In the kickstart ratchet assembly there is a 15mm snap ring that should be on the end of the shaft. On mine, it had jumped out of the groove and was sliding along the shaft like a washer. The function of this snap ring is to hold the washer in place that provides the backing for the ratchet engagement spring. If the snap-ring pops out of the groove, the spring can move back another 3mm or so before it contacts the housing. This results in a much weaker engagement, making slippage much more common. In addition, my engagement spring was a bit sacked. The old one measured 12mm, the new one was 14.5mm. Combined with the snap ring that jumped its groove, it resulted in much lower engagement pressure from spring. If your bike is having kickstarter engagement problems , it might be something to check (part 480A on the buykawasaki.com website). Getting to it requires removing the right side cover, the clutch hub, and the spur gear/kick shaft assy.