Clutch maintenance / burn out ??

Mar 30, 2010
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Hi Guys,

Not being mechanical in any way.. I hope this is not too dumb a question..

Last weekend when we were playing around in Khao Kiew, Chonburi.. We took the KLX / D-Tracker up a steep and very slippery hill.

The D tracker had the KLX rims / tyres and all the necessary bits.. Just before the top the clutch totally went and some locals were nearby to help push the bike up the last part of the hill.. It wouldn't engage at all.. we had to roll the bike down the mountain and then push it out the bush to a house and hitch a ride in a pick-up.

Question is:-

As we tend to put the clutch under more stress with trails, mud, rocks etc.. Do we need to check this and is maintenance required?

Understand this is not easy to do.. So should it be done when taking the bike to Kawa for service (for the non mechanical types like me) or do you just never mind and wait till something happens?

In our case on Sunday.. Lots of spinning wheels in the soft soil, rocks and steep going up.. The engine did over heat and at one stage green radiator water was shooting up like a little fountain out the front.. Then stopped the bike until it cooled down..

Just had me thinking.. As we are putting these bikes under a lot more pressure than standard riding.. Is this something that should be on the maintenance schedule and how often..

Cheers
Brian
 
Feb 1, 2012
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What a bummer Brian it always sucks to brake down and on top of a mountain just as well it was not the other way around that would have really sucked getting the bike to the top !
You said it over heated were you at the time riding it up steep 'oil tends to thin out when very hot and dos not do its job. I have never had a clutch go as yours has 'but'

1: pushing the bike hard with really hot oil up hill.
2: the standerd gearing on the KLX/D-Tracker is more suited to road.
3: how heavy you are if your a fairly big guy the right gearing comes in to play a lot more off road going up mountains even more so.
4: it could be your clutch was dodgy.
5: after all it is only a under powerd 250.

When i have had my motors apart looking at the clutch for me its hard to tell bugger all by looking at it think the only way is to pull it apart and as you say if your not mechanical minded it would still be hard to tell. A mate says put your front wheel up to a wall on hard suface and do a burn out never tried it myself but he says you can tell if the clutch is slipping when you start? To be sure the other guys here may have better ways to try it but as i have said i have never had a clutch brake down on me in all the years i have been riding.

Cheers Brad
 
Mar 30, 2010
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Thanks Brad.

My friends bike was over heating big time so that sounds like a big part of the problem.

He has a little sticker that tells the temp on the engine.. It was boiling when checked.

Water started shooting out the radiator.

Sounds like the 2008 D Tracker was pushed too hard.
Very slippery and tricky terrain with the wrong tyres. One of those things where the trail starts ok and gets very difficult at the point of no return.

On the bright side... We were not remote in Laos :)

Cheers
Brian
 
Feb 1, 2012
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My 2002 KLK has no fans on the radiator and last weekend i had it out bush for a bash around, and i could smell radiator coolant every now and then stoped but could find no leaks and the bike was running fine and my CR500 is a closed radiator and i never seem to worry about it and it runs a hell of a lot faster maybe up 75% more rev's per min i am not sure than the KLX dos mind you the CR now need new rings now :-(
I did not say anything about tyres as you first said you had ( The D tracker had the KLX rims / tyres and all the necessary bits..) but yes mountain climbing you really need the right tyres Knobbys for sure are best.
I have not bothered changing my KLX front and back sprockets as i ride it manly on road but i still think about doing it, and if i was going to ride it more off road i definitely do it with the right gearing and grip your old motor dos not have to work so hard.

Cheers Brad
 
Mar 30, 2010
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mudboots;278915 wrote: My 2002 KLK has no fans on the radiator and last weekend i had it out bush for a bash around, and i could smell radiator coolant every now and then stoped but could find no leaks and the bike was running fine and my CR500 is a closed radiator and i never seem to worry about it and it runs a hell of a lot faster maybe up 75% more rev's per min i am not sure than the KLX dos mind you the CR now need new rings now :-(
I did not say anything about tyres as you first said you had ( The D tracker had the KLX rims / tyres and all the necessary bits..) but yes mountain climbing you really need the right tyres Knobbys for sure are best.
I have not bothered changing my KLX front and back sprockets as i ride it manly on road but i still think about doing it, and if i was going to ride it more off road i definitely do it with the right gearing and grip your old motor dos not have to work so hard.

Cheers Brad
Both the D-Tracker and KLX had the same tyres.. But they were not really good enough for this terrain. steep, soft soil, wet slippery rocks.
But as we ride so much road to the place to ride on the dirt.. not much choice..
Will look for other tyres with better off road capabilities as well as durable on the road.. Mind you.. The problem we had really only occurs in the wet..
All the trips through Laos we had done have been fine.. But on the last trip another friend had a rental with better off road tyres and you could really notice how much better it handles and bit in to the dirt going up and down hill. For a relative newbie like me.. every bit helps to stay on the bike :)

Cheers
Brian
 
Feb 1, 2012
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No worrys even though i ride my KLX on road most of the time i still have a knobby on the back and a road trial on front and if your not spinning your wheel all the time it has lasted rather well and as i do not need to feel i have to go cornering like i ame riding a road race bike it works well for me everyone rides different what works for me might not work for you but do not be afraid to try if you do not like change back and keep your tyers for when you want them next time you go mountain climbing :lol:

Cheers Brad.