Kawasaki Er6n

[ScubaBuddha]

A nice little video (if I do say so myself ) of an ER6n in action!

Ride On!

Is that the 2bros exhaust I hear?

[ScubaBuddha]

Attached pics of the seat cowl, opinions and views welcome, good or bad!!!!

I bet that would look even better on an ER6f!

[BigBikeBKK]

A nice little video (if I do say so myself ) of an ER6n in action!

Ride On!

Is that the 2bros exhaust I hear?

Actually no- that's the aftermarket pipe on Travelmate's Triumph Tiger- one sweet sounding 1050cc triple!

[BigBikeBKK]

Hey Gang.....

Ive had my ER6n about two weeks now. earlier in the week I got soaked on the bike following a huge downpour. I noticed this morning that the hex key head black bolts holding the mirrors in place have rusted!!!!

Anyone else had theis problem? really didnt expect this .... Ive never had this problem with any other bike ive owned.

Hey Glasshock,

Finally had a chance to check the mirror bolts on my bike. (Took this pic after last weekend's 1665 km ride- entire ride back on Sunday was in rain- hence the filthy bike!) I'm approaching 15,000 km on my ER6n and have ridden in the rain plenty of times but no rust:

Did you report your problem to Kawasaki? What did they say? I'm sure they'll sort it out for you.

Happy Trails!

Tony

[Rickster]

Hey Gang.....

Ive had my ER6n about two weeks now. earlier in the week I got soaked on the bike following a huge downpour. I noticed this morning that the hex key head black bolts holding the mirrors in place have rusted!!!!

Anyone else had theis problem? really didnt expect this .... Ive never had this problem with any other bike ive owned.

Hey Glasshock,

Finally had a chance to check the mirror bolts on my bike. (Took this pic after last weekend's 1665 km ride- entire ride back on Sunday was in rain- hence the filthy bike!) I'm approaching 15,000 km on my ER6n and have ridden in the rain plenty of times but no rust:

Did you report your problem to Kawasaki? What did they say? I'm sure they'll sort it out for you.

Happy Trails!

Tony

Errrrm they are not hexagon key black bolts....... I think he means the clamps that hold the controls on the bars

[BigBikeBKK]

Hey Gang.....

Ive had my ER6n about two weeks now. earlier in the week I got soaked on the bike following a huge downpour. I noticed this morning that the hex key head black bolts holding the mirrors in place have rusted!!!!

Anyone else had theis problem? really didnt expect this .... Ive never had this problem with any other bike ive owned.

Hey Glasshock,

Finally had a chance to check the mirror bolts on my bike. (Took this pic after last weekend's 1665 km ride- entire ride back on Sunday was in rain- hence the filthy bike!) I'm approaching 15,000 km on my ER6n and have ridden in the rain plenty of times but no rust:

Did you report your problem to Kawasaki? What did they say? I'm sure they'll sort it out for you.

Happy Trails!

Tony

Errrrm they are not hexagon key black bolts....... I think he means the clamps that hold the controls on the bars

Ah- good call Rickster, but I don't think he's talking about the handlebar clamps either since he did say "the hex key head black bolts holding the mirrors in place".. (I think "hex key" is what us Yanks call an Allan Wrench?)

The only bolts I can find that hold the mirrors in place are the ones pictured above...

Perhaps Glasshock can clarify exactly what bolts he's talking about.

Happy Trails!

Tony

[Rickster]

Ah- good call Rickster, but I don't think he's talking about the handlebar clamps either since he did say "the hex key head black bolts holding the mirrors in place".. (I think "hex key" is what us Yanks call an Allan Wrench?)

The only bolts I can find that hold the mirrors in place are the ones pictured above...

Perhaps Glasshock can clarify exactly what bolts he's talking about.

Happy Trails!

Tony

Tony, i'm 100% sure he means the "allen key" bolts in the picture i've attached, as he did specify black bolts and not silver nuts which you are refering to.....anyway we'll wait for the Monsieur Glasshock to clarify.......

Can't believe how many KM's you've racked up in such a short time.....good effort

[thaicbr]

Tony never works.. he just lives to ride. Rides to live :D :D

[glasshock]

Tony, Thanks for taking the time out from your bottom massage (I would need one after those miles) to picture your mirror bolts. Rickster is quite correct however, I did mean the alan key bolts that hold the whole mirror set together... 2 on each side. Anyway ...thank you for the response and its nice to see after all those miles your bike's still in good order!

So, back to the issue in hand. RUST!

I dont mean to alarm anyone and please note that the rest of the bike is fine! The two areas that are of concern are the chain and the 4 bolts noted above. After collecting the bike I went straight home as it looked like it might rain a little. I was wrong .....it rained a lot and myself and my bike got soaked. I parked the bike out of the rain and returned to it in the morning to find that rusty water had literally poured from each of the bolts and left its 'snail trail' down the side of the tank and the chain looked like it had been water sporting at Pattaya beech!

Ok............ what do we do when we get a new bike? of course we fiddle and fanny about with it like its the first and last thing we will ever own.........I always wash / silicone / wax colour / lube chain and WD40 all engine and electrical parts. So ...... I'm pissed that the bike (ALL PARTS) was supplied to me 'dry' not a sign of greese or lube anywhere other than internally........Kawasaki are heading for a complaint I'm thinking but nothing more.... I shall just do it myself as I'm too busy to take it back and really quite enjoy the 'new bike fettle'.

I scrubbed the chain using an oil solution (not water) removed as much of the rust as possible, and lubed with chain lube (high quality). I then removed all bolts, (that I could see) scrubbed them clean, blew out the opening with WD, oiled and replaced.

1 week of riding in the dry...... fine.

1 wash with hose ....not jet as I beleive to much of that leads to loss of decent lube and protection..... RUST RETURNED!!

Even through the lube and oiled protection.

In the UK all bikes are prone to the rust monster however, my last bike there was a 07 GSXR1000, rain and SNOW (salt) ...no rust!

I called Rama 9 last week. They told me to bring the bike in and they will replace any defective parts. Its due in on Wednesday guys so I shall let you know what goes down. I dropped in on Saturday just for them to scan the issue. The service team were not working however one of the sales guys had a look. The chain was prettty dry as I'd taken it back to inspect the damage and allow them the chance to see clearly. I was told that I must lube the chain....I tried to explain however faced a blank looking face and a shrug...so I confirmed our meeting on Wednesday and left!

I know these bikes are cheap guys, however...... not that cheap. We have a 40,000 Fino thats 2 years old and perfectly free from the red devil!!

The main reason for posting this item was firstly to see if this is a problem noted previously with any other owners..... secondly though, id like you all to keep an eye out for the same happening to your bikes. I will now replace all parts with stainless steel (Im sure Kawasaki will only replace like for like with grade minus!) I think its worth it in the long run. Im also a little concerned about the parts I cant get to.......

But thats for a future post maybe ....

Thanks all for the replies. By the way I wanted to add images of the bolts as they are grusome...... I cant however understand how to upload pictures.... I gave it all of 2 seconds attention!

Anyway Brothers...................... keep yer eye on your nuts!

Will keep you informed.

By the way Tony......... way to go man!! I went to Cow Yai on Sunday to give the monkeys my bannana...... 400km round trip, I'm still comforting my 40 year old bones!

Been off a bike for 2 years now.... last jaunt was London to Scottish Highlands round trip... not a word from my 38 year old bones..... 2 years later and I'm walking like the monkeys have been giving me theirs!

Cheers!

Edited July 13, 2009 by glasshock

[glasshock]

Ah- good call Rickster, but I don't think he's talking about the handlebar clamps either since he did say "the hex key head black bolts holding the mirrors in place".. (I think "hex key" is what us Yanks call an Allan Wrench?)

The only bolts I can find that hold the mirrors in place are the ones pictured above...

Perhaps Glasshock can clarify exactly what bolts he's talking about.

Happy Trails!

Tony

Tony, i'm 100% sure he means the "allen key" bolts in the picture i've attached, as he did specify black bolts and not silver nuts which you are refering to.....anyway we'll wait for the Monsieur Glasshock to clarify.......

Can't believe how many KM's you've racked up in such a short time.....good effort

Hmm just read through the posts again and just to clarify (my English stupidity not yours guys) ....the image posted by rickster is of the two 'alan key' (UK) headed bolts. These are the correct bolts. Used to hold the 'bar clamps' into position not just the mirrors but the whole set.... sorry, my bad!

PIC ABOVE IS CORRECT!

Just noted that you cant see the pic in the reply I sent....

.......................................................................

Ricksters Pic, not Tonys!

Just off to check my 'Allan Wrench' nuts under my rubber

Edited July 13, 2009 by glasshock

[BigBikeBKK]

Just off to check my 'Allan Wrench' nuts under my rubber

Maybe my rubbers work better than yours? Or perhaps there's just something wrong with your nuts...

Ride On!

[BigBikeBKK]

So, back to the issue in hand. RUST!

I dont mean to alarm anyone and please note that the rest of the bike is fine! The two areas that are of concern are the chain and the 4 bolts noted above. After collecting the bike I went straight home as it looked like it might rain a little. I was wrong .....it rained a lot and myself and my bike got soaked. I parked the bike out of the rain and returned to it in the morning to find that rusty water had literally poured from each of the bolts and left its 'snail trail' down the side of the tank and the chain looked like it had been water sporting at Pattaya beech!

Ok............ what do we do when we get a new bike? of course we fiddle and fanny about with it like its the first and last thing we will ever own.........I always wash / silicone / wax colour / lube chain and WD40 all engine and electrical parts. So ...... I'm pissed that the bike (ALL PARTS) was supplied to me 'dry' not a sign of greese or lube anywhere other than internally........Kawasaki are heading for a complaint I'm thinking but nothing more.... I shall just do it myself as I'm too busy to take it back and really quite enjoy the 'new bike fettle'.

I scrubbed the chain using an oil solution (not water) removed as much of the rust as possible, and lubed with chain lube (high quality). I then removed all bolts, (that I could see) scrubbed them clean, blew out the opening with WD, oiled and replaced.

1 week of riding in the dry...... fine.

1 wash with hose ....not jet as I beleive to much of that leads to loss of decent lube and protection..... RUST RETURNED!!

Even through the lube and oiled protection.

Here's my stock chain and rear sprocket after 15,xxx km-

Very little wear and no rust, but then again- I'm a neat freak and clean and oil it way more than most...

[HTWoodson]

dam_n Tony. How long did that take?

[BigBikeBKK]

dam_n Tony. How long did that take?

The 15,xxx km? About 5 months

Oh! Maybe you're asking about the chain?

About 10 minutes to clean with kerosene and toothbrush while the chain is still warm. Wipe dry.

Ride around to warm up the chain again, wipe it down thoroughly and apply chain oil while the chain is still warm- another ~10 minutes.

Job Done!

[glasshock]

dam_n Tony. How long did that take?

The 15,xxx km? About 5 months

Oh! Maybe you're asking about the chain?

About 10 minutes to clean with kerosene and toothbrush while the chain is still warm. Wipe dry.

Ride around to warm up the chain again, wipe it down thoroughly and apply chain oil while the chain is still warm- another ~10 minutes.

Job Done!

You free this weekend?

[cinbkk]

Without reading back over 43 pages I'll just add my recent experience. Just added a full set of sliders, frame protectors from Club 517 Superbike (Google them...they're on Nawamin Road) Beautifully made and the gold metal parts really set off the black body nicely. they will soon be selling a very nice Italian made rear plate mount. I'll be getting this next month.

Only problems... my fuel tank lock corroded so i couldn't open it and the guys at rama 9 had to strip it down so i could open it. Oh, and my number plate fell off...had to apply for a new one.

[ScubaBuddha]

Just added a full set of sliders, frame protectors from Club 517 Superbike (Google them...they're on Nawamin Road) Beautifully made and the gold metal parts really set off the black body nicely. they will soon be selling a very nice Italian made rear plate mount. I'll be getting this next month.

Can you post some pictures?

[Nickthegreek]

BigBikeBKK

What does one ask for when asking for kerosene in Thai,my new bike has only 300 kms and the chain is rusty,I am only 100 metres from the sea though so I am guessing thats why..!!Plus what brand chain oil are you using..

Cheers Nick

[BigBikeBKK]

BigBikeBKK

What does one ask for when asking for kerosene in Thai,my new bike has only 300 kms and the chain is rusty,I am only 100 metres from the sea though so I am guessing thats why..!!Plus what brand chain oil are you using..

Cheers Nick

Hiya Nick,

Kerosene is called "Naman gaat" in Thai- usually comes in a glass bottle and if memory serves it costs something like 12 Baht for a ~1/2 liter bottle. Living by the sea you will definitely have to be very proactive to prevent corrosion. Buy some big cans of Sonax, WD40 or other cheap general purpose spray oil and apply to the entire frame, levers, cables, etc. liberally (avoiding the discs of course!)

I've used a bunch of different chain lubes and I'm still not sure which one I prefer.

For a while I was a big fan of Putolene Ceramic Chain Wax. Advantages are that once it's on it's not sticky and it resists water quite well and does not fling at all. Then I had a can of it explode under my seat - what a godawful mess that was!

Kawasaki uses white lithium grease chain lube but I find that it flings off in no time. Right now I'm using Sonax Ketten (sp?) Chain Lube (comes in a BLACK can), not to be confused with regular Sonax in the ORANGE can which should NOT be used on O-Ring chains.

There are plenty of other good chain lubes out there- best to try a few and decide which ones you like best.

Lemme know if you have any other questions.

Happy Trails!

Tony

[thaicbr]

'KETTEN' German for chain.

[BigBikeBKK]

'KETTEN' German for chain.

Whoa! Check our the big brain on Allan!!! (And would you believe I studied German for 5 years?!)

[thaicbr]

LOL. i work with a German. Asked the question a few months ago after i saw an ad for it

[12DrinkMore]

Problems so far:

- rear indicators have water inside them. Granted I have been through a few deluges, but even so. In fact all the lamps have some degree of moisture inside.

- "free helmet" that came with the 250 Ninja now has rusty screws. Really, don't they expect rain in Thailand?

- Chain rusts quickly unless I use chain oil almost daily.

- brake disks rust quickly as well.

- This bike collects dirt in huge amounts, top of stock exhaust and front of engine are a pain to clean.

- The standard wheel hugger doesn't do much. Pillion rider gets covered in muck.

I'll be checking the bike over more thoroughly before it has the 6,000 kms service from kwackers.

And BTW, if you haven't discovered it yet, when the "FUEL" message starts blinking and "hides" the odometer, pressing the left button on the panel cancels the alarm and you can see the kms again.

[Nickthegreek]

Tony,

You are a legend..!! Thanks so much for the detailed help it looks like I have a lot of things I need to go and search for..!! Give me something useful to do for a few days and hopefully I'll get to ride the bike some more, if the weathers ok.

Cheers again.

Nick

Edited July 21, 2009 by Nickthegreek

[glasshock]

Hey guys....... can anyone tell me Rama 9s policy for the 1st service? Im on 958km. They have stated that it will need service at 1000km.

I want to use the bike tomorrow...... when it arrives at Kwak it will have 1090km.... does this invalidate my warantee?

Do I need to slide them a beer or two to look the other way?

[thaicbr]

Glasshock. YES warranty invalid also they will lay you over a workbench and put electric clips on ya gonads and pass 12v though them. Enjoy, you warranty exceeder you!

[dave_boo]

Glasshock. YES warranty invalid also they will lay you over a workbench and put electric clips on ya gonads and pass 12v though them. Enjoy, you warranty exceeder you!

Yeah, but it's only 75mA....not enough to kill ya, just enough to make the short'n'curlies fall out.

[BigBikeBKK]

Hey Guys,

Just received a couple new Two Bros pipes for ER6n / ER6f

Check it out:

Two Bros M2 VALE Exhaust for Kawasaki ER6n and ER6f

Let the Good Times Roll!

Tony

[2Na]

Regarding the guys at Kawasaki shop on Rama 9...

The are great.

I've bought my ER6n in Chiang Mai and brought it to Bangkok (couldn't wait for 3 months).

My plates came from Chiang Mai in the mail, I went to the Kawa shop and the guys there gave me the metal frame of the plate for free.

They earned their place on my good list.

[Big Guns]

I've had my ER6n for 6 months but just took it for a big trip. Ban Chang to Pak Chong (Khao Yai), 200 kilometres around Pak Chong/Saraburi and then back to Ban Chang. Total distance covered 1020 km in 3 days. know its not SSR iron butt standard. I absolutely loved it.

I loved tootling along at 100-120 KPH. Everyone was really friendly that includes staff at garages and even the BIB. I was stopped a few times by the BIB. I paid 200 THB once and the other times they just looked at the bike and said 'suay' I sincerely hoped they were talking about the bike and it wasn't a gay police checkpoint.

The bike is great but its crying out for a screen and a more comfy seat for long trips. My arse and knees are a bit sore now. I always thought the suspension was great around town, but it can seem a bit harsh on the bumps on the open road. To other ER6n owners who haven't tried a big ride yet I can thoroughly recommend it.