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If you own a 2006 through 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 650R, then you are probably wondering what to do about the rear turn signals -- or as the Brits would say -- indicators.
If you don't own one of these bikes, here is what happens:
See the right signal hanging down? Droopy, I'd say.
The reason why they fail is that they are made with a rubber piece so that they have some flexibility and don't get broken off by a careless boot when mounting, or when they get crowded by a set of side bags,
or when you have a minor tipover.
That rubber piece deteriorates with age and sunlight until it becomes cracked and broken. ...and you can't buy the rubber piece by itself. You have to buy the whole assembly.
I
have fixed mine using Dap 18384 Flexi-Clear Elastomeric Sealant (UPC code: 70798 18376),
along with a stiff wire covered in rubber tubing to support
the lamp from the side reflector.
Rubber-covered wire beneath signal lamp,
supported from reflector mount.
Underside of fender view.
The wire support has a loop that wraps around
the screw and under the nut on the back of the reflector.
Be sure to apply the sealant into the cracks and then smear some on the outside to smooth out the cracks. It is very messy, but solvent removes it from your hands.
This holds up fairly well, is inconspicuous, and is very inexpensive.
If your signals are in much worse shape, then an alternative is needed. New signals cost about $70 each.
Eek!
I have been unable to find a set of used ones that are in any better shape than mine, and I won't spend that kind of money to get new ones.
You can buy a set of Chinese LED lights that look almost like the originals, but since the originals are incandescent, you do have to install a different flasher or install parallel resistors to make the lamps flash at the correct rate with this option. It is also not certain that those meet DOT light output requirements.
Most of the other cheap aftermarket LED signals are very weak and almost invisible in daylight.
You could also install an integrated LED tail/stop/turn signal. The disadvantage is the flasher replacement issue above and the fact that the separation distance between the tail light and the signal does not meet DOT requirements. In other words, a following driver may not be able to distinguish the brake light from a turn signal because they are so close together.
One other solution that looks factory is to replace the signals with some from a later year bike. The ones for the 2009-2011 are a different shape, and have a different rubber
piece, but they fit the same opening and use the same mounting hardware and electrical sockets. ...and you can be sure that they meet all DOT visibility requirements.
Here are some pictures for comparison:
2006-2008 signal showing mounting hardware.
Top, 2009-2011.
Bottom, 2006-2008.
2009-2011 signal shown mounted on 2006-2008 rear fender flap.
The later year rubber piece is of a different design, it does not appear to deteriorate as fast as the older design, and it fits the openings in the rear
fender flap properly. You can find
them used for a fairly low price (certainly well under the $70 each retail price
new).
I bought my set on ebay from seller mxnmama (Sooner State Cycle in Tulsa, OK) for $4.90 + $5.00 shipping each.
Here is a rundown of part numbers and current retail prices to help you find what you need:
I had a bunch of things to do that I had been putting off because I didn't want the bike to be down and I had other things going on. Here's the list:
Check and adjust valve clearance.
Clean and adjust chain.
Change spark plugs.
Clean air filter and air box.
Change oil and filter.
Drain, flush and refill coolant.
Check brake pads.
Lubricate clutch and throttle cables.
General cleaning and lubrication.
The valve clearance checking takes the most time because you have to remove the windshield, meter housing, most of the cowlings, the fuel tank, and the air box to get at the top of the engine. Then you have to get the camshaft cover off and get it out of the way.
Further, I don't have a valve shim kit, so I have to do the measuring and calculating to determine which shims need to be changed, then send away for any shims I don't already have from the previous adjustment.
That sending away takes several days, so the bike is down for at least that period.
[OK, Bucky, why was this a good week to do all this?]
This is why:
Recall that when we get snow in South Carolina, everything comes to a complete halt.
And this is another reason why:
Yes, it was under nineteen degrees overnight.
So, it turned out to be a good time to work on the bike. I dressed warmly and started to work in my garage.
The valve clearance adjustment was last done back in January of 2012 at 30,837 miles. The bike has almost 62,000 now. Back then, I put together some tips on how to do the job a little easier. The only thing I did differently this time is to bring the cam cover out the left side of the frame instead of out the top. It was much easier that way.
This time, three of the exhaust valves were near the tight side, though still within spec. They almost always get tighter with use, you know. All of the others were almost exactly where I set them previously. That's pretty good for better than 31,000 miles of operation, though remember that I am an old guy, and never redline or go to full throttle, so the engine isn't stressed as much as it could be. I exchanged one of the shims with another valve and replaced the other two shims to bring the three back to the center of spec.
The spark plugs were replaced at the same time as the last valve clearance work. They looked a little worn, but they were a nice gray-brown color as they should be. One of them had a thin thread of something between the center and the ground electrodes. I have never seen this before, but the cylinder did not seem to be misfiring. I bought the replacements on Amazon.
The rear brake pads were a little thin, so I put on another set of EBC HH sintered pads. Last time was in May of 2013 at 37,192 miles, so these have lasted about 25,000 miles. They have a nice, predictable grip and were an improvement over the originals.
The clutch and throttle cables needed to be lubed, so I got out my aerosol can and my cable luber.
BikeMaster Cable Luber
I use Yamaha Performance Cable Lubricant. It made a world of difference, especially on the clutch cable.
As I got further into the job, I found some other things that needed attention. For example, the throttle cable was frayed at the throttle-body end, so I replaced the cable with a nearly new one I had bought almost a decade ago to carry as a spare.
By the way, prices on parts have really gone up. The valve cover and spark plug gaskets are $35 all together, and the shims are $10.99 each. With shipping, it was almost $70. It was about $40 last time.
The lowest price I could find for NGK CR9EIA-9 Iridium Spark Plugs is almost $10 each. They were $7.50 last time.
I changed the oil and filter, cleaned, lubed, and adjusted the chain, cleaned up the air box and cleaned and reoiled the air filter, drained the refilled the coolant, and a few other odds and ends.
In case you wonder, I do try to use mostly OEM parts on the bike, and I replace seals when the manual recommends doing so. I suppose I could get by without going by the book, but I don't want to have to tear things apart a second time for the cost of a new seal or two. I figure that Kawasaki engineered the bike to be reliable. Gaskets, seals, spark plugs, shims, and oil filter are all OEM. Oil is Mobil 1, racing 4T 10W-40. Brake pads are EBC HH. The chain cleaner is kerosene, and I use Maxima Chain Wax lube from Cycle Gear. It is clear and doesn't fling off a much as some others.
Anyway, I think I picked the best week of the winter to do the work. I have a few cosmetic things to put back together, and by then the weather should be cleared up.
Ah, the beauty of living in the Carolinas. You can ride [almost] any time of year.
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I predicted that this would occur on August 30, 2015.
It actually happened a little before that, on July 13, at 9:46 AM, to be exact.
For those of you who don't know, I started riding a motorcycle in late 2007, at the then youthful age of 57. I had been thinking about it for a long time, and finally asked a colleague at work whether he thought I could learn to ride. He gave me the encouragement. Thank you, Jeff.
Along the way, I have met people I would otherwise not have met. A few of them have helped me with my riding technique. I thank you for that, Ryan, especially.
I had some success learning to ride the bike, with a few failures here and there.
I have gone places I otherwise might not have. Some of those places are chronicled here in this blog of mine, along with the progression of learning how to ride, and a few other topics that interest me and maybe you, too.
I have, at times, been frustrated by my slow uptake on some riding techniques, and I will never be a highly-skilled rider capable of breathtaking speeds on twisty roads. Nevertheless, I have had some good times on it.
I still have that same motorcycle, the only one I have ever owned, a 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R.
Well, except for this little guy that I built with my brother and rode as a teenager.
Licensed for street use, I might point out.
I never thought it would come this far, but I have now ridden my Ninja
Yes!
(The bike has a few more miles on it than that, since I bought it used, so that is how far I have ridden it.)
Just how far is 50,000 miles?
Well, lets compare that to circumnavigating the earth. (If you consult the nearest globe you will find that there is
actually some water in the way of doing this, in places.) The circumference of the earth at the equator is 24,901.55 miles (40,075.16 kilometers).
So, I have ridden a little more than twice that far.
How about the distance to the moon? The average distance to the moon is 238,855 miles (384,400 km).
So I have gone about 20% of the way to the moon.
How about some other statistics?
I have had the bike out of the garage 633 times, and have averaged 6400 miles per year. That average should be going up now that I am riding more often since my retirement from the job.
Where did this auspicious milestone occur?
The 50,000 mile mark occurred on a very twisty road northwest of
Rosman, NC. Silversteen Road is a two lane with good surface and very
little traffic. I wrote about it some time back. There are lots of twisty roads around there. Watch for a little gravel and sand in places by scouting it out on your first pass, then repeating traverses to your heart's content.
The exact place of the achievement was at Silversteen and Diamond Creek Road.
(No, I didn't try to tear down the street sign to take it home.)
Right here on the map:
This occurred during a short 106-mile ride that continued on to the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, or PARI for short. I have been there before, but it is still a very unexpected and interesting place -- a spacecraft tracking station, later a satellite intelligence gathering station.
This is what you see when you first enter the complex, an 85 foot diameter dish, one of two that are identical here.
Here is the other one, with a smiling friend nearby.
The smaller dish with the smiley face was painted that way when the station became a satellite intelligence station. You see, they were tracking and intercepting data from satellites including those of Russia. They knew the foreign satellites were photographing the site. They painted the face so the Russians had something to look at. The little dish is now controlled from the Internet so students anywhere can direct it.
In operation, it can do way more than my brain will allow my body to do with it when I'm riding. For a relatively inexpensive bike, it has great performance capabilities, while being much more forgiving of ham-handed throttle twisting than a 600 or 1000 cc race bike. The ergonomics are good enough that an older rider like me can ride it comfortably for 80 or 100 miles before a break.
Is the bike used up? I don't think so. There are several guys
online who have ridden their similar bikes upwards of 100,000 miles
(160,934 km).
Well, I still enjoy riding, so I will probably keep it up for a while. Some of my friends encourage me to look at a cruiser next, since I am
getting so "up in age," according to them. (Funny, I haven't noticed
that.)
I'll keep on writing here as interesting things come to mind, especially landmarks and good roads.
Here is my entire route today, along with a blowup of the twistiest parts:
The 50,000 mile mark was hit at location 2 on the map above. PARI is at location 3.
See you on the [hopefully long] road ahead.
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On my way back from my first ride this year to the Blue Ridge Parkway a couple of weeks ago, within about three miles from home, the engine on the bike quit suddenly.
Almost exactly like this bike is doing:
Original video courtesy of YouTube user invisiblemon. He was still 16 miles from home at the end of the video, but did make it there a mile or two at a time as the fuel pump was failing. He later tested the pump and found that its output pressure was low.
Not good.
This can be quite disconcerting if you are in the middle of a turn or in traffic. At any rate it can be disconcerting anyway, 'cause visions of having to call for help begin dancing through your brain when these things happen. And, I hate to ask for help. I think this is built into the wiring of a man's brain.
Anyway, I coasted to a stop, fortunately in a safe place, and pressed the starter button. The engine fired right up again. I revved it and it seemed OK. About the time I was going to get back on the road, it quit again. But it started right up.
Hmmm.
Plenty of gas in the tank. Now what?
I let it sit for a few minutes, and it started and ran for a while, so I took to the road again. It stalled again not a minute later. Again it restarted, and I revved the engine while slipping the clutch very significantly. When it ran, it ran strongly.
It bucked and almost threw me a couple of times as the engine came to life at large throttle opening, died, then came to life again. People around me thought I was a beginner or a stunter, I'm sure. It was close to wheelying a few times.
Finally at the road to my house, it stopped and wouldn't restart. I paddle walked it enough to get it moving downhill toward my house. I coasted into the driveway as quietly as a mouse.
I decided to do some diagnosis.
I raised the tank enough to fish the fuel pump cable out to the side. I probed the pump side of the connector with my voltmeter, and found steady power. I started the engine. It ran fine.
After about ten minutes, though, the engine missed slightly. The voltmeter still showed steady, however.
I put my ear to the fuel tank. I could hear the fuel pump running, but it had a sort of intermittent screaming sound to it. When the scream became more significant, the engine stuttered, then, after a little while longer, finally stalled.
I decided that the pump must be failing, although I had never listened to the pump prior to this, so I wasn't sure what it is supposed to sound like. I looked online to see if I could find anyone who had also had this problem.
Sure enough, the Ninja 650R forum mentioned a problem, and the fact that a new fuel pump part number replaces the original. The original Fuel Pump Assembly P/N 49040-0010 has now been superseded by P/N 49040-0026. The pump includes a filter, a pressure regulator, and the low fuel float switch. None of these is serviceable individually.
Four years go, another guy (known in the RiderForums as MCRider), then 70 years old, and who lives in the state of Washington, described how his 650R lost its fuel pump the day he started out -- with 71,000 miles on the clock -- on a month-long, 8,000+ mile ride to the East Coast and back on his identical 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R. The symptoms sounded almost the same, though my bike has only 48,000 miles on it. (As of his last posting in late 2014, his bike has over 110,000 miles on it.)
I checked all of the on-line sources that I know of, including Blue Ridge Performance. Gary, the proprietor, is a man of few words, but he usually can get what you need for 650Rs and his prices are as low as any I found, so I ordered up the pump and the seal O-ring that goes with it, P/N 92055-0185. It is best to siphon out all fuel before starting this work to minimize weight and reduce leakage. All of this work should be done outside and away from fire and other ignition sources. I take no responsibility for this description, or its interpretation. Always follow the proper service manual's instructions for your bike along with good mechanic's practices.
When I received the package I started to work changing the pump. Here are the parts, still snuggled in their packing materials. The new pump is manufactured by Keihin, as is the original.
The teardown:
I take off the seat (easy, peasey), and then the black plastic side covers on either side of the tank are removed. Then the two seat bracket screws holding the rear of the tank.
Be careful that the tank doesn't slide sideways off its mounting position if you are working with the bike on its side stand. A rear stand is better here to help avoid that situation.
Hold onto the tank so it doesn't slide, now!
Raise the rear of the tank up on a piece of 2 by 4.
Reach under the tank and disconnect the fuel pump electrical connector.
And the fuel hose. (There may be pressurized fuel in it, so wrap a rag around it before pulling it off the pump.
Next, pull off the rubber fuel filler overflow hose beneath the left side of the tank.
It has a very small spring clamp holding it. Don't lose it.
Arrange two 2 by 4s on the ground to set the tank on, such that the fuel pump does not bear the weight of the tank.
While you are there, you might as well clean the air filter. Slide the large hose above it off its nipple and remove this screw to pull out the filter.
Set the tank in a couple of sturdy corrugated cartons to hold it on its nose.
If there is any fuel in the tank, some may leak out of the fill opening.
Remove the five screws holding the pump into the tank.
There is thread sealer on the screws, so they may be difficult to remove.
The two pumps look the same on the outside.
I do notice that there are MANY blue paint dots on the outside of the new pump.
In the automotive industry, such paint dots indicate that some check is to be done, and the presence of the paint dot indicates that the check was [probably] performed. I say probably, because most such checks are visual, but people get "snow blind" and miss defects but mark the part anyway. I have experience with this very problem in a manufacturing operation, I'm afraid. The factory that built this one must have lots of quality issues, judging from the plethora of blue dots.
I remove the O-ring from the tank and inspect the seal area and screw bosses. Everything looks OK, so I insert the new O-ring and position the pump. There is only one way all five screw holes line up, so you can't go wrong. Don't forget the thread sealant on the five screws. Tighten the screws in a star pattern, as is good practice.
After I get the new pump mounted, I notice two more blue paint dots on it.
Whew. I hope they were really, really paying attention to details when this pump was built.
I carefully slide the tank onto the front rubber mounts, and position the 2 by 4 under the rear of the tank again. Remember to watch that the tank doesn't get away from you.
I install the fuel line onto the new pump and slide the red lock piece home. Don't force it. It is designed to slide into its locked position only when the fuel line connection is fully seated. I then plug in the electrical connector and connect the overflow hose.
The seat bracket screws that hold the rear of the tank are next, then the plastic side covers on either side of the tank. The seat is last to go on.
To prime the fuel system, I turn the ignition switch to the on position to run the fuel pump for the initial three seconds it is programmed for. I repeat that. Then I press the starter button. The engine fires up after cranking a few seconds getting the air out of the line between the pump and the injectors.
I run the engine until the cooling fan cycles on two or three times. It does not stumble. Now for a test ride.
I venture out with the idea that the pump might not have been the real problem. If it wasn't, then I could stall somewhere again. That wouldn't be good. I pick a route to the south of nearby Greenville that is all secondary roads. I ride along at a sedate clip and everything seems fine. I reach the far side of Greenville, and decide to head north to Lake Lure and Chimney Rock, taking a leap of confidence that the problem is fixed.
I don't particularly like to ride to these two places because they are very crowded spring through fall. Today, it is not yet tourist season, so the traffic is light.
I make it to Lake Lure and take a lunch break. The bike has performed well so far. I go on a little way to Chimney Rock, and then head toward home. The temperature range today has been between 40 and 80 degrees, so he thermal effects on the pump ought to have been tested, too. As I roll into the driveway -- under power this time, unlike last time -- I find that I have ridden 202 miles with nary a lick of a problem.
I'll call that a success. It should be good for more than another 48,000 miles.
I'm sure glad the pump didn't fail when I was miles from home either that first time or on my test ride.
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My Kawasaki Ninja 650R is a 2006 model year that I have owned since September of 2007. I bought it with about a thousand miles on it, and I have put on more than 45,000 additional miles. The bike has been very reliable, and still looks good.
But the seat not so much.
The two-tone seat cover is made that way to simulate a rear cowl, but since it is padded, it acts as a passenger perch too, albeit having a pretty small contact patch. The part for the operator's rump is covered in heavily-textured black vinyl, and the passenger's seat is covered in lightly-leather-grained silver vinyl. I have never carried a passenger -- mostly because there don't seem to be many who would risk life and limb riding with me at the controls -- so I don't have any experience riding two up.
Here is the original:
The silver part of the seat was getting pretty bad looking because I frequently scuff it with my boot when I am mounting and dismounting. Must be my old joints not being as flexible as they once were.
Anyway, the scuffs were unsightly and nothing I used seemed to clean it of the marks.
I came up with a scathingly brilliant idea to make it look better, that cost very little -- my kind of project! Certainly, the cost was much less than a new seat cover from the factory or a custom cover from one of the aftermarket seat purveyors.
I went to the local Hobby Lobby and bought a third of a yard of black vinyl in a grained pattern that matched the silver original, and applied it over the rear portion of the seat. You staple the fabric on the underside of the plastic seat pan just like the original. No adhesives are used.
The front edge of the new piece is covered by the grab strap, so it looks almost like it was supposed to be that way from the factory.
Easy. It took only about half an hour, total. What do you think? Is it an improvement?
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About 15,000 miles ago, in the middle of 2011, I replaced the original drive chain on my 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R. It had become worn unevenly -- some links stretching more than others -- resulting in a jerky ride, almost as though the engine were misfiring.
I replaced the chain with an EK 520SRX Quadra X-Ring, part
number 701-520SRX-114 and a rivet-type master link, part number
520SRX-MLJ. That fixed the jerkiness problem back then.
In August of last year, I noticed that the jerkiness was coming back. It couldn't be the "new" chain, of course, so I dredged around for something else that could be causing the feeling. I settled on the sprockets as being the most likely cause. I ordered and installed a set of OEM sprockets from Ron Ayers.
That seemed to help, but the problem continued to worsen. I listened to extensive audio from my ride-along video camera, and the purr of the engine under all conditions was flawless as far as I could tell. The symptoms, at least from the seat of my pants, still felt
like the engine was misfiring, especially in the lower gears under hard
acceleration. Try as I might, I could not find evidence of that.
I rechecked the chain tension at several points, and found the slack varying as much as the original chain showed just before I replaced it.
Rats. Is that chain toast already? Did the somewhat worn sprockets cause the new chain to fail prematurely? My demure riding style certainly didn't contribute to its early demise, I don't think.
I don't know for sure what caused it.
At any rate, I went back online and looked for a replacement chain. I didn't want to try another EK, in case that was a contributing factor, so I looked further.
I found quite a few types and brands of chain, but many of them were non-O-ring, so they were not right. You have to have a chain with O-ring seals so it lasts a long time even with it getting wet.
Almost all chains say they come with a master link, but I had a terrible time figuring out whether the master link is a clip type or rivet type. I never did find this answer for most of the chains I looked at, so I assumed they were clip type. You shouldn't use such a link on a highly-stressed drive chain, as it is weaker than the regular links and may fail or come open. That would be very bad.
Once I had tentatively picked a chain I could afford, I started to look for a riveted master link to match. Surprisingly, there were few references I could find that pointed me toward the right one.
They ought to tell you what you are getting with the chain and make a link [pun] to the matching riveted master link page.
After a good deal of armchair searching, I finally settled on a higher-priced-than-EK DID chain from Amazon. It is a pretty
gold-linked one: DID 520VX2GB-114 Gold X-Ring chain, and rivet link part
number DID 520VX2GB-RIVET-CL Gold.
The numbers and letters mean that it is a number 520 chain, has gold links, X-ring style seals, and a length of 114 links.
Prices for the chain and the link were $79.73 and $7.97, respectively -- about 40% higher than the EK.
Maybe this one will last longer. The product description says "Projected wear life 35.0 times longer than a standard chain under similar conditions." If that is true, it should last me more than a lifetime. Note, however, that it says "35.0," not "about 35 times." They must think they are very accurate in this, but that is hogwash. What is it measured against? No way is it possible to predict that well.
I few days after I pressed the order button, the chain arrived in the mail, and I set to work.
The first thing I notice is that the instructions for the chain are in a barely intelligible translation from Japanese. There are also some of those little pictures with exclamation points and such to explain to those who do not read any of the 257 languages printed on the box. Why do they not pay somebody to translate for them? I could do better, I believe. I wonder how much they pay.
I suppose most people just wing it, instead of trying to read the instructions.
I put the bike on the rear stand and use my pneumatic grinder (#52847) and a cutoff wheel from Harbor Freight Tools to grind off the old chain master link rivet heads.
I break the old chain with the Stockton Chain Breaker (#28165) I bought from Cycle Gear. I oil the threads and the tip of the chain tool to make it easier to use, since it takes a lot of force to work with a chain of this size.
Once the chain is unzipped from the sprockets, I clean the accumulated crud and lube, especially from around the front sprocket, and thread the new chain into place. I have to move the rear wheel forward considerably to make the new chain reach, so the old chain must indeed have been stretched.
I pop the new rivet link into place and make sure to press the side plate on to the correct width dimension. I measure across from side plate to side plate on one of the standard links and push the master link together with the chain tool to equal that dimension. I work slowly, a little bit at a time, and use a digital caliper to make the measurements.
The plate press attachment:
Measuring:
Then I flare the link pins over so the side plate won't
come off. This takes a lot of torque on the chain tool, but I work at
it little by little too, measuring the flared diameter to make sure it
is sufficient, but not too much. Too much may cause the pin to fracture. Not good.
I tension the chain by tightening the nuts on the two studs behind the rear axle, making sure the alignment markings display the same, side to
side. This time, however, I also have a new tool to check for proper alignment of the rear sprocket. It is an OTC 4749, also sold as MotionPro 57-8048. It cost $12.90 from Amazon.
... but mine matches the color of the bike!
There are too few instructions on the product package, so I looked around and found on-line instructions and a video that describe its use.
The little piece of wire hanging down next to the numbers acts as a plumb bob so you can tell if the rod is parallel with the ground. The MotionPro doesn't have that.
That helps make sure you are not fooled when sighting down the chain by the tool being aimed too high or too low. You sight down the rod, and if the chain does not deviate from that line, it is OK.
Mine is surprisingly well aligned using only the markings on the rear axle carriers. I make some minor adjustments, then tighten the rear axle nut and recheck the chain tension, because
sometimes tightening the axle causes the chain tension to change a bit.
It turns out OK. I put in the cotter pin and bend over its legs so the rear axle nut cannot loosen.
[Well, Bucky, you have spent a lot of time and money here. Did this finally solve the problem?]
The
first ride into the foothills confirms that the chain was the issue with the "misfire"
problem. The bike really does almost feel like new now -- smoooooth again -- and ready
for the next who-knows-how-many miles. I am not going to guess how many, but 35.0 times the life of a "regular" chain (say, like the EK) is more than half a million miles. That ought to be enough to get me through. I will make a posting when I change it next time.
As long as we're exaggerating, after this first ride, the estimated 17 pounds of grease the new chain was packed in is all over my pretty, recently-cleaned rear wheel. So, scrub-a-dub-dub. Again.
Here are a couple pictures taken during the chain test ride, right here under the bridge on Roy F. Jones Road.
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