The Wonderer Returns!!

Well after many months of sespondancy, due to, lets be honest, a lack of interest, I have today moved the bike into the man shed for serious renovatiom,again !!

Last time I tried to start it, it tried to destroy my foot. This is due in no small part, to the fact that you cannot fit a 650 top to a 600 bottom, no way!!

I have slowly accumalated the necessary parts to return it to a pure 600 again, only part missing is a head gasket, which is easy to obtain. I now have to fix the kick start return mechanism, which was broken in the bike V foot escapade.

I had considerable trouble trying to remove the clutch centre nut, and indeed, it is still in place, but I have just bought a clutch holding tool , so when that arrives, I shall do the business.

In other news, the other KLR600 was stolen and burned out, bastards, so that was the end of that. I did salvage the front wheel with decent tyre though before the salvage people came. I now own a KLR  650 Tengai, which id pretty cool, and goes well, but I still am waiting till I get this project finished and running, the feeling will be immense. At least I now have the interest back, and am looking forward to getting stuck in again.

That's all for now, will post further bulletins when I get something done !!

Update at last!!

Well, it's been a while...again!
Since the foot v klr battle, the foot is still licking it's wounds, bruising gone but still pretty delicate, so I haven't tried kicking mr KLR again. I did try bump starting it, but our garden is not really long enough to get any speed up, so it was pretty unsuccessful, consisting of a locked wheel and small skid from a fair amount of energy input!!
So the biggest news has to be the purchase of ANOTHER KLR^))!!!!
This one was for sale on E Bay, and I won it for £640. So off I went on the train a couple of weeks ago, with leathers, helmet and wad of notes, and sure enough, it was a good un! I rode it back with no problems, only bug bear was, rear brake, well, it didn't really have one, that's now been rectified, and the previous owner has for some reason detatched the fan relay, and fitted a manual switch on the side of the headlight cowl. I am going to re-wire this back to standard asap, can't be doing with messing about switching the fan on and off.
Also, it has some strange device to by-pass the thermostat, which I will also get rid of. Still say the Japanese spend a lot of time and money designing stuff, and the average bloke doesn't know better than them.
I have robbed the evil KLR of its rear number plate setup, as this one had a poor setup, and look much nicer now. That'll teach it to be a bit more well mannered!!
Also possible good news on the ride around the UK. Shell may be sponsoring me, they are considering it now. I will call it the 200 in 10, as I aim to visit 200 towns in 10 days. 
Right, off now for more coffee and inspiration to get cracking on teh bike...bloody freezing out there..!!

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly!!

Well, it's been an "Interesting" weekend with the KLR. Firstly, I decided it was time to see if this monster would come to life, so first thing was to check out the fuel tank and tap. The tank is fine, the tap is not fine. I took it off and re-sealed it to the tank, but sadly, the tap leaks badly around the actual tap mechanism, so I'll have to get a new one.
Anyway, that wasn't going to stop me kicking this thing into life, so, put the tank and seat on, and attached the fuel line. Put a gallon of fresh fuel in. Had already charged the battery, so on it went. The moment of truth!!
Fuel on, Ignition on, Kill switch on.....Kick...kick...kick...kick!! Pant pant...Kick etc. No joy. Well, this was Saturday, and I had other stuff to do, so not too despondent, I packed the bike away and pondered what could be amiss.
Today, Sunday, I woke and decided to 1. check for sparks, and 2 does the plug smell of fuel..
Ok, check for spark with plug out, no sparks.Hmm...ah ha!! HT lead looks a bit loose, yes, it had fallen out of the coil!! So, back in it went. Sniff the plug..yep, fuel smell. So, hopefully, the HT lead was the culprit.
So, back on went the fuel tank and seat. Ignition on, fuel on, kill switch on...Kick, kick kick OUCH!! JESUS CHRIST, MY FOOT!! Well, it would seen that it was trying to fire, but I got the kicking badly wrong, and so I now have a very badly bruised foot and sprained ankle! After all the love I've given the KLR, this is how it repays me!!
So, The Good is that it is trying to fire.
The Bad is that it didn't run.
And The Ugly is my poor lower leg!!
I am now too sore to walk much, let alone kick the bugger! I have been You Tubing lots of kick starting techniques though, and I'm confident that next time it will be easier, We will see! It did bang a couple of times though, so ultimately, I am pretty happy about the situation, but I HAVE to perfect the starting technique!!
If I don't, then my trip around UK mainland could be the longest on record!!!
Next update will be when I'm all better, and the bugger will be under my power!!!

Link to watch my feeble attempt at starting the beast!!
http://youtu.be/47NeHeHKfVs  Just highlight it and right click on open link for a laugh!

Back to the grind!

Well, it's been a while!!

Christmas and New Year has come and gone, and I've done little to the bike, but will be putting that right soon.
I filled up with oil a couple of weeks ago, curious to see if there were any leaks, but to date, none at all.
I also filled up the coolant, which was a slow job, also wondering anout leaks, but again, none as yet, so all good there.
I managed to blag a full set of original indicators for £25, and a reflector for £5, but have not fitted them yet. Will have to take the bike to the local welding shop to get the original stand bracket fixed to the frame. I've tried many permutations, all to no avail, too short, too long etc, so original is best, them Japs know what they're doing!
As it's friday, and I have a busy weekend, I won't be doing anything till Monday, but I think I'm gonna get some fuel and give it a try. Can't keep putting it off forever, and if it starts, I'll be overjoyed!
I managed to strip all the old black paint from the 2 replacement side panels, and got some proper plastic primer. Gave one panel a coat, but it's been too cold really to go any further with that. Also got some Kawasaki green paint mixed up, it's good to have a mate who works for a paint firm!
The plan now is when the bike is finished, and as long as it seems to be ok and reliable, I'm going to do a sponsored ride around Britain in aid of Asthma UK, who have given my wife great support. That's for the future anyway, let's get the bugger started first!!

More Bits !!!

Well, today, Tuesday 8th November, MORE bits arrived!!
The new original throttle grip came, and more importantly, the rear wheel spacer arrived. I would have liked to have fitted this today, but, as usual, stupid work got in the way! That and feeling like crap due to a cold bug which Donna, more worryingly, has also got. Ironically, it would seem we caught it at the vets!! Should have got a shot while we were there!
As the weather is also pretty crap this week, I think I'll get it all sorted at the weekend, when the new thermostat should be here as well. I will then be ready to fill up with oil, coolant, and maybe, if I dare, some fuel and give it a kick!!

Bonfire Night

Well, today is or will be, bonfire night, Nov 5th. A nightmare for Mac, one of our hounds, but the other Louie is not botheed with it all.
Anyway, back on the bike front, have now got both wheels on, although the back wheel is missing a spacer, which explains quite a lot, such as, wheel had rubbed away part of the upper chain guard, and the opposing side swing arm. I'm amazed the previous owner actually rode it and stayed alive!!
Anyeay, I've managed to get a replacement, new, spacer from good old E Bay for £6.99, a bargain, especially as they are not produced anymore!!
I'm hoping that it arrives on Monday, then  I can complete the back end. The front end is done, apart fron fitting the front mudguard, or for any Americans, the front fender! I have fitted the speedo cable, new front pads, although I still need to repair the master cylinder. It looks like I'll have to buy a replacement piston assy for it, but it's not expensive.
Have still got trouble sorting the side stand, and have not as yet decided exactly what to do. I've fitted the small replacement one that I bought, as the latest big one ended up to bloody big!! I'll get there though, it may be just need to get a pice welded on to extend the short one, which would be good, as it really is a strong piece of kit.
The chain, which looks almost new, has been bathed in a pool of gear oil, and is now hanging and draining in the workshop. Once the spacer arrives, I can fit the front sprocket, chain, front sprocket cover, and importantly, the neutral switch wire. There is still quite a bit to do, and it's a bit frustrating as money is always a factor, but it is making progress, although sometimes it's one step forward and two back.

New Arrivals!

Wahay!!
Today has seen the arrival of the new Metzler Karoo rear tyre, and a new inner tune with Rim tape.
I fitted the rim tape, and rushed it all round to Frost Tyres, where John soon had it all in one piece for the princely sum of £5.
Well worth it. Now looking forward to friday, when, after taking the dogs to the vets for their kennel cough vaccinations, I shall be getting a lot of stuff done.
Trial fitted the stand to a spare frame lower today too, and it fits perfectly. Hope thats the case actually ON the bike, but I'm sure it can be adapted if need be.

Anyway, friday hoping to fit both wheels, stand, chain, chain guard, front sprocket and guard.
In true Edd China fashion, I may need my mate Paul to help me on that bit as it's quite heavy, but it will probably end up being wife Donna instead!!
If it stays fine, maybe fit some bodywork, in fact it'll be nearly done!! Nah, a bit to do yet, but it's going the right way.