Guess which 2006 engine ....

Rich Rohrich · Mar 11, 2006

this piston pin came out of? :yikes:

Okiewan · Mar 11, 2006

splatt · Mar 11, 2006

KFX?

Steve

YZ165 · Mar 11, 2006

Kx250f?

Rich Rohrich · Mar 11, 2006

KXF450 - It seems some of the pistons pins in the early engines were a wee bit too hard and were cracking. From everything I have heard Kawasaki has been very good about coming to the aid of the guys who had these early flawed pieces, and have fixed the issue in the current shipping bikes.

This would be a good opportunity for motometal to give us a tutorial on the difference between hardness and ductility in steel. It's obviously a fine line at times. ;)

YZ165 · Mar 12, 2006

Rich Rohrich said:
This would be a good opportunity for motometal to give us a tutorial on the difference between hardness and ductility in steel.

That would be interesting. Lets hear it MotoMetal!

I had a '06 KXF250 in last week that droped a valve. Catastrophic is all I can say. Kawasaki told me the 250F heads are on backorder........Does that mean they didn't make enough spares, or that there are lots of failures out there?

Chili · Mar 12, 2006

YZ165 said:
Does that mean they didn't make enough spares, or that there are lots of failures out there?

I'll take what's behind door #2 Monty!

YZ165 · Mar 12, 2006

steve125 · Mar 13, 2006

Just last week a friend of mine had his KXF 450 let go. Sounds like the same problem.

Masterphil · Mar 13, 2006

I thought they "delayed the release" of this bike in order to "perfect the design". I for one, wasn't going to buy that load of crap. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. The KXF250's were designed/released with too many flaws, so it's a safe bet the the KXF450 will the the same mousetrap waiting to go off.

XRpredator · Mar 13, 2006

it's been said before and will be said again many many times . . .

Never buy the first model year

MOTOX888 · Mar 13, 2006

Kx450f

YZ165 · Mar 13, 2006

MOTOX888 said:
Kx450f

Damn......good guess!....How do you do it?

robwbright · Mar 13, 2006

XRpredator said:
Never buy the first model year

. . . of a 4 stroke! :nener:

nephron · Mar 14, 2006

Every one of these *******s seem to shell out at unacceptable frequency--HONDA, YAMAHA, Kawasaki, Suzuki, KTM, alike....whatever. Until someone can come up with some DATA on frequency/brand....I'm not convinced. I'm more likely to drink toilet water than believe anectdotal evidence. Either way, that's not even the point. I'm seriously convinced that all this 4 stroke stuff is junk now--meant only for the fully-funded racer with factory support, and a new motor for every race, lol!....NOT thrilled about owning one now, and reading about parts flying off at frequencies measured in the MHz range.

john3_16 · Mar 15, 2006

There are actually recall statistics compiled over the years that shows how each manufactuer stands against each other...To avoid getting people upset lets just say that the rumors are supported by actual statistical evidence...When it comes to reliability, quality of materials, design, and manufacturing processes there is a difference...There is little truth to "pick a color" that you hear from multi brand motorcycle dealerships.

I know almost everyone knows someone or they themself had an experience with brand X that held up great or vice versa that's contrary to popular cliche's that we've heard applied to certain motorcycle manufacurers...All anectdotal stuff...Let me just say that the statistics I've seen, and my own experience leads me to not to be surprised as to what bike this piston pin belonged to.

nephron · Mar 15, 2006

The brand issue is a null deal to me. I have recently bought green because I'm supporting a particular local dealer. My big issue is that I don't feel like I can take my 250f down to the river for some fun in the sand/trails every once in a while for fear of blowing the son of a biotch up. Don't get me wrong. I don't mind spending time on the 500 ;) , but I feel like I've got to reserve that thing for track time (which for me is limited--the bike is brand new and I haven't ridden it in a month).

The way this board plays out, I feel like a paratrooper over the coast of France...looking down every once in a while for metallic foreign objects in places they shouldn't be.

SFO · Mar 15, 2006

Pushing a motorcycle home is easier than pushing a snowmobile home.
I believe we are witnessing the oems "pushing the envelope".
It is well known in BMW car circles not to buy a first year anything from BMW.
In these modern times the consumer/dealership tech/internet/aftermarket companies are the maginot line...

SFO · Mar 15, 2006

Broken wrist pin is right up there with small end release.
Puts the crf450 valve recession into perspective...
Create a new aftermarket product too!
How long before we see wrist pins in the back of cyclenews?

Masterphil · Mar 16, 2006

Rich, in your opinion, is this(the abundance of 4t failures/design issues of all brands) an issue of sloppy design and incomplete development, intentionally designing a part to prematurely wear to generate labor/parts income, or is it the factories producing the best that they can for a given price?

nephron · Mar 17, 2006

I wonder what would come of comparing reliability/hp/cc of these thumpers with LeMans series car motors? Drag motors would be less applicable. My sense is that these 24 hour races end up finishing the motor. Considering the longevity of these thumpers, including all the cold starts, doesn't really look too bad.

380EXCman · Mar 21, 2006

This is some good stuff.

I was in my old shop the other day and they had the top end off one of the shop sponsored riders 06 TC250's to put on a set of rings. The bike had been through 55 gal of race gas and was a little down on power. They had a baseline dyno from right after break in and had dynoed it after the 55 gallons of gas. The piston looked like new. The valve clearences were in spec and they had only been adjusted once since it was new, and at that time only one intake valve was slightly off. Needless to say I was suprised. I really like the way the new Husky valve train is set up and how easy it is to service. However I was still suprised to hear how many hours (expert) were on the bike. I am only using this as an example because this bike is unique for a 250F. Its 10 lbs heavier than the other 250F MX'ers out there. Husky uses the same motor for their 250's 450's and 510's with different bore/stroke/cranks of course. I have seen the dynos for myself and the Husky is a potential leader in the HP and torque department.

Is the extra ten pounds hurting the bike or helping it. I say this because most pro level competitive riders that would race the 250F are going to be 140-200 lb with gear. That is quite a swing. Maybe the MFG's are placing to much emphasis on weight? I understand there are differences on how a bike will handle based on what it weighs despite what the rider weighs. Im starting to think maybe we are splitting hairs anymore.

Again. Im not saying the Husky is superior. And for what its worth they are working on a 250F only motor for next year. I imagine they will sell more bikes. After all MXA would have scored it higher had it not been so heavy!

Rich Rohrich · May 16, 2006

nephron said:
I wonder what would come of comparing reliability/hp/cc of these thumpers with LeMans series car motors? Drag motors would be less applicable. My sense is that these 24 hour races end up finishing the motor. Considering the longevity of these thumpers, including all the cold starts, doesn't really look too bad.

Doc - If more people took that view there would be a lot fewer unexpected failures.:cool:

High speed engines with high specific output have lightweight parts that WEAR OUT. When folks learn to respect the service intervals instead of "assuming" it's just a scam by the OEM to sell parts, they will have fewer issues.

Vic · May 17, 2006

I want it all and I want it FREE. :)

Jaybird · May 18, 2006

I just wish they would bring back gubment cheese!
:aj:

Guess which 2006 engine ....

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