broke clutch cable / good fortune.
-
Mike Peplinski
- Posts: 782
- Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2004 8:55 pm
sloppy manufacture???
In a current thread one of the readers refers to the KLR (my beloved KLR) as
sloppy manufacturing" and I've seen other references to "cheap" and such. To
which I say 1/ bullshit 2/ why aren't more of you up in arms. If you want to
see shabby manufacturing methods, look at a Ducati. They may look good on
the surface, but how about repairs? Doesn't honda and Yamaha (Suzuki too)
have a service department to repair things that break through no fault of
the rider? Don't they sell more of some parts than others due to quesionable
design or manuyfacture? Every bike, ot every machine, for that matter, has a
"doohickey" somewhere. The highly revered BMW, icon of longevity, has many
many (many many) sore spot-trust me, I know. Shabby manufacture? I'll grant
you there are a few gaps in places I would not expect them, but I've never
seen a bike on the showroom floor that was absolutely perfect. Cheap design?
From what I"ve read, right here on the list, the KLR is damn hear bullet
proof. Some of you riders beat the living piss out of your bike and it comes
back for more. Many of these KLR's go near 100,000 miles before wearing out.
I Harleys did that-well I don't even know what would happen. You can go
through 2 KLR's for the price of an F60, 3 if you opt for the GS. True,
there may be a few corners that have been cut to save bucks but buys, thats
mass manufacturing. How many opf you have bid on parts for automobiles.
Luxury cars are built with the same "lowest bidder" practice as must about
everything else in our world. I"m almost out of rant now so those of you who
refer to the KLR as cheaply made or designed-sell it off to someone who
appreciates it for what it is-one of the best "bang for the buck"
motorcycles out there. Let me ask, if they raised the price a few hundred,
put in a new design chain balance lever and made it so the mirrors didn't
break off so easily, would you like it more? would you have a better bike?
DONE
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-
Eric L. Green
- Posts: 837
- Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2004 1:41 pm
sloppy manufacture???
On Fri, 3 Sep 2004, Mike Peplinski wrote:
.
And let's take footpeg mounts. One of mine was happily pre-stripped by
those smiling workers at the KLR factory for me, so that I didn't have to
do it myself! What a bunch of helpful guys!
And of course there's that odd weldment ("doohickey") for adjusting the
tension on the balancer chain. Some of them fit the shaft well. Others are
sloppy and break after the corners of the shaft hammer on them for a while
(the dude from Eagle Mfg. suggests that 5% or more are so sloppy that
they'll eventually break).
And of course there's that odd weldment called a "gear shift lever"...
While some parts of the KLR seem to be better assembled than others (KLR
engines in particular seem relatively bullet-proof other than the balancer
mechanism), there's just way too much of that kind of sloppiness.
As for why we aren't up in arms: The bike costs $5,000. Not $8,000
like a BMW F-650, the closest competitor sold in America. $5,000. And
many of us got it far cheaper used, you can get a 5 year old KLR for
$2,000 in some places. So even though pieces are falling off left and
right as you go down the road because Kawasaki wanted to save a few
cents on thread locker and thus the helpful gnomes on the KLR assembly
line don't use any, and the KLR has all the build quality of a 1970
Chevrolet Impala, we just grumble about it and cope with it, because
unlike the Yugo (another vehicle famous for poor assembly quality),
the KLR does generally work mechanically well. But darn, I wish my
fairing wasn't cockeyed!
-E
Fine and dandy. Want to swap fairing brackets? You see, my fairing bracket was built with too much clearance between its mounting plates when it was welded together by busy Filipinos. So the handy dandy Filipino assembly workers, upon receiving this bracket, simply bent everything to the point where it could be secured to the bike, and voila! Nevermind that my fairing goes down the road cockeyed, with one side higher than the other, I'm sure you won't mind. So since the KLR is built with such high build quality, I'm sure you wont mind swapping fairing brackets with me, because surely it's just a peachy-keen deal> In a current thread one of the readers refers to the KLR (my beloved KLR) as > sloppy manufacturing" and I've seen other references to "cheap" and such. To > which ``-+I say 1/ bullshit 2/ why aren't more of you up in arms.
.
And let's take footpeg mounts. One of mine was happily pre-stripped by
those smiling workers at the KLR factory for me, so that I didn't have to
do it myself! What a bunch of helpful guys!
And of course there's that odd weldment ("doohickey") for adjusting the
tension on the balancer chain. Some of them fit the shaft well. Others are
sloppy and break after the corners of the shaft hammer on them for a while
(the dude from Eagle Mfg. suggests that 5% or more are so sloppy that
they'll eventually break).
And of course there's that odd weldment called a "gear shift lever"...
While some parts of the KLR seem to be better assembled than others (KLR
engines in particular seem relatively bullet-proof other than the balancer
mechanism), there's just way too much of that kind of sloppiness.
As for why we aren't up in arms: The bike costs $5,000. Not $8,000
like a BMW F-650, the closest competitor sold in America. $5,000. And
many of us got it far cheaper used, you can get a 5 year old KLR for
$2,000 in some places. So even though pieces are falling off left and
right as you go down the road because Kawasaki wanted to save a few
cents on thread locker and thus the helpful gnomes on the KLR assembly
line don't use any, and the KLR has all the build quality of a 1970
Chevrolet Impala, we just grumble about it and cope with it, because
unlike the Yugo (another vehicle famous for poor assembly quality),
the KLR does generally work mechanically well. But darn, I wish my
fairing wasn't cockeyed!
-E-
takes2serious
- Posts: 204
- Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2004 11:26 pm
sloppy manufacture???
I think you're mixing in a number of different concepts under "sloppy
manufacture".
Sloppy manufacturing isn't poor design. It isn't least cost parts
sourcing. Sloppy manufacturing, to my mind anyway, is basically
about assembly.
On my A18, for instance, one of the tank mounting bolts was cross
threaded and the threads in the frame (or subframe) were damaged.
That may have happened during manufacturing, or it may have happened
during dealer prep, I have no idea. Others have mentioned things
like a poorly aligned cowl. These are the type of things that might
fall under the heading of "sloppy manufacturing", if they actually
occured during manufacturing. Who knows if they did? But if they
did, then they are the type of things that wouldn't cost the
manufacturer a penny more to do it right than it did to do it wrong.
Other things, like slapping adequate grease on a bearing, don't add
significant expense to a product like a motorcycle.
You're not going to find a manufacturer with perfect assembly. And I
absolutely love my KLR and I hold the manufacturer in very high
esteem. And I very much appreciate that they seem to hold onto their
winning designs, producing them for many years, holding prices down
and delivering outstanding value. But, in my personal opinion, my
new A18 was not the best assembled bike I ever saw. But it was also
the least expensive (inflation adjusted) new bike I ever purchased.
Outstanding value, and I'm very happy with it. And frankly, I';m
just glad they're still making and selling them at all, as I suspect
they are not a very high-profit margin product.
-
Bogdan Swider
- Posts: 2759
- Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2000 2:04 pm
sloppy manufacture???
when it was welded together by busy Filipinos.
Filipinos ? I thought they were assembled in Thailand these days ?
Bogdan, who ate in a Filipino restaurant in Chinatown NY and didn't like it
but likes the old Ernest Tubb song Filipino baby.
-
russell_dixon@bd.com
- Posts: 31
- Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2004 5:56 pm
sloppy manufacture???
Mike, I was a bit offended as well. I'm not loaded, but I could have
bought other bikes. I chose the KLR because the range appealed to me. Not
necessarily the price range, but the range of places I can go and the
things I can do are self-imposed limitations and do not reflect the
capability of the KLR.
Basically, the KLR makes a statement that the owner is a person who does
not like limited (paved) options. The owner is not given to the "image" of
the Harley or the "mystique" of the BMW, but to the "earthy" practicality
of the KLR. As for the mechanical "opportunities", it makes you closer to
your bike when you turn the occasional wrench. Dollars-to-doughnuts that
you would need a cattle-prod to get the majority of BMW/Harley owners to
maintain their own bikes....
Bottom-line: If you got a lemon, sell it! but don't generalize and assume
the entire product line is junk. There is too much evidence to the
contrary.
RD
"Mike Peplinski"
DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com
mail.com> cc: (bcc: Russell Dixon/SUMT/BDX)
Subject: [DSN_klr650] Sloppy Manufacture???
09/03/2004 11:39
AM
In a current thread one of the readers refers to the KLR (my beloved KLR)
as
sloppy manufacturing" and I've seen other references to "cheap" and such.
To
which I say 1/ bullshit 2/ why aren't more of you up in arms. If you want
to
see shabby manufacturing methods, look at a Ducati. They may look good on
the surface, but how about repairs? Doesn't honda and Yamaha (Suzuki too)
have a service department to repair things that break through no fault of
the rider? Don't they sell more of some parts than others due to
quesionable
design or manuyfacture? Every bike, ot every machine, for that matter, has
a
"doohickey" somewhere. The highly revered BMW, icon of longevity, has many
many (many many) sore spot-trust me, I know. Shabby manufacture? I'll grant
you there are a few gaps in places I would not expect them, but I've never
seen a bike on the showroom floor that was absolutely perfect. Cheap
design?
From what I"ve read, right here on the list, the KLR is damn hear bullet
proof. Some of you riders beat the living piss out of your bike and it
comes
back for more. Many of these KLR's go near 100,000 miles before wearing
out.
I Harleys did that-well I don't even know what would happen. You can go
through 2 KLR's for the price of an F60, 3 if you opt for the GS. True,
there may be a few corners that have been cut to save bucks but buys, thats
mass manufacturing. How many opf you have bid on parts for automobiles.
Luxury cars are built with the same "lowest bidder" practice as must about
everything else in our world. I"m almost out of rant now so those of you
who
refer to the KLR as cheaply made or designed-sell it off to someone who
appreciates it for what it is-one of the best "bang for the buck"
motorcycles out there. Let me ask, if they raised the price a few hundred,
put in a new design chain balance lever and made it so the mirrors didn't
break off so easily, would you like it more? would you have a better bike?
DONE
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-
Jim
- Posts: 1560
- Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2001 11:15 am
broke clutch cable / good fortune.
My brother had his KLR shift lever brake while shifting into second
gear heading out his drive way. Timing is everything.
--Jim
A-15
the> >I hopped of the bike and pushed her 12 feet to the patio. > >Relpaced the cable w/ the spare. > > >Talk about good fortune! > > I can go one better. > > My original clutch cable snapped in the garage with the engine off the > night BEFORE my cross-country trip started. I think I was squeezing
> clutch and staring off into space or something. SNAP! > > RM
-
Doug Herr
- Posts: 727
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2003 8:02 pm
sloppy manufacture???
On Fri, 3 Sep 2004 russell_dixon@... wrote:
I am pretty sure that nobody said that they were junk. They are built on rather old machinery if I understand correctly and they are clearly put together with less then total concentration and care. That does not mean that I would not get another one if mine died. I love these bikes; but I am honest with myself about the overall strengths and weaknesses. -- Doug Herr doug@...> Bottom-line: If you got a lemon, sell it! but don't generalize and assume > the entire product line is junk. There is too much evidence to the > contrary.
-
Jim
- Posts: 1560
- Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2001 11:15 am
sloppy manufacture???
Preach'n to the choir here dude, no better bike for me fursure. Now
no harm in a wish list one can dream after all.....lets see gear
driven balancer for starters oh and a dual range sub transmission (10
gears) that would be great and don't say it can't be done, check out
this Honda from the early '80s the CBH900C.
http://www.100megsfree4.com/honda/h0900/custom.htm
--Jim
A-15
> which I say 1/ bullshit 2/ why aren't more of you up in arms.
-
Christopher
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:51 am
sloppy manufacture???
===ORIG MESS===
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 2004 09:03:10 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Eric L. Green"
Fine and dandy. Want to swap fairing brackets? You see, my fairing
bracket was built with too much clearance between its mounting plates
when it was welded together by busy Filipinos. So the handy dandy
Filipino assembly workers, upon receiving this bracket, simply bent
everything to the [snip]
And let's take footpeg mounts. One of mine was happily pre-stripped by
those smiling workers at the KLR factory for me, so that I didn't have
to [snip]
===END MESS===
Aren't these dealer prep issues?
From what else I scanned in your rant, I concluded that you purchased
new? Did you go back to the dealer on these issues? Why did you buy a
bike with a crooked fairing, anyway?
Chris
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-
rsanders30117
- Posts: 469
- Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2003 11:06 am
sloppy manufacture???
Mike, I don't think you are considering the unique characteristics
(quirks?) of the typical KLR rider. The KLR riders that hang around
this web site absolutely love tinkering on their machines and every
dual sport ride I've been on, flocks of KLR eccentrics move from bike
to bike to see what modifications have been done & to discuss future
mods. What may sound like criticism of the KLR is justification for
buying more parts, tools & tearing into it again. I've just about
worn out the threads holding tail of the fuel tank down taking off
(hummm, an application for a toggle clamp perhaps, certain
helicoils). I haven't run across any other bike that has such a
unique, friendly & helpful following. My A14 (the infamous Y2K
version)isn't pretty but I've had a ball working on it &
accessorizing it.
--- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "Mike Peplinski"
wrote:
beloved KLR) as> In a current thread one of the readers refers to the KLR (my
such. To> sloppy manufacturing" and I've seen other references to "cheap" and
you want to> which I say 1/ bullshit 2/ why aren't more of you up in arms. If
good on> see shabby manufacturing methods, look at a Ducati. They may look
(Suzuki too)> the surface, but how about repairs? Doesn't honda and Yamaha
fault of> have a service department to repair things that break through no
quesionable> the rider? Don't they sell more of some parts than others due to
matter, has a> design or manuyfacture? Every bike, ot every machine, for that
has many> "doohickey" somewhere. The highly revered BMW, icon of longevity,
I'll grant> many (many many) sore spot-trust me, I know. Shabby manufacture?
I've never> you there are a few gaps in places I would not expect them, but
Cheap design?> seen a bike on the showroom floor that was absolutely perfect.
bullet> From what I"ve read, right here on the list, the KLR is damn hear
it comes> proof. Some of you riders beat the living piss out of your bike and
wearing out.> back for more. Many of these KLR's go near 100,000 miles before
can go> I Harleys did that-well I don't even know what would happen. You
True,> through 2 KLR's for the price of an F60, 3 if you opt for the GS.
buys, thats> there may be a few corners that have been cut to save bucks but
automobiles.> mass manufacturing. How many opf you have bid on parts for
must about> Luxury cars are built with the same "lowest bidder" practice as
of you who> everything else in our world. I"m almost out of rant now so those
who> refer to the KLR as cheaply made or designed-sell it off to someone
hundred,> appreciates it for what it is-one of the best "bang for the buck" > motorcycles out there. Let me ask, if they raised the price a few
didn't> put in a new design chain balance lever and made it so the mirrors
better bike?> break off so easily, would you like it more? would you have a
Back to> DONE > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get ready for school! Find articles, homework help and more in the
> School Guide! http://special.msn.com/network/04backtoschool.armx
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