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doohickey failure rate / request
Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2003 10:47 pm
by Guest
After reading numerous posts here, and actually seeing several
physical samples of broken "doohickeys" - (Kawasaki Part
#13168-1436), I ordered a billet replacement from Sagebrush
Machine in November, 2002. On Dec. 31, 2002, I rode my 2001
KLR650-A15 with 13k miles to my original dealer to have an
annual preventive maintenance done, and to install the new
"doohickey" and spring. On the 65 mph ride to the dealer, the
bike ran great, as always.
Got a call from the dealer today. Have you already guessed?
Original "doohickey" had self destructed. It gets better ...... a
sizeable fragment can't be located, despite numerous attempts
by dealer at magnetic fishing. I can only accept one solution .....
the knowledge that the fragment is definitely not present in the
crankcase when I go to pick it up. This means an engine tear
down by the dealer to either locate or confirm absence. Can you
guess the cost?
I think we all share a little chagrin at this ongoing situation, and
am asking for your help.
If you or someone you know has had a doohickey failure that
resulted in additional cost and/or hassles, please visit the
bulletin board at Backroads Touring - Kansas.
http://www.adport.com/backroads
There is a thread entitled "KLR650 woes". Click on that thread.
Want to share your experience? Post a response.
The BTK board is a totally open forum. There is no advertising,
cookies, etc. You may post anonymously if you choose. If you do
share your e-mail address, it will never be disclosed, sold, etc.
BTK is a not-for-profit organization, and we hate spam!
Info that will really help should you share your experience with
me .....
Year of KLR
Mileage at time of incident
Results: Accident? / $$$ expense? / Satisfied with outcome?
Should be interesting .......
Many Thanks .... Roger Baugh, webmaster
http://www.adport.com/backroads
doohickey failure rate / request
Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2003 12:21 am
by Greg S
> If you or someone you know has had a doohickey failure that
> resulted in additional cost and/or hassles, please visit the
> bulletin board at Backroads Touring - Kansas.
>
http://www.adport.com/backroads
Better yet, report it to the NHTSA. The following link is on the KLR650
FAQ:
http://www.bigcee.com/balancer.html
It describes how to report the failure.
-Greg
doohickey failure rate / request
Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2003 8:07 am
by Glen Harness
> -----Original Message-----
> From: rbaugh70 [mailto:rbaugh70@...]
> Sent: Wednesday, January 08, 2003 10:48 PM
> To:
DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [DSN_klr650] Doohickey Failure Rate / Request
> Info that will really help should you share your experience with
> me .....
>
> Year of KLR
> Mileage at time of incident
> Results: Accident? / $$$ expense? / Satisfied with outcome?
>
> Should be interesting .......
I guess that's a good idea, but wouldn't it be better to share that data
with the government? I've posted the link recently on where to go to
report safety issues with vehicles, but it seems that no one with a bad
doohickey has ever reported the problem to the government. If they don't
know about it, then they can't make Kawasaki fix the problem.
Glen
doohickey failure rate / request
Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2003 8:41 am
by Thomas J Komjathy
Glen
Seems the Doohickey has become a form of "right of passage" for KLR owners.
One must play with their Doohickey before they're in. Most KLR owners don't
want anyone else messing with their Doohickeys. Nothing worse than a
dumb-ass mechanic fumbling with your Doohickey. As you have seen in the
listings before, we prefer to get a group together, and play with them
together. Usually put on by someone very experienced, whom will instruct the
others on how to fix their Doohickeys.
Has anyone done a basic letter with fill in the blank areas for specifics
----- Original Message -----
From: "Glen Harness"
To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 09, 2003 9:07 AM
Subject: RE: [DSN_klr650] Doohickey Failure Rate / Request
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: rbaugh70 [mailto:rbaugh70@...]
> > Sent: Wednesday, January 08, 2003 10:48 PM
> > To:
DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [DSN_klr650] Doohickey Failure Rate / Request
>
> > Info that will really help should you share your experience with
> > me .....
> >
> > Year of KLR
> > Mileage at time of incident
> > Results: Accident? / $$$ expense? / Satisfied with outcome?
> >
> > Should be interesting .......
>
> I guess that's a good idea, but wouldn't it be better to share that data
> with the government? I've posted the link recently on where to go to
> report safety issues with vehicles, but it seems that no one with a bad
> doohickey has ever reported the problem to the government. If they don't
> know about it, then they can't make Kawasaki fix the problem.
>
> Glen
>
>
> List sponsored by Dual Sport News at
www.dualsportnews.com. List FAQ
courtesy of Chris Krok at:
www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html
> Unsubscribe by sending a blank message to:
>
DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com .
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
doohickey failure rate / request
Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2003 10:32 am
by S. B. Lawrence
I'm also the owner of a certain US-built motorcycle that has had
reliability issues in its history, more than once nearly putting them
out of business, and a British motorcycle that actually *did* go out
of business due to same, I find this doohickey thing amusing.
Fortunately I've also owned enough Japanese motorcycles to know that
though the technology is more advanced--usually--superior reliability
is largely an urban myth that dealers have hyped like the ones under
the bar & shield hype image. IF I had been one of those who actually
believed it, I'd be real PO'd about this whole doohickey thing.
It seems there is one BIG difference between between Kawasaki and the
(current) management at those other companies. They do still make a
blooper once in awhile, but they own up to it and DO something! Is
this some kind of bushido holdover or something? Will somebody at
Kawasaki have to self-disembowel if this doohickey thing is
acknowledged? What's going on here?
In the meantime guys like me just tolerate it like I always have if I
love the machine as a whole. Just something kinda like AMF rings and
Lucas electrics. Thumpers & twins vibrate, things go, and life goes
on. But heck, if Kawasaki can be coerced into fixing this one on
their nickel, I'm all for it!
SBL
Kawasaki KLR650 A17
Triumph Thunderbird
H-D Dyna SuperGlide
Iron Butt Assn#9464
--- In
DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "Thomas J Komjathy"
wrote:
> Glen
>
> Seems the Doohickey has become a form of "right of passage" for
KLR owners.
> One must play with their Doohickey before they're in. Most KLR
owners don't
> want anyone else messing with their Doohickeys. Nothing worse than a
> dumb-ass mechanic fumbling with your Doohickey. As you have seen in
the
> listings before, we prefer to get a group together, and play with
them
> together. Usually put on by someone very experienced, whom will
instruct the
> others on how to fix their Doohickeys.
> Has anyone done a basic letter with fill in the blank areas for
specifics
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Glen Harness"
> To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Thursday, January 09, 2003 9:07 AM
> Subject: RE: [DSN_klr650] Doohickey Failure Rate / Request
>
>
> >
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: rbaugh70 [mailto:rbaugh70@a...]
> > > Sent: Wednesday, January 08, 2003 10:48 PM
> > > To:
DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com
> > > Subject: [DSN_klr650] Doohickey Failure Rate / Request
> >
> > > Info that will really help should you share your experience with
> > > me .....
> > >
> > > Year of KLR
> > > Mileage at time of incident
> > > Results: Accident? / $$$ expense? / Satisfied with outcome?
> > >
> > > Should be interesting .......
> >
> > I guess that's a good idea, but wouldn't it be better to share
that data
> > with the government? I've posted the link recently on where to go
to
> > report safety issues with vehicles, but it seems that no one with
a bad
> > doohickey has ever reported the problem to the government. If
they don't
> > know about it, then they can't make Kawasaki fix the problem.
> >
> > Glen
> >
> >
> > List sponsored by Dual Sport News at
www.dualsportnews.com. List
FAQ
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> >
> >
doohickey failure rate / request
Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2003 1:45 pm
by Allan Patton
----- Original Message -----
From:
> Original "doohickey" had self destructed. It gets better ...... a
> sizeable fragment can't be located, despite numerous attempts
> by dealer at magnetic fishing.
Roger,
I remember someone on the list saying they removed the right side cover and
found a piece in the oil screen. Did your mechanic look there?
Allan
doohickey failure rate / request
Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2003 2:23 pm
by Stuart Mumford
> From: "S. B. Lawrence "
SNIP
>
> In the meantime guys like me just tolerate it like I always have if I
> love the machine as a whole. Just something kinda like AMF rings and
> Lucas electrics. Thumpers & twins vibrate, things go, and life goes
> on. But heck, if Kawasaki can be coerced into fixing this one on
> their nickel, I'm all for it!
>
Hey SBL,
It's easy to have this noble attitude until your motor blows up 250 plus
miles from home and ruins your one week motorcycle camping trip you have
looked forward to for a year, like mine did.
I think the reason my piston became friends with my exhaust valves in a
negative fashion is directly a result of me not being able to find all the
parts from my balancer chain idler lever tensioner failure event. A chunk of
the infamous part must have got lodged between my cam chain and one of the
sprockets and caused it to skip a tooth or two, and BANG, I'm on the side of
Rte 66 by Peach Springs, AZ with a blown up KLR on Day 1 of what was to be a
7 day motorcycle extravaganzo.
CA Stu 99 KLR 658 (bored out in the rebuild)
doohickey failure rate / request
Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2003 3:00 pm
by S. B. Lawrence
Good point, though I'd call my attitude closer to cynical than
noble. They ALL build some crap or at least some crappy parts from
time to time, and that's just the way the cookie (or doohickey as the
case may be) crumbles. Ain't no big deal until what happened to you
(or worse--there is worse you know) happens. Lucky for me I've never
gotten stranded more than a few miles from home in the ~30yrs I've
been riding.
I fully understand your frustration, and unless somebody can document
that 03's are now immune to this thing (i.e. Kaw very quietly fixed
the problem in current models), then I plan to have the thing
replaced paying for it on my nickel (which I realize will be more
like a Ben Franklin) before heading on a long trip this spring--even
though it's in warranty. I'm not terribly pleased with that
situation, but would be a lot less pleased if I had the kinda
breakdown you did.
Here's hoping all your future trips turn out a helluva lot better,
SBL
--- In
DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "Stuart Mumford"
wrote:
> > From: "S. B. Lawrence "
> Hey SBL,
> It's easy to have this noble attitude until your motor blows up 250
plus
> miles from home and ruins your one week motorcycle camping trip you
have
> looked forward to for a year, like mine did.
>
> I think the reason my piston became friends with my exhaust valves
in a
> negative fashion is directly a result of me not being able to find
all the
> parts from my balancer chain idler lever tensioner failure event. A
chunk of
> the infamous part must have got lodged between my cam chain and one
of the
> sprockets and caused it to skip a tooth or two, and BANG, I'm on
the side of
> Rte 66 by Peach Springs, AZ with a blown up KLR on Day 1 of what
was to be a
> 7 day motorcycle extravaganzo.
>
>
> CA Stu 99 KLR 658 (bored out in the rebuild)
99 klr for sale
Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2003 4:02 pm
by bb
Selling my 1999 KLR 650, 11K miles, newer tires, new battery, excellent shape, garaged. Having baby, must sell. Asking $2750. Milwaukee area. Email me off list if interested, thanks.
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