Wrenchin on the KLR today

[fringefan]

Got another new IMS and this one is Army green

Going to install it along with the new pipe as long as it matches up and will probably do the .22 cent mod and swap back to the stock needle to get rid of the adjustable one.

[Dustin]

Cool Chad!!! Need pics of the army green one! I've been thinking about getting on too.

Why do you wanna take out the adjustable needle? I think that would be a benefit. If you wanna get rid of it I'll take it. Let me know how much.

[fringefan]

Got the IMS on and broke my choke cable trying to mess with the carb. Had the stock needle in an envelope in my parts box for safe keeping and naturally I lost it. Bike was running really rich and would not stay running without the choke on so with any luck I will get it going tomorrow and the T4 exhaust will have to wait for a new mid pipe to be made up.

If I can find the stock needle it is yours. Might check into the klx650 needle.

[loingrader]

someone sells that choke part.  i've broken mine too.  the metal replacement part is slick.  maybe klr650.com.  lemme know if you need help finding it.

[fringefan]

A metal one? man I just dropped $20 on another plastic piece a junk and could have swore in heard a crack again but could not see any issues. Bike runs great after a quick ride. Did one washer to make it a .11 cent mod and just have to take it in to get the pipe installed with a new mid pipe.

[Dustin]

Yea I saw they make a metal one too. I only did one washer under the needle also. I did a plug chop after I adjusted mine and it looked a lot better. I found this little tutorial:


-Warm up the engine on an old plug.
-Stop and install the new plug.
-Start it up and immediately take off.

At this point the best results may not be obtained exactly the same way for every application and fuel. Generally a single pass is sufficient; other times making a couple passes on the same plug will yield better results. By "better results" I mean results that are easier to interpret. But the basics are:

-Keep the throttle wide open as much as possible. We're testing the main jet. Any time spent idling or at partial throttle openings can confuse the results because the other carb circuits are at play.
-Accelerate at WOT through the gears until you get to 4th. Then hold that gear all the way to max rpm.
-At max rpm hit the kill switch and pull in the clutch.
-Coast to a stop and pull the plug for examination.

If multiple passes seem to yield better results for you then just remember to spend minimum time at partial throttle openings between the runs. After you've competed a pass, killed the engine, and oriented yourself to make another run; start it up and TAKE OFF staying in full throttle as best you can. This will help ensure that the only thing the plug tells you is information about the main jet size.


The place to read a plug is WAY DOWN inside at the BASE of the ceramic insulator. You'll never be able to fine tune by taking a casual looksy at a plug that's been run at all different throttle positions/temps/rpms/etc. As I mentioned, you may get a general indication of how things are but you'll never get "dialed" by looking at the end of the insulator on an old plug.

The reason they're called "plug chops" is because in many cases you've got to actually cut away the threads of the plug to get a good look at the appropriate area. There are also special plug reading tools that look a lot like the thing your doctor uses to see inside your ear.

This isn't from an XR but here's an example. This plug was colored with 3 WOT passes of about 7 seconds each. That was the only run time on the plug. Main jet = 148.
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/4870/plug148mainmediumrh3.jpg

Same story but with a 152, just to show the difference.
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/1542/plug152mainmediumoi2.jpg

When performing a plug chop test it's important to warm up the engine on an old plug, insert a new plug, and then immediately perform the WOT pass while spending as little time as possible at any throttle opening other than WOT. 4th usually works well for the pass. Then remove the plug and examine the "mixture ring" at the base of the insulator.

I've heard of reading a/f ratios off the top edge of the plug's threaded surface--the metal part that faces the piston. But I've no experience with this method. I believe it's the same idea as actually looking at the piston face to evaluate a/f ratios. Reading the "mixture ring" at the base of the insulator is tried and true--I do know that. Whatever method is used, a new plug is still required to get good info.

Here's another pic of a couple of test plugs:

http://www.dfn.com/benkaren/Plugs.JPG

As you can see, you don't necessarily have to cut all the threads away. Whatever it takes to get a good look at the bottom of the insulator is what it is. If your lucky, you may be able to see the mixture ring well enough without cutting anything. This is more likely to be the case on a colder plug (high numbers, i.e. 9 vs because the bottom of the insulator isn't as deep into the plug. A magnifying glass can help too.

Here's some more. This one looks a little lean:
http://www.dragstuff.com/images/plugs/10-29-05pass1-05.jpg

This one looks too rich:
http://www.dragstuff.com/techarticles/images/sparkplugs/AR3933-terry-wise-plug2.jpg

[fringefan]

Here are some pics of the recent work and she runs real good.

[LittleJacket]

looks awesome!

[Hank]

I like the T-4 can.  Who makes that? 

[fringefan]

Made by procircut and the only place that I know sells them is Schnitz racing. Bought it from  a poor guy that got his KLR reposesed.