[ukzx10r]

My bike has 4000 miles on the clock but from when i picked it up its never had a nice gearbox.
After some research and speaking to a few people i find out that some have gearbox issues.
As my bikes under warrenty ive been trying to get it booked in to get it sorted but ive been fobbed off for a bit with various excuses like try adjusting the angle of the gear change clamp that attatches to the gearchange shaft spline and try changing the oil etc etc..
So finally get it booked in and kawasaki refused to do it under warrenty as my bike is too modified.
Ive been arguing the toss with various people but kawasaki uk will not fund it nor will they even offer a reduced rate for parts as apparently the gen4 doesnt have any issues with the gearbox as it comes from the factory!!.
I find this very frustrating as mss and other kawasaki dealers and people i know all say that some gen4s have issues due to them not having good tollerences from the factory and they ideally need new components and reshimming to stop this occouring. If i want this done it can be done at a cost. After a good discount its still 900 pounds to do.
Im very angry with kawasaki as i feel i am being lied to and they know full well there are issues with the gearboxs.
Mine has recently had a quickshifter fitted that didnt help my case but my problem was there way before that so people need to be aware that if you have even the slightest issue that you need to act fast.
The bike must be completely standard. Anything relating it to track usage they will void it.
This is totally unfair as these are sports bikes supposedly designed for performance riding.
Very dissapointed with kawasaki uk.

 

[scout]

Call Kawasaki corp directly about your warranty question.

 

[BOP Leader]

In the US consumers have protections against such claims, see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson–Moss_Warranty_Act

Essentially the liability is on the manufacturer to prove that your modifications effect the reliability of the oem supplied machine.

Not sure what consumer protections are legislation in the UK?

 

[skidooboy]

you have to hold some responsibility to the use of the bike, knowing you have stated on here (and elsewhere I am assuming) that the bike has been to the track, and you ride it "spirted" on your home area roads.

the early gen 4's had trans issues, (11 and or 12 I believe) but, the most recent years the trans have been flawless, unless a quickshifter with short kill times, or missed shifts, over downshifting has occurred.

I know it is not what you wanted to hear but, it needed to be said. we have to take some responsibility for what we do to the bikes, and how we ride, mod, and maintain them. you cant expect anyone to pay for our mistakes, or misuse.

with that said, I hope you get it sorted for a reasonable cost. Ski

 

[michael4012]

Now wait a minute he clearly stated its been an issue since he bought the bike & has had prolonged difficulties getting the same dealer to even look at the bike , the mods & whatever he does with the bike should not effect the warranty claim.

 

[10Arghh]

you have to hold some responsibility to the use of the bike, knowing you have stated on here (and elsewhere I am assuming) that the bike has been to the track, and you ride it "spirted" on your home area roads.

Excuse me...

THIS IS WHAT THE BIKE WAS DESIGNED FOR!

It shouldn't suffer gearbox fault within the bounds of fair use.

ukzx10r doesn't race the bike, but does track days and rides on the road. It is perfectly normal to expect a 6 year old bike not to suffer gearbox problems.

I have a 2005 GSXR 1000 that I have track dayed, rode hard on the road, a race meeting, and crashed quite hard.

Suzuki would still honour the chassis recall after all this. They would even do it if I just gave them a frame.

Kawasaki, if there is an issue, should do the right thing and sort any inherent problems.

The bottom line though is that gearbox issues aren't an official recall, so Kawasaki won't do anything.

 

[skidooboy]

I missed the "it's never had a nice gearbox" since picking it up... my fault. change dealers, don't settle for what one dealer tells you. call Kawasaki parent company not kaw uk.

I do stand by my statement, we have to be responsible for our use. people bang gears, over run the rev limit, up shifting. over downshift (no protection from rev limiter on downshifting too far). shift forks, and arms get bent quite easily (especially with quickshifers), and once it starts, it will not fix itself and only get worse.

and as I stated, I wish him luck getting this sorted. I don't want to see him not get it fixed through kaw, I truly hope something can be done.

maybe work a deal with Kawasaki that you will pay to authorize teardown (at a dealer of your choice), to inspect and verify what is wrong with it, and if it is abuse, wear related you will pay for the diagnosis and repairs... BUT, if it is found to be a mfg issue, kaw pays for all of it. then find one of the dealers you spoke with that says there is a problem, and have them help you with the process, and kaw.

good luck! keep us posted on what you, they find.

Ski

 

[bun1t]

You have an aftermarket quickshifter installed. The bike was not designed with a quickshifter like the Gen 5, therefore you you modified it to do something it was not intended to do. An improperly set up quickshifter can destroy a transmission in a matter of minutes. Don't be mad at Kawasaki, be mad at yourself for taking a bike in to get a transmission replacement with an aftermarket part that directly affects the transmission.

Taking it to another dealer won't help you, if Kawasaki denied the claim they have it on record.

I have a 2005 GSXR 1000 that I have track dayed, rode hard on the road, a race meeting, and crashed quite hard.

Suzuki would still honour the chassis recall after all this. They would even do it if I just gave them a frame.

Kawasaki, if there is an issue, should do the right thing and sort any inherent problems.

The bottom line though is that gearbox issues aren't an official recall, so Kawasaki won't do anything.

If it's a safety recall, it's a matter of a couple clicks on a computer and it get's paid, no questions asked. A high dollar warranty repair (Like a transmission) the manufacturer will want pictures and may even send a rep to look at it.

 

[ukzx10r]

When i brought the bike i didnt know gen4s can have a bad box and if i did i wasnt to worried about it as it had warrenty.
.
These bikes are sports bikes and are designed to be riden fast so why cant they go on track? The reason is on track your flat out alot more and the sluggish gear change can start to show when trying to shift quickly.
.
When i got my bike it was winter here and i did a few hundred miles in cold conditions where i wasnt flat out and the gearchange wasnt so much of an issue then but as the weather warmed up i started to ride faster and then i found the odd faulse nutural and notchy gearchange.
At first i thought it was my fault so didnt think anything about it but when it happened a few more times i thought it cant be just me so started to research it and speak to people which is when i realised there could be an issue.
.
Thats when i started to question my local dealer about it and didnt get much help on it.
As it happened my dad had a quickshifter going so i thought id try it to see if it helps which it does in some gears but 3rd to 4th is just too slow at engaging so even on the longest time setting its still hit or miss.
The bike had 3500miles on it before i fitted the shifter so not shifters fault.
I can ride it and i did today but i roll off the throttle a tiny bit especialy 3rd to 4th.
Still love the bike to bits but would dearly love it to change gear better.

 

[bun1t]

The bike had 3500miles on it before i fitted the shifter so not shifters fault.
I can ride it and i did today but i roll off the throttle a tiny bit especialy 3rd to 4th.
Still love the bike to bits but would dearly love it to change gear better.

It doesn't matter if the quickshifter caused the problem or not. It is an aftermarket item than can cause the transmission to fail if not set up properly. You brought the bike in with a quickshifter on and Kawasaki probably has pictures of it now. Lesson learned, if you want the manufacturer to warranty something, make sure they don't have proof of you modifying it beyond their specs.

FWIW I have a Gen 4 with a quickshifter and haven't had any issues. If I do, the Gen 4 has a cassette transmission and is easy to remove.

 

[tdh]

My bike has 4000 miles on the clock but from when i picked it up its never had a nice gearbox.
After some research and speaking to a few people i find out that some have gearbox issues.
As my bikes under warrenty ive been trying to get it booked in to get it sorted but ive been fobbed off for a bit with various excuses like try adjusting the angle of the gear change clamp that attatches to the gearchange shaft spline and try changing the oil etc etc..
So finally get it booked in and kawasaki refused to do it under warrenty as my bike is too modified.
Ive been arguing the toss with various people but kawasaki uk will not fund it nor will they even offer a reduced rate for parts as apparently the gen4 doesnt have any issues with the gearbox as it comes from the factory!!.
I find this very frustrating as mss and other kawasaki dealers and people i know all say that some gen4s have issues due to them not having good tollerences from the factory and they ideally need new components and reshimming to stop this occouring. If i want this done it can be done at a cost. After a good discount its still 900 pounds to do.
Im very angry with kawasaki as i feel i am being lied to and they know full well there are issues with the gearboxs.
Mine has recently had a quickshifter fitted that didnt help my case but my problem was there way before that so people need to be aware that if you have even the slightest issue that you need to act fast.
The bike must be completely standard. Anything relating it to track usage they will void it.
This is totally unfair as these are sports bikes supposedly designed for performance riding.
Very dissapointed with kawasaki uk.

I had my first false neutral on my GEN4 the first day I rode it with less than 1 mile on it. That was before I ever did a single mod and before I put it on the track. I ended up with such a problem I bought another GEN4 transmission off of Ebay from a wrecked bike. I had similar problems with that transmission. I have just come to the conclusion that the stock transmission in the GEN4 is a piece of crap. But since Kawi never admitted any problem and have never issued a recall or TSB I wouldn't expect them to pay for anything. I have a box full of gears and forks I've replaced. I have never had a single problem on either of my ZX6Rs and have never had a problem with my GEN5 gearbox.

 

[10Arghh]

never had a problem with my GEN5 gearbox.

Does a Gen 5 gearbox fit a Gen 4?

 

[tdh]

Does a Gen 5 gearbox fit a Gen 4?

Ha. I asked that same question in another thread on here. I don't know the answer to the question but for me a gen4 bike with a gen5 transmission, an exhaust and flash, steel braided brake lines and good pads would be the perfect bike.

 

[dricked]

No issues on my gen 4 tranny. Had 5000km of track time on it and 2000km of street riding. I hit a couple false neutrals but that was due to the shifter being too low.

 

[tdh]

No issues on my gen 4 tranny. Had 5000km of track time on it and 2000km of street riding. I hit a couple false neutrals but that was due to the shifter being too low.

Do you mind me asking what QS you run? Although I do feel much of the blame falls on my transmission I do believe those problems are magnified by my QS. I have run the same QS on my zx6rs for years and have never had a single problem with them. I suppose another possibility is that not all of the transmissions were bad leaving the factory. It sounds like you got a good one.

 

[dricked]

Do you mind me asking what QS you run? Although I do feel much of the blame falls on my transmission I do believe those problems are magnified by my QS. I have run the same QS on my zx6rs for years and have never had a single problem with them. I suppose another possibility is that not all of the transmissions were bad leaving the factory. It sounds like you got a good one.

I used a DJ sensor and the kit ecu. I didn't change the times much from the base map if at all.

 

[ukzx10r]

I run cordona shifter with the maximum 80ms cut but the bike doesnt always engage within that 80ms so i just flick the throttle a bit and it works.
Mss reccommend translogic shifter as its a learning shifter and the cut times can be different for different revs and each gear has its own setting. It was next on my to buy list.

 

[ukzx10r]

It doesn't matter if the quickshifter caused the problem or not. It is an aftermarket item than can cause the transmission to fail if not set up properly. You brought the bike in with a quickshifter on and Kawasaki probably has pictures of it now. Lesson learned, if you want the manufacturer to warranty something, make sure they don't have proof of you modifying it beyond their specs.

FWIW I have a Gen 4 with a quickshifter and haven't had any issues. If I do, the Gen 4 has a cassette transmission and is easy to remove.

The bike had no shifter when i bought it.
I fitted it at 3500 miles to see if it would help it engage but it only helps in some gears.
Ive heard its easy to remove the box but there is the problem of the cost of the parts.
To replace 3 forks and 3 gears in mine it was 900 pounds.
Then mss said they could set it up correctly with shims so it changes good and this doesnt reoccour.
My point is if it needs shimming and setting up correctly then it obviously wasnt setup right when it left the factory.
Just recplacing the components means it would probably reoccour within a few miles.
Hence why i was pestering for warrenty but they just wont have it

 

[michael4012]

The problem with the transmission is a really poor finish in general on some of them the faces on the dog's are so rough it prevents a smooth engagement so ultimately a missed gear occurs, the remedy is to get the dogs machined flat polished & back cut you will never miss a gear a again. Shimming does not really cure the problem as there is nothing wrong with the spacing just really shitty quality.

 

[ukzx10r]

The problem with the transmission is a really poor finish in general on some of them the faces on the dog's are so rough it prevents a smooth engagement so ultimately a missed gear occurs, the remedy is to get the dogs machined flat polished & back cut you will never miss a gear a again. Shimming does not really cure the problem as there is nothing wrong with the spacing just really shitty quality.

Ive heard of poor finished parts but mss shim these boxs all of the time. Its a very common thing and they have done loads of them.
Im thinking of whipping the box out and polishing and machining everything up spot on. But i would still need new forks and possibly a new gear to make it all mint again.
I really would like a online guide on how to do it though