• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

KLR dash install

JPK

Active member
Joined
Sep 26, 2008
Location
Los Gatos
Moto(s)
N/A
I just finished installing my KLR Dash on my '09 KLR650, and I thought I'd post up a quick write-up and some pics for any other KLR riders out there that might be interested. The kit consists of two side brackets that raise up the windscreen, and a dash panel. You can use the stock windscreen or an aftermarket screen. I opted to go with the Zero Gravity double bubble screen for some additional height and well, because I like the way it looks.

The install is very straightforward. The brackets and dash come primered, so I started by wiping them down with some paint thinner and spraying them with three coats of Rustoleum semi-gloss black. Once they'd dried for 24 hours, it was time to install them. I began by removing the stock windscreen. The only non-reversible aspect to this install (and it's optional) is to trim the very top corners of the front fairing at the top of the extension brackets. A Dremel with a cut-off wheel made quick work of this. I then installed the brackets with the supplied bolts and nylock nuts, and then installed the new windscreen.

The dash install is also very straightforward. You remove two bolts in the stock dash fascia, and attach the dash with the two supplied longer bolts and spacers. My only complaint about the kit is that the fastener hardware looks sorta "budget" (yes, I know it's a KLR) and, more annoyingly, is all imperial. I'll probably head over to Olander at some point and pick up some nice stainless metric fasteners to clean it up a little. Before installing the dash I laid out the locations of the Ram Mounts for my iPhone and Garmin 60CSx, and driled two holes for each and bolted the mounts onto the dash. Then the dash went on and it was good to go! All in all, a two beer project. Haven't had a chance to ride it yet, so I can't give my impression of the wind protection with the new setup, but it does have a newfound KTM'ish rake to it.

There's plenty of room behind the dash, so I'll be installing an auxiliary fuse panel back there to power the iPhone and Garmin, and there's also plenty of dash space for the upcoming heat-troller control for the heated grips (when I get around to that).

Here are some before and after shots from different angles.

IMG_0097.jpg


IMG_0102.jpg


IMG_0096.jpg


IMG_0101.jpg


IMG_0095.jpg


IMG_0106.jpg


Cut here:

IMG_0099.jpg


More finished shots:

IMG_0118.jpg


IMG_0114.jpg


IMG_0110.jpg


Hope you enjoyed.

-John
 
Interesting. Thanks for posting. :cool
 
I had a chance to take the bike out today- mix of goaty back roads, dirt, and some easier (read, faster) back roads. No highway, but I had a chance to get it up to 60-70 mph on a few stretches. It was immediately obvious that the wind buffeting with this setup at any speed over 50 mph is unacceptable. I'm 6' tall, and with the stock windscreen the air off the top of the screen would hit me right in the shoulders so my helmet was in clean air. The wind coming off the screen now hits me right in the face shield, just below the visor. This induces a terrible resonating vibration in the helmet visor (Arai XD3) that gave me a headache after about 10 minutes. So, while the new setup looks cool, something's gonna have to change. I'm going to try putting the stock screen back on. With the extension brackets this should still be plenty of room for the dash, and hopefully it will be short enough to get my helmet back in clean air.

Other observations about the KLR dash setup- the dash vibrates pretty badly since it's only attached by the two screws. I'll have to brace it somehow, as the vibration made reading the map nearly impossible. Also, powering the Garmin 60CSx is a must for me, as trying to read it without the backlight was very difficult through a tinted face shield.

All in all, I'm still optimistic that the setup will work out for me- the primary goal was to put the Garmin and the iPhone within view, and I think that with the dash braced and the devices wired for power it will work out perfectly. Finding the right height windscreen may prove to be a bit more of a challenge.
 
Back
Top