JesterGrin_1

You are correct the shock itself determines the extended length and compression length while the spring regulates weight carry and rate of compression of said spring. So yes it would be a shorter shock with a stronger spring as with the shorter shock the shock distance would be shorter before rebound.

I will digress a bit lol. Yes I picked the ole 96 KLR 650 as I am no longer a serious off road nut lol. No more table tops for me Thank You lol. Even though at times my mind will scream hey lets do that and my body goes are you crazy lol. Yes sometimes crazy wins lol. But it always turns out painful but yet fun I know confusing lol. But if I ride something that I know will not do something then I regulate myself in knowing that. Only because I am now old enough to take these things into account. Back to bikes. As mentioned all of them have plus and minuses of which the end user needs to weigh these things as to what they honestly feel they will use the motorcycle for. For mostly trails and some lower speed road work the Suzuki DRZ 400 is very popular and of course as mentioned Husky is a heck of a bike and they know how to build a bike for off road work. There is no question about that from anyone. As for the 650's The downside for me on the KLR is that it is water cooled but it is also an upside as in longer highway use you can run 75-80 MPH all day without worry of an over heat. Not something I would really wish to do with a DR650 or even a Honda XL650. Not to mention as noted the after market parts available for the KLR is just mind blowing. I mean think about it the KLR 650 with little changes I think has been in production since 1986 lol. There must be a reason it has been so popular for so long. Well of coarse the low price helps.

Well I will say one thing I have read about the KLR and the Moto Guzzi is Shocks and Forks as in an upgrade of the rear shock is highly advised if doing any kind of serious off road work and or carrying allot of weight along with upgrading the rear sub frame bolts as the factory ones tend to not be up to snuff. And I think you are correct that they fixed the doo but I would get the modified thermostate set up from watt man. But again I would highly suggest to take a look at the forum I gave. . As for Gen 1 VS Gen 2 I tend to like the Gen 1 more as they do not have as much plastic up front to break lol. But again with the KLR I would spend funds towards reliability and suspension as well of coarse in anything that will make the bike rider friendly for what you intend to do. As really you are not going to pull really anything extra out of the KLR Engine. I will throw this out there though about tires. If you plan to run more off road it is hard to beat the cheap Shinko 244's and if you run on the road more often the Shinko 705's are a good 10000 Mi Plus tire. And yep I will keep going lol. You can get the IMS Plastic fuel tank which is a 7 gallon plus tank for about $260.oo or a IMS 10 gallon tank for about double that. And at say 48-54 MPG you can cover some ground before you have to worry about fuel.

To drop a bike is pretty normal lol. JRD actually only you can answer these questions.. But it is darn hard to beat a KLR especially for the money spent . But I would say to get a Gen1 1996 to 2007 as a few years of the Gen 2 08 to 10 I think has oil control problems as they changed the ring design. What many do is put in an eagle mike's 685 cc kit. You can go to this forum and find out everything you need to know. http://www.klr650.net/forums/index.php

Well it looks like you had fun and had the right Truck for the job. Congratulations on the fun and even a bigger one. Nobody was hurt.

I am working on getting my ducks lined up. So as I was informed by the Door Knob Tooth Puller lol. That I should seriously look into upgrading the shock springs due to my over large size (FAT). So at this point I am right at 250 LBS with some gear on and tend to be more of a harder sport rider at times along with some short and longer highway miles so I will have a tank bag along with panniers and saddle bags and a good sized tail bag. Any and all help with this information as well as best places to look for such items would be of great help for the mindless (Me) Thank You one and all.

Just thought I would ask if anyone has tried the Dunlop Q3's Sportmax tire? http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/dunlop-q3-sportmax-rear-tires

I thought I would ask for luck in that maybe someone has 1 good head guard for a V11 that is if they will fit either side or a pair that has seen better days that I could use as a template? Thanks One and All.

Sorry to bring this back up but how does one edit it to English?

By the looks of it there would seem to be no problem to make a new one of the correct size and or machine the old one. And Thank You for posting the picture.

That is why I mentioned that they are weak lol. That is the main reason I have never used them doing plumbing lol. But I tend to mostly do very old plumbing say from the mid 50's on back as nobody really seems to know a darn thing about it today lol. Back to the stamped sockets lol. That is why I get a socket of the correct size needed and modify them. I had a few I made up years ago but gave away from lack of use but what I did was use a hack saw to cut the back of the deep well socket off where the driver would go and cut and fit a piece of pipe that would be needed at the correct length and then simply weld them together. You can make any depth of a socket you need doing this. And I am positive with all of the great work I have seen on this forum it would be no big deal. While we are on the semi subject of plumbing I will talk about Electric water heaters lol. If you have to replace the heating element in one do not waste your time with those cheesy stamped wrenches. Spend the funds on the 1/2 Dr Deep socket that is needed. Believe me you will be very thankful.

Drill Bits. Well if you really wished to go that far you could drill the correct size hole with a good drill bit and just stop short enough to either have or do it yourself by grinding the end of the purposed drill bit to the proper shape to make the bed of the hole correct for the push rod and then use some valve lapping compound to smooth out and mate the two components. But doing this is far easier said than done lol. So if as said that if the current push rod is not a hardened piece then I would size it and or make a new one of the correct dimensions. But as I have not done this I can only go by what I have read and as how I understand it.

The part about the re machine is a good idea if the ends of the push rod are not hardened.

The picture sure does lol. But be very aware that those stamped plumbers sockets are not very strong nor very precise. But if they work then they work so run with them.

Here is a neat Ultra Light that some of you home builders might really like. http://betterhalfvw.com/

Docc it was edge that made some.

Here is some GREAT threads on the subject along with pictures and some measurements on how to make your own. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18837 http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=984 http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4893 http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4893&page=2 Sorry if I am getting a bit too into this lol. The 4th link is a discussion on some that a forum member made some quality ones and sold them for a reasonable price here on the forum.

Sorry I have no pictures but as mentioned people for many years have used a piece of rubber around 1/8 or 3/16 and either riveted the piece to the bottom front of the rear fender to keep much off of the forward components such as in our case the shock. Of course if one wishes one could do the same to the rear of the rear fender as well as the front depending on each individuals needs. Just be creative. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and at times there is great beauty in function but not in vision.

Sorry I was not aware that they were painted originally as they looked like they were simply bare aluminum. But I just have to say it again. BEAUTIFUL Job.

I do hope that what I am about to say is not out of line but. It Looks GREAT. One thing though does concern me and that is that if you powder coated the foot pegs will it not make them slippery?

Since we are talking Gaskets and or to say important replacement parts where is the best place to order this stuff? And sorry I am in South TEXAS. And yes I agree as I would think one would order at least a few gaskets that is unless many do not use a gasket and simply use some type of gasket maker.

I have done many things that I would not brag about. But I honestly feel that a Good Sport Motorcycle is as close as one can get to flying and still have a better chance of living through an oops lol. And by the way I Love the Pitts. A Pitts can be snappy but yet smooth. But then again I also liked the Ole Steerman with the 450 HP Radial. . And while I am thinking about it.

Cdogger I do not mean to sound mean but by all means I would highly suggest getting some good motorcycle time such as mentioned a dirt bike before you consider throwing a leg over the Guzzi. Can you learn on the Guzzi sure it can be done but by gosh it could be very bad. A dirt bike will teach you many things such as body English to name just one small part of riding. As the Guzzi may not be a very high powered Motorcycle in terms of what is available today but it is still no moped. They are large and relatively heavy motorcycles with enough HP to get you into real trouble very fast. Others such as myself have said just this as to be even more honest we do not wish you to get hurt or even worse or to maybe destroy such a fine bike.

I would like to add just a thought on a semi simple touch and that would be to file the ribs on the engine case or any other parts you like smooth and or flat after paint. Or heck smooth them and paint them. Your call. To me it just gives more of a finished look that shows pride.

When I was first rehabbing the Lario, I asked the Kid what to use to clean the drivetrain with. In another lifetime he was a painter and knows his stuff. When he told me "Superclean" I said, Seriously?? "Yep, you can paint over it." I'm a believer. I cleaned with Superclean.. careful, it's caustic.. rinsed with water, and painted. (!!) Cleanup/paint starts on page 4 Painting on page 6. http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=58695.90 Yep that is why I pointed out those things about Castrol Super Clean. And the name fits. .