2008 KAWASAKI KLR 650 TURN SIGNAL SUPPORT FAILURE. THE RUBBER BOOT THAT HOLDS THE TURN SIGNAL ONTO THE MOUNTING LOCATION HAS SHEARED OFF COMPLETELY ON ONE, AND PARTIALLY ON ANOTHER. *TR
2008 Kawasaki KLR650 complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2008 record →
2008 KAWASAKI KLR 650 RIGHT REAR TURN SIGNAL HAS FALLEN OFF. THERE IS NO SIGN OF DAMAGE TO THE SIGNAL FROM A COLLISION. THE RUBBER HOUSING HOLDING THE SIGNAL HAS TORN AWAY. *TR
TURN SIGNALS FALLING OFF. *TR
CERTAIN RUBBER COMPONENTS ON THE MOTORCYCLE HAVE DRIED OUT AND ARE CRUMBLING. THE FOLLOWING ARE EXAMPLES A) TURN SIGNAL STALKS HAVE FALLEN OFF WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE WHICH COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE OTHER TRAFFIC NOT SEEING YOUR TURN SIGNAL B) WINDSHIELD RETAINING WELL NUTS HAVE CRUMBLED AND THE WINDSHIELD COULD COME LOOSE OR OFF AT HWY SPEEDS CAUSING INJURY TO THE DRIVER AND POSSIBLE ACCIDENT C) RUBBER BOOT ON THE POSITIVE TERMINAL OF THE STARTER HAS DRYROTTED AND IS CRUMBLING. THIS COULD CAUSE A POSSIBLE SHORT IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM D) THE BOOT WHICH PREVENTS WATER INTRUSION TO THE CLUTCH CABLE HAS DETERIORATED AND ALLOWS WATER INTO THE CABLE WHICH COULD CAUSE IT TO SEIZE AND IF THE CLUTCH COULD NOT BE PULLED IN, MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT UNDER THE RIGHT CONDITIONS. *TR
TURN SIGNAL MOUNT DRY ROTS AND FALLS OFF POSSIBLE CAUSE OF INJURY FROM SIGNAL ITSELF. OTHER PROBLEM IS IT COULD FALL OFF WITHOUT RIDER KNOWING IT AND COULD BE INVOLVED IN CRASH FROM LACK OF SIGNAL GIVEN TO OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. *TR
I PURCHASED AN ENDURO MOTORCYCLE FOR USE ON THE HIGHWAY,THE MOTORCYCLE IS EQUIPPED WITH ALL NECESSARY COMPONENTS FOR THAT PURPOSE. THE FIRST PROBLEM WAS THE SPEEDOMETER WAS NOT CALIBRATED TO THE FAULT THAT I NEVER KNEW WHAT THE READING WOULD BE EVAN AT THE SAME ESTIMATED SPEED. I USED THE MOTORCYCLE ON MOSTLY SURFACE STREETS. ON THE EVENING THAT THE MOTORCYCLE FAILED IT SEEMED TO "GET A BOOST OF POWER" SO TO SPEAK, THEN IT STARTED TO RAPIDLY LOOSE ALL POWER UNTIL IT WOULD NO LONGER CONTINUE RUN. I ATTEMPTED TO RESTART IT BUT IT HAD LOST ENOUGH COMPRESSION TO DO SO. I RETURNED IT TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE FOR REPAIR IT HAS SINCE SAT FOR LACK OF COOPERATION OF THE MANUFACTURER AM HAVING TROUBLE INPUTTING THE MAKE AND MODEL OF MY MOTORCYCLE IT IS NOT ON THE LIST, IT IS A SHIENRIE ALLROAD 200CC ENDURO MADE IN CHINA, FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROCEEDING I WILL INPUT ANOTHER MAKE. *TR
DEFECTIVE RUBBER PARTS/ RUBBER DRY ROT ON BIKE LESS THAN A YEAR OLD. MUFFLER BOLT FELL OFF DURING TRAVEL WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED MUFFLER TO COME OFF DURING OPERATION. *TR
2008 KAWASAKI KLR 650 BURNING OIL. KAWASAKI REPLIED TO ME, "IF YOUR MOTORCYCLE IS BURNING A QUART EVERY 1,000 MILES OR LESS, THAT IS NORMAL." *TR
I TRIED TO ADJUST THE SPRING PRELOAD TO A STIFFER SETTING ON MY REAR SHOCK AND THE ADJUSTER MECHANISM FAILED AND THE SHOCK REMAINS ON THE SOFTEST SETTING, UNABLE TO BE ADJUSTED. I WANTED FOR THE FIRST TIME TO TAKE A PASSENGER FOR A RIDE AND NOW THE STIFFER SETTING REQUIRED IS NOT OBTAINABLE. RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE WITH A PASSENGER COULD BE A HAZARD AT THE CURRENT SOFTEST SETTING. I HAVE YET TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE SITUATION, BUT IT SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON FAULT WITH THIS NEW MOTORCYCLE, AND I WAS HOPING FOR A RECALL ON THE SHOCK BEFORE I HAD THE CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM. *TR
WHILE ADJUSTING THE PRELOAD ADJUSTER ON MY REAR SHOCK ON MY 2008 KLR650 THE PRELOAD ADJUST BROKE. ALL IT DOES NOW IS SPIN AND WON'T ADJUST THE SHOCK AT ALL. I ONLY HAVE 1500 MILES ON THIS BIKE. *TR
REAR SHOCK ADJUSTER BOLT BROKE WHEN I TRIED TO SET THE PRELOAD. COULD NOT SET THE SHOCK FOR A HEAVIER LOAD. KAWASAKI REPLACED THE SHOCK. *TR
REAR SHOCK ABSORBER PRELOAD ADJUSTER BROKEN. *TR
PRELOAD ADJUSTER ON THE REAR SHOCK OF A 2008 KAWASAKI KLR650 FAILED. PRELOAD ON REAR SHOCK WAS NOT ADJUSTABLE AND STUCK IN THE FIRST POSITION OF FIVE. ENTIRE SHOCK WAS WARRANTED AND REPLACED WITH A FUNCTIONING SHOCK BY KAWASAKI. *JB *JB
REAR SHOCK PRELOAD ADJUSTER FAILS TO ADJUST PRELOAD, THIS CAN LEAD TO DANGEROUS LOADING CONDITIONS IF USER IS UNABLE TO PROPERLY ADJUST SUSPENSION. *JB
REAR PRE-LOAD ADJUSTER ON 2008 KAWASAKI KLR650 SPINS FREELY. CANNOT ADJUST SUSPENSION TO RIDERS WEIGHT. *TR
SHOCK PRELOAD ADJUSTER ON MY 2008 KAWASAKI KLR 650 BROKE. EVERY 08 KLR I KNOW OF, THIS PART HAS FAILED. AT THIS TIME THE REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE FAILING JUST AS FAST. KAWASAKI SO FAR IS REPLACEING THE PARTS UNDER WARENTY, HOW EVER THEY HAVENT UPGRADED THE THE PART TO PREVENT FAILER, YET. I HOPE THIS IS THE CORRECT ACTION TO INITIATE A RECALL.
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2008 Kawasaki KLR650 → · Every KLR650 year → · How the figures are calculated →