our week long trip where we also circumnavigated Lake Michigan.
I abused this bike terribly and it never failed me.
The Mexico trip was run near redline for more than half the trip!
Great guy! Have personally spoke with him when searching for doohickey fragments on my Gen 1. Found in clutch side in the sump under the transmission. Will do on my 22 at 1000 miles.
Interesting, and thanks for putting this up. I have to say that for anyone who doesn't own a KLR but is thinking about getting one, this video doesn't make a compelling case for going out and buying one. Why would someone want to pay $7,000 to 8,000 plus for a new bike (those $ might be peanuts to some, not to me) and then have to break into the engine to replace parts? I watched another video on how you go about replacing the balancer and spring and it's not that easy, not for the casual home mechanic anyway. It requires getting a couple of tools that I would probably never use again.
In spite of your video, I still have some reservations about the need to replace the parts. More on that later.
The problem is all the old school dual sports have serious issues. DRs have nsu issues and 3rd gear pitting, XR650L has design and sprocket issues, kawasaki has doohicky issues. Not a lot of competition happening for big thumpers. I'm sure KTM has issues too.
Great video-first rate explanations. I had a 2006 KLR and kudo's to Mike for his replacements parts. That being said, mine was still way too viby to enjoy and I sold it. To think that Kawi did not make the obvious corrections to Gen3 is inexcusable-Hard Pass.
Hard to tell what the solution is. I hate vibes too but theres 1 cylinder reliability pros and cons too. Only way youre truely getting rid of vibes is a 4 cylinder man. So thats going to pump up the cost and its going to be hardee to do a valve adjustment in the middle of the sahara or mojave or arabian desert or something
From the man himself, THANK YOU. I want a 3rd gen and was wondering the specifics. Thank You.
You sir have done a great service by producing this video. Thank you. And, Mike is great.
Eagle Mike is absolutely the GURU of KLR. Hi Mike! Hey Ian! Wanna do a Tech Day in Julian?????? Great seeing you guys
Great to see the man himself🙌 I loosen that adjustment bolt once a year and give ‘er. 16,000km
I Changed mine over to an eagle mike torsion system on my 2018 at 1500 miles,, the stock spring had no tension and was also rubbing a groove in the outer case cover.
My DRZ puked the stator right at 22,000 miles, like clockwork. Suzuki service manuals are top shelf. These bikes are easy to work on, and kinda fun to work on. Looks like a "doohickey" is just as easy. Fuel capacity and comfort gentlemen, I see a KLR in my future. Kawasaki service manuals are excellent as well, Japanese instructions, when translated to American English, are rather poetic. Same with Honda service manuals. My Sportster service manual is excellent also. What do all these bikes have in common? Ease of maintenance and repair.
Thanks for the great video with Eagle Mike. That guy has so much knowledge on KLR'S
I have the 2005 gen 1 and have never done the doo. It now has 95,000 kms on it with no apparrent symptoms.
When I did mine on my 2006 the spring was broken. 11,000km on it back when I did it. Did that and the thermobob mod and couldn’t live without either of those mods!
Lucky for us, Yamaha addressed the permanent doohickey fix with the tenure 700
Thank yous. I have no doubt this is true. I had a gen1, A1 (geared it up, less 2 teeth on the rear very early on) I did 102k klm and sold it. Second owner put another 50k klm. Never opened up, top or bottom. Then had a engine failure. Cause?? I guess its only a matter of time. Thanks Mike
Had a 09 dr650se with 70k miles and hard miles with no problems whatsoever. now I was looking at the klr I liked the look of it figured go with another brand. I’m so glad I watched this video I’ll get another Suzuki. It’s bad that I need so spend 200 bucks to keep a new bike from blowing up
Nice video. Eagle Mike is the best, I have many of his parts on my 07. 👍
Sure is
What I see and hear is all KLR bikes need to be recalled, The engineers of KLR needs to fall on their sword
No. It’s the bean counters not the engineers that prevent this from being a great bike.
Wonderful.. cheers! The klr is now off my next spring list for a new bike!
Got my 2022 KLR a few days ago and it's my very first adventure bike. I don't like changing anything on the engine while on warranty. In the meantime I need to upgrade other things. This bike needs adjustment for a tall rider like me. It's good to know what to do when the engine starts running rougher. But in general I'm going with if it doesn't break don't fix it.
Thanks for sharing
Why wait until it Breaks? You heard the things it can cause. But hey, if you don’t want to fix a known problem before it Ruins your Bike, you deserve it!!!!
Very informative video. I didn't know anything about this issue and I feel like I learned everything I needed to.
Wow, all because of a Kawasaki design flaw. I was seriously considering one of these bikes actually went and looked at them today for the third time. I’m very glad I came across this and it has easily helped me remove them from my list. No thanks...
Love your work, and appreciate your knowledge and desire to pass this on to us. Brilliant..
Many thanks!
Excelent video. Really, I can't understand those thumbs down on your video ..... this video is priceless. Thank you
So nice of you
@@BigRockMoto but is true, nowadays when mechanical knowledge is so rare, a video like this is very precious. We must apreciate experts like your friend and content creators like yourself who publish this gems !
That really makes me steer away from KLR, among other things. Fixing the brand new bike is ridiculous.
This bike may very well be the best bang for the buck, out the door, especially if you watch Dork-In-The-Road's channel, but the fact that the 2022 KLR650 has this same problem, is a headache I just don't want.
After watching your KLX300 video, that's probably the route I'm going to go (or possibly the Honda CRF300L) until I can save up the bucks for an Africa Twin.
The Honda CRF300L would definitely give me the reliability peace of mind I want, but the suspension sounds like it might be an issue for me.
The other issue I'm going to have to compare is the tank size between the CRF300L and the KLX300.
Can't believe you personally know Mike. I have never seen him and nice to put a face to name
he is a great person, it's a privilege to know him
Wow, thank you for making this video!! I never knew about the rubbers on the sprockets wearing out. Love your channel and all the extra effort you are putting in!! Cheers from South Africa
even with both fixes..doo-hicky and thermo-bob..the gen 3 KLR is still a value priced duel sport..I sold my 2014 KLR..looking for less weight ..on trails/fireroads..now on a 2014 DR650 100 lbs lighter..thanks BRM and EM
Cool video, great to see the legend talking shop.
The king. This was so informative! Thank you
I don't have KLR650 but i found this very informative. thanks
Glad to hear that!
Man am I glad I put his parts in on mine early
FELICITACIONES , MUY BUENA INFORMACION , SALUDOS DESDE CHILE
My 2007 had a blown doohickey at 4 miles. We had a Tech Day at Mike's and we trailered the bike down from the dealer, North County Kawasaki, to check the doo before I put any miles on it. Opened the case, busted doo inside. Eagle doo went right in. Along with frame bolts and all the little farkels that Mike had at the time.
Sad
Eagle Mike is the best we have done almost every upgrade,mod to my 2014 klr put aside his incredible klr knowledge he’s absolutely one of the most kind helpful people you’d ever meet truly a gem
agreed!
I've had four gen one KLRs. Two ran for over 100k miles. I'd change the tensioner cam and spring every 25k miles. Mainly I thrashed hell out of them. Probably that's why they ran so smoothly.
Great information!! Thanks for posting this. I had a first gen KLR, it was a fun bike . Cheers!
Mike is awesome! He should make millions working for kawasaki.
I like the old Gen1 models - wish they had a model that was grandfathered in like the DR650.
Thank you, really informative video, well done. That said, I failed to see the part giving detailed info on where to buy the tension spring and how to install it properly.
TADT: I had a customer who brought in a seriously noisy 2008 as he thought the doohickey might be the cause. I sent him back to the Kawasaki agent who previously had "fixed" his oil burning engine by fitting a new piston and new rings into the poorly machined out of shape cylinder (yeah, after "re - honing as you might have guessed). I sent him back to the Kawasaki agent with a print of the parts diagram with DAMPER 92075-1968 circled in red and annotated: This is the part you forgot to fit! 🤣
For the price of the bike I'll happily make those fixes myself. I religiously maintain my bikes. I'm looking forward to getting the new klr.
I have to believe not fixing this issue and the general lack of Gen 3 upgrades, that the KLR is just a "place holder" until they can deliver a KLR replacement bike. As the saying goes, some products are created out of R&D and engineering and some products out of marketing and hype.
I would have bought a KLR had kawasaki addressed this issue. I have two versys, a 300 and 650 and am looking for a third adventure bike. I really love my versys and have had virtually no problems with either, even with high mileage. I guess I'm going to look elsewhere for a more off road inclined machine. Maybe even a dual sport. Thanks for the great video!
Mike is awesome! Thank you both.
Well, I really didn't get much technically out of this video, but I'd reckon if I were to buy a KLR I oughtta talk to a mechanic and,address this issue before taking any serious trips. Good to know of something called a Doohicky problem in KLRs
Very useful video. Looking forward to see the installation video.
Coming soon!
GREAT show!
Come on Kaw- the doohickey is the exhaust port on the Deathstar- It is in the plans-everybody knows about it so fixit- so happy I have the Eagle upgrade! I can cruise the galaxy worrying about lots of other stuff!
Thanks for the video.Didn't even know this was a thing.
Well I guess I will need to do this to my 940 mile found 2001. Now has 1350 miles. Thanks, nice video.
You can do it!
No problems (yet) with the "doohickey" on my 2015 KLR 650, after over 36,000 miles. Most likely the cause of excessive balance shaft chain slack is worn chain guides, if I was going to up-date the tensioner I would replace the guides as well, if it makes it to 50,000 miles I'll consider doing it then.
Thanks Mike and BRM!
It weird but in Europe no one speaks about the doohickey issue. At least in countries like Greece n Spain. I ordered the Eagle Mike doo myself and replaced it on my 1993. The original one looks definitely flimsy but it was in perfect shape
You can take one apart with zero miles and it'll have a notch in the peg that holds the spring.the notch is there to keep the spring from sliding around on the pin.just sold a gen 2 with 44,000 miles and the motor has never been opened up and it still runs like new.the little kit looks a little more robust so it might be a good upgrade but I'm not a fan of drilling holes in my motor so I'd leave it like the engine designers did it.
My dad and I must be the luckiest mofos on the planet. I had two KLRs. One I rode for 60k miles and the other I rode for over 30k and the stock doohickeys and springs were flawless when I opened them up to see. My dad has two with over 20k miles each and they are also flawless as of last week's service
Thanks Mike! You’re the best!
I've been interested in the KLR650 because of it's reputation of "legendary unbreakable"
You come here and show us a box full of broken pieces that could break gears in the engine, thanks for ruining the magic
But seriously that was super interesting, i never knew such things existed
Don't let this video keep you from buying a KLR650. Keep in mind, Eagle Mike has worked on hundreds if not thousands of KLR's over decades so he's going to have examples. Yeah, there's plenty of quirks about the KLR but their dependable and a great value for the price.