Just a quick report for those KLR riders who may be as mechanically disinclined as I am. (That’s right: Put me in round room with 5 metal washers; I’ll lose two and break the rest.)
I have about 1,100 miles on my 2011 Kawasaki KLR 650 and wanted to upgrade the balancer idle lever & spring (AKA: the Eagle Mike doohickey upgrade) before there was a problem. As you might’ve read, these issues have plagued KLRs for years yet Kawasaki has yet to stand up and implement a fix. Leave that up to a local boy, San Diego’s Eagle Mike (Eagle Mfg.) who fabricates and sells KLR stuff that Kawasaki should be using in their stock bikes. But I digress…
Anyhow, even though there is plenty of information about the installation process, to include the special tools that are required, I decided to have someone else do the work. I contacted Eagle Mike directly who recommended his friend and fellow gearhead Mike Sorchy who runs a high performance bike outfit (Epic Power) in the San Diego area. This meant I didn’t have to purchase or borrow the special tools required for the process (even though the local SDAR guys offered to give them to me at no cost).
Mike had not previously done the doohickey upgrade (http://www.eaglemike.com/Basic-lever-kit-basic-doohickey-kit-blk.htm)
on a KLR so, in consultation with Eagle Mike, he estimated he could complete the work in under three hours. And that included the Thermo-bob kit (http://shop.watt-man.com/Thermo-Bob-for-KLR650-2008-and-NEWER-TB8.htm) 
and an oil/filter change. How could I pass up that deal?I dropped my bike off with Mike @ Epic Power on Monday and picked it up on Thursday. I was charged under 3 hours of labor for the entire job. If you only want the doohickey work done, it will be less.
NOTE: It appears that Mike Sorchy will be doing a lot more of these jobs as the greater San Diego area is chock full of numbskulls like me.
I've added a few photos from a recent eagle Mike tech day in El Cajon, CA. One of the local guys is seen doing the Doo (with Chuck B and Eagle Mike overseeing the work.)
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I acquired new Eagle Mike doohickey, torsion spring and Thermo-Bob kits from a local rider who sold his KLR before he could install them. You may buy the kits on-line or from Eagle Mike’s shop.
Anyhow, contact me if I can provide any info on the process, or contact either Mike directly. If you're in the SD area and want this work done, here’s the contact info for Mike Sorchy:
Mike Sorchy/Epic Power
1145 Greenfield Dr. Suite H
El Cajon, CA 92021
O: (619) 356-3742
Mike.EpicPower@gmail.com
Useful links:
Watt-man.com
http://www.eagle-m-e.com/
eaglemike.com
Videos and step-by-step instructions can easily be located all over the I-net.
Take care, KLRistas!
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