On Mon, 2002-09-09 at 22:17, thomas kelsey wrote:
> The same thing happened to me in July- '02 KLR with
> 2063 miles. I posted my complaint here and didn't get
> much support from the group. Since then, a bolt has
> come out of the faring area with no adverse
> consequence- I just saw that it was missing. Later, a
> couple of weeks ago, both nuts/bolts that hold on the
> left side radiator shroud came out at speed so the
> shroud, held only by the screw at the top/front, was
> flapping madly.
Be happy. Both of my brother's highway pegs fell off on his HD when I
took it for a test ride. $60 right there. If you're not carrying a
couple of zip-ties or spare bolts and nuts on you, then you should.
Those were the first bolts that I lost on my KLR (only took about 50
miles), and fixed it with zip-ties, problem solved.
> To be honest with you, I'm sick of this &
> complained to KawiUS and my dealer to no avail. I
> believe the bike should come from the factory fully
> lock washered, lock-tited, wired, cotter pinned,
> whatever, so that it does not fall apart. There was
> another poster, Mark, from Calif, who also reported
> that his muffler on a new KLR had fallen off on one of
> their freeways. He was not able to retrieve it as you
> & I did- $400, he says.
I could see you being pissed about having a new engine blow up, like
another lister reported happening twice to him, but to get pissed about
$0.20 worth of screws on the fairing is a bit ridiculous. Perhap we have
different definitions of "fall apart" but I certainely don't consider
losing two fairing bolts falling apart.
> I'm going to PAY a private shop, after riding
> season is over, to go over the bike from front to
> back, lock up all fasteners, document everything, and
> take Kawi & the dealer to small claims court for the
> expense of putting the bike into the conditon it
> should have been in from the factory.
Good, you're doing your local shop a great favor, their mechanics will
be happy to add another sap to their list. Instead put some tunes on,
have a brewsky and spend 15 mins locktiting every fastener you can see.
> Unlike a lot of guys on this list, I have no
> interest in the zen of motorcycle mechanics and did
> not intend to buy a maintenance project- I just
> want/demand a bike on which I can turn the key and
> ride away without things falling off of it.
> What do you think?
>
I think you should sell your KLR and buy a Toyota Camry. BTW, what
exactly did you think you were buying? A car?
For an illustration of a single's vibration, cut the top and bottom off
a 1 lb. coffee can. This is about the diameter and stroke of the KLR's
piston (yeah, it's not, but it's the closest I could come). Now insert
your fist into the can and pump it up and down 5000 times a minute
without moving the can. Can you? You can't because your fist is
connected to your body which is connected to the can, one can't move
without inducing some sort of vibration or movement in the rest of the
system. Cars get around this with hydraulic engine mounts to isolate and
dampen the vibrations. Go look at your KLR, in specific, look at the
frame tube directly behind your front wheel. See the two triangular
engine mount plates rigidly fixed to the frame? The other two sets of
engine mounts are the same, rigid... Therefore vibration from the motor
is transferred into the frame and anything fastened to it.
I have lost bolts that have been locktit'ed, but on a big single, it's a
fact of life. As Jim said, if you want maintenance free, get a V-four
Honda, or an inline Jap 4, and then dutifully take it in every 3000
miles for service. IMO that's not maintenance free, that's expensive.
Z
DC