I attempted to make a run from North Carolina to New Orleans on my KLX along with some buddies on big bikes. Made it about 400 miles before a noise developed that could not be ignored. It was a pretty loud clatter, but 'light' sounding if that makes sense... not like there was a whole lot of force behind it but it was loud.

Pulled the oil filter and found way too much metal to be good - all fairly small flakes of ferrous. Took the wheels, tank, and plastics off, threw it in the trailer, and carried on to New Orleans.

Last night I pulled the valve cover, cam cap, clutch cover, and stator cover. Top end is perfect, clutch is perfect. Inside the stator cover I found a lot of fine metal. Flakes covering the ignition pickup and fine sludge inside the stator wheel. Noticed that the starter idler gear was very very loose in the bushing that is pressed into the case. The bushing is wallowed out.

Because I found all that metal under the stator cover and nowhere else, I'm really hoping that the only thing wrong is that bushing failing, since that's a pretty easy fix. Though, it seems odd that it would make that much noise...

Has anyone experienced anything like this before?

Does anyone want to buy a fully modded '09 SF in western NC? My Duke 390 arrives next week...

 

Found an old thread where Dan888 had the same problem.

HELLLLOOOOO!!!!!! DAAAAANNNN!!!!

I saw in that thread you had found Kawasaki replacement bushings. I don't see them in the Partzilla breakdown. Happen to know a part number?

Was your bike making noise while running before the total failure?

Thanks,
ZB

 

Take a look at this.... I had a machine shop guy make a bushing. About 1/2 way down the thread, it has pictures.

https://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum...e2/#post503009

 

Thanks,

You said you could not locate a new bushing... I am thinking that it is part #92143-1263...

Kawasaki Motorcycle Parts 2009 KLX250T9F KLX250S CRANKCASE Diagram

Sure looks like it to me? Thoughts?

Was yours rattling when the bike was running? I really hope this is the source of my noise and I'm not about to blow $90 on this fix only to find out there's something else badly wrong.

 

I didn't say anything.

No, on mine the starter would lock up when you tried to start it. It would make a big 'clunk' sound then not spin, kinda like the KACR.

It is pretty easy to check by taking the left case/starter cover off. The starter idler gear pulls right out. I had a moto shop pull the bushing out & replace it after I found out what was the issue.

 

Cool, I guess I made that up.

Pulling the bushings ended up being very easy - just threaded in a 7/16" tap and when it bottomed it pulled the bushing right out. I'm going to order what I think is the correct bushing and see what happens.

Thanks

 

Weird that this thing is wearing out. The idler gear for the starter should only spin when the starter is energized. I would take a close look at the one-way clutch/sprag assm on the back of the flywheel and make sure that it isn't locked up. It's designed to freewheel when the starter isn't energized so all of the gears in that mechanism should be stationary so wear really shouldn't be an issue.

 

It is not a wear issue, it is a design error that the bushing cannot handle the loading. One side of the bushing is completely blown out. Change it before it cracks the case if you start getting a big CLUNK when you hit the starter or you'll be sorry.

 

I'm here! I will have to go look and see if i have a number for the bushing. Looks like you have the right one located here though.

As far as noise.
Near the end ( the last ride or two before it failed) the bike made increasingly more noise. Seemed to go quick, it really got worse the last day. The noise i was hearing was the teeth slipping between the idler gear and the freewheel gear on the flywheel.
Dan

 

Hi Broussard, can you give us a follow-up? Was that the right part number after all?