Kawasaki's Dirty Little Secret

[vvbluerider]

BUYER BEWARE: 1700 motors have transmission output shaft failures.

This requires the entire motor to be cracked open (bad design).

Kawasaki has not upgraded the output shaft (failure can happen again).

Kawasaki does not have remanufactered motors available (repair shop will take months to fix problem).

Output shaft failure will leave you stranded and potentially kill you if driving in highly congested areas. (Goverment recall need to be issued)

Kawasaki and it's "deep pockets" needs to get this failure resolved, and take care of their customeds who have suffered financial loss.

This is real, again, BUYER BEWARE.

[redjay]

How would you suggest Kawasaki upgrades the transmission output shaft ?

Closer tolerances ? A better pulley locking device (tab washer) ?

Maintenance update to check the pulley nut torque in the service manual ?

[vvbluerider]

I am not a mechanical engineer, but the hardening process on the shaft is not sufficient. The splines failed on the shaft and on the front pulley. What allowed this to happen? Engineering incompetence?

[andyvh1959]

Kind of tough to say "requires the entire engine to be cracked open (bad design)" as a bad design. Its pretty common that most Japanese motorcycle engines have to be opened in order to fix most transmission and output drive issues. Kawasaki is not the only manufacturer to design an engine with the transmission integrated into the crankcase.

No motorcycle manufacturer of any brand from any country offers a remanufactured engien program. That even applies for BMW and Harley which have been building many similar engines for decades. There simply is not enough sales in the market to support that, Simply not enough bikes on the road (compared to cars) to financially support that. And, since MOST bike failrues are largely the result of poor care, poor maintenance, and misuse on the part of the owner/user, what sense would there be to offer remanufactured engines? And the market is FULL of salvage bikes with low miles that take care of the salvage/repair side of the market. When a used bike, especially a Japanese bike, can be bought used for nearly 1/4 of its original selling price, again there is no market to support the rational of manufacturer replacement engines.

Repair shops can take months to repair a motorcycle because the motorcycles change every few years (not like cars), and change significantly to keep them fresh in the markets eyes, keep them desireable. As a result, many parts of a motorcycle may only have a production run of a few years, maybe five at most, in MUCH lower production numbers than cars. So the parts are uniqie and changing every few years. If you were a dealer it would make NO sense to maintain repair stock on products that change so often, simply is not a good business model. So when your ten year old whatever (on ANY brand not just Kawasaki) needs a low production replacement part that likely has to bo MADE TO ORDER you wonder why it takes weeks to replace it? You expect parts for your 2003 Kawasaki to be as readily avialable as your 2003 Chevy? Simply is NOT happening, wlecome to the reality of owning a motorcyle more than ten years old. About the only exceptions to that model is BMW and Harley, which have producing very similar models for decades, with lots of parts common to many models. There is your argument for selecting a brand with longevity and a large dealer network to support them. Its just the reality of the motorcycle market and certainly not unqiue to Kawasaki as a brand.

I have been active in motorcycling for over 52 years, many brands, many models, and its largely the same for all brands and models. There is little financial sensibility in motorcyling, especially in the western worlds where motorcycles are a recreational device, not a required daily transportation device like much of the rest of the world. Want a great example of a bike that meets your criteria, look at a Honda 50 Step Trough, been in production repeatadly since the early 60s. Its a mainstay of transportation all over the world, other than the USA. The Honda 50 is the Volkswagen Beetle of the motorcycle world. That bike makes sense to have parts readily available for decades, as it is a very similar bike for nearly 50 years, and parts are regularly in high demand.

[The Black Knight]

Hi andyvh1959.

I agree with you, mate.

[Chuck A.]

Loosening the drive belt will help as it is overly tightened at the factory specs. May not be the answer to the said problem but people tend to get a lot of miles on this bikes. How many failures have actually been reported compared the 1700's out there? We need data if the warning flag is flown, not just an opinion.

[andyvh1959]

Kawasaki had known issues in the past: the plastic oil pump gear in the VN1500, 2nd gear in the VN1600 trans (which my Classic has, for now), possible clutch issues in the 1600 and same for the timing chain tensioners. Some of that is proved by as much by customer bikes more than testing before the bikes went to production. However, 2nd gear issues are nothing new to the Japanese bike producers, as my 1978 Suzuki GS1000 was known to have 2nd gear shifting fork issues. I've heard of similar issues with some VN1700 trannys. Seems the riders of these bikes more easily find the issues when the bikes hit the markets. Or, the real world riders are actually harder/more clumsy than the factory test riders when it comes to shifitng under power. Many of us are too familiar with marginal rotors in the electrical systems of bigger Japanese bikes, even biting mighty Honda in the butt for marginal alternator outout, or inadequate alternator cooling leading to failed electrics.

I bet many a failed 2nd gear shifting fork is as much due to lousy shifting practices while hammering the bike through the gears to prove to other riders how much power their bikes put out. Back in the days of my 2003 VN1600 the Vulcans were known to shame some stock Harleys and I bet the Vulcans got ridden hard to prove their prowess over the much more expensive Harleys of the day. When Harleys finally started making real power for their size that quieted many a showoff on the metric cruisers.

[Chuck A.]

Originally Posted by andyvh1959

..........I bet many a failed 2nd gear shifting fork is as much due to lousy shifting practices while hammering the bike through the gears to prove to other riders how much power their bikes put out............

With the toe shifter, bent forks were very rare. Not much force pulling up on a shifter with the toe. But yep, stomping your toe on the heel shifter is a heck of a lot of unnecessary force for changing gears.

[Brydgy]

I moved my heel shifter out of the way

[andyvh1959]

I agree. All my other bikes have toe shift only, and I like the shift feel better with the toe shifter. I removed the heel shift on my 1600 Classic. Toe shift, preload the shifter to take up slack/play, get the rpm up, minimal clutch action and throttle chop and the shifts are quick, positive and firm.

[Chuck A.]

I bent my heel shifter down in a press till it is almost even with the floor board. doesn't box my boot in and just slide your heel back and a slight press and it's upshifted. I don't worry with speed shifting any more and honestly, on open roads I will raise the rpm's a bit more and double shift from 2nd to 4th and then 4th to 6th.