THE ENGINE BALANCER LOCKING MECHANISM FAILED EARLY ON THIS ENGINE - AND ON MANY OF THE KLR650S FROM 1987 - 2007 USING THE MODEL A DESIGNATION. MINE WAS AN A14 IN THE '86-'07 KLR65'S CHAIN-DRIVEN BALANCER SUBSYSTEM, TWO RELATED PARTS ARE PRONE TO FAILURE: 1) THE BALANCER IDLER LEVER (KAWASAKI PART NO. 13168-1436); AND, 2) THE IDLER SHAFT SPRING (KAWASAKI PART NO. 92144-1860). THE TWO PARTS SERVE TO MAINTAIN TENSION ON THE BALANCER CHAIN. THE OEM IDLER SHAFT LEVER IS A WELDED PIECE. BECAUSE IT IS IMPROPERLY SUPPORTED, THE LEVER CAN BE EASILY CRIMPED, DENTED, OR WARPED. EVENTUALLY, THE DAMAGE CAN BECOME SO SEVERE THE LEVER ???HANGS??ť ON THE CRIMPED PART AND FAILS TO ALLOW ADJUSTMENT TO THE CHAIN TENSION. IN SOME CASES THE WELD FAILS OR THE COLLAR BREAKS SO THE LEVER IS NO LONGER ATTACHED TO THE IDLER SHAFT AND PIECES FALL INTO THE OIL SUMP BELOW. TENSION ON THE SYSTEM IS NOW HELD ENTIRELY BY THE IDLER SHAFT SPRING. UNDER TREMENDOUS STRESS, THE SPRING CAN FAIL EITHER BY BREAKAGE OR BEING STRETCHED BEYOND LIMITS. IN ANY OF THE ABOVE SCENARIOS, WHEN TENSION IS LOST THE CHAIN IS CAPABLE OF JUMPING A SPROCKET, JAMMING AND LOCKING THE ENGINE. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE FOR THE BROKEN PIECES TO FIND THEIR WAY INTO THE OIL PUMP (ASSUMING THE PROTECTIVE SCREEN IS MISSING) AND CAUSE ENGINE FAILURE AT SPEED.
2000 Kawasaki KL650A14
Owners filed 2 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine and engine cooling. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsMY 2000 KAWASAKI KLR650 HAS AN ISSUE WITH THE COUNTER BALANCER ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM THAT HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED MANY TIMES BY OTHER OWNERS. IN 2002 I OPENED THE SIDE CASE UP AND THE BALANCER ADJUSTMENT SPRING WAS BROKEN. THE SPRING WAS BROKEN. I REPLACED THE SPRING AND ALSO THE LEVER WITH AN AFTERMARKET PARTS. ONCE THE LEVER AND/OR THE SPRING BREAKS THE SYSTEM WILL NOT ADJUST TENSION ON THE BALANCER CHAIN AND AS LIKELY WILL CAUSE THE ADJUSTMENT TO LOOSEN RATHER THAN TIGHTEN. A VERY LOOSE CHAIN CAN DERAIL AND POSSIBLY LOCK UP THE ENGINE DURING OPERATION AND AT SPEED. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH POSSIBLE INJURY. *JB
2 of 2 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.