balancer spring and chain lifespan

[Jeff Saline]

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#ygrps-yiv-228791412 #ygrps-yiv-228791412ygrp-mkp #ygrps-yiv-228791412hd { FONT-WEIGHT:700;FONT-SIZE:85%;MARGIN:10px 0px;COLOR:#628c2a;LINE-HEIGHT:122%;} #ygrps-yiv-228791412 #ygrps-yiv-228791412ygrp-mkp #ygrps-yiv-228791412ads { MARGIN-BOTTOM:10px;} #ygrps-yiv-228791412 #ygrps-yiv-228791412ygrp-mkp .ygrps-yiv-228791412ad { PADDING-RIGHT:0px;PADDING-LEFT:0px;PADDING-BOTTOM:0px;PADDING-TOP:0px;} #ygrps-yiv-228791412 #ygrps-yiv-228791412ygrp-mkp .ygrps-yiv-228791412ad A { COLOR:#0000ff;TEXT-DECORATION:none;} On Sun, 25 Jul 2010 19:24:24 -0700 (PDT) Mark Harfenist writes: Funny, I was just going to post a similar question.  I've got 66,000 miles on a torsion spring, 87,000 miles total on a 2007.  Lots of vibration, noises, loss of power, etc. etc. etc. but these have been coming on gradually for quite a while now.  At the moment I'm just trying to coax the bike back across the border so that in case of catastrophic meltdown I can bring my USA warranty into play (huh: see below).   Since I'm burning vast amounts of oil these days (liter/800 miles at very moderate speed and engine loads), probably it's time to think about the next stage....but I'd like to make it home first.   So my original question was about the expected lifespan of balancer mechanism parts, which Jeff has already answered authoritatively.  My secondary question is about the Kawasaki Goodtimes Protection Plan, as it is known.  Anyone have any experience trying to use this thing for a worn out engine, transmission, drivetrain or other?  I'll have over 90k miles on the beast if and when I get home: will they just call everything "normal wear and tear" and refuse to warranty, or what?  Can I at least get them to replace the busted license plate bracket?    If the warranty doesn't cover "normal" wear on a 90,000 mile drivetrain, what does it cover?  I've still got a year and a half to go on the warranty, so this might be important.    Thanks much for any and all input, including guffaws and general merriment and/or uninformed speculation.   Mark <><><><><><> <><><><><>><>   Mark,   Those were just my thoughts on how long the springs and valve adjustments would last.  Just wild guesses on my part based on what I've seen.   When I bought my 03 KLR used in 2003 it came with a 4 year extended warranty.  I don't think the seller even knew it had the warranty.  I didn't care about it since I figured I'd do all my own maintenance.  I used the bike for the GDR in 2004, a fine trip in the southwest in 2005 and De Tour in 2006.  I had already changed the rear shock once with a Marine bike take off purchased in 2003 when they were easily available and inexpensive.  I asked my local dealer service manager if the rear shock would be covered under the extended warranty.  He asked if it was leaking and I told him no it was just played out.  A week later I brought him the old shock and all the info on my bike.  He checked and the warranty was finished in about 2 weeks.  He told me to leave the shock and info with him and he'd see what he could do.  He also said KHI was pretty touchy about shocks if they weren't leaking externally.  Three weeks later he called and said my new shock was in.  For whatever it might be worth, the shock at that time was valued by KHI at about $600.  He had to keep the old shock and send it to KHI.  I "installed" the shock (in a shop cabinet) while the shop got time for it.  They also got credit for doing the muffler bolt recall.  I scratched their back and they certainly scratched mine.   I'd guess the engine and tranie will be considered normal wear and tear.  Cylinders, piston rings and clutches are wear items just like tires, brake pads, batteries (in most cases), light bulbs,chain, sprockets etc.   Depending on how rough the bike looks and how you handle yourself in asking for assistance will probably have a lot to do with the end result of your request for service.   Again, this is just my wild guess as to how it could play out.  Sounds like you've really got your money's worth from your bike.   Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412  South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT . ____________________________________________________________ [b]Penny Stock Jumping 2000%[/b] Sign up to the #1 voted penny stock newsletter for free today! 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