FuzzyNugs 0 Posted December 13, 2014 I've been away from SD for a year now, but can't let go of this forum. Anyone whoever rode with me when I was on my beloved/hated KLR250 knew that I had some starting issues with it. Reset the valve clearances multiple times and within 150 miles it would be very hard to kick over or wouldn't start at all. Kug and Goofyfooter were with me when I dared to take it to Baja thinking it was fixed. Almost had to push it back across the border when it stalled in Tecate traffic. Tim also helped tow start it another time. Sorry Tim I know you hate this bike, but the good news is it's fixed. I suspected it needed the valves replaced, but didn't want to chance the job myself so I took it to Cycle Works Racing up in Littletown, PA last month. Greg is the expert on this engine as he has modded the quad version(Mojave) of it for racing. Surely he could fix my measly KLR. The good news was that the exhaust valves were ok, but the intakes definitely needed replacement. According to him, Kawasaki bought too many of these valves and so put them in many different street bikes, but they weren't really that great in the KLR and thus failed a lot. Here are my old valves. Mechanical gurus, just how bad are these? The walls certainly don't have the nice 3 angled sides the manual shows. More like one vertical angle. $425 and a month later and I have my bike back with new valves and recut valve seats. I took it for a brisk 40 miles in 40 degree weather today and she ran like a champ, aka a slow rolling couch. I found an old odometer picture and I've only managed 1500 miles in 3 years on it! Time to ride it for a bit and maybe sell by spring. I like it as a light trail bike, but I also want one of those fancy orange 350s. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkug 146 Posted December 13, 2014 Hey it rained finally-- you need to come back here ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bagstr 287 Posted December 13, 2014 Is it just me who thinks your mixture looks like Cr... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PbdBlue 46 Posted December 13, 2014 Looks rich and burning some oil. Looks like it was time.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 559 Posted December 13, 2014 I don't know how many miles the engine of your bike has on it in total, but it seems that it should get 20K at least, before it starts sucking valves. I have a 2001 KLX 300 that finally started to suck an intake valve about ten years after I bought the machine. The bike got a lot of trail riding on it before 2006, which is when I license it for the street. After that, it had a lot of mixed riding, including highway miles. It is geared a lot lower than the the stock KLR 250s, so it was revved a lot higher at highway speeds, a factor which I am sure helped speed the intake valves to their demise. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mtnmanseth 0 Posted December 13, 2014 Nice to hear from you, Kris! Hope all is awesome on the east side of things, and you're still tearing it up on your DR! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FuzzyNugs 0 Posted December 14, 2014 Thanks for the responses. Bike only has 10K on it now dirt dame, so not sure why they went out so early. It's the first bike I adjusted valve clearances on myself and thinking back I may have had them too tight. Could this have accelerated the wear? I'll keep an eye on oil consumption and check spark plug for richness. Seth, the DR is still tearin it up out here. If you ever did that high-comp piston on yours shoot me a PM and let me know what you think of it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
