Once I added a better front suspension with preload adjustment to the KLR, most of the handling quirks were resolved. It’s worth the investment and would make a great video.

@richardchayer6597

8 ай бұрын

What fork kit did you go with ?

@outdooradventurereps

8 ай бұрын

Cogent Dynamics. I would post a link but it’s against policy.

@Michael-Z-314

8 ай бұрын

I'm commenting in support of SWANKY CAT doing a video of front suspension upgrade. I agree that the KLR needs it. I'm 170 lbs, but even riding without overland gear loaded, the front suspension is sketch af.

@stephencline8561

8 ай бұрын

​@@outdooradventurerepsdid you go with the preload adjusters and DDC with stock springs or did you get new springs also. I was just looking at this.

@outdooradventurereps

8 ай бұрын

@@stephencline8561 I went with stiffer springs, spacers, damper, and preload adjusters. Nice addition for both on road and off-road handling. Not quite as fast as the T-7 but a good upgrade for the investment.

I just installed the fork brace today along with new levers and a small handle bar rise. It changed the riding experience big time.

@SwankyCatProductions

25 күн бұрын

Nice! Glad to hear it!

I didn't buy the eagle mike fork brace I bought a Chinese knock off that is the same exact brace in my eyes at least. I've had bikes in the past that I've installed fork braces and it did make a difference. the day I bought the klr and rode it home I knew right away that it needed one. The front end felt sloppy and twitchy at 60mph on roads with rain groves, plus the stock tires are actual garbage. I don't think you will really feel a difference with that aggressive of a front tire. I had motoz tractionators on and were awful on the highway even with a forkbrace. I run shinkos 705's now and I'm honestly impressed how well they work off road and how much smoother they are on road. I live in the flat part of WI so I gotta ride to the fun spots to go riding. Zero wobble with the shinkos and fork brace 👍

I bought one and was on the fence about installing it. I ended up just returning since I still could after a lot of comments of forums from people who installed one and at some point afterwards had fork seals leaking. Most said they never had fork seals leaks on bikes until after installing one. Great video.

I had the Eagle brace on my 2018 and did not notice any difference IMHO. The Big Girl still took off in unexpected directions and I was just along for the ride. As for on road, I never had an issue with the 2018 even when running the TKC80 front knobby which worked very well off road and was so so on road. The best mod I ever added to mine was stiffer springs front and rear.

@SwankyCatProductions

8 ай бұрын

Honestly I think I should have stuck this money into suspension instead, if I really wanted a big improvement. Oh well, still fun to test!

I love that you actually reviewed this item about that highway wobble! Thank you.

f'ing love that lava orange color.. wish they continued that on the 2023 models

Appreciate the narration. Helpful. Thank you.

@SwankyCatProductions

20 сағат бұрын

Glad to hear that, thanks!

The problem with the death wobbles on the KLR is you have to add weight to the front, My 2016 KLR650 with a trunk on the rear rack wobbles at speeds greater than 85mph, when I lean forward it doesn’t wobble until 100mph with the trunk. If I take the trunk off it doesn’t wobble at all even at top speed, try adding 10-20lbs of lead on the front to counteract the weight on the rear it works really well! Yeah I know the KLR is a heavy Dual Sport to begin with though the bike won’t wobble so easily with the added weight on the front, I got the idea from people who drag race cars that add lead weights to get better traction. I’ve done this weight mod on my KLR and it’s night and day difference I had to add some weight in front of the gas tank and even under the front fender, the more weight you have on the rear the more you have to add to the front to counter balance. Think of how you would load weight on a trailer you don’t have the weight behind the wheels of the trailer cause it will wobble at the slightest movement you want the weight to be in the front!!

Great channel! The brace will stop the awful flexing of the forks. You should notice off road

@SwankyCatProductions

8 ай бұрын

Thanks! Yeah it definitely feels more solid in the sand!

I am running the Eagle MFG fork brace on Dunlop Trailmax Mission tires on a 22 klr. I felt a huge improvement immediately while primarily riding on gravel roads. I now find the bike is acceptable simply cruising on county and forest service roads, even state highways. Not the top heavy feel like before.

i definitely noticed a difference on the highway over 50mph on mine.

My 2004 KLR 650 has has both the rear and front suspension upgrades and for the last 20 years I've never had any wobble either on the bush tracks or on the bitumen.

I'm not sure I am sold unless I really wanted to lower my front fender to get anything like this. I'm not going to deny it does do "something". It just seems I hear more "not sure if it is doing anything" or, "not sure if I can tell the difference" than anything else that would make me want to part with my money for one of these. I'll keep an open mind on it still as the placebo effect when it comes to confidence ,especially off road, can be very useful. Thanks for taking the time to test it out.

@SwankyCatProductions

8 ай бұрын

Yeah, honestly the lower fender option was a bit of a driving factor for me too. IDK if I'll even like it but I was just curious enough to t buy it so I could test both ways haha.

@michaelladymon5143

8 ай бұрын

Okay, here goes my take on this. I ride a 2006 Klr and when I took my first trip to Colorado in 2018 it chased every crack and uneven area that was in the highway. It even had a bit of “death wobble” at times when getting hit with hard side winds at speeds around 75 to 80 mph. It is loaded heavy with boxes and camping gear, etc., but was very hard to handle at times and wasn’t a comfortable or easy trip at all. After I got back, I ordered and installed the Eagle Mike fork brace and it was night and day different on the Gen 1. I have put another 20k plus miles on it since then and highly recommend it for the Gen 1 bikes for sure. Now whether or not it’s needed for the later bikes, I wouldn’t know for sure. Thanks

@avgjoerides

8 ай бұрын

@@michaelladymon5143 Good point. Does anyone know for sure how much has been changed/upgraded. other than the rake being increased from 28 deg to 30 deg in the Gen 3 front forks? I guess I have some research to do. It would be interesting to know one way or the other.

The stock fender is FINE. I also put 3M #33 black tape over all but 2 vent holes and rotated the bellows so the 2 holes faced the rear so riding in dust and rain wouldn't get in.

Thanks for the review. Glad someone is still exploring the KLR. Still have the 07 Gen1 with a few farkles and upgrades. Nothing has compelled me to change &. $ isn't the issue.

@SwankyCatProductions

7 ай бұрын

Yeah, honestly for all the talk I heard about this mod I expected a bigger difference. I wouldn't say I'm disappointed, but you'd really have to be serious about getting EVERYTHING you can out of the bike to justify the cost. Nothing wrong with that, but not really my type of mod usually. Glad I tested it though!

I put Kenda cruiser tires on my Gen3 because I'm running Interstates around MKE 99% of the time. Any wobble I was getting is gone now... not that it was so bad that it bothered me. But if I was on grooved pavement passing a semi at speed, or going over bridge grating, it'd start to swim a bit. Not a big deal, but easy enough to fix. I have the Eagle Mike fork brace (not installed yet), but i want to lower the fender as much as I want to stiffen the forks, and I don't have a replacement fender yet

I feel like I’m watching this in 8k!! Great video!!

@SwankyCatProductions

8 ай бұрын

Haha yeah the 360 makes it look a little like it's animated or something haha.

Ditch the DSport front and highway manners will improve. I’ve run a DSport front, Motoz DualVenture(tubeless, it is different than tubeless), and Shinko 804. The DSport was lightly used from my DRZ, it always had a speed wobble above 65mph. Motoz was better once broke in but still had a pretty good speed wobble depending on road surface and headwind. It really wasn’t acceptable for the 75 mph speed limit backroads in West Texas. Both were great off road though. I pulled the DualVenture off to save for a future BDR. I’m curious what front tire you’re trying next. The 804 is suiting my current use of highway and dirt two track but you ride quite a bit of off road. I know you have lots of miles on the Shinko also. As for riding in the heat I’m really bad about riding in a Jersey with no armor.

I have one on 2008 klr ,,,i like it not sure how well it performs, it is more a confidence assuring, that the tubes are more ridge. I do like to take my bike in the mountains roads doing the twisties. The big single is fun and easy, just letting off the gas, never trail braking, and excellerating mid turn

@SwankyCatProductions

8 ай бұрын

It definitely seems to have increased my confidence too. Certainly made this ride a lot of fun!

I bought one for my (22) KLR about a year and a half ago because I felt flex in the front forks and I immediately could feel the difference off road. I highly recommend them for anybody who rides any off road. I also recommended the Bridgestone AX41 tires. Super good on road and in canyons and good off road. The only issue with the tires is you will get about 2,500 miles on the rear before it's no good off road and double that for the front tire.

@xnihilo1044

8 ай бұрын

Yikes! That's worse mileage than the stockers.

I have a Gen1 and ride at least 50% off road in areas that the killer wasn't meant for. Subsequently, I fall a lot. With the fork pinch bolts torqued to a bit more than factory spec, I'd have to realign the forks after almost every ride. Installed the Eagle fork brace a few years ago and haven't had to straighten the forks since. Maybe if I was the average KLR rider, it never would have been an issue. Gen1s had slimmer forks and an inch more travel. May not be an issue on newer KLRs.

The forks and frame still have plenty of flex. My guess is you are feeling The small improvement in precision in the steering.

A fork brace is a great idea for a street bike but that doesn't seem to leave a lot of clearance above the tire for mud and rocks coming off the tire. As the rider of an ADV bike with a low fender, I know just how much of an issue mud and rocks can be. I wish the manufacturer had made this brace sit higher above the tire.

The cupped knobs will absolutely affect hard top handling. Feels like riding on marbles. With decent tires (50/50) my '09 KLR could handle 120 km (75mph) on hwy all day no issues, no fork brace.

I installed one of them I really couldn’t tell any difference but my back pocket was lighter.

I previously had installed a fork brace on my 2007 650 V-Strom I used to own. I couldn’t tell any difference with it. Maybe an engineer with several sensors could record some useful data, not my 10 watt brain. Do other adventure bikes have them stock? How about motorcross bikes?

You will feel a real difference at 72mph plus on the interstates. But really the axle does not allow so called flex. What makes tge difference is putting 3 " spacers on the brace and lowering the front fender. The wind coming up under the fender is what causes the lateral wobble. After this the bike still gets side gusts as this big s high off the ground but the headwind won't shake the handlebars.

The improvement would depend on how loose your forks had gotten.

I used 1inch pcv plastic plumbing and longer 6×1.0 bolts. 2 3/4" might be even better as it puts the fender nose over the tire and breaks the wind for the tire as well. I feel its a worth while fix as these bikes cruise at 72 to 80 mph w/ a 16 t countersprocket. And they mainly ride on pavement.Go for it.

Could you cut the fork sleeves off just above the holes?!

@SwankyCatProductions

3 ай бұрын

Hmmm I'm not sure there would be enough material to grab the brace, but maybe?

Not sure if you make it west of elcho, alot of trails in that area.

@SwankyCatProductions

8 ай бұрын

It's been a few years but I've ridden just about all the trails in Langlade. Really nice area!

@wildbillslickdog

8 ай бұрын

@@SwankyCatProductions I am a member of troop 863 boy scout camp on pine lake, your welcome to stop in , and enjoy the lake, if the mosquitoes don't eat you alive.

You do the doo hickie mod?

@SwankyCatProductions

6 ай бұрын

Nope, haven't done it on either KLR I've owned. I just make sure I adjust the stock one every oil change. No issues yet.

Loosen the fork boots and twist them 180 degrees. Brings the holes to the rear.

i think you are looking for a steering stabilizer...

Put some black electric tape over those holes to keep your shocked clean.

A steering damper would be a better choice.

Issue with this design is and water that gets in there does not drain sind drain holes are now sitting higher.

@SwankyCatProductions

6 ай бұрын

True, but I think the gap or seam between the outer clamps and the middle portion is large enough to let any water out pretty easily.

@Werkmaster666

6 ай бұрын

True all comes down to how it is installed.

Sigh, without the brace the front wheel deflects much more easily, which results in you constantly chasing the "line". The brace helps with the soggy pasta forks and is IMMEDIATELY noticeable on ALL surfaces. It helps tremendously in Florida's deeeeep sand.

@SwankyCatProductions

8 ай бұрын

I think I had it built up in my head that it would make it feel SOOO much better. It's definitely better, just not as great as all the hype I've seen over the years. Maybe I need more time on it, or maybe I'm just spoiled by my 701 haha.

@kimeakin1597

8 ай бұрын

The thing is, the brace is the only way of improving the front ends performance without spending cubic dollars, as in replacing the stock forks with some REAL forks. This alone makes it a no brainer.@@SwankyCatProductions

You need a Scotts steering damper and then you’ll feel the difference

@MrCheaterpipe

8 ай бұрын

Yes but that's pricey I don't have either on my klr but I do have cogent dynamics suspension front and rear turned it into a whole new bike cannot recommend it enough

@SwankyCatProductions

8 ай бұрын

That's exactly what I thought after trying this, I think a steering damper would probably do what I was hoping this would. A suspension upgrade is probably the best investment though.

@BlazinBlades

8 ай бұрын

@@SwankyCatProductions Just for kicks install a lower fender instead of that high one(like you’re describing in the video) I’m sure that will work wonders too on the highway.

@SwankyCatProductions

8 ай бұрын

@@BlazinBlades I'm really excited to see if it makes a difference, seems like it'll have too!

2012 with fork brace...didnt do shit. Try motoz ralllz. About the most aggressive front you can get away with without ruining the highway stability.

Eggsolent bike fella

Pine lake road is in alot worst shape ,that road is smooth...

"I don't bust out the torque wrench often." What kind of mechanic are you? I "bust" out the torque wrench every time I need it and that is often! Makes me think twice before I watch any more of your videos.

It's not a steering stabilizer per say.

@SwankyCatProductions

8 ай бұрын

True, that's exactly what came to mind when I started testing this actually. I think I was hoping it would do what a steering stabilizer is supposed to, but obviously that's not the case lol.

need new tire? I think so

@SwankyCatProductions

2 ай бұрын

Haha yeah, it was never any better than this, so it was hard to tell lol.

Shinko 244

That front tire is done, my guy. That scalloping is terrible. Get an aftermarket fender and a better quality tire (keep the brace) and it won't do it any more.

@SwankyCatProductions

8 ай бұрын

Haha yeah it is! I actually ordered a different tire the same time I ordered the brace. I think it'll make a big difference too.

@johnnykamikaze0

8 ай бұрын

I've got Michelin Anakee Adventure tires on my Gen1. It had some Kenda whatevers on it when I got it second hand and they were scalloped terribly as well. Best upgrade I've made was the tires.@@SwankyCatProductions

Get rid of that D Spot front tire. That is the worst front tire I ever ran. Bad from the beginning and just kept getting worse, shot/cupped in 2000 miles. Kenda 270 front is much better...