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First oil change/disaster...test the warranty

8K views 23 replies 12 participants last post by  DPelletier 
#1 ·
So, i put 400 on the bike and am going on a nice long ride today. I go ride the bike around and warm the oil up, drop the plug and pull the fill cap.....the rear bolt on the filter housing doesn't feel right coming out and I knew what I was about to see....yep sure enough the threads are galled. I managed to clean them up but the threads in the case cover look like crap and surely won't last forever. Anyone had this trouble and how is Kawasaki with warranty?
 
#2 ·
Bad Threads

I'd be surprised if the mfr considers it a warranty fix. The bolt might have been overtightened at the factory, but since you were the one to pull it, there is no proof either way.

If the dealer had done the filter change, they might have put in a helicoil while they were in the engine. Or they might have just buttoned things up without worrying about it. I'd guess the second one.

Either way, you need a helicoil to get things up to snuff. The kits are not too expensive, about $25 at amazon.

Good luck!
 
#5 ·
I wonder what is wrong with those idgets assembling these machines. I had a similiar issue with my sparkplug. '09' with about 9k miles and decided to remove the sparkplug just to have a look. And the damn thing was cross threaded the entire length of the screw hole. Once i got the plug out i got the vacuum with a small fuel line taped to the end and stuck it down inside the cylinder in hopes i could suck up any filings that may have dropped.
Luckily i didn't have to re-tap the plug hole and a new sparkplug threaded in no problem. But i know the idiot at the factory simply kept screwing the sparkplug in without removing it to see why it was binding (maybe that was a good thing).
Thats the kind of quality control you get from a country where the people are paid a whopping $1.50 aday.
Thanks for letting me use your post to vent alittle.
 
#7 ·
I would imagine in that situation if you're a factory worker and you know you've cross-threaded the bolt but also know you can just crank it on in and nobody will know the difference when it leaves your line, it's probably more tempting to go ahead and do that than to tell you boss you just screwed it up. Is it right to do so? No. Is it human nature? For a lot of people, yeah.
 
#8 ·
Bought a new 2001 KLR250 that year. A friend and I were staying at his cabin and riding to some trails I used to ride back in the 1970s. We were returning to his cabin (maybe a 20 mile street ride), when at 1357 miles my KLR developed a bad death knock. He rode his KLR250 to his cabin and brought back his trailer and we towed it home. Took it to the dealer. They found a small piece of silicone sealer from engine assembly had broke loose and plugged the oil supply to the top end. I was hoping for a new engine, but was told Kawasaki only repairs warranty problems, and never replaces engines. Even if the repair cost is higher. Got a new cylinder head, cams, rockers, cam chain tensioner, etc., etc.. Cylinder was all right. It was repaired well, though it took forever, as Kawasaki has the dealer do a partial tear down and then get corporates okay to continue on in stages.

IN owning about 25 motorcycles so far over 52 years of riding, that was the only Japanese bike I ever blew up. Did blow up an old BSA 500 twin, but then, that's what BSA's did best.
 
#16 ·
I can't really say. I'm not a dirt guy, anymore. I use mine for mostly gravel roads, dirt roads and commuting on 2-lane roads and a little slab. Speed rating on them is only 75mph, by the way. I can't vouch for their peformance in a true "dirt" environment: i.e. "single track" to my way of thinking.
 
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