broken clutch cover and side case on 02 220R(long)

[penguin]

OK this is one of the strangest things I have ever had break on a dirtbike. I had just come in from making some laps at a local riding spot and was going to drain the oil in my 02 KDX220. I got off the bike and went to get a wrench. I got the wrench and turned around and could not believe what I saw. The whole right side of my bike was covered in oil and it was dripping down from the clutch cover. i thought, ok, the cover bolts must be loose....wrong. There was a a gaping hole in the clutch cover just in front of where the kickstarter comes out of the cases! I got some contact cleaner and some rags and started cleaning to see what was going on. Not only was the clutch cover broken, the side case was broken where the 2 parts meet and there is a hairline crack in the crevice where the sidecase curves out to mate with the clutch cover extending up to the kickstarter. My theory is that somehow the sidecase was defective and the force of kicking caused the case to flex and crack when I started the bike and then the vibrations from riding caused the case to break. I took off the clutch cover and extracted a couple of pieces of the broken case that had fallen inside. I have only had the bike 2 months and have ridden it less than 100 miles and have not laid it over, so crash damage is not a factor. I am going to be taking the bike in to my local dealer Monday and see if they will warranty this. Anyone else ever seen something similar?

 

[cyclers10]

The dealer will probably fix the problem if there is no evidence of negligence, or crashes, my buddy had a bad main seal on his 220 dealer fixed no problem after kawi oked the repair, only had 10 hrs on the bike the oil level would just go down after a two hour ride from top of the sight glass to bottom. just be cool and they should take care of you, kawi pays for it the dealer doesnt, later c10

 

[penguin]

I have been buying bikes from this dealer for over 8 years and the KDX is the 6th bike( all Kawasakis) And I have been buying Kawasakis for over 15 years. Both my sons have made multiple purchases from them to, and they get about $3k in parts and accessories purchases from me every year. I was just a little upset when I saw all that oil pouring out of my bike and saw the big hole in the clutch cover, I am pretty sure they will take care of me. I'll post with more details as I get them.

 

[cyclers10]

Like i said try to be cool headed about the problem and you should have no probs, later good luck and keep us posted, bye c10

 

[Mikeb]

Deja Vu

I thought I was the only one to see this. At DW01 Canadian Dave was riding my 98 KDX200 and we were pulling the arrows down from the hare scramble course. We had stopped and started about a billion times to remove arrows when he started the bike and it sounded terrible. You could hear something in the clutch cover grinding against the basket. :scream: He immediately shut it down. As I got over to it to look at the case it had a hole about the size of a dime in the clutch cover and oil dripping everywhere. We towed it back and found that the hole was punched in from the outside right in front of the kickstarter. Many people looked at the bike and all that we could come up with is that a mud covered rock was lodged just in front of the kickstarter and when he kicked the starter it shoved the rock into the case hard enough to break a hole in the case and send the broken piece of metal into the clutch assy. Thankfully Dave knew something wasnt right and shut her down quick before any clutch damage could happen.

When I got back home I took it apart and found the cover needed replacing and also I had a hairline crack in the right side cover. Luckily the hairline crak did not go all the way through and it didnt need to be replaced.

I dont think this is a defect or anyhting like that I just chalked it up to bad luck and went on. The KDX is still BY FAR the most reliable 2 stroke I have ever owned.

 

[penguin]

The dealer is giving me flack about fixing it under warranty. I ended up talking with the shop owner had to remind him how many bikes i have bought and how much stuff I buy from him every year. I have been nice so far, but my patience is wearing a little thin. If I have to pay for this myself, there is going to be a nicely equipped 2002 KDX220 for sale at a really good price. And my next bike will not be green

 

[BRush]

Stand your ground with the dealer. Sometimes a dealer's knee-jerk reaction is to be suspicious since they may have been burnt before. I can understand a little suspicion from a dealer you did not know well, but that kind of treatment from a dealer with whom you have a track record, and who should know that you (presumably!) don't have a history of bad faith claims? I can see how it might tick you off. You are on the right track with the owner. Sometimes the only thing to do is to present it as a "is this worth losing me as a customer?" issue.

 

[penguin]

The dealer is doing some fancy backpedalling at this point. I have already decided to sell the KDX as soon as it is repaired regardless of who pays for it. My 2stroke experiment has been a failure. Once I sell the bike I will take my time and get another 4stroke. nothing wrong with the KDX, my riding style just does not suit a 2stroke anymore.