KLR600 Wrap-up

Wrap-up!

I purchased my 1985 KLR600 (KL600-B1) on April 2, 2019 (27,464 miles) in decent running condition. I developed a plan of attack that I thought I'd work on over the remainder of the year, but as it usually goes with me, I got into it and wrapped up the plan before the end of July!

Purchase Price

I purchased the 600 from an Illinois-based snowbird who kept the motorcycle located here in Florida. He had listed the motorcycle on Craigslist for $2,000. I paid $1,400 for the motorcycle after a fairly detailed inspection and a test ride.

How do you price vintage motorcycles?

That's a tough question but, believe it or not, there are some tools online to help. The tool I looked to was the vintage pricing database on Hagerty Insurance. Hagerty is an insurer of vintage, classic and exotic automobiles and motorcycles. I had used them one to insure a vintage Lotus Esprit that I restored. They had a listing for the KL600-B1 for $1,500.

NADA has vintage pricing also, but their service priced the 1985 KL600-B1 at between $2,360 (excellent) and $400 (fair). It's difficult to work with a range like that.

Overall, obviously one doesn't want to ridiculously "overpay" for anything, but the real question is how the motorcycle is to be used. If it's to be restored for resale, a very low price is the only way to assure a profit or even break even. If the motorcycle is to be used, then a little more flexibility is in order....by both the buyer and the seller.

I told them that my plan was to fix up what needed to be fixed up and use the motorcycle in my dual sport activities. I told them their price was nowhere in the vicinity of where I thought someone would pay. I started at what I thought to be a fair price of $1,200...which took into account a number of things that I knew would need work. Ultimately, we settled on $1,400.

Restoration Activities

No, motorcycle wasn't "restored" in the sense of a show room or museum condition. Rather, I thought the cosmetics, which definitely showed the age, looked fine and focused on the mechanics and operation....and, yes, a few personal preferences.

While inspecting the 35 year old motorcycle, I was quick to identify the similarities to the 1987 and later KLR650s, such as the 2016 KLR650 that I previously owned. See my Blog KamoKLR. A test ride and I was fairly confident that I could get the old KLR into reliable riding condition.

Here is the final walk around video with high level points of the plan:

Following is a photographic walk-around with restoration points:

As mentioned, I was riding the 600 the day I bought it. While I trailered it home, I immediately hoped on and rode it down to the DMV to get it registered...only to find out I didn't have an important document that needed notorization. I got that worked out the next day.

Probably the first operational activity that I performed was a regular service. Oil, filter, air filter, torques. All seemed in order...a new air filter (OEM $18) was in order, so I ordered one along with my initial parts order.

I typically use Rocky Mountain ATV for OEM parts as they seem to have the best prices. In this case, I was amazed that I was able to get every OEM part that I wanted. Only two small parts went on backorder and I had them in hand within a reasonable time!

All major parts were accounted for on the purchased motorcycle, except the bash plate and exhaust guard. I found several used OEM bash plates on eBay, although most were bent and beat to crap. Ultimately, a decent bash plate showed up on eBay and I grabbed it immediately for $26. The missing exhaust guard was replaced with a slightly modified aftermarket exhaust plate (photo below) that I got on Amazon for $12.

The carb is the standard CVK40 found on most all KLRs of all years. It got a total rebuild and cleaning for whopping $250 in parts, excluding the choke cable eliminator discussed further below; $130 of that was the upper diaphragm valve that was ripped. The other expensive carb parts were the float and float valves for $30 each. Geesh! If I had to buy any more parts, it may have been worth just buying a whole new carb (about $325).

The OEM exhaust had been replaced with a Supertrapp aftermarket muffer. The seller did not have the stock pipe and muffler. This muffler was clearly too loud, but I was able to tune it down to "borderline" acceptable. First, it required repacking; most of the packing had been blown/burned out. I used Thermal Zero Ceramic Packing from Amazon for $18 to repack the muffler. Then I reduced the number of discs in the Supertrapp from 8 down to 5, which lowered the decibel level. I also replaced all the hardware in the muffler. For the record, the bolts that hold the discs on have nuts inside and you have to punch the core out to get to them.

Egad! the brakes on this motorcycle are terrible. I thought it was just pads, shoes, fluids, etc. Nope. A little research and these early KLRs are notorious for less than optimal brakes! Don't get me wrong; they work...just not like a contemporary motorcycle.

Nonetheless, I replaced the rear brake shoes and springs with OEM components and burnished the inner drum. The brake shoes were $46 and the springs were $18. Note that there are two "different" size springs in the drum.

An owner somewhere along the line added that snappy little rock guard grill over the headlight. In fact, it's just a little screening bent over the lens and held in place by the shroud. Excellent!

The motorcycle had stock front signals and a set of cheap (bulb type) aftermarket signals. I found that BikeMaster sold an aftermarket signal that was identical to the stockers. However, upon closer inspection, I determined that the front signals were, in fact, one front and one rear...they're different! So all I had to do was buy one front ($17) and one rear ($15), both on Amazon.

I believe the bar on the 600 was the original. It seemed to have the same measurements as a KLR650 and I prefer a little more height and pull. So I went with the Tusk T10 handlebar with the Sport ATV High Bend (the Tusk came with a black bar pad, but I had a blue Renthal in my piles). The bar was $29.99. To those I added a set of Tush Guard Frames ($29.95) and some waffle grips ($4.99). The breather hose was another $8.99 at RMATV.

The front brake pads were replaced ($7.99 for Volar from an eBay vendor). After about 100 miles, I moved to replace the brake disk ($65 for an aftermarket unbranded from an eBay vendor). It helped, but not as much as I'd like. Of course, the fluid was refreshed and the lines were bled.

I replaced the fork fluid only to find that the seals leaked with fluid at the proper level. New OE seals were $22 from RMATV. I'm running and SAE15 fluid that's working well with whatever spring rate the springs are in there.

The three things in the photo below are (i) choke cable eliminator ($28.99 on Amazon), (ii) used OE Cam Chain Tensioner ($22.95 from an eBay vendor) and (iii) the Swing Arm Chain Guide (new OE $71.23).

I went with a choke cable eliminator (behind fuel line under petcock) when I couldn't get the choke to work right. I wasn't sure if it was the cable or the components of the enricher. In addition to eliminating the cable, the eliminator replaced all the enricher components and it really works great. The Cam Chain Tensioner turned out to be functional, but the cap had been strangely damaged such that it could never be adjusted. That was a simple used part acquisition.

The Swing Arm Chain Guide, was an unfortunate surprise that I encountered when it went missing on a ride up to Richloam. The noise as it slapped the swing arm directed me right to the problem. I'm sure it was original, which means it was very old. It's an important part and cost me $71.23..and, it's green!

The 600 had a 13/43 sprocket ratio and was geared way too low. I returned to the stock 15/43 stock ratio replacing both the countershaft and final drive sprockets with JT brand and added a Primary Drive (RMATV brand) O-Ring Chain. The JT sprockets came in a set for $39.95 on eBay. During replacement of the countershaft sprocket, I found the sprocket plate to be cracked. The OE replacement was $4.88. The chain was a very reasonable $42.25 at RMATV.

The 15/43 ratio is still very low in gearing. That's great for offroad, but it's going to work to maintain highway speeds. A 16 front or other combination may be in order.

The rear tire is a new Kenda 784 Big Block in 130/80-17. It looks kind of gnarly but it's a 50-50 dual sport tire. It was $74.88 at RMATV. I had a tube and rim strip in stock.

The other issue back in the rear was that the shock had clearly lost its charge. I had a shop rebuild the shock for $150 including all seals, fluid and nitro-recharge. I also had them replace the 5.0 kg/mm rate spring with an 8.1 from RaceTech for another $120, installed.

The front tire is a Dunlop D605, which is the OEM front tire that came off my 2019 Kawasaki KLX250. It's a 50-50 dual sport tire. Before I got 10-90s for the KLX, I used these D605 on the Wild Bear Safari in Ocala National Forest and they really did pretty good.

In conclusion, I'm not really sure what all that adds up to, but I think I have a nice classic motorcycle that I'll be getting a lot of use out of.

Next stop...Smokey Mountain 500.

HOT DAY!

How hot is it?

Hot enough that my thermometer exploded!

Ya, it's summer in Florida and it's hot, but I just had to get away and do some serious dirt riding. As previously mentioned in the blog, I had a bad fall off a ladder June 1 that resulted in, among other things, 40 stitches in the back of my right thigh. That's kept me off the bikes and I missed two events...The Hooch and an FCAR Group Trip. It's actually still not 100% healed, but it's healed enough that a whole bunch of ibuprofen deadens most of the pain on the trail.

So, event though it's the middle of summer, I headed up to the Croom Motorcycle Area for two days of riding in the OHV Park with a stay overnight at the Buttgenbach Mine Campsite. I had a great time riding, but it was HOT and HUMID!

Here's some video...

Croom CMA Ride Report

Trail Information:
(Note that Red indicates a link.)

Site: Withlacoochee State Forest, Croom Motorcycle Area (CMA) OHV
Address: 6420 La Rosa Road, Brooksville, Florida 34602
Total Area: 2,600 Acres
Surfaces: Unimproved Single Track OHV
Wet/Mud Potential: High
Overall Difficulty: Moderate
Child Friendly: Two Dedicated Under 15 Riding Areas (90cc vehicle limitation); one has a large pavilion and picnic tables for parents to set up.
Fees:
(1) Annual Pass $80 per vehicle (July to June each year); prorated to $40 between January and June
(2) Daily Use Fee $15 per vehicle
Camping:
(1) Buttgenbach Mine Camping Area, 6420 La Rosa Road, Brooksville (on site)
(2) Silver Lake Campground, 31475 Silver Lake Road, Brooksville (6.2 miles)
Nearby Trail Networks: Croom WMA, Richloam WMA, Citrus WMA
Nearby Restaurants/Fuel: The entrance to the CMA is right at Exit 301 of I-75. There are fast food and sit down places (e.g. Beef O'Badys) right there, as well as fuel stations.

Croom Confusion

The Croom CMA is adjacent to the Croom Wildlife Management Area (WMA) on the east between the WMA and Interstate 75. The Croom CMA is a dedicated OHV Park for motorcycles and ATVs. The Croom WMA is a 21,000 acre area riddle with Forest Roads usable by only plated motorcycles.

Map and Rules Brochure

The map below from the brochure shows the layout of the CMA. The map only sets out the primary "lettered" trails. In fact, the area is riddled with hundreds of miles of single track in virtually all surface forms.

Parking is widely disbursed throughout the park, concentrated at the Sand Hill Day Use Area....

...and the Hammock Day Use Area. Another parking location is the Oak Hill Parking Area, but it has no amenities.

Each day use area has bathrooms. The Hammock has covered pavilions and picnic tables. Other parking areas along the main road typically have picnic tables.

Camping

Buttgenbach Mine:

The CMA is home of the Buttgenbach Mine Camping Area that contains 51 large sites, all with electrical hookup. 5 sites are walk-up for $25 per night. The remainder are subject to reservation and have seasonal rate variation. The reservation site is Reserve America-Buttgenbach.

The Buttgenbach Campground has two very nice bathhouses with three showers in each. The other nice thing is that they have enclosed trash collection stations designed to keep the raccoons out; those guys can get very aggressive.

The one thing I've found at State Run facilities is that they really do a good job putting the campsites together and keeping them maintained.

I was here in July so naturally it was hot. It was so hot the thermometer on the side of my toy hauler exploded.

This is my toy hauler set up for camping. It's an old utility trailer that I converted into a toy hauler/camper. I go all over with it, but my issue is usually dealing with "cold" weather.  I don't usually take on mid-summer Florida heat, but I did in this case. A large fan helps in the heat, but being able to go get into a cold shower is a better way to cool off after a day in the forest.

Camping fees, including the electrical, at Buttgenbach range from $15 to $25 per day varying for seasonal and discounted use, plus there are state and local fees and taxes that in my case were under $10. There are discounts for senior and military. Camping fees do not include the OHV use fee.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Campers at the State-Run Buttgenbach Mine Camp Ground are required to either have an effective annual CMA Pass or purchase an annual CMA Pass per vehicle at the time of entry, even if their stay is as short as a day. This fact is not disclosed in any brochures that I could find and could catch a traveler off guard. The alternative is to camp at nearby State-Run Campsites and trailer in (or ride in if plated) vehicles and pay the $15 day use fee. Here are the two campsites that I recommend.

Silver Lake Camping Area: 6.2 miles from the CMA
Hog Island Camping Area: 14.5 miles from the CMA

Both the Silver Lake and Hog Island Camping Areas lie between the CMA and the Croom WMA opening up expanded riding opportunities in the area. Both camping areas are nice; Hog Island is right on the Withlacoochee River.

Riding Croom CMA

All tracks and trails are two-way. See rules in the brochure linked above.

The Croom CMA is a 2,600 acre enclosed park intertwined and riddled with hundreds of miles of single track; some very rugged. Trails other than the principle lettered trails are not marked. You should expect to be constantly turned around by the trail network and lose track where you are. However, since the park is enclosed with a trail all the way around the perimeter you'll never get lost. That is, if you go in any direction, you'll eventually encounter either the perimeter trail (it'll be obvious for being straight, long, whooped up and deep sand) or the main road into the park.

If you're like me and like to know where you're going, your best bet is a compass. This is my Garmin GPSMAP 64ST in compass mode. What I do is pick a point someplace on the map and then navigate to the spot using the compass settings. Then another point, and so on.

Here is a video that I took navigating from the Hammock Day Use to the Sand Hill Day Use Areas.

CMA_Banana_Spider
17:42
Low hanging trees, whoops, vines and a banana spider in the face:

Here are some photos of the CMA trail network:

This is the sand pit at the Sand Hill Day Use Area:

Looking down into the old mine located in the northeast corner of the park.

The sandpit is a large area that had developed over the years into the equivalent of a track, with banked turns and flats and lots of sand!

If camping at Buttgenbach, there's a single entrance into the OHV park. This sign will get you pointed in the right direction.

A good shot of a banana spider down in the mine.

As you enter the sand pit from the north side.

KLR600 MIleage

With all the mods and tuning, I'm now getting some visibility on the fuel mileage. The mileage using my GPS is 52 mpg. The ODO and trip are reflecting 4.5% over actual.