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2003 build/rebuild thread

12K views 38 replies 9 participants last post by  Tracer-X 
#1 ·
I am jumping in with both feet on this one. I have NO experience with motorcycle engines or mechanics. However, I can read a manual and understand what needs to be don and I have lots of mechanical experience with other things.

I picked up my bike form a deceased relative. He had been storing it (in pieces) since he got it 9 years ago. The previous owner put 31xxx miles on it in two years and heard a noise in the bottom end so he sold it. My uncle bought the bike, diagnosed it, and then left it in pieces. All I have for information from him is that, "there is nothing wrong with it besides being needs to be put back together and you might as well throw a new dohickey into it while it is apart."

The day I picked it up:


Set up in the garage with a work table behind it:
 
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#2 ·
My first questions.

Is the exhaust pipe (not muffler) a stock piece? Will the tabs beng back and seal up properly? I am not used to slip joint exhaust systems. Anyone know if a Supertrapp muffler is loud, I like quite stuff.


Do I really need special tools for the dohickey mod?
Is the stock fuel tank steel?
Any prefered fluids since I will be flushing everything?
How can I tell if the previous owner lowered the bike?
 
#3 ·
My first questions.

How can I tell if the previous owner lowered the bike?
Gen-2 the dog-bones are 5 3/8" long. ( Hole-to-Hole )
I just lowered my 2011 with Eagle Mikes's links that were 5 3/4" long. ( Hole-to-Hole )
 
#4 · (Edited)
That exhaust pipe and muffler are both aftermarket, the actual header pipe is stock though... The Supertrapp's aren't really known for being a quiet exhaust and I doubt that you could bend those tabs back and get a seal of any sort. Everybody has different opinions on exhaust but if it was my bike I would look for another factory muffler, they're nice and quiet and usually pretty easy and inexpensive to source :).

You do need special tools for the doohickey replacement. A rotor holding wrench and a rotor puller. Eagle Mike can sell you a complete kit that has all the parts to do the swap. You could also borrow the tools from another KLRista if you can find someone in your area that has the tools and would be willing to borrow them out.

Stock fuel tank is steel. Lot's of guys bolt on IMS plastic tanks for added capacity and crash protection. If your steel tank is not all rusty inside and has no leaks it's just fine though.

As far as fluids, your manual will tell you what you should be using. Lol, and on oil everyone has their own preference! :) I use Rotella T 15W40 in my bike. I buy it at WalMart in gallon jugs. Filters are cheap and I keep a few extra on hand. I'd also flush the brake fluid and rad, and give the brakes a good once over replacing pads if needed. Stopping is more important than going sometimes! Lol.

I'm also guessing that you'll need to go through the carb and give it a good cleaning, even more so if it sat with gas in it! The fuel degrades over time and builds up sludge's and varnish that plugs jets and such. Good time as well to check out your fuel lines and vacuum line to the petcock to make sure everything is in good shape with no cracks or deterioration.

You'll probably have to spring for some new tires as well once you get it running, especially if they are more than a few years old. Lot's of good suggestions on the forum here on tires, maybe even a few battles! Lol! I'd get it all put together and running good before I bother with the tires though.

Happy wrenching! :35a:
 
#5 ·
Currently looking for a new muffler. I think I located the dohickey replacement tools in my area.

I've never "cleaned" a carb so I guess now is a good time to learn. The bike came with new knobby tires!!

I got to spend a couple of hours in the garage tonight. I cleaned the open areas of the bike real well with brake cleaner over a drip pan.


After that I turned my attention to the covers. I painstakingly scrapped the old gasket material off and then cleaned all the covers real well with carb cleaner.


Next questions:
The manual says that the brake and fuel lines should be replaced every 4 years. That seems awful often. It that for real???
It also says to replace the fork oil every 18,000 miles. I haven't been around bike that much but I've never heard anyone talk about replacing fork oil. Is this for real too???
 
#7 ·
Next questions:
The manual says that the brake and fuel lines should be replaced every 4 years. That seems awful often. It that for real???
It also says to replace the fork oil every 18,000 miles. I haven't been around bike that much but I've never heard anyone talk about replacing fork oil. Is this for real too???
My brake and fuel lines are 10 years old and I have no intention of changing them. If the bike were stored outdoors I might consider it. I would definitely be flushing out the brake fluid and changing it for fresh.

I just changed for fork oil after replacing seals. Last time was about 5 years ago. I definitely would recommend it. I was surprised at just how dirty the oil was. Can't remember how much mileage I had on the oil but it was less than the 18k you mention. If it's never been done I'm sure you'll find that the levels are uneven and incorrect. Eventually that oil turns into a tar like goop if you don't change it occasionally. With that bike you can change it with the forks in the bike but I find it's not a bike job to remove them.

.
 
#8 ·
If this was my project I would buy the parts related to the water pump seals (oil and water) and replace them.
 
#10 ·
#12 ·
The previous owner put 31xxx miles on it in two years and heard a noise in the bottom end so he sold it.
This is a red flag! Don't buy a bunch of parts until you can get it started and hear it run. Your uncle may be right that it just needs re-assembling, or he may be wrong and the motor could be shot.
Don't replace the doo-hickey, don't mess with the forks.. these are a waste of money if the bottom end is shot.

Clean the carb and gas tank, re-assemble the motor and try to get it started. (with fresh oil and fluids, of course) Used motors can be had for as little as $500 (and as much as $1200) but with a fresh motor, you could build a decent bike.
Rebuilding a toast motor requires more experience than you've got.

So, you need to figure out what you've got.A bike that just needs a little work to get it running, a bike that just needs a new engine ($500-$1200 for the engine but you could sell engine parts to get half of that back), or is it a parts bike that is not worth fixing..

I'm parting out a bike that could have fit any of those descriptions, but after some disassembly I realized that it's a parts bike with little hope of running again. But that's ok cuz i have plenty of time to part out a bike and make a few bucks..(it works out to about $10 bucks an hour tho..)
 
#13 · (Edited)
I trust my uncle's judgement 150%. If he says that it just needs to be put back together that that's my plan. He was a mechanical genius but lacked motivation to finish projects. ALMOST all the parts I bought are for the reassembly. My main goal is to get it running and then do the other non motor maintenance that it needs. My plan is just as you laid it out.
 
#14 ·
So I rebuilt/cleaned the carb this weekend. I followed all the instructions in my Clymer but had 1 O-ring left over. It's the one at the top of the photo. I pictured it with the other items so that people knew that it the O-ring for that jet.



The Clymer did mention an O-ring as part of the float bowl but I never found one on my bike. It is mentioned at the bottom of the picture.


Lastly, I couldn't find the "needle jet". It is pictured below s #27 and in the photo below that it is in the upper left. Would there be a reason that it would be missing??



I just need to get some blue thread locker and replace those last 3 screws and I'll be good to go.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Did you put the one in the decel cover back? It's the one visible at 6:15 and mentioned at 6:50 in this video:



I think the needle jet is mentioned in that video, too. If not in that video, then perhaps #2 or #3. Anyway, you need the needle jet; the carb won't work for beans without it.

All the videos are here.

Tom
 
#17 ·
Still don't know what that extra o-ring is for. Oh well! I got the last of my parts in last week. I can now finish putting the bottom end back together. Next week looks good for this as my workload should be less than the crazy hours I've been putting in lately. Looking to get back on this project!
 
#18 ·
Finally got some stuff done on the bike. Bathouse came over and helped install a new doo-hickey as well as putting most of the mechanical bits back together. I just need to slap the carb back on, fill all the fluids, and put the plastics on. Should have that all done in the next 6 months or so! LOL. I'll probably get back on it at the first of the year since the holidays are coming up fast.

Thanks again bathouse for all the help!
 
#20 ·
Put in a bunch more time today. I got the carb back in place and all hooked up. Got the front plastics installed. Brake fluid flushed. Installed new grips. Got the non-stock mirrors rotated and tightened down. Cleaned out and mounted the fuel tank. Many misc. bolts installed. Front turn signals installed. The biggest thing was mounting up an aftermarket muffler. I had to extend the stock header pipe about 4 inches so it could mate to the muffler I got for free to bolt on. It all fits very nicely and looks like it was made for it.

Still need a few things:
The radiator fan is missing
The plastics that mount below the seat are missing
Need a new battery
Need to mount the tires
Need to add coolant and oil
NEed some hand guards
Need to register it so I can get a license plate




 
#22 ·
Added Oil, coolant, and a battery today. Tomorrow I'll pick up some premium ethanol free fuel for it and fire it up.

1 question. I added 2.5 liters of oil. The site glass is beyond full. It had ZERO oil in it when I started. I cranked the engine over for about 10 seconds to pump oil around and the site glass was still overfull.

Am I missing something?
 
#29 ·
So, I have been busy neglecting my bike because of another project. I just finished building an offroad camp trailer.






Now that that project is mostly complete I have turned my attention back to the bike. Today I finished putting the valve cover back on after I had changed out the valve shims 2 months ago! I fired the bike up and it ran for about 10 seconds and then a metallic CHUNK noise happened and the bike died. :( I took the outer side cover off and found this small piece.



I haven't been able to get the inner case off yes because I don't have a rotor pulling tool. As of 10 minutes ago I have one on order. It probably won't come until the ed of the week when I'll be out of town so it'll have to wait until I have some down time in the future.



:fiddler:
 
#30 ·
Got the tools in the mail and took things apart further yesterday but still couldn't find the source of the aluminum debris. Today I got home before my family did and took a flashlight out to the garage to look things over again. Starting at the top I almost immediately found the broken part, it is a exhaust camshaft cap. I remember having trouble getting it seated and it finally "popping" into place. When it popped it must have cracked and the little bit of running must have finished it off and the pieces jammed into the gears below. The next step it so make sure all of the parts are damage free then to clean things all up. This may be an inexpensive fix after all. Hopefully I don't break anything else in the process by forcing parts together. (Yeah, I can be rough on equipment)



 
#31 ·
Tracer-X,
I've already said it, you need to find an EXPERT Aluminum WELDER and from what I just read, he/she might need to be a Fair Machinist also!

You/they need to salvage the existing PART!!!!

Or you can break out the credit card!!!!
 
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