A worrying development in my shaft

[GTRPete]

Not quite at that age yet........but my bike shoudn't be either.

Got my bike at my 28K service interval and asked Tim at Morpheus motorcycles of bristol to grease the splines as per the excellent articles I have read here.  Whilst there were no issues at all at the rear end of the drive, there is a problem at the front.  I am not mechanically minded but here goes.....

The shaft itself sits in cups and is held in there with bearings.  Thus the rotational force of the shaft spinning is controlled by the cups and bearings - this prevents the shaft flying apart.

Unfortunately the cups are worn and drive shaft is no longer tightly fitted into the cups.  Eventually it will fail and the drive shaft will fly apart, destroying the shaft drive.  Destruction is likely to occur sooner rather than later.

I asked Tim if the bike was rideable.  He pulled a face.  What he did say however that there is no way it should be that loose on a bike with only 28K on it.

I contacted Kawasaki in Bristol, (5.15 yesterday) but all the techies had gone home.  I am pretty concerned that if I hadn't got this check done  this could have failed on my way to work down the M4.  Given it is not in the service schedule nobody would have discovered this until a terminal failure had occurred.


It now seems I have to wait until next week so Kawasaki can look at it themselves and decide if there is a problem. 

So now I am on my 4th problem in 19 months.... the exhaust, the rear shock, the discs, and now the shaft.

As Tim said "this is supposed to be a high mileage tourer.....it doesn't seem to be does it?"

What I am concerned about now is that Kawasaki say it is normal and nothing to worry about.....or even worse.....normal wear and tear and I need to cough up myself


Anyone else had this issue?

[Kwikasfuki]

How much play was there? I'm trying to remember how much mine had, if any at all.

[GTRPete]

How much play was there? I'm trying to remember how much mine had, if any at all.

dunno I wasnt there.  He just said he wasn't sure what was holding it all together which is a bit worrying

[KwakaMo]

If you have not actually seen the problem, which if it is as bad as stated I would have thought the mechanic should have called you in to show you before reassembly, are you 100% sure Tim is not after a bit of work???

[GTRPete]

He wouldn't be doing the work .. I asked him to have a close look over the bike in addition to the service and if he found any problems I would take it to the dealership.  So he knows he ain't getting the work as it would be a warranty job

[simbad]

Got my bike at my 28K service interval and asked Tim at Morpheus motorcycles of bristol ...

Am looking for a garage for servicing - would you recommend these fellas at Morpheus? Some mixed reviews out there ... but if they know their way around the GTR I would be willing to travel there from Cardiff.  Thanks.

Sorry to hear about your "shaft" 

[GTRPete]

Am looking for a garage for servicing - would you recommend these fellas at Morpheus? Some mixed reviews out there ... but if they know their way around the GTR I would be willing to travel there from Cardiff.  Thanks.

Sorry to hear about your "shaft" 

I rate them.  I have used them for servicing on 3 of the 7 services, the 8,12 and 28k.

They are quit a bit cheaper than main dealer of course but the key thing is they take their time to do the job correctly.  I'm planning to use them exclusively post warranty

[GTRPete]

Update on my shaft . . . .

Kawasaki have agreed to fix it under warranty

It's getting done tomorrow. .

[Lonewolf]

Question.....why has it failed?
Is yours unique or is this something we should all be worried about now, more to the point should Kawasaki be recalling models to have the shafts checked?

[GTRPete]

Question.....why has it failed?
Is yours unique or is this something we should all be worried about now, more to the point should Kawasaki be recalling models to have the shafts checked?

no idea mate. I have 28k on the bike and most of that is riding up and down the m4 at 80-90 mph so I speculate this type of riding may cause an issue sooner than other types, but a sample of one (I.e my bike) will not be enough to do anything.  It would be much more interesting to now of snyone had actually had a failed shaft drive and at what mileage it occurred.

I guess I will know more when I get it back. 

what bothers me is the fact I would not have known there was a potential problem if I hadn't asked for it to be checked.

[Kwikasfuki]

Greasing the shaft drive splines isn't a serviceable item.

Over in the states there were plenty of stories of the shaft drive failing. Regular greasing should prevent help in preventing this.

I also use my bike for commuting on the motorway and the splines are due to be greased. I'll have a look and see how much play there is.

[GTRPete]

Kawasaki have said there is no problem with the shaft.

The cups that seemed to be moving is not a problem apparently

Unfortunately I now have a £150 bill to pay.  At least there is now a record if summit goes wrong.....

Bugger

[O.C.]

Pete, if its being repaired/replaced under warranty why do you have a £150 bill ?

[Lonewolf]

Pete, if its being repaired/replaced under warranty why do you have a £150 bill ?

Yep, that question was on my lips as well. 

[shaggs147]

Kawasaki have said there is no problem with the shaft.

The cups that seemed to be moving is not a problem apparently

Unfortunately I now have a £150 bill to pay.  At least there is now a record if summit goes wrong.....

Bugger

I guess its because the Kawasaki engineers found nothing wrong, so someone has to pay for their time as its not a warranty issue. The bill should really be paid by the workshop that made the bad call, for mis diagnosis