Yes, fun is the correct word! hahaaaaa

Quick side question - this cross bar mount thing that I broke:


That isn't a structural support of any sort is it? I'm thinking it's just there to bolt on the stock skid plate?

Just wondering if I should worry about getting it welded back together, or if I can cut it off and smooth it down. I will be mounting my skid plate a bit differently this time!!!

 

Yeah, that crossmember might add some damping effect to the frame down there, but frankly with the engine bolted in, that's a moot point. I agree...it doesn't seem to have enough structural integrity to be much more than a mounting strap.

 

It's gone. Hacked off.

I got the motor in the bike, everything connected. I don't have oil/coolant in, but I did twist the key and tap the starter quick.. It does spin!

Heading to get some fluids then I'm going to see what happens.

 

Agree, it doesn't look like much. I would add some strength, but I wouldn't worry about running without it. Good luck on the maiden voyage.
Dan

 

I would weld it back in place. Its a tension thing that helps keep the frame straight when the motor tries to twist in its mounts. If it does nothing, then why did it break? I would call it a frame cross member.



It looks to me like it was repaired once and has been mostly broken for a long time.
David
I play a welder at work.

 

It broke because I put about 550lbs of force on it from about 4ft in the air.

And no, it wasn't repaired once, that's how it came from the factory.

Either way, it's gone now.

 

I don't know, David. I looked closer at mine, and it's not much better than tack welded to the frame rails. I'm even more convinced that it's nothing but an attachment point for what Kawasaki claimed as an engine guard. If it had been a stressed frame member it would have more "boxing", thicker metal, and/or tubing shaped. Heck, they even drilled a bunch of holes in it.

CL's pics make it look more substantial than it is IMO. And as far as the engine twisting because of the lack of this, I notice there's a motor mount just 2" forward of this piece. The engine acts like a stressed member to some degree even on a cradle frame.

On the question of why it broke if it wasn't important, I think CL's case is unique in that a rock hit that exact spot in such a way as to dent or at least "push in" the skid plate rather dramatically. If that attachment point had actually been a boxed or tubed crossmember, I don't believe any of this would have happened.

 

Just attempted to start the hog. I got everything hooked up except the neutral switch.

The starter just spins, but it doesn't sound like it's catching the motor.. It just sounds like it's spinning freely. I verified it is actually spinning by taking out those three bolts that hold on that plate over the end of the starter motor - the starter motor is spinning.. Just doesn't seem like it's catching the drive gear or whatever it's supposed to catch. I can turn the motor over by hand easily, so I know the internals are not jammed up.

I also hooked up my battery to my truck's battery too to rule out a weak battery..

Here's the sound it's making if that helps any:
YouTube - KLX250 starter prob

Any help would be appreciated! So close!!!

 

There is a one way clutch in the starter drive train. Its not grabbing or in bassakwards. My first guess.

David

Can you push start it?

 

I hear like a stripped ring gear. The starter is not rotating freely, it would spin much longer by inertia once you release the starter button. Might be the clutch missing its grabbing function as David said, or gears being worn. I would avoid trying again until investigation is made.

Was the starter included in the bottom end you purchased, or you used the one from your 07?