Ryan Urlacher, Author at Law Abiding Biker Podcast

LAB-245-The Kawasaki KLR 650’s Production Run is Over | But the Bike Lives On!

July 14, 2020 By Ryan Urlacher Leave a Comment

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Having ridden street bikes for many years now, I wanted to also get into adventure and off-road riding. So, after much thought and research, I selected the Kawasaki KLR 650 as my first adventure bike. I found a nice barely used 2018 KLR for sale and bought it in the fall of 2019. Oscar and I drove from Washington to Oregon to pick up this little gem that looked like it just came off the showroom floor with only 109 miles on it.

Check out my video titled, “I Just Bought & Rode My First Adventure Motorcycle? Am I Hooked?”

The Kawasaki KLR had a long run from 1987-2018. Anyone who's been involved with any sort of adventure or dual-sport riding is very familiar with this bike and everyone has an opinion about it. The KLR clearly made it for so many years because so many riders liked it. There have probably been more international discovery rides taken by Americans riding a KLR than almost any other motorcycle.

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The Kawasaki KLR was really thought as of the best all-around bullet-proof adventure bike for many years. I think it's safe to say that there are more aftermarket parts available for the KLR than any other bike in its class. Entire businesses have been built around making and selling parts for the KLR.

Now that the KLR is not being produced, you'll have to look for a good used one. There will still be plenty of used KLR's for sale and there are still a few brand new 2018 models at select dealerships, but that is fading. Oh, and don't worry, you'll be able to get aftermarket parts for the KLR for many years to come. Imagine how many Kawasaki KLR's are still around after 32 model years of production.

It will be interesting to watch and see if Kawasaki comes up with a replacement for the KLR to compete in this fast-growing category of lighter weight “do it all” dual-sport adventure bike.

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Although the KLR's production run is over, it's not going anywhere in the adventure bike scene any time soon. I'll continue to enjoy and ride the heck out of mine!

Listen in to this podcast as we get into depth about the KLR and its history and give some predictions for the replacement of the KLR.

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How to Set Suspension Sag on a Motorcycle-Adjusting Preload

July 11, 2020 By Ryan Urlacher Leave a Comment

Setting your motorcycle suspension sag by adjusting preload on your rear shocks is very important. It affects the geometry of your motorcycle and how it handles overall. This doesn't need to be a complicated process as many make it seem in other online videos and articles. We're here to break it down in simple terms for the everyday motorcycle enthusiast. (see video below)

Setting motorcycle suspension sag just means that you are adjusting how much your bike lowers (sags) and rides in the rear when a rider, passenger, luggage or a combination is on the bike. The bike should only sag down so far and within a pre-determined range. Whether you're riding street, adventure, dual-sport, or dirt, setting motorcycle suspension sag is a universal process.

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Most stock Harley-Davidson rear shocks have a pre-load adjuster knob and the owner's manual gives you load weight ratings and where you should set the preload. The air shock system on the Harley works the same by adding or removing air. If you install aftermarket shocks of any kind then you'll need to learn how to properly set motorcycle suspension sag.

Slider Sag Scale

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Video-How to use a Posi-Tap, Twist, Lock Wire Connector on Motorcycle Wiring

July 4, 2020 By Ryan Urlacher Leave a Comment

In this video, we show you how to splice or tap into a wire on your Harley-Davidson or Indian using a posi-tap wire connector. It is very similar if using a posi-twist or posi-lock connector. These connectors are very reliable and there are different sizes for different gauge wires. They are approved for harsh environments such as dust, dirt, shock, vibrations, moisture and more. Posi-Tap wire connectors work great on motorcycles for this reason.

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(Affiliate links-no additional cost to you, but if you click through and make a purchase, we get a small commission. It helps support us)

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LAB-244-Setting Motorcycle Suspension Sag & Adjusting Preload

July 2, 2020 By Ryan Urlacher 1 Comment

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Setting sag just means that you are adjusting how much your bike lowers (sags) and rides in the rear when a rider, passenger, luggage or a combination is on the bike. The bike should only sag down so far and within a pre-determined range. Whether you're riding street, adventure, dual-sport, or dirt, setting motorcycle suspension sag is a universal process.

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Finding your sag number:

First, you'll need to know how much overall travel your particular motorcycle shock has. Most OEM or aftermarket Harley rear shocks have 3 in. of overall travel or 76 mm. The rule is that you should take that number and your target sag number should be 1/3 or around 30% of that number. So, 3″ of travel x 30% equals around 1″. So, in this case, you'll want your sag to be 1″ or 25 mm.

On my 2018 Kawasaki KLR 650, the rear shock is rated for 7.3 inches or 185mm of travel. So, 7.3″ x 30% equals 2.19″ or 55 mm. So, my target sag number for my KLR 650 should be 2.19″ or 55 mm.

Tip: I hate math and I'm always in a hurry so I use a Tusk Sliding Sag Scale instead of a standard tape measure. I simply set the sliding sag scale to zero when the weight is off the rear. Then, with the load on the rear of the bike, I can simply look at the sag scale measurement in inches or millimeters. No converting or subtraction! You can get a Tusk Slide Scale right in the Law Abiding Biker Store.

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How to measure your motorcycle suspension sag:

Note: I'll explain below as if using a standard tape measure on not the easy to use slide sag scale.

I like to start with no preload added on the rear suspension.

Now, make a mark on your strut or rear fender with a marker or piece of tape. Then, lift the rear wheel off the ground, thus removing all weight from the rear shock. Now, measure from the center of the rear axle to the mark you made and note that measurement.

Next, put the weight back on the rear wheel and shock. Put the rider on the bike and have them bounce a few times to settle the rear shock. Measure again from the center of the rear axle to your mark and document that number.

Now, subtract the second measurement from the first and that is where your sag is.

Adjusting your sag:

Note: We'll use the above Harley sag number of 1″ for demonstrative purposes here.

If your measurement was over 1″ then you are sagging too much and you need to add preload. By adding preload you are compressing the spring and raising the rear of the motorcycle.

If your measurement fell short of 1″ then you have too much preload on the shock and you need to remove preload, thus lowering the rear of the motorcycle.

Repeat the second measurement as you add and remove preload until you hit your target sag number.

You can't get to your proper target sag number:

Note: We'll use the above Harley sag number of 1″ for demonstrative purposes here.

Let's say you are still at 1-1/4″ even after you've added all the preload adjustment you can by compressing the spring and raising the rear of the bike. You simply can't get it to 1″ because you can't add any more preload. This means your spring/shock is too soft and you should get a stiffer one.

The flip side of that is let's say your measurement is only at 3/4″ and you've added no preload. You can't add anymore sag to get to the 1″ as adding preload would just raise the bike. You simply can't get the motorcycle to sag enough. This means your spring/shock is too stiff and you should get a softer one.

Just understand that if you set your sag for a rider only and you're at the 3/4″ then with a rider or luggage you'll likely be at your 1″ sag. You need to take everything into account.

You should measure motorcycle suspension sag for rider only, rider with passenger and with luggage. You measure the rear sag with the rider/passenger/luggage on the bike.

Then, simply keep notes of where you should set your suspension preload adjuster for each load. This way you can avoid having to measure again every time you have a passenger or luggage.

Preload adjusters:

Different motorcycle shocks have different styles of preload adjusters. Many aftermarket shocks have a collar you can turn by hand or a system where you use a spanner wrench. My KLR has a 12mm bolt you can turn with a socket.

New Free Video Mentioned:

Video-How to Bleed & Flush Harley-Davidson Clutch System Fluid