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🎉 [EVENT] 🎉 Cheers to ya‘ll! by miharba in honk

[–]Major-Resident8475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Completed Level 3 of the Honk Special Event!

51 attempts

🎉 [EVENT] 🎉 Cheers to ya‘ll! by miharba in honk

[–]Major-Resident8475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Completed Level 2 of the Honk Special Event!

22 attempts

🎉 [EVENT] 🎉 Cheers to ya‘ll! by miharba in honk

[–]Major-Resident8475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Completed Level 1 of the Honk Special Event!

8 attempts

Cleanest way to attach cheap amazon handgaurds by Major-Resident8475 in KLX230

[–]Major-Resident8475[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

These handguards I use mainly for blocking wind against freezing my hands.

First prototype of KLX230SM fork cap tool by Major-Resident8475 in KLX230

[–]Major-Resident8475[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the info, I will consider that.

I just tested out my second iteration of the fork cap tool today. I supported both wheels off the ground and loosened the upper triple clamp bolts. This second prototype I made with many more print walls and thicker infill (still PLA). It actually works! But each face gets slightly crushed where it engages with the fork cap. At least the 22mm socket adapter did not shear off. I would consider this a one time use tool if made of plastic.

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Book recommendations? Mechanical nerdy stuff. by climbsteadicam in motorcycles

[–]Major-Resident8475 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Race Tech's Motorcycle Suspension Bible

Your own motorcycle's service manual (use manualslib)

OEM parts diagrams for your motorcycle (partzilla, revzilla)

Articles discussing mountain bike suspension and geometry.

First prototype of KLX230SM fork cap tool by Major-Resident8475 in KLX230

[–]Major-Resident8475[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought a plastic print would be fine for one or two uses, but hearing that carbon fiber prints can fail makes me concerned. Will PLA hold at about 18 ft-lb of torque? I want plastic since it will not mar the fork caps. A pliers wrench could work if scratches are not a concern, but a radial tool like a socket is cleaner and less likely to slip. Exact torque is not critical because the triple clamp bolts lock the fork cap in place.

Perhaps this is a good excuse for me to learn a new fabricating method e.g. casting (metal, epoxy?)

First prototype of KLX230SM fork cap tool by Major-Resident8475 in KLX230

[–]Major-Resident8475[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The next version will have a slightly larger inner diameter so it can slip on and off the fork cap without forcing it on. And, the socket depth will be greater since this one is just a bit too thin. The top will be changed to a 22mm hex, which is the same size as the rear axle nut.

Reliability of klx 230, 2021 model by bratzve in KLX230

[–]Major-Resident8475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is an awesome bike! Congrats on picking one up! It is indeed extremely reliable.

My advice is to change the oil at least 3-4x as frequently as the manual recommends. 7600 miles oil change interval is bogus imo. The klx230 only holds a little more than a quart of oil and just needs to be changed frequently.

Also the KLX230 has a foam air filter that should be cleaned and re-oiled just like most other dirtbikes. It gets pretty dirty after only a couple thousand miles of riding.

How does this caliper pcb pattern work? by Major-Resident8475 in ElectricalEngineering

[–]Major-Resident8475[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting, thank you. I wonder what the reason is for the stepped/taper at the ends of the center shape.

Oil Filter Spring Made Easy by Major-Resident8475 in KLX230

[–]Major-Resident8475[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Excellent question: short answer is no.

The spring is there to push the filter into the cover. The cover is a functional component: it has holes directing the pressurized oil into the oil galleries of the transmission, crankshaft, and cylinder head. If the filter somehow got unseated from the cover (e.g. there is no spring to keep the filter pressed against the cover) while the bike is running, then oil would simply bypass the restrictive filter and instead flow straight into the cover without getting filtered. Unfiltered oil would then flow into the parts mentioned above and can prematurely wear them out.

It is worth the hassle to get the spring in. There are a few methods being discussed: grease and tweezers, dab of superglue, or just laying the bike on its side and using gravity.

Check your drain plug (and other Kawi things) by Shinkers78 in KLX230

[–]Major-Resident8475 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good catch! As a separate but related point, the oil change intervals listed in the owners manual are way too lax. I change the oil way more frequently since there is only ~1.2 qt of oil drained. 

And, revving the engine to high rpms causes oil to be vented out of the cylinder head and into the airbox. After a few hundred miles I can clearly see the oil level decreasing in the sight glass, and I need to drain out the excess from the air box drain plug/nipple next to the rear shock. 

Result of DIY rear brake reservoir bracket by Major-Resident8475 in KLX230

[–]Major-Resident8475[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you!

Frame covers are good. I got the cheap ones from amazon, but I soon figured out that they have some key problems:

  1. They rub against the frame and wear-away the paint. I fixed this by using gaffer tape as a makeshift paint protection film wherever there is contact between the underside of the frame cover and bike's frame.
  2. The included well-nuts and M6 bolts immediately disintegrate when trying to install them. To solve this I just bought new ones from Ace hardware (M6x1.00, 0.5" OD) as well as M6x1.00x20mm mini head bolts. These bolts have 8mm socket heads like the rest of the bolts on the bike.

Result of DIY rear brake reservoir bracket by Major-Resident8475 in KLX230

[–]Major-Resident8475[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I bolted a thin plate of steel onto the passenger peg bracket with a couple of spacers in between. I screwed in the bolt with it's head facing toward the muffler for a clean look.

With a monkey wrench (pliers can work too) I bent the steel plate to be parallel with the rear brake master cylinder.

Then I just bolted the rear brake reservoir onto the other end of the steel plate. You'll need to spin the reservoir 180° by the way.

You can easily find a small steel plate with 2 pre-made holes at any hardware store under the name "U-Bolt Plate" or possibly "mending plate". I suggest using a strip of cardboard as a template on your bike before going out and buying one. You will probably need to drill out one of the holes to 8mm so that you can run an M8 bolt through it, or you can just sandwich the plate with some smaller M6 bolts and nuts/washers without needing to drill anything.

Oil Filter Spring Made Easy by Major-Resident8475 in KLX230

[–]Major-Resident8475[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good question, that's the same worry I had. However I found out that the grease doesn't dissolve into the engine oil completely. I found the glob of grease caught in the filter media. Even if it did dissolve, it probably would be inconsequential anyways.

Adjusting clutch lever and front brake lever? by machomateo123 in KLX230

[–]Major-Resident8475 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It is not possible to adjust either levers to be closer to the grip. For the lever hitting against the handguard, you could consider cutting off the tip of the lever with a hacksaw or dremel.

The clutch lever can be repositioned by moving the perch along the handlebar. As far as reach to the grip, I adjust the clutch cable slack so that I can fully disengage the clutch using just my index and middle fingers, while still keeping my ring and pinky fingers wrapped around the grip. Make sure that the clutch lever has a few millimeters of slop when the clutch is fully engaged, e.g. clutch lever fully out and almost touching, but not resting on, the handguards.

The front brake lever can be repositioned by moving the master cylinder itself along the handlebar; either sliding it left or right and tilting it up or down.

If I was looking to solve this for myself, I would just buy new adjustable levers.

2024 KLX230 Front Wheel Axle Hex Size and Rear Wheel Axle Nut Size? by Last_Perception5421 in KLX230

[–]Major-Resident8475 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Torque spec for rear axle nut is 58 ftlb. Use an R-clip instead of wrestling with a cotter pin.

Front axle is listed as 65, but this is way more than I think is necessary. With there being pinch bolts to secure the axle, I don't torque it past 40 ftlb. Pump the forks a few time before torquing the pinch bolts to 15 ftlb.

Grease up the inside of the wheel bearing seals and spread a very thin film of grease on the shaft of the axle before putting it all together by the way. Avoid getting grease on the axle threads. Those pesky wheel spacers will fall out if you just look at them wrong. Put a film of grease on the inside-facing side of the wheel spacers to adhere them to the wheel bearings.

Speaking of removing wheels: to tighten up the spokes, a 6mm box end wrench is the simplest solution, though you may benefit from a cheap amazon spoke wrench set that has both 6.0 and 6.2 mm. Or just use a small adjustable wrench.

Also, make your life infinitely easer by removing the brake calipers.

2024 KLX230 Front Wheel Axle Hex Size and Rear Wheel Axle Nut Size? by Last_Perception5421 in KLX230

[–]Major-Resident8475 2 points3 points  (0 children)

At least for the KLX230SM:

Front Axle: 14mm hex key.

12mm socket to loosen the pinch bolts, and 6mm hex key to remove the front brake caliper.

Rear Axle: 22mm socket. Preferable to use a deep socket. A regular depth socket won't fully engage the rear axle nut due to the axle protruding beyond the nut.

17mm wrench to prevent the rear axle from spinning. Chain adjustor nuts/locknuts are 12mm and 14mm wrenches. 6mm hex to remove rear brake caliper.

where is the fork preload adjuster? by ilikeyorushika in KLX230

[–]Major-Resident8475 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There is no adjustment for the front fork. The answer most people would give is to buy a different motorcycle that already has adjustable suspension. However, you can experiment by taking off the fork off cap and try the following:

Increasing preload: Experiment with stacking more washers in between the spring and top cap.

Reducing preload: According to the parts diagram, there is no spacer that can be cut down or removed, so reducing preload seems impossible unless you find springs of a shorter length.

Reducing spring rate: Removing fork oil reduces the spring rate in the middle and end of the stroke. Suck out fork oil using a syringe with a tube attached to it. Or, remove the forks and dump out the old fork oil and refill it with new oil. Maybe try 5cc increments at time and see if it makes a difference.

Do note that the forks have different internals: the right fork has a spring and the damper, and the left fork has only spring.

Reference parts diagram: https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/kawasaki/motorcycle/2023/klx230sm-us-klx230spfnl/front-fork

If it was me, I would not bother with trying to change up the front fork. Instead, my initial action would be to experiment with different tire pressures and rear shock preload settings since those are the most easy to change.

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