Reviews

Got the unit in the mail today - I am impressed at the work and engineering put into it. Professionally I am a QA / Regulatory Affairs Manager (Among other duties of senior management for a medical device manufacturer, an FDA, TDH, ISO 9001, ISO 13485 certified facility) so I get to review a lot of designs and builds from scratch that have to pass a high level of performance integrity - this is an excellent piece. You can be proud of it!

My install went well. I also installed the gauge overlay. The unit functions exactly as advertised. Stock temp was consistently low (under 160°F) while modified unit produces 190°/195° except when stopped, when it creeps up to 210° or so and the fan kicks in for a few seconds. My commute is short, cold, and wet, so I'm very pleased with this product and the gauge overlay just makes it more fun, so I recommend that people order that, too.

Nice product Watt-Man! I was concerned about my temp staying so low. It would just barely get to the bottom of the normal operating range on a 40 degree day. Now it runs at a point, just below mid-scale (must be 195 degrees). I have seen the results of too cool temps on aircraft engines. This appears to be a must-do mod. Very well constructed, and good installation instructions.

Without a doubt my oil usage has decreased since the mod.... I'd say by 1/4-1/3. Pretty significant... Thanks Watt-man!!!!

I now have about 2000 mi on my thermo-bob. It was easy to install and has performed flawlessly. It has accomplished every thing you claimed it would. I believe this is the most essential modification since the improved doo-hickey. I’m a real happy customer.

Without a doubt, one of the best purchases I have made for my KLR.

My brother and I have both installed our Thermo-Bobs & just have to report back that we are very happy with them. Here in the Yukon the April temps are slightly above freezing & our poor old KLRs were sometimes barely registering on the gauge when cruising down the highway at highway speeds. Both our bikes are now getting up to temperature very fast & staying there all day. A very good product & thumbs up for all your hard work to produce these for the KLR cult, especially for us guys in the frozen north.

I spent about 2 hours installing it, not that I was rushing either. The install went smooth, using the pdf instructions as a guide I just followed them along until complete. My impression of the t-bob is that it is a craftsmanship marvel. It is beautifully constructed, almost gave me the feel like it was hand made one-off for me only. Just to use one as a paper weight on a desk would be worth the money. Everything fit perfect, everything seemed to fit right where it should with no rubbing or fiddling needed. The bob also works as advertised and it keeps the temp gauge right at halfway regardless of speed or temps outside (tested it last night at 50 degrees, and today at 75 degrees and no difference in the way it showed the temp) At idle it will eventually go up high enough to hit the fan switch, but then it drops right back down to where it should be almost instantly. I let it idle for about 10 mins to see what would happen, nothing negative at all! I can't speak of the oil consumption part (as I don't burn oil yet, and haven't gotten to put many miles on since the t-bob install) but I can say that the bike seems to run much more smoothly, also seems to have better throttle response, a tighter idle speed and less vibe at idle..... I think the regulated temp in the motor could be the cause of this, and I'm happy that it made these improvements. If you have a KLR, you should have this part, its well worth the time and money spent on it, plus it should help extend engine life, minimize wear, help with oil consumption (not a guarantee) and seemed to make the engine run smoother and "crisper"... Mike and Bill have outdone themselves as usual and built a fantastic product. A+. I think that the bang for the buck of this part is great, I dunno why anyone would ride without one.

I put the Thermo-Bob right up there with the doohickey swap out in matters of importance. I rode my bike all winter with it, even in the upper 20's, the temp was stable. Thermo cycling and aluminum encasing an iron cylinder sleeve is bad news. Besides what it does to fuel mileage. I don't see why Kawi allows this to happen. Well looking at the doo, maybe I can understand.

Certainly you don't need me to tell you this, but the product is (unlike many gimmicks we see) exactly as the manufacturer says it is. The theory and technology are sound. The hardware is (though a little bulky) unobtrusive in application, and the supplied kit and instructions are excellent. Installation, though detailed, is straightforward, and not outside the realm of the average do-it-yourselfer. Measured temperatures, deltas, and times to temperature were in every case within just a few points of manufacturer's claims.

I've been running mine for a several months, warm-up is quick even in sub freezing temps. I think the engine stays cooler overall in heavy traffic, slow driving, etc. I haven't seen my temp gauge get anywhere near where it did before the thermo-bob. In stock configuration, all it took was sitting at a stop light for a couple of minutes in 90 degree weather for the temp to rise a bunch and quite often the fan to have to kick in. I don't think my fan has had to turn on yet!

Just a quick note to say that the Thermo-Bob was installed over the last weekend and I must say it is one of the nicest aftermarket, functional kits I have seen in a long, long time…Nice job!!!

Hi Bill, I have managed to ride in quite a few different temperatures from just above freezing to just around 30°C. Installation was as simple and as straight forward as could be, a quick glance at the instructions was all that was needed and all went exactly as described. Fabrication was excellent, sort of too nice to hide.

As far as performance goes Bob works exactly as advertised, warm up seems a little quicker and temp gauge needle settles in about a needle's width below the 1/2 way mark and just stays there....period. Not much in the way of stop and go traffic here, 2 lights would be a traffic jam..:-)...needle moves to about 1/2 scale and the cooling fan may cycle depending on the ambient temperature. Since the running temp is steady it's gotta be easier on the motor and I suspect since it is warming all the way up in cool weather moisture in the oil should be boiled off which to me has to be good for the motor and the oil life....anyway have a great day and thanks for the Thermo-Bob.

Just a note to say thanks for the thermo-bob! I installed it this past weekend -- easily, thanks to your detailed instructions-- and took my daughter for a 200 mile afternoon jaunt on some mountain dirt roads (50%) and highway (50%). The temp gauge stayed rock solid about 1/3 up right below the screw that holds the gauge face whether cruising at 85° temps on the highway or 40° in the mountains. Engine/transmission seemed a lot smoother, less noisy and more power -- especially noticeable when pulling away from a stop. I don't see workmanship like that very often anymore, it's nice to know there are still a few craftsmen left in the good old USA. Well worth the money! Very, very satisfied.

I saw an article about your bypass kit, and decided to investigate. I was very impressed. I have been involved in Drag racing since the late '60's, and have been building and studying high performance internal combustion engine since then. I have also been working as a circuit board designer for 32 years in both military and commercial applications. Needless to say, I've worked with a lot of engineers, and none of them have impressed me with their scientific approach and documentation as you have. There are a lot of "Farkles" for the KLR available, and most of them have limited usefulness for the average rider. Your bypass system, however, should materially extend the life of the engine.

The kit arrived and is now installed/tested. I'm sure it comes as no surprise to you that it works flawlessly and as advertised. My only regret is that I didn't learn about it earlier. I have a mechanical engineering background and understand fully the benefits of having machinery operate at mean design temperature. I remember reading peoples impressions of the manufacture of the unit on a website prior to ordering . To call the Thermo Bob a "work of art" is not an overstatement in my mind after receiving one. Too bad it isn't more visible when all the "jewelry" is back on the bike 🙂 I followed the instructions and took the time to make several small cuts to the hoses until I had a perfect fit with no interference or hose kinks and no need to use the wire tie (patience paid off nicely). I will be sure to recommend to all KLR owners I know or meet. Great work and thanks again.

I installed it tonight. There were no problems. This is a fantastic product and I just want to say thanks. I live pretty high up in the mountains and it's rarely been above 50 degrees yet this year. I'd been having a hard time staying above the C mark on the gauge. It now stays pretty much dead center. It was a cold ride home from the shop too, probably 40 degrees. I wanted you to know I found your customer service to be excellent. The manual is the best I've seen. The thermo-bob itself just feels like high quality. It's nice to see this kind of service still exists.

Just wanted to say thanks for the excellent product and customer service you provide. I installed the unit over the weekend on my 09 and the instructions were great and the unit functions amazing. Comes up to temp really fast than just stays there. Great product and customer service!!!!

I live at the top end of Australia and our daytime temps at this time of the year are the equivalent of 95 degrees F, with up to 90% humidity, so it does get darn hot. I have had the T-Bob on now for around 8 months and I love it:

1. Temperature gets up to around 1/3 on the gauge and stays there, no matter how hard you ride her (only rises above that if stuck in traffic). "No thermo-cycling"!
2. Bike warms-up quickly.
3. No hot or cold spots because water is always circulating through the block, if not through the radiator.
4. Darn nice bit of manufacturing too - that casing is a work of art.
5. Easy to fit (even for a dummy like me).

Summary? You gotta' get one guys - it rocks!

Just wanted to report back that I finally installed the Thermobob this past weekend. I couldn't be happier about the process and best yet the performance of the unit. I could tell within a mile it was living up to it's standards by quickly warming up and then staying steady for an eight mile ride. Yesterday here in Washington it was in the mid to high forties. Normally that unit would have barely gotten a quarter of the way up on the temp gauge again as pointed out in your materials. A beautiful and elegant solution to an annoyance. By the way, my wife who is my eagle eye with measuring and fine cuts says your instructions are the best she has seen for a motorcycle farkle/upgrade.

• This next link is a series of comments from owners when a potential new purchaser wanted to know their opinions of the product: Click here.
• A thread was started at KLR650.net on 8/9/2010 by av_mech. The thread title was::

Is there a downside to the Thermo-Bob?

The downside is that it doesn't install itself. Other then that, it's worth it.

+1 on all the kudos in this thread. My temp gauge needle now stays in the middle of the range when I'm riding, whether the ambient air temperature is 35 or 100 degrees F.

I had my dealership install a T-Bob on my '08 about 20,000 miles ago. When I delivered it to the service manager, he took his time inspecting it and said, "This is a quality product." After installing it, he put a heat gun on the engine and said, "It does exactly what it was advertised to do." He assured me it would have no affect on my warranty.

The cost of the product and the labor to install it (in my case, paying for 45 minutes of shop labor) were bargains to me. I don't see any downsides.

I just wanted to let you know that it the best product I have bought for my 2009 KLR650. I live in central Pa. and use my bike a lot more that most riders. I have a 60 mile ride to work each day (rain or shine) plus all the riding on weekends. The engine runs at a constant temp all the time even at temps as low as 0 and as high as 100. The bike runs great and gets 65 mpg. Thank you for this product. I will let you know as time goes on and thousands of miles how it is working. Every KLR out there should have a Thermo-Bob!!

Greetings. I am absolutely ASTOUNDED by the quality of the parts. I am a professional technician by trade including ASE Master and Honda Gold Level. I see the good stuff and the bad. The Thermo-Bob is as good as it gets. I look forward to a long life and many adventures with my new KLR. Thank you for your contributions to KLR ownership and the Thermo-Bob is a bargain.

I installed the Thermo-bob over the weekend. Love the running temperature!! Only regret is not doing this when it was new. First rate instructions, too. I know you hear this praise all the time. I am sure you put a ton of work into this, congratulations on a fabulous product!

Wanted to add to your positive feedback. I have 16,000 miles on my bike. I use it 50/50 on/off road. It has been an oil burner… 1.5 qt to 300 miles before the Thermo-Bob. I Installed the ‘Bob, new coolant, and rode 228 on-road miles to and from meetup for ride (70-80 mph). Then 60 miles off road, elevations up to 5,000 feet. All of this was in 1^st and second gear. Gravel, rock, snow and mud. Got home with a sore butt, but oil level was right where I started! It is a short statement to say I am tickled pink. Thank you!

Thanks for bothering to develop a product to handle such an obvious flaw in the good ol'e KLR. This winter I haven't bothered picking a day to store the bike and just kept incrementally adding clothing as the cold weather came on. Today, I have no doubt it would have been way too cold to ride the bike otherwise, the thermal shock would have been extreme after coming up to highway speed. I don't have oil temp measuring equipment installed, but I know that when the oil isn't warm at below freezing ambient temps, it doesn't move in the sight glass window. Today I rode to work in a temp of -34C (wind chill values on the highway are -61C). The whole time the bike's temp was where it is normally without fluctuating, and the oil came up to temp and was visible and movable in the sight glass window like it is when it's normally warm. It's not using up any more oil than it does in the summer.

Holy cow, the head bearings and cables were stiff though!

I received my Thermo-Bob kit earlier in the week, but just this evening got a change to open the package and check it out. First, it arrived with no external damage whatsoever, and the contents were all firmly packed in place. I even got a kick out of reading the page of the Arizona newspaper it was wrapped in!

I must say... What a elegant piece of engineering & craftsmanship. I'm the product engineering manager at a large So. Calif. specialty fastener & mechanism's manufacturer that serves the aerospace industry, so I especially appreciate the engineering and manufacturing quality of the product.

Anyway - Thank you very much for the great product and for your responsive communication throughout the process.

At 65 years old it has been many moons since I did any wrenching as involved as the Thermo-Bob installation and have never done anything like this on a motorcycle. Thanks to a well designed and executed product and an amazing set of instructions with plenty of pictures, my old eyes and arthritic fingers had a fun time doing this job. It took a couple hours but was well worth the sense of accomplishment. Even better, the bike ran without a leak and the temp held steady just as predicted whether in stop and go traffic or cruising down the freeway.

So, thank you for a terrific product and a wonderful experience.

I just wanted to provide you with feedback on my Thermo-Bob 2 for my 2009 KLR650.  I installed the part last December and since I live in Michigan, I was able to get a few hundred miles of riding in before the big snows arrived.  I was amazed at how the bike warmed up in even 30° weather.

I used to block the radiator when cold weather arrived but what a pain that was. The bike never warmed up even with the radiator blocked and the oil level sight glass always had condensation. Not good. Now with the Thermo-Bob 2, it warms up within 10-15 minutes and no more condensation in the sight glass. I even ran it down the freeway at 70 mph and the temp held steady near the middle. The temp gauge used to go right back to the "C" when on the freeway in cold weather.

I waited until now to contact you because I wanted to see how it performed in the hot summer months as I was concerned about the bike running hot. We are currently experiencing temps in the 90's and it has not over heated (or even close) once.

I am truly impressed with this product. Your instructions are some of the best I've seen and made installation a breeze.

I've been riding for 45 years and have seen a lot products come along making various claims and most of them didn't deliver on those promises. Yours does! It works exactly advertised and I am a happy customer.

Thanks again for a great product!