check into this Jimmy Lewis Off-Road

 

hmm, I wouldn't like the shock adjusters rubbing on the intake boot.

Sorry to hear about the when it rains it pours story. Although I had to laugh about it somewhat since this happens to me as well. Not your situation, but man, give a person a break would be nice. lol

 

I had to go look at mine, and it makes no sense. It looks like any of us who try to use the top inch or so of adjustment on the shock will be interfering with the intake boot. Not a very good design.

 

Dan, I went and looked at mine and had the exact same thought.

 

I LOVED both my klx250s...but I really like the crf250L...starts right up...every time.

 

On that proximity of the preload collars to the airbox boot, I've mentioned this before. It's not usually an issue unless you have an aftermarket spring. The KLX300 spring is taller than the 250S springs even though the '06/'07 models have the same exact travel as the 300. I suspect the aftermarket rear springs for the '09 and later models might be a little taller than stock also.

In some cases this can allow interference with the airbox boot and preload collars. When it does, you can alleviate some of this by loosening the airbox bolts and insuring the box is as far to the right (exhaust side) as possible. If that doesn't get it cleared completely, I think you'll find the contact point to be the clamp itself. The stock airboot clamp is somewhat soft, skinny, and fragile. You might find it to wear through rather quickly. You replace it with a good quality stainless steel automotive hose clamp like for a radiator hose. Oddly, the boot won't get cut in this situation as the clamp seems to protect it. Over time just keep an eye on the stainless steel clamp as it too may eventually be worn through, but it will take some time and is easily replaced.

I find that when my 300 sized Eibach rear spring is preloaded to provide the proper sag and length, the collars go low enough as not to make any contact anymore. Remember, the top of the shock/spring moves very little. It's the bottom where all the motion occurs.

Rob, you must set the rear shock sag to suit your weight and setup within a prescribed amount that doesn't put too much preload on the spring and must not have too little. Read this guy's short description of how to set preload. He does something I haven't seen anyone else do. He addresses the "stored energy" concept and how it affects rear shock performance better than anyone else I've seen. If spring weight rate and preload are not appropriate, the stored energy aspect of the spring will totally screw with rebound and compression issues no matter how you preload the spring.

kb1

 

Rob, don't get down too quick on the KLX. Not a slam to the DR650, but it ain't a KLX when the trail gets tough. Here's a vid from the Eagle Canyon route up in The Swell just west of Moab with a guy wrestling his DR650. This route isn't that tough, but those bigger bikes get a mind of their own when something goes just a little wrong. Our KLX is a much more forgiving bike and allows you to navigate tough terrain a lot better...and save it more often than you lose it.

It sounds to me like you just need to dial in the suspension now that you have your valving done.

End of my Western TAT trip (bad crash) - YouTube

 

Like they say if it has **** or a motor it will give you problems....

 

Thanks for the tips guys. I do need to check sag, but without help, it'll be hard. I may have to wait til my friend Cory comes up some weekend.

I THINK I may have too much spring in the back. John gave me a 5.8 and I'm wondering if a 5.6 might be better. I'll figure that out over time, and if so, I'll get one of those. Cory can use my 5.8 since it weighs easily 50 lbs more than me.

I do love the KLX when it's running. It ran like a top today. It felt great, but all we did was ride around a grassy field, and do a little bit of obstacle hopping over some 2x12's bolted together. Now that DST is back, maybe midweek I'll go hit some local trails with it... there are some about 20 min from here.

Day Two of the Instructor Class was interesting. Not as much riding as yesterday, but it was enough. We got to start "coaching" each other and going down the various checklists of what we're supposed to be doing. It gets more intense next week.

TNC: I saw that video last week after Joe finally started talking about it. Scary for sure! Notice he wasn't covering his brake or clutch? I've had the back-end of my bike step out like that too, but fortunately I wasn't on a cliff like he was.

I do agree though... for riding like that, I'd prefer the KLX. The DR650 for me is dirt UP TO that point but no farther. I prefer not to have to run knobbies on it if I don't have to. I've lowered mine to the point that it doesn't have the ground clearance for that kind of riding anyway. The KLX at least still has decent clearance.

Beardoge: Yep... I heard that, "If it flys, floats, or f---s, you're better off renting than owning."

Rob

 

Funny , a buddy of mine emailed me a link to that vid on ADV the other day. Amazing that he didn't get hurt too bad and the bike was ridden out of there.
Dan