and
I originally contacted Steve Kesselring, owner of Quality Engine performance machine shop, after reading of his experiments with KLR engines in Dual Sport News.  Steve is a master builder who has created hybrid 727 and 770 versions of the KLR650 engine, managing to get 50 hp out of it.

I wanted to know what he thought was the best way to create an engine built for longevity, rather than power, seeing as how I was pulling apart my engine to modify the first gear anyway. 
He came up with two coatings, a thermal barrier which has been applied to the piston face, head, valve faces and ports; and a dry film lubricant that he applied to the piston skirt, shift drum and forks, and all the gears.  The later is insurance against the third-rate oils I will probably be forced to use in some cases.  See below for pictures of the components with their coatings.
Upon assembling my gear cluster with the new gear, Steve found the KLR600 first gear mod incompatible with the later model (post 96) gearbox design, something I was totally unaware of.  I assumed I was out of luck and had wasted my money on the shaft and gear, but Steve was undeterred.  He managed to find a component from one of his early engines, and was able to modify it to make the lower first gear mod work on my 2000 engine.
The first gear mod is fantastic.  On the shakedown tour, running solo and loaded I ran a 16 tooth countersprocket and had no problems pulling away from lights, and never felt like the bike was lugging.
Running 2-up, I switched to the 15 tooth countersprocket, and again had no lugging fully loaded.  Being led at a snail's pace through construction sections of the Yukon by a pilot car, I never had to ride the clutch at all. 
It takes a little bit of getting used to, at the start I wasn't winding out first gear enough, and lugging second as a result, but that quickly passes.

If you're rebuilding your engine, even just top end, it could be worth it to go that little bit further and have a KLR 600 first gear installed.
If you have a pre 96 KLR, the components are all interchangeable.
If you have a post 96, contact Steve Kesselring of Quality Engine R&D and have him set you up.
UPDATE! - The KLR600 parts for the first gear mod may not be available anymore.  Check with your dealer.
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