Faults:
Wrong alternator fitted by a previous owner (Suzuki) shorted and fried a lot of electrical (including the speedo/revcounter) components.
Clutch cage bearings worn out.
Speedo drive/gear rusted solid.
Turn signal cancelling stopped working.
General Comments:
I live in Germany and it's very difficult to get any of the plastic parts. However many of the components are used on other Kawasaki models. So with a bit of patience and the internet, alternatives can be found.
After a bad crash caused by a mysterious uncontrollable tank slapper at about 90mph, the fairing and trunk are destroyed and it's too expensive to get the parts second hand from the States to here (price + freight + import taxes + customs).
So it'll get rebuilt with the help of Vetter...
Apart from that, a wonderful bike that I enjoyed riding. Sure it had problems with the front end wobbling, but that was mostly a problem with fork pressure/tyre pressure and/or rear suspension set up.
It was a joy to ride either on the autobahn or in town, alone or two up with all our junk.
I'm thinking about buying another, but here in Germany they can be very expensive...
1st May 2016, 03:45
If the front of the bike shimmies, your tires are cupped due to low pressure. If you keep the tire pressure slightly higher, tires will not cup as easy and the bike will be very smooth even if you remove your hands from handle bars briefly. You will notice when tires are brand new there is no tank slapping or shimmying.