Well the mechanic said that it would probably be done friday at close.... it wasnt, surprise surprise.... So i called again today, i asked for the owner, bill, he wasnt there. So i told the girl that answers the phone is my bike done? NO.... he was waiting on the valve keepers, he got those but he needed those to put the correct valve shim in... so she said hes waiting on the vavle shim......I was " i dont think so" lemme talk to the service manager.... so i talk to him for awhile and he tells me that they dont stock valve shims..... WTF they dont have valve shims..... how f*cked up is that...... So i tell him this is gettin crazy here i just want my damn bike back... He apologized, and he didnt know the whole story about my bike, and told me he is going to get him on it asap and he "thinks" that they have some valve shims... and he said he is going to have the mechanic work on it tomorrow, so i guess if they can find some valve shims i MIGHT get my bike back tomorrow... if they dont find shims, ill have to wait for them from kawi..... how crazy is that... the KAWI dealer doesnt have parts to do routine maintenaince...... GRRRRRRRRRR So guess what i ordered when i got off the phone.... hot cams 7.48mmvalve shim kit.... The mechanis said that they will need adjusted again because of the head and new valves..... ill do it..... bastards.... im SOOOO pisssed. Slacker of a mechanic, or should i call him a parts changer..... not very good at being a mechanic.... Ya know when you go to the dealer to check on your bike and you see the service manual open beside your bike on the lift...... something doesnt seem right with that...... im probably a better mechanic than him.....god damn....... Sorry just a little venting...... i think you guys can appreciate my frustration..... i havent had my bike for 3 1/2 months in the 13 months ive had it...... [:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@]

 

Vent on bro I understand completely

 

sorry to hear that ems hopefully you get it back soon. and right this time.

 

Sorry about that Eric, However not to make excuses for the shop, but from what I am hearing from dealers and mechanics, along with parts guys is that while this bike and the motor looks like its the same as its predecessor, it isn't. So if the parts guy or the mechanic has a book out looking at stuff, chances are its because its not quite the same old motor. I heard after I bought my bike that the motor is a new design. Some old parts some new and certainly a mixture of both. Sorry to hear about it man, I can't imagine not having my bike. I have had two times when I took mine to the shop and I had it back in less than a week, so maybe that's not the norm. Also I suppose having my wife's bike to ride isn't fair, but that's just the way the ball bounces. I still think Kawasaki should step up and install a whole new motor in your bike and send you and the wife back to tour the manufacture plant for free. I mean in the grand scheme of things that's like you and I finding a quarter underneath the couch cushions. But its unlikely that they will. Sorry man, I feel your pain. If I owned the Kawasaki bike company I would certainly make it some guys job to read every post in this and other sites to keep a pulse on what's happening out there with customers. Oh wait I already do that..........Hey Kawi cough up some money, I'm working my butt off here.[8D]

 

I was going to suggest Hot Cams. Worst case, just carry the hot cams kit down there to them and have them adjust them. At least get your money's worth - it should be covered under the warranty work they are doing. Besides, they probably will order the wrong shims and that will be another two week wait.

When you get it back, you can then do a valve check which only takes like 30 minutes or so and should be real easy, assuming no adjustment required. That way you can at least double check their work. And in the future, I'd definitely be doing my own work - I understand this one was a warranty item, but I'd be damned if I'd let those ******* in my engine again! Are you sure they didn't actually cause the bent valve? My theory is that no one cares more about your bike than you, so you are the best one to do the work. And it sounds like you have the know-how from your experience on cars - motorcycles are the same thing, just smaller and less complicated.

Good luck man!

 

It sucks not having your bike back but honestly I'd be glad to see a manual open next to my bike. At least they are using the correct clearances and torque specs and not just going on off the cuff ideas. One of the local repair shops around here, I've never even seen a shop manual in the place and the mechanic is a wicked greaseball, you can get there just as the place opens and it looks like the used oil drum kicked his *** already.

 

Eric,
There are NO excuses for what you have put up with. Understanding their incompetance is not an option at this point! I can't imagine how you feel right now but I would not be putting up with this any more. There are reputable dealers out there, but yours is not one of them. It's time for phone calls, emails, and letters to Kawasaki! They do care how they are being represented, and your situation accompanied by dates and descriptions needs to be presented to them. You've got to do this! I'm thinking that a large portion of your problems have been created by the dealer and are not the norm. (bent valves, etc.) And whats with having to order keepers for the valves? What happened to the originals? Two sizes of shim kits covers 85% of all bikes and quads, why don't they have them? Cam chain adjuster broken? I'll bet it happened the first time they had it and put it together like that. Good luck, but you've got to do something besides vent.

 

Where is this dealer?

So I can steer clear of the place!

 

Well so far Northgate Motorcycles, is where i bought it... they are bad news. So i have been taking my bike to Beaver County Bike Works, in midland PA.

I guess i hadnt thaught that it might be a good thing to see the service manuals out.... but i would think they would already know, maybe not. Its like they replace somethign, order one thing, then see something else and have to order more, over and over.... WTF is that...... imo he should have caught the bent valve when installing it in the new head.... i dont mind replacing parts... but i shouldnt have to wait like this, order them all at the same time......

I will be calling kawasaki, i am more worried about getting my damn bike back at this point, when i get it ill be calling and having a nice long chat with someone.... hopefully someone higher up the chain.... like deej said, what would a motor cost Kawasaki? Im going to ask them about trade in too.... see if they could help me out maybe and just get rid of it... maybe upgrade to the '08 klr? maybe not.... we will see. I just want my bike back........ I sure as hell know that i could have done all the work, in alot less time.... the mechanic said he had like 15 things going on and keeps gettin pulled off..... I DONT CARE.... i still dont have my bike, i dont wanna hear excuses....... so hopefully the servicemanager lights a fire under someones ***..... i will be anxiously awaiting a call tomorrow like he said he would give me.......

 

Shoudln't a lemon law somewhere kick in considering in 13 months, nearly 1/4 of that time it has been in the shop?