1984 KLR 600 Rebuild (suggestions welcome)

[bronco306]

OK so i kinda piggy backed a 600 thread and i think its time to start my own... as the title implies I'm currently in the process of rebuilding a KLR. I will be updating as i go and any and all suggestions will be taken into consideration.

enjoy

The beginning - i know its not much to look at but theres a beast of an engine somewhere mixed into the blur of scrap metal.

I never seem to take pictures when I'm pulling bikes apart so i guess I'll start where I remembered i had a camera.

after a bit of sanding a cleaning i got the frame, subframe, and swingarm back together.

there was at least 1 hour of sanding and prep for the shock spring, It was well worth the extra time.

I had a spare rear fender from a YZ250 laying around so i chopped it up to fit inside the subframe. Its actually more functional than the stock fender, it covers the area under the seat that, i would think, gets packed with mud when riding. looks better too.

I mounted the stock tail light under the fender, looks good and i dont see any problems with the tire hitting underneath.

Back on wheels for a little bit while i check the clearance for the tail light and fork runout, tail light looks good, forks are bad, both are bent.

first request: Does anyone know of a set of inverted forks that will fit this frame?

The tank is a Acerbis desert tank, worth more that what i paid for the whole bike. what a find. There is an indented area on the side of the tank and "Sinister Designs" seems to fit nicely. also goes with the overall plan i had for the bike. I want a bike that looks good and has a "rat" look to it.

Thats all i have for right now. total time into bike so far roughly 70 hours. Cost to date roughly $650.

let me know what you think.

thanks for looking.

[Cold Snail]

Looking good.

Are you going to change the wheels to 17" supermoto style? If so, I would look at getting a KLR650 rear swingarm and wheel for a rear disc brake setup, the downside is the chain adjusters aren't as good as the 600's.

I may get around to fixing up one of mine soon, I've got a perfect candidate that I've just got running (not that well) that looks like it's been dragged out of a lake.

[bronco306]

i was thinking about going to a inverted front fork setup and the 17" supermoto style. looking at some $$$$ though.

still looking for parts.

[bronco306]

New seat cover and a little painting. Engine is going back together soon.

[mr r]

hi bronco, im busy with a similar bike here in sa.are those acebis desert tanks common ,what do they cost new or 2nd hand, what is their capacity in litres.

regards chris rogers

port elizabeth

south africa:prof:

[bronco306]

i'm not sure what the capacity is on this tank. I've never filled it. I'm pretty sure you can find one online for around $100.

[bronco306]

New pistons and rings. thanks to Total Seal.

little bit of paint.

Engine progress

[bronco306]

right side

[Dirthopper]

Bike is lookin' good. Waiting to see the final assembley:cool:

[Squiggles]

Hey mate, you might be able to give me a clue here, im also rebuilding one of these puppies (ended up with 4 of them in various states), but im stuck when it comes to removing the shock linkages...

It is the part which sits between the shock linkage and the frame, with the huge axle that locks both footpegs on running through it, i've got the axle out, but cant remove the spacer...

How do you actually remove it? do you have to push it through the linkage and into the frame, then remove the linkage and pull it out the other way... or can you actually just pull it out (i.e. it doesnt go into the frame at all, only into the linkage) Been stuck on this for a couple of days but didnt want to start beating it with a hammer! ?

Heres a pic of the offending piece:

[KenV]

That's some very nice work! Talk about a diamond in the rough.

BTW you get style points for the furniture ?

[bronco306]

i know exactly what your talking about. It is a pain, I'm not one to go after parts with hammers but in this case its all that could be done. with years of dirt and dried up grease it acts a lot like cement. take some type of lubricant and spray it into the seam, grab a chisel and notch the side and carefully start rotating the piece. there are bearings in there so i wouldn't go for an all out assault on it but if you keep everything lubed up and finesse it a little it should come out no problems.

good luck

?

[neo42o544]

hey where in az are you, im not actually from nz lol. your project looks like mine lol, accept mine is way cooler haha check out my posts.

[fishing213]

nice bike so far. lets see pics when it's done

[bronco306]

electrical is done, finally. what a pain it the butt. I got all the parts for the engine. going back together this week.

no new pics ill get some of the engine up shortly

[XR_RON]

It all looks good,the only thing is I dont like that tank sticker,I think it would look better just black,but then again,its not my bike.You must live in an apartment,My wife wont let me bring my bike inside to work on.Did it come stock with the aluminum sub frame?or is that an after market piece?,overall,its a good job.,looks great.

[yamahonzuki]

Hey Bronco306,

I've got an 84 KLR600 with an Acerbis tank also. Just wondering what you used for paint on your tank? Mine is currently green and I'd like to paint it white but understand it's tough to get most paints to stick due to the gas fumes leeching through the plastic. Have you had that same problem with the black paint you used? Any help is appreciated. Good looking bike you're putting back together there!!!

[bronco306]

its just flat black at the moment. I have heard about the paint bubbling on plastic tanks but haven't seen it yet. Mines still sitting in the room waiting for completion... hit a snag with the cylinder head. trying to buy a new one so i don't have to deal with used valve seats.

[yamahonzuki]

Thanks for the quick reply. Hope you have some luck finding a cylinder head, I know from experience over the last couple of years that new "big" parts for the 84-86's are hard to come by. I've been able to put mine on the road with quite a few EBAY purchases. I even found a brand new stock tank for $200.00 from one of the vintage Kawasaki sites. Also just bought a new magneto cover from overseas for 1/2 what the dealer here wanted. If I can help with any parts, let me know!!! Good luck getting her going again!!!

[Arai Man]

Hey Mate, nice job. The rear fender looks great, but I can see a design flaw with the rear light. If you are using your bike on dirty roads/trails, your rear light will be instantly invisible. I guess also that the rear wheel will partly obscure the rear light. If the car drivers around your way are like ours here, they are just looking for an excuse to run into the back of you and the "I didn't see your brake light" routine would be a perfect reason for them.

Good luck with the rest of your project.

I'm about to start rebuilding mine.

Arai.