KLR Doohickey Mod

It’s known by many names but for those in the know it’s a doohickey
Aka; counter balancer idler sprocket tensionser lever, tensioner replacement,
tensioner lever, balancer lever, Balancer Adjuster Lever (BAL)
It has also been described by a great many other terms but my delicate
sensibilities preclude me from repeating them here. And so, let us proceed to
learn the secrets of the doohickey.
Mr. Kawasaki Presents
That damned doohickey....
Yeah, yeah I know. The debate will continue till the last KLR650 engine finds
it's way to the recycle yard. Should I replace the doohickey? Oh no, the '05's
and up were re-designed and they are okay. The pre '96's were okay. Whatever.
The doohickey in my '95 was "crimped" in place by a previous owner so it didn't
function at all... the spring was fine. Just based on that fact alone I belong to
the school of thought that says ya better replace the damned thing.... oh and
the spring too. So I spent 1.25 hours today to swap it out in the new bike.
Come along with me if you will...
Yes, you can change it out without draining the oil. Just pile up some junk
behind your bike and then kick it over...there.
Or.... take a nice soft chair out of the company waiting room and gently lay her
over so the oil is all in the right side of the engine.
Off with the chain guard.
Pull the side case.
Check to make sure the thrust washers didn't stick to the case.
Out with the rotor. Hold rotor with the "special" wrench and back the bolt out.
The rotor removal tool.
Now that's out don't forget the woodruff key.
Now these have to come out. Lots of stuff to fall down in the engine here so be
very careful.
Now the big gear thing comes out.
The doohickey.
Unbolt it and set it aside. Now the inner case comes off. Remember the short
bolt goes back in here.
Let's have a look at that spring. Well crap.
Yep....broken. I didn't find the other piece either.
The replacement spring.
How it should look.
Some shots of the OEM doohickey and the aftermarket part. Big difference in
quality. The KLR has a good strong reliable engine but, the "Balancer Sprocket
Idler Shaft Lever" and the "Balancer Sprocket Idler Lever Spring" are both
garbage.
I would be ashamed to let cold welds like this to leave my shop. This is how the
doohickeys break. Stress cracks form at the edges of the crappy welds. Shozo
is spinning in his grave.
Do not put the new one in like this.... you will not be impressed with what
happens to your engine.
Ain't she a beauty.
Don't forget there's a washer on that there bolt.
Time to put the whole mess back together.
Clean the crud out of here first.
It all goes back together in the reverse order blah blah. If you have parts left
over you did it wrong.... pull it back apart and start over. Here's to hoping that
piece of spring is lodged in the oil pick-up screen and will wait patiently until I
get a chance to pull the right side of the engine down.
The scene of the crime. Almost no (engine) blood at all.
Don't forget to adjust your doohickey from time to time. With the engine off,
back the bolt out a full turn (360 degrees, just my opinion), you will hear the
lever do it's thing. Then snug it back up. I said snug...if you go too tight you
will crimp the OEM part and it will be worthless to you and your engine. One
thing though...when you loosen the bolt and hear the lever doing it's
thing....are you hearing the spring pulling the lever tight? Or are you hearing
the chain going slack? Only one way to find out.
And I know there will be those who post excuses as to why you shouldn't have
to do this. "Oh you don't have to do that until XXXX miles" etc, etc, blah blah
blah. This IS a weak spot on the KLR650 engine. Period. Just look at the miles
on the clock of my new bike.
eaglemike posted
magnetic fishing tool
True Value sells a good tool for finding the pieces in the motor. It's a small,
fairly strong magnet, with a piece of bendable aluminum wire between the
magnet and handle. I've found several pieces of the stock levers towards the
back of the motor - bike level on lift, fishing through the hole behind the idler
sprocket.
Hope this helps, and all the best,
Mike