Winter 1993 T h e Kawasaki T e c h n i c a l M a g a z i n e Vol. 6 No. 4

The expansive Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing (KMM) plant in Lincoln, Neb.

K-SHARE

K-SHARE on line warranty claim processingby Patrick KellyInstructional Designer/Instructor

essed through the K-Share tinue to receive the 10 per-system, parts handling goes cent handling allowance.from 10 percent to 25 per- Good Times Protection Plancent. Paper claims will con- CONTlNUED ON PAGE 3

As you are reading this, thenew K-Share “on-line” war-ranty claim-processing sys-tem will be up and running.Even though many of youmay already be using thissystem, we thought wewould review how the sys-tem functions and its manyfeatures and benefits.

Perhaps the biggestbenefit of this system is theincreased parts handling al-lowance. For claims proc-

ROUTE LIST: o SERVICE o PARTS o SALESP L E A S E R E T U R N T O S E R V I C E L I B R A R Y

by Walter RainwaterSouth & Central RegionInstructor

I recently had the opportu-nity to travel to KawasakiMotors Manufacturing(KMM) in Lincoln, Neb.,with our Service ContestGrand Award winner GaryBustillos. As you may re-call, Gary’s award was afully expense paid trip tohis spectacular facility,and I thought K-Tech Newsreaders would enjoy read-ing about the many inter-esting things we saw there.

First, let me give you alittle history: Kawasaki Mo-ors Manufacturing was es-tablished in 1974, Kawa-saki becoming the firstJapanese vehicle manu-facturer to establish amanufacturing facility inthe United States. Sincethen, KMM’s eastern Ne-braska factory has contin-ued to grow and expand;today it employs almost1,000 people.

You may remembercelebrating KMM’s produc-tion of its one millionth ve-hicle when a 1991-modelJS650 rolled off the as-sembly line in August,1990. Many were sur-prised to learn then thatKMM manufactures notonly motorcycles, but alsoATVs, JET SKI® watercraftand utility vehicles, produc-ing an average of 450 to500 total units a day. Infact, KMM builds 27 differ-ent versions of Kawasakivehicles for export to coun-tries around the world.

CONTlNUED ON PAGE 2

Inside!n Service tips & more!

KMM tour ...CONTlNUED FROM PAGE 1

The plant was recently ex-panded to accommodatethe manufacture of thenew ST watercraft, plusconstruction of a 110,000sq. ft. addition is under-way now, with completionscheduled for the first ofthe year.

As Gary and I touredthe plant, we were not sim-ply looking at people bolt-ing together vehicles onvarious assembly lines.We learned about some ofthe more interesting tech-nicalities of modern manu-facturing, and I’d like toshare with you some ofthe fascinating things wesaw.

One of the first thingsyou notice at KMM is thewidespread usage of ro-bots. This is not surpris-ing, since KawasakiHeavy Industries (KHI) isa leading producer of in-dustrial robots. Robots areeverywhere! In the water-craft area, robots are usedfor many tasks includingapplying the adhesive to

(ABOVE) Custom-made press for producing watercraft hulls has a 3,000-toncapacity! (BELOW) Superior-quality wheels emerge from an intricate process.

the hull and deck as theyare joined together.

A particularly impres-sive example of robotictechnology is the machinethat cuts all openings inthe watercraft hulls. Itshole-cutting tool is a40,000 psi jet stream ofwater. It was amazing towatch it cut holes in hulls,like the one for the ex-haust outlet, so quicklyand accurately!

Then there is the pressthat makes the SMC hulls.It is gigantic, with a capac-ity of 3,000 tons!

When KHI discovered itneeded a press of this size,there wasn’t one availableanywhere in the world, soKawasaki engineers de-signed and built one them-selves to suit their uniqueneeds. The molds used inthis press to make Kawa-saki’s watercraft hulls area two-piece design andweigh 150,000 Ibs.

It was fascinating to seethe array of 70-ton molds(one for each hull style)lined up next to the evenmore enormous press.Other manufacturers nowusing molds nearly thissize need about eighthours to change molds intheir presses; personnel atLincoln can change moldsin less than one hour.

Everything about thispress is huge, includingthe price: The press itselfcost approximately $6 mil-lion while the molds runbetween $1 and $2 millioneach.

KMM receives ship-ments of SMC materialabout twice a week. Everybatch is checked for qual-ity and glass content. Amachine cuts the SMCmaterial automatically anda worker places the pieces

2 l K-Tech News

on a form. A robot picksup these cut pieces andplaces them on the moldin the press. (A robot isused for this dangerousjob because the molds areheated to 290 degrees.)After the cured hull pieceleaves the press, it goesto a worker who trims offexcess material with a dia-mond-tip saw.

As with everything elsehere, Kawasaki uses state-of-the-art equipment formaking its components.Take ATV wheels, forexample: Each wheelstarts life as a flat pieceof steel that is rolled intoa tube and welded in amachine. Another ma-chine shaves the weldon both sides. (Exceptfor heat discoloration,the weld area is com-pletely undetectable.)S t i l l ano ther CNC(which stands for “com-puterized, numerically

ATVs are emission-free E-coat-painted and powder-coated for extra durability.

The assembly lines arewild: On the ATV line, forinstance, the frame startswith a production tag at-tached. This tag is color-coded, indicating theparticular country forwhich the vehicle is des-tined. Parts bins behindeach assembly line workerare also color-coded sothey can select and install

K-SHARE

controlled”) machine At KMM, robots abound!spins the tube into awheel. The spinningprocess makes the metalharder and stronger. Thecenter section is thenwelded in and every wheelis carefully and individu-ally examined for porosity.

This superior quality iswhy Kawasaki also makesATV wheels for Hondaand Polaris.

Robots do a lot of weld-ing at KMM. Robots weldall the frames, footpegs,luggage racks, and thelike. Some pieces of thealuminum frame for theZX-6 are tack-welded by ahuman worker, but a robotfinishes the job.

After welding and clean-ing, all Kawasaki framesreceive a protective coat-ing of paint. The blackframes on MULES and

the correct parts simply bymatching colors.

All the KLF220, KLF300and KLF400 engines, inci-dentally, are manufacturedin another Kawasaki plantlocated in Maryville, MO.,roughly 100 miles away.

We watched severalfuel tanks being weldedand individually pressurechecked. Some ’94 modeltanks are made with steelthat has a galvanized coat-ing to prevent rust. In thepaint department, fueltanks are finished with twocoats of color. After thepaint dries, decals are ap-plied before a final clearcoat goes on.

All KMM-produced vehi-cles are run at the end ofthe assembly line. Motor-

cycles are run until the cool-ing fan turns on. An inspec-tor checks for coolantleaks, then the bike is dyno-tested and the speedome-ter checked. After eachvehicle is passed, it iswheeled to the crating area.

Gary and I were over-whelmed by the manyamazing things we saw atthe Lincoln plant-incred-ible machines like theones that nail and staplecrates together, or the

ones which bend handle-bars. The plant even hasits own facility for recy-cling cleaners and sol-vents used in the variousmanufacturing processes.

If you are ever planningto be in the area, I urgeyou to have your dealercall beforehand and makearrangements for you tovisit the Lincoln plant. Itwill make you proud to bea part of the Kawasakifamily. o

K-SHARECONTINUED FROM PAGE 1claims will continue to bereimbursed at retail for partsplus a 10 percent incentivebonus on the entire claimregardless of whether theyare filed by K-Share orthrough the mail.

Speed is another benefitof this new system. Thelength of time between filinga claim and getting reim-bursed for the claim can begreatly reduced in mostcases. It is our intent to proc-ess all claims on the daythey are transmitted, so it’spossible to submit a claimand receive credit the verynext day. Of course, in orderfor that to occur, the war-ranty claim must be a validone and the claim must befilled out correctly. The sys-tem checks each claim fortechnical accuracy beforeassigning it a claim numberand sending it to a warrantyanalyst for review.

If the claim has a techni-cal error (such as missing orincorrect information), thesystem will notify you thatthe claim is in error and willhighlight the fields where theerrors occurred. Once theerror-free claim is receivedby Kawasaki, it is reviewed

by a claims analyst who willdetermine if additional infor-mation is required. If it’s de-termined that the claim canbe paid without any addi-tional information from you,your parts account will becredited that night.

The K-Share warrantyclaim system offers greaterconvenience, too. For ex-ample, Good Times Protec-tion Plan claims no longerrequire you to send in a copyof the work order. (Youshould keep these copieson file, however, in case werequest them.) If we do re-quest that any paper docu-ment or parts be returned tous, that’s now easier be-cause the system allowsyou to print mailing labelswith all pertinent claim infor-mation on them. If you aresending in parts for morethan one claim in the samebox, be sure to include cop-ies of all applicable claims.Oh, and don’t forget to tag allreturned warranty parts withthe Kawasaki part tag, P/N99995-407.

The rest of the system re-mains much the same asthe one we’ve been using foryears. But now you canprocess your claims faster,more conveniently, and re-ceive more credit for it, too! o

The Technical Magazine l 3

Winter 1993Vol. 6 No. 4©1993 Kawasaki MotorsCorp., U.S.A. (KMC).All rights reserved.

K-Tech News Staff

PublisherKawasaki Tech Services

Publications ManagerDon Church

Executive EditorGary Herzog

Editor-in-ChiefGregg Thompson

Communications EditorPatrick Kelly

Regional Editors

North and EastFred DeHart

Central and SouthWalter Rainwater

ContributorsRandy Davis, Jerry Heil,Donna Hood, John Pomo,David Pyle, Ray St. John

Graphics/Production

Graphic ArtGregg Thompson

Copy EditorPat Shibata

ProductionNickless Communications

Published by Kawasaki.All suggestions becomethe property of KMC.Sending a service sugges-tion gives Kawasaki per-mission to publish and/oruse it without further con-sideration.

Specifications subject tochange without notice.

4 l K-Tech News

In search of ... service-related materialsby Ray St. JohnSupervisor, Tech. Writing

If you’ve ever had to stopwork just to wonder whereyou were supposed to goto get service manuals,blowup posters, a list ofowners manuals, partnumbers for A&P sheetsor the like, you’re notalone. Sometimes itseems there is a differentway to go about gettingevery different Kawasakipublication.

In truth, though, thereare just a few basic waysto get “stuff” from KMC.One way is to use its partnumber. Another is just to“give us a call.”

You can get anythingwith a part number on it byordering using that num-ber except for a few post-ers that are imported bythe Technical Training De-partment. These have partnumbers on them that areused by Kawasaki in Ja-pan and select other mar-kets but not in the U.S.A.

By calling, you can getany Kawasaki technicalpublication you want. If wedon’t have a way to get itfor you, we’ll tell youstraight out. But usually, ifyou want it and you callus, we’ll find a way ...

Here, though, is somemore specific advice:

SERVICE MANUALS Orderby part number. Just lookat the back of the book,near the bottom. If youdon’t have a copy of thebook to look at, refer to gridA-2 of the parts microfichefor the model in question.

Most Kawasaki servicemanuals (those producedduring the last 10 years or

so) have part numbersthat begin with “99924.”The last two numbers (like-01 or -02) are editionnumbers. The higher thenumber, the more up-to-date the book. If you orderan -01 and get an -02, youhave what you need, justa newer edition.

NOTE: Service manualsnow ship with a list detail-ing what books you shouldhave to take care of thelast five years of street mo-torcycles, three years ofoff-road bikes and ATVs,and all watercraft and gen-erators. Review this to seeif you’re properly equipped.(And see the Fall ’93 issueof K-Tech News, Vol. 6No. 3, for a discussion ofservice manual supple-ments. -Ed.)

OWNER’S MANUALS Sameas Service Manuals, ex-cept that the part numbersusually start with “99920”and there’s no master list.

A&P MANUALS This publi-cation tells you how to puta product together andprepare it for retail sale.A&P manuals are avail-able for all motorcycles,ATVs, watercraft, and util-ity vehicles. About once ortwice a year, we send anA&P materials indexwhich provides you withthe part numbers of all cur-rent instructions.

For motorcycles andATVs, there is a generalA&P manual that coversall models and a supple-ment for each individualmodel. Because the crat-ing generally doesn’tchange much, some A&Psupplements were origi-nally issued for the first

year of a model now in itsfifth or sixth year, andthey’re beginning to lookdated. Don’t worry. They’llgive you all the info youneed to do the job right.

For now, the watercraftand utility vehicle modelseach have their own A&Pmanual, though a generalA&P manual for watercraftwith supplements for indi-vidual models is in theworks.

TECHNICAL TRAININGPOSTERS, VIDEOS, ANDMANUALS These are theitems you need to call toget. Kawasaki’s corporatenumber in Irvine, Calif. is(714)770-0400. Use ext.2472; we’ll process yourorder quickly.

Training service bulletinTR93-02 (dated Oct. 1,1993) lists all TechnicalTraining Video Tapes avail-able; TR93-03 (July 16,1993) lists all TechnicalTraining Posters; TR93-05(Oct. 1, 1993) lists allTechnical Training Manu-als and Video ReferenceGuides. Use these to or-der what you need for thiswinter’s training season.

SPECIAL SERVICE PUBLI-CATIONS Training Servicebulletin TR93-04 (datedOct. 1, 1993) lists theService SpecificationsHandbooks for motorcy-cles and watercraft, andthe Model RecognitionManuals. These books allhave part numbers. Orderthem just like you would aservice manual.

That’s about it. The onething you need to know inthe end is: If you have anyquestions, give us a call.We’re here to help. o

Info feeding frenzyby David Pyle, Park Publication Specialist

Wow! We had a lot of activity at the Micro-K booth atthe Kawasaki dealer meeting in Dallas. The new MR-1microfiche readers were very popular. We also set upquite a few dealership service departments with Micro-Kdecks and subscriptions as well.

Even though the sale is over, the prices for Micro-Kequipment have been held so they remain the same asshown on Parts Bulletin GEN 92-02, dated May 22,1992. (This bulletin has more important information in-cluded on it as well.)

The most common questions asked at the showconcerned availability of bulbs for the Microfiche readersand Microfiche storage units. Kawasaki stocks theseproducts along with many other microfiche componentsin all of our distribution centers. Part numbers and pricesof the available items can be found on Parts BulletinGen 92-02. Order any of these items the same way youorder all your spare parts from K-Share or from yourmaster warehouse.

I really enjoyed meeting and talking to so many ofyou at the Dealer Meeting. Along with you, I look forwardto a great year in ’94!

l P.S. We had a couple of requests at the dealer meet-ing for printed parts catalogs for KX models, so welooked into it. There is enough interest (i.e. retail poten-tial) to offer them. And so, we are offering printed cata-logs for all ’94 KX, KDX and KLX models. Refer to PartsBulletin MC93-01. o

KLX650 “pass” or failby David Pyle,Parts Publication Specialist

While hunting for theheadlight relay diode inthe new KLX650 (see thatarticle on page 6), westumbled across an inter-esting little feature of theKLX headlight system:There is a “PASS” switchon the back side of the LHhandlebar switch case.

We found that when youoperate that switch, bat-tery power is routed froma chassis (brown) powerlead around the headlighthigh/low switch to theR/Bk lead going to thehigh beam. The obviouspurpose of this switch is tomomentarily turn on yourhigh beam while you ridealong at night with yourlow beam on. As long asthe dimmer switch is on“Lo” and the pass switchis pulled to the on posi-tion, both elements in theheadlight will be on. Re-

lease the pass switch toreturn to using just the lowbeam.

But there’s more: Sincethe pass switch takespower from the brown wire(which is hot any time theignition switch is on), it al-lows you to turn on theheadlight with the enginestopped. If the dimmerswitch is in the “Hi” posi-tion when you do this, thepower will go backwardsthrough the dimmer andup the BIN lead to theheadlight relay diode, acti-vating the relay-and theheadlight will stay on,even when the passswitch is released.

If the dimmer switch isin the “Lo” position, theheadlight will go off whenyou release the switch. o

1994 KX Jet NeedlesI t’s time again for the an-nual KX jet needle expla-nation and chart. As usual,there is no information onthe microfiche to help youfigure out what needle toorder if you want a richeror leaner one.

Each model has twogroups of needles avail-able with five needles ineach group. For eachmodel, these groups arejust 1/2 clip position differ-ent from each other. Forexample, on the KX125the N1JM needle (fromthe N1J_group) is 1/2 clipposition leaner than theOEM standard N1KM nee-

dle (from the N1K_group).The jet needle chart in theowners manual does notlist the needles in a true“Leanest-to-richest” orderbecause it doesn’t takeinto consideration this half-step difference betweenthe two groups.

The chart at right liststhe available needles foreach model in the correctorder, from leanest (top) torichest (bottom). Keep inmind that each needle isonly 1/2 clip position differ-ent from the one above orbelow it on the chart. Re-fer to the microfiche to getthe part number of any

needle you want to order.The “ * ” indicates thestandard needle.

P.S. The jet needlechart for the ’93 modelsprinted in K-Tech News

last year was taken di-rectly out of an early own-ers manual and wasincorrect. We’re sorryabout that.- Gregg Thompson

1994 KX Jet Needle Chart

KX125-K1 KX250-K1 KX500-E6Leanest N1JO NOZG N82T

N1KO N1EG N89HN1JN NOZF N82S

N1KN N1EF N89GN1JM NOZE N82R*

N1KM* N1EE* N89FN1JL NOZD N82Q

N1KL N1ED N89EN1JK NOZC N82P

Richest N1KK N1EC N89D

The Technical Magazine l 5

KLX650 headlight diode explorationsby David PyleParts Publications Specialist

Whether you are lookingfor the part number on themicrofiche or for the part it-self on a bike, you willhave a hard time findingthe KLX650-C headlightrelay diode. This diode isthe one integral to the sys-tem that automaticallyturns on the headlightonce the engine start but-ton is released.

On Kawasaki street mo-torcycles, this diode (or di-ode pack) is normallylocated in the junctionbox. But not on theKLX650. On this bike, it isneatly wrapped insideelectrical tape on the mainwire harness just belowthe headlight relay. Theheadlight relay is mountedon the headlight bracketjust behind the headlight,and once you’ve found therelay, it’s relatively easy tofind the diode. There willbe a bulge in the wire har-ness 2-3 inches below theheadlight relay. That’s thediode. Unwrap the tapeand you’ll find the diodemounted in a harness con-nector. The connector hasa one-way hook that hasto be probed with a pick torelease the diode.

At the time I’m writingthis article, finding the di-ode on the microfiche iseven harder than finding iton the bike. That’s be-cause it’s not on the cur-rent microfiche ...

ALERT

KLF300 Igniter failuresA couple of dealers have found that it was charging atreported to us that failed very high voltage (16-18V atKLF300 igniters may have the battery when revved up)!been caused by high volt- it is conceivable that highage from a bad regulator. voltage in this system could

In each case, the dealer have damaged the ignitershad replaced the igniter to in these cases. It's probablycorrect a no-spark condi- best to do a quick charging-tion. Shortly after the first re- voltage test whenever re-pair, the vehicle came back placing an igniter on awith no spark again. This KLF300. See page 9 of thistime, technicians at each of issue for more KLF300 igni-these dealerships checked tion/charging system info.the charging system and - Ed.

This will be corrected onthe next revision. If youneed one before that ar-rives, the part number is49018-1059 and they arein stock. o

6 l K-Tech News

KLX650 stars in Baja 1000!I t required more time thananticipated to design, fabri-cate and assemble some ofthe wildly exotic aftermarketcomponents and sub-systems.At least one of its ridersprofessed a preference forthe vastly more developedKX500. Nonetheless, Kawa-saki’s Team Green racingdepartment really showed offits incredible off-road racingprowess, not only with anunprecedented sixth consec-utive overall win in the late-Nov. ’93 Baja 1000, but alsowith the amazing performance

of its brand new KLX650.Ridden brilliantly by off-roadveterans Paul Krause, GarthSweetland and Ted HunicuttJr., the state-of-the-art four-stroke machine finished thirdoverall in its Baja debut!

Team Green hand-fabri-cated everything from clutchhousing to lighting system tospaceage exhaust system onthe prototype 650, which ha!shown extremely well in itsfirst season of competition.We’ll have more in the nextissue of K-Tech News.- S. Nickless

Ninja® alter-nator repairWhen replacing the volt-age regulator in any of ourlarger Ninjas, from the750s up to the 1100s, caremust be taken reattachingthe power supply to theregulator. This is usually abrown wire and is at-

tached to the “IG” termi-nal. In this “field excited”-type alternator, this powerlead can easily be at-tached to the “F” terminal(located very close to the“IG” terminal). The “F” ter-minal even has a screwidentical to the one on the“IG” terminal.

Simply put, if you attachthe power lead to the “F”terminal, the regulator willbe rendered useless(smoked) the moment youturn the ignition switch on.We know of several caseswhere the dealership tech-nician correctly diagnoseda bad regulator but con-nected the power lead tothe “F” terminal on reas-sembly. When the alterna-tor still put out no power(the regulator was deadagain), the technician re-placed the entire alterna-tor thinking there wassomething else wrong withit that was causing it to“eat” regulators. That’s avery expensive and unnec-essary repair caused by avery small error.- Jerry Heil

Camchain tensioners forearly 900s/1000sIn the Winter 1992 issueof K-Tech News, weprinted an article tellingyou about a newer, stur-dier camchain tensionerfor the ZX900A throughZG1000 engine family.When the older, screw-style tensioner weakenedand became noisy withage, we explained, it couldbe replaced by the latestratchet-type tensionerfrom the ZX11.

most of the ‘84-87 en-gines in this family has arounded end cap that fitsinto a concave area onthe chain guide. By mid-’87, though, the factoryhad begun using anotherscrew-type tensionerwhich had a flat end cap.The camchain guide inthese later-model engineshad a convex surface tomate with a flat end capon the tensioner.

But since then, we havereceived a few reports not-ing that when this modifi-cation was tried on someolder models, it resulted inabnormal camchain noise.This puzzled us becausethe newer tensioner hasplenty of spring pressureand more reach than theolder tensioner.

Well, the problemseems to be with highermileage units and is appar-ently the result of a poor fitbetween the flat end onthe new-style tensionerand the concave surfaceon the old camchainguide. So we must amendthe original article:

When replacing anolder (screw-type) ten-sioner with the ZX11(ratchet-type) tensioner,make sure the old one hasa flat end cap. The earlystyle tensioner used in

That particular ten-sioner was eventually re-placed by the currentratchet-style componentwhich has a similar flatend and uses the samecamchain guide. This new-est tensioner doesn’t al-ways work well with theoriginal style (concave)camchain guide.

So what’s the bottomline? If the tensioner youare replacing has therounded end cap, replacethe camchain guide alsoin order to insure properfunction of the newratchet-style tensioner.

Our thanks to the Con-cours Owners Group(COG) and their Con-courier newsletter staff foralerting us to the possibil-ity of problems when con-verting to the newer-styletensioner. - Ed.

Rear axle torque:Important? Yes!by John Pomo, Product Support Specialist

When a motorcycle’s rear axle has been loosened forany reason (changing the rear tire, adjusting the chain,etc.), torquing it properly on reassembly is very impor-tant on any model. But, on some chain-drive models, theconsequences of not tightening the rear axle to theproper torque can be worse than you might think.

Models with the aluminum box-section swingarmwith the chain adjuster located inside the end of theswingarm tubing (such as the ZX750-H1 and ZX600-Dand -E) are susceptible to a unique failure if the axle isnot torqued properly. The lightweight chain-adjuster capon the end of the swingarm was designed to withstandonly the light pressure applied when adjusting the chainwith the axle nut loose.

If the axle nut isn’t torqued properly, the axle will bepulled forward during hard acceleration, easily breakingthe chain adjuster cap by pulling the adjuster bolt rightrough it. The axle will continue to move forward on theleft side cocking the wheel to the right until the chain fi-nally climbs off the rear sprocket.

In case you were wondering, the chain coming offthe rear sprocket-especially under hard acceleration—is not a good thing.

We think its a real good idea to check the servicemanual for the correct torque when tightening a rearaxle. Then use a torque wrench to make sure it’s right.You might be surprised at how much torque is required:The ZX600-E manual, for example, calls for 80 ft/lbs! Tryapplying that much torque with your handy dandy Cres-cent wrench!

If you have any customers who regularly do theirown service work and whose motorcycles have this typechain adjuster, you should probably pass this tip along‘them. o

The Technical Magazine l 7

MULE™ usage-triggered rear axle modificationsby Randy Davis,Product Quality Engineer

Some time after the firstMULE™ utility vehicles be-came available in 1988,we began receiving re-ports from customers whohad problems with rear ax-les mysteriously pullingout of the differential.Though infrequent, thesereports were quite trouble-some due to the nature ofthe failure and the factthat the failure wouldsometimes repeat on thesame unit after the repairwas made.Well, we still haven’t dis-

covered the cause of thisstrange failure, but we be-eve it is aggravated by

rough or hilly terrainand/or heavy vehicleloads. Our belief that thisis related to usage is sub-stantiated by the fact thatwhile the failure rate is ex-tremely low, we have sev-eral cases of repeatfailures even after all re-lated parts have been re-placed.

If you are dealing withone of these repeat offenders—and there are knowncases affecting mostMULE models, from the1000 to the 2510—youmay want to consider per-forming some surgery tomodify the axles in orderto eliminate this problem.The modification we sug-gest requires removing the

KAF540-C,D

KAF450-B

axles, machining them, In the case of the MULEand then reinstalling 2010 and 2020 models,them with a different circlip this modification will re-usually in a different loca- quire splitting the cases inon) and a new collar that order to machine the lefthelps keep the circlip in axle since there is no re-the groove. movable bearing holder ä

KAF450-B

KAF620-A,B

KAF540-C,BKAF620-A,B

8 l K-Tech News

on that side. On both theMULE 1000 (KAF450-B1)and the 2000-seriesMULES (KAF540-C1 andKAF540-D1), you willhave to machine anothercirclip groove in each axleto accept the new circlip ina new location. On theMULE 1000 (KAF450-B1),you must also machine1.5mm of material off oneend of the differential lockshifter so it will clear thenew circlip when its in theunlocked mode. On theMULE 2510 and 2520(KAF620-A1 and-B1), you will have to re-move some material fromthe shoulder that locatesthe bearing on the axle tomake room for the newcollar.

FYI : The 2000 seriesand 2500 series rear axlesare interchangeable.

The drawings shown atleft should give you all theinformation you will needin order to modify the ax-les to accept the new cir-clip and collar.

NOTE: This modificationshould not be performedexcept when multiplefailures have occurredon that unit. This articledoes not constitute afactory repair campaignand is not warrantyauthorization. o

KLF300: Don’t knock these solutionsWe still get the occasionalcall from a dealer who ischasing his tail trying tofind an elusive knockingnoise in a KLF300. Mostof the time when a dealeris chasing one of thesephantom knocking noises,we on the Hot Line referhim to the article printed inthe Spring 1992 issue ofK-Tech News. But it nowseems worth re-printingthe article for those of youwho never saw it or whohave forgotten about it.So, here it is. -Ed.

by Gregg Thompson,Product Support Supervisor

If you have a 1990 orolder KLF300-B or -Cmodel with a mysteriousknocking noise at low en-gine rpm, the solutioncould be easier than youthink. If the noise soundsjust like a rod knock and islouder when the engine ishot, but goes away justabove idle, why not try anew IC igniter?

“Oh, that makes perfectsense!” you say.

“Not!”Well, strange as it may

seem, that was the solu-tion in a a lot of caseswhere the symptoms were

just as described above.Apparently, the audible“knock” was the result ofincorrect ignition timing atlow rpm due to a faulty ig-niter. The knock worsenedas the engine warmed up,which does make sense ifthe noise is the result ofdetonation.Hey, if you think the IC

igniter remedy is a strangeone, here’s an even moreunlikely solution to thesame problem: Severalnits with the same Iow-rpm knock also had aproblem with the enginesuddenly stopping at lowspeeds, bringing the vehi-cle to an abrupt halt.These units did not re-

spond to replacing the ig-niters. After disassemblingand inspecting theclutches, transmissionand, in one case, even theengine, the problemturned out to be a faultyregulator/rectifier!

That’s right: The knock-ing noise and engine stall-ing at low speeds wascaused by a faulty regula-tor!

So, if a vehicle showsup in your shop sufferingfrom some of these symp-toms, check the batteryfor high voltage in the 16-18V range with the enginerunning or just plug in an-other regulator/rectifier. o

PARTS UPDATE

Beware the changes in the VN750-A10 oil filter ..There have been some previous VN750s. The o-ringchanges to the VN750-A10 diameter is also smaller onoil filter and mounting plate the new filter and the oil filterthat are not shown on the mounting plate is changed tooriginal microfiche. correspond. Please be

The ’94 model VN750- aware that the old and newA10 uses a P/N 16097-1064 filters do not interchange.oil filter. This new filter has a The revised microfiche ismuch smaller outside diame- dated Dec. 1993.ter than the filter used on all - David Pyle

The Technical Magazine l 9

MULE™ 2510 rattling frontdrive shaftby Randy Davis,Product Quality Engineer

If you’ve sold very manyof the four-wheel-driveMULE™ 2510s at yourdealership, you have prob-ably had someone comein complaining of an an-noying rattle in the frontdrive train that occurs onlywhen the vehicle is in2WD. If you’ve had thiscomplaint but you haven’tcome up with a solutionyet, maybe we can offersome assistance. There isno official “factory fix” forthis-the rattle is not con-sidered “abnormal”-butwe can offer some sugges-tions that will help reduceyour customer’s irritation.

The noise comes fromclearance in the splineswhere the front propellershaft connects to the pin-ion shaft on the front differ-ential. We have found noway to completely elimi-nate the noise, but youcan reduce it to an accept-able level by installing athick rubber damper on

the pinion shaft spline andby filling the splines them-selves with a very heavywaterproof grease. Theheavier the grease andthe tougher the rubberdamper, the longer the re-pair will last.

You can order P/N92075-1110, a thick rubberwasher, from Kawasaki forthe damper or you canchase one down locally.You can even make yourown if you have somegood material to use. Thedamper needs to be about5mm thick and fit over thepinion shaft.

Meanwhile, Bel-Raywaterproof grease seemsto work very well in thesplines. o

Small pieces for KLF300sGood news! Until now, the U-joint couplers for theKLF300-C 4x4’s front drive shaft (which connect the sub-transmission to the front differential) have only beenavailable as assemblies. The rear one included the pro-peller shaft as part of the assembly.

Well, we’ve finally managed to make all the smallpieces for the U-joints and the propeller shaft availableseparately. As of today, the KLF300-C5/C6 microfiche isthe only one showing these new part numbers (see Grid#D-4, Drive Shaft [Front]), but the parts fit all KLF300models from Cl through C6. The microfiche for the ear-lier models will be updated as soon as possible.- David Pyle

Generator high altitude jetsUntil recently, our Portable Generator microfiche havenot listed any optional jetting information for high-altitudeoperation. The relatively new GE4300-AS and GE5000-S microfiche do list alternate main jets for high-altitudese, but the altitude information is not real clear.Recently we received some high-altitude jetting speci-

fications for all Kawasaki generators. We thought youmight be able to make use of it, so here it is. (This tablelists main jets only.) - Gregg Thompson

Generator High AltitudeCarburetor Adjustment

Refer to the following main jet setting guide to get the propermixture ratio for operation of generators at high altitude:

MODEL

KG550B

KG750BKG1100BKG1600B

KG2900B

KG4000A

KG5000A/B

GA-, GD550AGD700AGA1000AGA1400A GA1800AGA2300AGA3200

GE2200AGE2900A

GE4000ASGE4500ASGE4300A

GE5000AS

SEA LEVEL 3,000- 6,500 ft.(std) 6,500 ft. and up57.5 55 55

92063-2067 92063-2007 92063-200775 72.5 70

92063-2002 92063-2062 92063-205987.5 85 82.5

92063-2004 92063-2097 92063-200392.5 90 87.5

92063-2006 92063-2081 92063-200487.5 85 82.5

92063-2004 92063-2097 92063-2003115 112.5 110

92063-2009 92063-2008 92063-209257.5 55 55

92063-2120 92063-2121 92063-212172.5 70 67.5

92063-2062 92063-2059 92063-206587.5 85 82.5

92063-2051 92063-2087 92063-205491.3 90 87.5

92063-2094 92063-2052 92063-205172 70 68

92063-2232 92063-2233 92063-220890 87.5 85

92063-2159 92063-2238 92063-219285 82.5 80

92063-2245 92063-2246 92063-2247

10 ll K-Tech News

“We’ve” got the rightmanual, baby, uh huh!”by Donna Hood,Customer ServiceRepresentative

It’s snowmobile season. Acustomer calls your dealer-ship asking for an owner’smanual for a 1980 Invader.Your computer shows themanual has been discon-tinued. What can you doto help your customer?Call KMC Customer Serv-ices! We have access to avariety of literature thatcan no longer be orderedthrough the Parts Depart-ment. Listed below areitems that can be obtainedthrough Customer Serv-ices by either dealers orcustomers:

lCurrent model brochures

lOlder model brochures,from 1980. Not all modelsare available. We havesome original brochures,or can send a photocopyof the original brochure.

l Accessory brochures forall models.

lWarranty policies for allmodels.

lSample copies of theGood Times ProtectionPlan Policy.

lOwners manuals for allmodels, including gener-ators. We will photocopythe owner’s manual for anolder model, if the manualis no longer available.Cost is free.

lService manuals for allmodels, including gener-ators, available to custom-ers directly from CustomerServices. Cost: $24.95 forbase manual, $10.95 forsupplement, and $3.50 forpostage.

lMicrofiche for all mod-els. Cost: $2.00 each.

lSnowmobile owner’smanuals. Cost: free; maybe a photocopy of theoriginal manual.

lSnowmobile servicemanuals. Cost: $24.95plus $3.50 postage. Maybe a photocopy of theoriginal manual.

lReprints of magazinearticles.

lService SpecificationManuals. Cost: $6.95.

lModel RecognitionManuals. Cost: $12.95.

lGood Times magazines.

lJet Sports magazines. Cl

CONTlNUED FROM PAGE 12

early. All that is necessary is to call your regional salesoffice and ask for the sales secretary. She will be happyto register you for the training class you wish to attend.

I look forward to talking with you in class very soon.Remember, the busy season is just around the corner.Act now! o

CONTlNUED FROM PAGE 12

where prospective customers can take a test ride. Laterin the summer, there is a “fun day” where the customersbring their watercraft for some friendly competitiveevents. Kawasaki of Ocala furnishes the refreshments.

Jeff uses open houses with a variety of themes tohelp build customer loyalty. One theme is directed to-ward the off-road and motocross customers. This particu-lar open house coincides with a motocross series in theregion. An open house designed for the street ridertakes place during the summer. ATVs and MULES areput on display and test ridden on an outdoor track duringthe open house in the fall of the year. There are refresh-ments at all open houses.

All 17 of the employees are motorcycle enthusiasts.They promote and take part in road rides with the cus-tomers. Sometimes the customers and employees go fora trail ride after work. Being in Florida, watercraft are al-ways the nucleus of a good time between the customersand employees.

Jeff’s plan to build customer loyalty is easy to under-stand: Help the customers to have fun on theirKawasakis. Does it work? You bet it does! This year,sales are double when compared to any year in the 28-year history of the dealership!

The “customer loyalty” idea is not new. You areprobably thinking, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Well, youshould be thinking: “I can do that. o

CONTlNUED FROM PAGE 12

job in the amount of time the customer is being chargedfor, then your efficiency could use improving. Reviewingone of our training tapes and its accompanying work-book could help you improve your efficiency. Investing insome new tools could help make you “faster.” Attendinga Kawasaki training school could make a big differencein your efficiency.You want it? Customer Service has it!

- Brochures - Microfiche- Warranty policies - Good Times magazines- Owners manuals - Jet Sports magazines- Service Manuals - Article reprints- Good Times Protection Plan policies ... and more!

Whatever you resolve, I hope your new year is agreat one, and I hope to see you in a training classsoon! o

The Technical Magazine l 11

R E G I O N A L N E W S

WEST

ResolutionsSOUTH & CENTRAL

LoyaltyNORTH & EAST

Sign up earlyby Patrick Kelly by Walter Rainwater9950 Jeronimo Road 6110 Boat Rock Blvd. SW.Irvine, CA 92718 Atlanta, GA 30378(714) 770-0400 (404) 349-2000

It’s time for you to startthinking about your NewYear’s resolutions. Whatare they going to be? I’vegot a couple of sugges-tions for you: How aboutresolving to improve yourjob skills! If you’re a techni-cian, this would mean im-proving your productivityand efficiency.

Jeff Lewis owns Kawa-saki of Ocala. After work-ing for another dealer foreight years, Jeff decidedhe wanted a dealership ofhis own. This he was fi-nally able to purchase inApril 1992.

Productivity is a meas-ure of how many hoursyou spend during the day“clocked on” a work order.Improving your productiv-ity means less timewasted between work or-ders. Consciously try tolimit the amount of timeyou “waste” between jobscan help you improve yourproductivity.

Based on his prior work-ing experience, Jeff knewthat customer loyalty wasone of the secrets to a suc-cessful business. Jeff andhis employees set aboutbuilding customer loyaltyin many ways.

Efficiency is a measureof how much time it takesyou to do a given job vs.how much time the cus-tomer is being chargedfor. If, on the average, youare not completing a given

Kawasaki of Ocala is aTeam Green dealer. Theyhave a contingency pro-gram for 35 riders andplan on supporting asmany as 50. One of theiremployees goes to the lo-cal motocross races withtheir version of the TeamGreen Support van andprovides technical supportand parts for their racers.

CONTlNUED ON PAGE 11

In the spring, Jeff holdsa demo day for watercraft

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

12 l K-Tech News

by Fred DeHart201 Circle Drive N., #107Piscataway, NJ 08854(201) 469-1221

I have gotten good re-ports from riders whohave had the chance toride our 1994 KX models.If you want to learn moreabout the new motocrossmachinery and get solidadvice on rebuilding frontand rear Kawasaki sus-pension systems, be sureto attend this training sea-son’s Team Green class.

Team Green classesare only held once eachtraining season. We willhold one in the North Re-gion and one in the EastRegion sometime near theend of Feb. or March ’94.Specific dates have notyet been finalized so besure to check upcoming is-sues of K-Tech News andthe training bulletins thatare sent to your dealer-ship every month.

Fall classes, heldthrough Dec., filled rapidlyso if you plan to attend inthe future, try to sign up

CONTlNUED ON PAGE 11

TrainingScheduleEast RegionJanuary11-13 Engines14 Modern Engine Theory25-26 MULE™ Service27 Generator

February8-10 JET SKI® Watercraft15 Service Department Operations16-17 Team Green Race Preparations23-24 Fuel Systems25 Parts Department Operations

North RegionJanuary17-19 JET SKI® Watercraft20 Modern Engine Theory21 Generator

February[No classes scheduled]

March28-29 MULE™ Service30-31 Team Green Race Preparations

April1 Service Department Operations

Central RegionFebruary22 Precision Measurement and

Diagnostic Tool Usage23-25 JET SKI® Watercraft28 Generator

March1 Fuel Systems2-3 Troubleshooting Electrical Systems

South RegionJanuary13 Service Department Operations17-18 ATV Service19 Tune and Service20 Precision Measurement and

Diagnostic Tool Usage24-25 MULE™ Service26-27 Troubleshooting Elec. Systems31 Modern Engine TheoryFebruary1-3 Engines7-8 ATV Service9-10 Team Green Race Preparation14-16 JET SKI® Watercraft17 Generators

West Region

January13 ATV Service18-20 Troubleshooting Elec. Systems

February1-2 MULE™ Service3 ATV Service7 Precision Measurement and

Diagnostic Tool Usage8-9 Engines10 Generator14-16 JET SKI® Watercraft17 Service Department Operations22 Fuel Systems23 Modern Engine Theory24 Tune and Service