wilmack79
Novice Class
Posts: 41
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posted September 25, 2004 08:37 PM
12r cracked frame
I have a blue and gold '02 12r with 19,6k miles. Recently i was doing some adjusting on the throttle cables when i pushed aside part of the wiring harness. To my surprise, I found a huge crack in the airbox. on the right side and continued thru the bottom. Out of warranty, i took it to a dealer anyway. No one around here has ever seen or heard of anything like it. Maybe it was just my lucky day but they took some pics and made some calls. i just got word yesterday that kawasaki is gonna replace the frame and pay all the costs. I was truly surprised about that. Bad thing is that was gonna cost me the rest of the riding season here in indiana. so i went out and bought an '04. maybe i'll keep the '02 for something like track days. I never thought kawasaki would have stepped up to the plate like they did. It's a good thing because i am a total believer in that 12r machine. being a sumo class rider, i couldn't imagine riding anything else.
  
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swft
Needs a life
Full throttle!
Posts: One MEEEEEELLION
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posted September 26, 2004 07:01 AM
Good to hear about the excellent service and support!
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zx12girl
Pro
Adrenaline Junkie
Posts: 1740
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posted September 26, 2004 03:46 PM
That is weird...I have never heard of this issue either.....Glad to see Kawasaki stand behind the frame......
Missing some seat time is better than paying for a new frame with install.
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CrotchRocket
Moderator
Bracket Racing with Betsy
Posts: 8038
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posted September 26, 2004 04:38 PM
Its good that kawasaki did the right thing!!!...Remember they changed the geometry of the frame and gave it some flex...
This is what the headlines would say: Kawasaki refuses to replace a defective frame on a 2002 ZX12!!!...That would be a KMC nightmare.
____________
Jason Miller StreetBike Seminars
*****DragRacers do it better, because they dont cut Corners*****
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wilmack79
Novice Class
Posts: 41
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posted September 26, 2004 05:35 PM
That's what everyone was saying around here, Good thing I didn't split the thing and get hurt. Even still, with such high strung machines and almost 20k miles, they could have told me to get fucked. I posted this because of the generosity of KMC. It does everyone some good to hear something good for a change. But really, a cracked frame that hasn't been dropped or wrecked? they made the right move. enjoying my '04. i'll have had a week tomorrow and i have 750 miles on it now. keep in mind the first 3 days i was in the shop swapping parts. I'll love that machine. I'm thinking of trading it in for the '05 all black. hmmm i love the stealth look.
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Widowmaker
Expert Class
Posts: 378
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posted September 26, 2004 09:01 PM
Cracked, to many wheelies or what ??
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EastBayDave
Needs a job
Posts: 2245
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posted September 27, 2004 05:30 AM
can you take a pic of the crack & post it?
either that or a pic of your pinkie pointing it out so we all can check ours?
BTW, it's AWESOME of KAW to take care of you like that....make sure you post this on all the sites you frequent....
Lots of thanks to KAW for a job well done! (taking care of out of warranty items.)
WTG Kawasaki...
____________
Enjoy the ride!
02' ZRX1200
00' ZX12R sold
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wilmack79
Novice Class
Posts: 41
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posted September 27, 2004 06:15 AM
http://img5.imgspot.com/u/04/270/15/0917041205.jpg
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wilmack79
Novice Class
Posts: 41
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posted September 27, 2004 06:16 AM
http://img5.imgspot.com/?u=04/270/15/0917041205.jpg
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beansbaxter
Needs a life
Posts: 5911
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posted September 27, 2004 06:26 AM
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mysunnshine
Parking Attendant
Posts: 5
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posted September 27, 2004 05:35 PM
I have a 2000 ZX-9R right now that has a crack in the frame(like many others also) and they will not cover it. They say that they have no issues with their frames reguarding defects. I wish I had your luck concerning Kawasaki and their Customer Service. They have replaced many other 2000 9R frames with the same identical crack as mine.... This WILL be the last Kawasaki I'll buy for sure. Other than the crack though, the bike has been flawless...
Sunshine
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Widowmaker
Expert Class
Posts: 378
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posted September 28, 2004 08:59 PM
What is causing it? beating the fuck out of it like hard landing wheelies or or jap metal?
That last photo is cracked across the weld danm.
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psycho1122
Pro
Posts: 1608
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posted September 29, 2004 08:03 AM
Good thing my 2000 has the extra welded plates in this ares to improve rigidity!!
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wilmack79
Novice Class
Posts: 41
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posted September 29, 2004 08:10 AM
I really do not know what caused the crack. I haven't landed a hard wheelie in years. no wrecks, no drops. a handful of stoppies. ??????? But it did crack right under the wiring harness that is strung along the side of the airbox. So, it might have been there for a long time.
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mysunnshine
Parking Attendant
Posts: 5
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posted September 29, 2004 07:28 PM
The last 2 pics are from my 00 9R.....
Sunshine
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worm~hole
Needs a life
Miles to go before I sleep....
Posts: 10623
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posted September 30, 2004 04:54 PM
quote:
That is weird...I have never heard of this issue either.....Glad to see Kawasaki stand behind the frame......
Missing some seat time is better than paying for a new frame with install.
...or with your life!...good on Kawasaki for stepping up!
____________
“We sleep safe in our beds because rough men
stand ready in the night to visit violence on those
who would do us harm.”
-George Orwell
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Ozzy
Needs a job
need guberment cheese
Posts: 3172
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posted September 30, 2004 05:45 PM
Interesting, a ZX12R with what appears to be a stress cracked frame, a ZX10r with the same ailment, and a ZX9R suffering the same thing. Looks like there is some sort of pattern here.
The fracture line running lengthwise down the center of the bend radius on the ZX9R looks just like a crack that can happen when breaking (machine bending) hard alloy aluminum.
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mysunnshine
Parking Attendant
Posts: 5
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posted September 30, 2004 06:45 PM
quote:
Interesting, a ZX12R with what appears to be a stress cracked frame, a ZX10r with the same ailment, and a ZX9R suffering the same thing. Looks like there is some sort of pattern here.
The fracture line running lengthwise down the center of the bend radius on the ZX9R looks just like a crack that can happen when breaking (machine bending) hard alloy aluminum.
It's because they put too sharp of a radius on the inside of the frame. The forces from the nech will run down the frame and damn near stop there because of the radius instead of traveling down the frame. Now the cracks running long-wise to the frame have no explanation other than materials and the formation of the upper radius. As of right now, Kawasaki will not cover my frame either.... F 'em with a chainsaw... Unfortunately this will be the last Kaw I'll buy because of this. I was just about to get the 10R too in a month or two...
Sunshine
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mysunnshine
Parking Attendant
Posts: 5
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posted October 11, 2004 05:27 PM
Well, Kawasaki has deemed that my bike should get a "goodwill" frame replacement. The only issue with that is they will not pay forthe labor to replace it. They said that the frame MUST be replaced by a dealer($1000-1200 labor) if I want the frame. So much for them helping me out. It's not even an option for ME to replace it myself. I'd be better off buying a new frame($800) and putting it in myself. So much for Kawasaki standing behind their products for an obvious manufacturing caused stress failure.
Sunshine
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aliveagain
Needs a life
Posts: 5033
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posted October 11, 2004 05:42 PM
Maybe you should talk to a lawyer to see what your rights are.He may be able to grease the wheel a little more.
____________
I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
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mysunnshine
Parking Attendant
Posts: 5
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posted October 11, 2004 07:08 PM
quote:
Maybe you should talk to a lawyer to see what your rights are.He may be able to grease the wheel a little more.
I may as well now since Kawasaki will not respond back to me for a review of the non-paid labor. It just makes me mad though. I ABSOLUTELY HATE lawyers. They would be jobless if everyone did the "right thing". I guess I'll have to update my list of people that Kawasaki has replaced frames for free. I just don't understand why I'm getting treated so differently than the rest.....
Sunshine
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