Shock Rebuild
KLR Shock Rebuild Program
The KLR 650 Mono shock is truly a bargain basement shock. The valving stack is crude, at best with a very simple compression valving and no rebound stack at all. All rebound dampening is accomplished through a tapered orifice in the shock shaft. The shock is also an emulsion shock. Emulsion means that the shock oil is free to mix with the nitrogen charge. This makes it very difficult to keep consistent shock action. On top of that Kawasaki fitted a spring that is too long for the shock, putting to much initial preload on the spring. This is not good for proper spring action.
The 2008+ KLR has a
better valving stack that can be modified without the need of a Gold Valve. The
08+ forks, while a bigger diameter tube, are still the old style internally and
benefit greatly with the addition of springs and Race Tech Emulators.
Suspensions by Sasquatch, a local suspension builder, has developed a way to modify the stock KLR shock into a truly excellent performing shock for a reasonable cost. This is done through gutting the internals and replacing with high-end aftermarket valving stacks, better springs and even remote reservoirs if desired. All these modifications are done specifically for each customer tailored to his or her riding style.