Anybody know of any aftermarket chain adjusters that would fit an 07 KLX? It's got the notched cam style adjuster and I'm trying a make a 110 link chain work with a 13-47r sprocket combination. With the adjusters all the way out the chain is just about right but I can't take out any more slack, say if the chain stretches. The axle could go back another 1/8 inch but I run out of adjuster. So, looking for maybe another adjuster that can shove the axle all the way back.

I could do a 108 link chain but that puts the adjuster at the opposite end of the adjustment. What I really want is to get that axle back as far as possible.

Thanks!

 

Cut a link out of your chain and add a half-link.

 

Guido, there may be a design reason for that stopping point for the rearmost axle position. It may be something not readily evident that could lead to a failure or at least poor operation. Maybe not, but who knows.

Guido, we had talked about your handling stability efforts before. I'm running my rear axle at the most forward position with the shortest chain. Running flat out in wide open venues like Moab, the Texas Big Bend area, and others, I've not experienced head shake or instability. I'm still thinking something else is amiss on your bike. Like we spoke of earlier, it may be in the suspension.

 

I checked at the local MC supply shop and he said he hadn't seen a half link in years. They may be out there but I don't think I'm going to pursue it any further. Looks like the 108 chain is it.

Dan, thanks for the input. You guessed it - I'm trying to lengthen the rear end a bit. Here's what I think is happening with the instability (and to be fair it was only one day on one section of gravel road):

- I'm running that Pirelli DOT trials tire on the rear.

- It's taller and jacks the back end up significantly.

- This steepens the head tube angle.

- I was running it with about 17 psi. It wasn't really biting in the gravel so it was fishtailing slightly. This combined with the steeper head angle and the relatively short wheelbase made the back end feel really loose over 40 mph..

The possible (probable) fixes:

- Run lower pressure in the rear, say around 10 psi. It's a tall sidewall so it will protect the rim pretty well. I have a rimlock too.

- Stay loose and low and slightly forward. Let the back end do its thing. Relax. The bike won't wig out totally.

- Put a smaller 18" DOT knobby back on. Something like a Dunlop 606.

I agree, the bike is not inherently unstable. I had run those speeds before with no problems. The likely culprit is that rear tire. The thing is, I LOVE it when it comes to trail riding. It has fantastic traction and a cushy ride when aired down. With my rear set pegs I can go up climbs where it feels like I'm standing on the rear tire and just tractoring away.

However, if I were to ride mainly high speed gravel roads I'd probably go back to the knobby.

 

What size is that Pirelli DOT trials tire you're running?

 

A 4.00-18. But its pretty tall. Its a big tire.

And I believe its the only size they make for the rear.

 

That is the only size it comes in. I haven't found any headshake problems with mine, I have an 09 with 46 springs in the forks and heavier rear spring. You are right about the tire though they are really good on just about any surface.

 

Headshake wasn't my problem, it was the back end wanting to come around and take the lead. But you may have something as concerns the suspension RP. Mine is all stock and pretty soft for my 200+ pounds riding weight.

So you've got a Pirelli RP? Killer tire isn't it? I've even had mine up to 70 mph on the interstate. I suspect that that kind of activity chews it up though.

It was only on this one gravel road that it got super loose. Here's the situation: the next day we we're going to do a ride from Mesquite, Nevada to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and back, a distance of 200 miles. Much of it would have been on freeway dirt roads and in order to make reasonable time we would have had to be hitting better that 50 MPH much of the way. After my gravel experience I was sweating bullets thinking about fishtailing for 200 miles. Turns out we didn't go because of the weather (some of those freeway dirt roads turn to snot when they get wet) and did a shorter loop down toward Lake Mead. On that ride we did hit one big open "freeway" of a dirt road, not gravel, and I got 'er up to 60 mph. I said to myself, "Look, the bike is going to move around but the front wheel is planted. Trust it. Rest the hands easy on the bars. Hunker down a little. Stay loose. Give it the gas." And the bike did fine.

We didn't ride the gravel road that day but I would have liked to have gone back and given it another go. I think rider technique is important along with the acceptance that on loose surfaces the bike, any bike, will feel a lot less connected to the ground, floating along as it were - disconcerting at first but something to get used to. And I've only been riding seriously for a few years so I'm still figuring this stuff out.

 

Staying loose and not having a death grip on the bars is the first step to getting comfortable on gravel. change your position on the bike from time to time to see if that makes a difference, I'm not tall but over 200lbs. and I like to set back some and stay relaxed. I will admit though as I have about a million miles on gravel, this bike isn't my favorite in that situation but it isn't all that bad.

 

I forgot about your trials tire. I wonder if there's any handling oddity induced by the match of a trials tire on the rear and a knobby on the front? Probably not, as there are several guys on ADV doing this on different dirt bikes with no handling issue that I've heard. The only complaint I've heard about is that the trials tire can be cut in really rocky terrain once in awhile, as the carcass isn't as stiff as most knobbies...but then that's why it bites so well in most conditions.