New Kwakker Clucks

Sherman Road Levee pose

So I was near the 600 mile first service mark the other week, and booked it in for the deed to get done.

This was quite a big shock from a financial POV.

They wanted $321 for the first service!

They also stated that Kawasaki recommend a valve check at 600 miles....but they wanted another $900 for that shit!

I will be acquiring a new service manual and dusting off my 1985 Kawasaki certified mechanic rust to do this all myself and shopping around to check this out as it seems rather extreme.

I called Kawasaki HQ in the USA, and they suggested a few other dealers and sure enough, all the other Kwakker dealers quoted me $240 for the valve job!

It's bucket and shim stuff, it's not rocket science! I guess CCPS concluded I was a sucker.

You really only need to do this valve job at 15,000 miles unless you experience issues and have tight valves before then anyways by the way.

In any event, back on day 13 of owning her it had been primo duck weather. It were pissing it down big time that day, it were!

I went forth into the wet stuff to see how she and I handled it all.

Dark Duck loved it! Water and puddles are not a problem for this KLR and she ate them up with zero fuss.

It was me that was getting soaked by the second but as it was minus the bitter cold of the last snap we'd had the prior two weeks, it was not really that unpleasant.

Having ridden bikes in Wales in the middle of snowstorms, this is pretty meh for me in terms of weatherly challenges.

I wanted to drive her in the rains to see how she coped in the drizzly wet shit and to see if I could fault the ABS braking on this rig.

I went for my standard levee road about 2 miles north of the Antioch bridge and looped back to the second bridge before heading back to the Antioch bridge on the 160, this time taking her up to 77 Mph in a short burst.

Sherman Road Levee with Ships on the River!

The tires were great in the wet, which was somewhat of a relief, as I had my doubts about these K750's it was shod with.

The ABS on this particular bike, in the dirt, mud and wet sandy stuff is not a problem like it is on a KTM or Honda where you would turn actually off the ABS to get better control.

The KLR 650 ABS cannot be turned off and nor does it have to be. It does ABS very well indeed in the rough stuff!

I was pretty surprised by this. I used to ride a Maico 500 and I was a tad wild on that thing!

The weight of this KLR machine is a slight concern for me though.

This bike is actually heavier than the Buell was and that had a 1203cc V-Twin engine!

I am looking to one of those L1500 devices to get her upright, should I ever come off her, and I have ordered a few things like the Tusk Upper crash bars for the fairing bits that are $380 per side to replace should they ever suffer the damages somehow.

(Had to send those Tusk crash bars back as they don't work with the KLR Bars).

My wife got me a Go Pro like camera from some Chinese manufacturer, but I was not smart enough to get it recording for my little Dark Duck adventure on the Sherman road levee's that particular day.

I will need to acquire one of those helmet strap things for the camera stuff to work while driving - yet another thing to fiddle with...

Tomorrow is another day, as they say.

The gearbox, engine and tires are all starting to settle in nicely and I am now de-Buelled and riding her like a semi-civilized Simian.

She has a wonderful gearbox and despite continually searching for 6th like I did on the KLX 300, which actually has a 6 speed box, the gears on this bike are pretty good for my levee road riding antics.

I also learnt that the KLR has a high and low setting for the windshield by watching one of the many KLR Gen 3 videos on Youtube and the high setting did not make much difference for me, truth be told.

It was better, but not that much better.

I played with this some Thursday before Christmas and did two test runs and a longer one Friday morning to determine the improvement scale.

As I came back from the Friday run, I noticed a Fedex truck was loitering in our driveway and the driver brought me my 3D Cycles Windshield riser I had bought from them for $39.00.

I thought I was getting the adjustable one but I should have paid more attention.

That one was $79.

Nonetheless, despite not actually looking that appealing after I fitted it, because I have a very long torso, this static setting of this windshield riser actually tested very well.

I was actually quite surprised.

It worked so well in fact, that I was fairly satisfied the adjustable one would have been permanently fixed in this same position anyhow, so I inadvertently saved myself $40.

As only I am gonna ride it and I want the max setting for anti helmet buffeting, I got the best deal there.

I have two helmets, one O'Neal trail bike sort with a peak and visor and a shark helmet that is the normal road bike type helmet.

The shark is the better helmet aerodynamically but the O'Neal helmet is easier to don and get going on the bike.

I switch between them based on weather and what kind of hurry I happen to be in.

I got lucky with the windshield risers but I should have paid more of the attentions!

After a few days of riding I think I am gonna get the adjustable risers.... Go figure!

I actually need it to provide more cover to my iPhone as I have found rain falls on it as is when at less than 15 mph.

The O'Neal helmet peak does cause more head buffeting but it is far more manageable than it was on the Buell.

I will need to play with the rain protection settings for the best outcomes here I suspect.

The previous days I had undertaken a test of 10 mile each way of rush hour commute madness in the wet to retrieve my English cap I had left at a restaurant in Brentwood.

I deliberately left my trainers on my feet to see how the gear changing was with the new Tusk foot pegs I had bolted on the previous day.

New Tusk Foot Pegs with hard mount conversion kit

I bought the Tusk hard mount kit with these and I did not like the way the hard collar bits did not fit into the Kawasaki parts - seems they need a few hundredths more of lathe milling to fit perfectly right.

The gear changing was not an issue by the way, the trainers however, were slipping on wet asphalt. Never doing that again! It was like skating on wet ice!

We had intense rain heading in over the pre-Christmas weekend with 5 inches forecast but I got a few miles in here and there before and in-between the various rain spells.

The optima trickle charger arrived a few days before Christmas and I plugged her in to that in the garage for a trickle charge top up when parked in the nice dry garage.

The dealer I had bought the KLR from had plumbed it with the Optima receptacle trickle charger and I just had to buy one and plug it in instead of wiring it in myself.

This is a nice touch.

Motorcycle batteries are always in need of permanent trickle charge maintenance, especially in winter.

On Day 4, I had put in 2.6 gallons of 87 in her at some truck stop Chevron 24 miles down the 160 from Antioch towards Highway 5 and noted she was getting 45 Mpg on the 600 mile run in cycle I was nursing her through.

I filled her up again on Friday the 19th and she also took 2.6 gallons of 89 this time with the same 45 mpg gas stats - oh well, the reality is I am just not a dainty little guy!

The engine seemed to like the 89 more than the 87, but I could be imagining it.

The rainy weather at least has cleared the fog blanket which had hung over us for over two weeks which is gone for now.

We had been covered in a blanket of dense fog over the Brentwood, Oakley and Antioch junction for some two weeks and it got so bad there was a major accident on Vasco road on Friday the 12th when I returned from a business lunch at Eureka restaurant in Santa Clara that caused me a 3 hour delay getting home.

I actually made a U turn and went all the way back to the 680 and joined the 4 on the long way home loop.

When I got home the TV news was full of the massive cock-up the Vasco road prang had on that evening's commute that was caused by the emergency services folks helping in another minor accident, then being involved in a newer one.

My GPS had told me to stick with the 680 but I had gone with the 84 to the 580 and then Vasco road, oblivious to what awaited me there.

I had to reverse a mile down Vasco road with the Mercedes EQE as other cars had done.

Everywhere else in the Bay Area, the sun was shining but all the way from the Vasco road entry off the 580 into the Green Mile up to Elk grove was a dense bank of fog that had not shifted at all.

The air that day, it must be said was very frigidly foggy!

The day before I donned the O’Neil helmet for the daily motorcycle jolly jape to earn my cold Dark Duck dare fruzzed on two wheels badge of courage but it was actually not that bad.

Phone as GPS with New Windshield risers

It is when I am on said local Levee roads that I fully appreciate what a smart selection this KLR 650 Adventure has been for me.

First off, it pootles along between 37- 45 Mph, just perfect for said shoddy road surfaces and second it sucks up all the torrid terrains she encounters like a duck takes to water.

My face is always adorned with an idiots grin well before the first mile of said levee road is under the wheels…..

I strongly suspect this happens every time I drive her in fact!

I have not had this much fun in years!

The third point of wonder of this machine is the handling. Boy, it is surprisingly superb on this sort of thin narrow track agricultural terrain.

I dunno how they did it, but this ride is nothing like the ride that was a 1995 KLR 650 I recall making in South Africa back in the day.

The KLR 650's of that era earned the nickname "the pig" or in Africa we called it the Hippo, as it wondered everywhere in a very less than precise fashion.

This one is like a razor blade and I judge it similar to the Buell, though the Buell is like a laser with precision stuff like the lollipop test down at the DMV.

You need some practice on the KLR to do the Lollipop test effectively by the way. It is considerably easier than on a KLX 300 though!

For those of you that care, the KLR 650 series replaced the short lived KLR 600 back in 1987, and that KLR 600 was a real shit bike, it must be said.

Though they did live side by side for a few years. Here in the USA the KLR 600 was launched in 1984 and was discontinued in 1986 though in some countries the KLR 600 was a thing up to 1992.

The KLR 650 Adventure ABS does not even look like a KLR 650 trail bike with her fairing on and the fog lights all lit up by the way.

In fact it looks like a CHP bike in the review mirror when you are in a car!

I was driving with the fog lights on and getting noticed as I was being given a wide berth by car borne loon toons, which I heartily appreciated.

On the Buell the Sonic boom of the Eric Buell racing pipe got the attention of the 4 wheeled dodgem suicide brigade.

Dark Duck was in her element on these back roads and I will now go explore the rest of them that all meander with the Sacramento river up to the Elk Grove Geo.

This is the kind of riding I had been dreaming about and desiring in a big way!

I just want to thank my good wife Julie for making it all happen, thanks Bunz!!

I will now be doing many forays down the varied levee roads near me and ranging up to Rio Vista and Lodi but as I am now getting bills for crossing the Antioch Bridge outbound, I will go via Stockton and meander back across the bridge from the other side as you don't have to pay coming back.

Locals should not have to Pay $8 to cross the Antioch Bridge on a motorcycle!

Front Left

Stay tuned for more sanguine English language butchering as I attempt to articulate said adventures aboard the good ship Dark (Blue) Duck…

This thing has a massive gas tank by the way, a whole 6.1 gallons worth and the warning light allegedly comes on when there is a gallon or so left sloshing around inside her.

Having such a large tank means you do not have to fill her up that whole six gallons every time, only when you are going long distancing.

This lets you play around with weight options if that's whut makes your boat do the floaty thing.

So far, I am finding the bike suspension settings kind of perfect for me. I am 220 naked and I guess with full regalia on with boots and jacket and all the bike riding gubbins it must be in the 245 lbs ballpark.

I checked tire pressures as part of my pre ride checks and noted tire type and tire model. They were Dunlop K750's on the back and front both set to a mere 22 PSI.

I immediately set it to 28.5 at the front and 34 at the rear as most of my driving will be asphalt. Piss poor asphalt to be sure but asphalt none the less!

This did make the road handling a lot sharper and I felt more bumps than last time around as a consequence.

I also used an Apple USB A to USB C Cable for my iPhone 16 Pro which I plugged directly into the USB A port it had on the left side of the fairing, as my phone was complaining it had the scant 20% of the powers remaining.

The cable can be rolled up in the USB compartment and has a little groove at the bottom for the cable when you clip the rubber cover back on, which is real handy.

The right side fairing has a slot for a cigarette lighter power outlet which I already plugged another USB outlet into. That one has one USB C and one USB A Port....

I also RTFM'ed as I was having mucho confuzzles as to water levels for the radiator coolant and my KLX 300 had the coolant at the back and this bike has it at the front.

Close up of 3D Cycles risers

This was when I noticed the bike needed to be upright to measure the coolant level. Not so easy solo….I need to devise a wood block of the right thickness for that job.

I was surprised at the tire choice Kawasaki have made on these KLR series 3 machines but so far I like how they ride on the tar and on the bust-up ag roads that the 160 side roads are festooned with.

I am pretty sure they will be rather dire in mud.

I also put some more tools in the side panniers along with my USB based tire pump.

I will dig out my Kawasaki rear wheel spanner set as well and put them in a baggie inside a golf bag accessory I had been given at an ePlus golf event a few months ago.

This kwakker motor also takes the worst lowest grade gas, so 89 rated octane will be all I put in her during her operational life span but I can go up or down if needs be.

This will also lower the running costs quite a bit!

I have not tried her on the 93 octane stuff yet as she seems to like the 89 quite a bit.

I also ran into the many varied opinions on the Doohickey issue on these machines.

There is in fact a process and mechanism to adjust the doohikey after every oil change that I did not know about but considered opinion is that the spring on the thing is too weak for the job.

There is a kit from Eagle Mike to replace the spring with a better one or to use a coil spring setup. The kit offers two springs and the coil spring option with a drill bit.

I know a few folks who have fucked up their crank cases with the drilling piece by the way when going for that option and do not advise it - try the shorter spring first.

I am going to get the Eagle Mike kit but keep it in case I have a doohickey issue one day.

Then there is another mod called a thermobob that most seem to think needs fixing as well.

We shall see.......I have not got into that one just yet.

I have done the Tusk footpegs with the hard kit already but found the hard kit bits need a few more hundredths machined off to fit right. This was quite irksome.

I have to check them often.

Something is rattling on top with the fairing or something similar as well which I cannot find the source of.

I check all bolts regularly; Allen heads and hex screws before I ride her and hope it's all AOK.

I now have Tusk Pro handlebar risers, a Tusk Glide Skid Plate, the upper crash bars and a few other bits and bobs that arrived on Jan 6th to finalize the customization a tad.

They were all in need of hacks to work bar the crash bars - they just dont work and I sent them back already.

For me an accessory for any bike you buy should fit straight on without engineering hacks to get it to work.

The Tusk Glide skid plate does not bolt right on to your Gen 3 KLR.

If you screw the front mounts the rear 4 mounts need engineering hacks and if you screw the rear 4 bolts with the OEM bolts then the front is 1 3/4 inches from the front flaps it is supposed to be screwed into.

I obviously went for the rear 4 and hacked the front 2 by drilling new holes above the Tusk ones.

I then went to ACE hardware and got me some longer 6mm bolts, nuts, bronze spacers and washers.

And yes, I am known as Scrooge McDuck in some circles….what can I tell ya?

The current setup is near perfection or as close as I dare get it without a pending divorce!!