Klx 250 Frame Break

[Richard-BKK]

In the USA, much more of the usual motorcycles are sold than anywhere in the world. And all motorcycle possible manufacturing hazards/problems reported by owners are researched and evaluated they're all controlled by a independent government organization.

When we look at the figures that the American government organization for announcing recalls has recalled Thai manufactured motorcycles from the well known Japanese brands. Compared to how many times they recalled a product from manufacturers like Lifan, Keeway or any of the better Chinese manufacturers, we would see something that contradict the general attitude this forum.

For everybody to check, the leader of serious recalls, is products made by Thai Kawasaki. In the last year only we can find frame welding problems for several models, brake failure, and several electronic failures which some would seriously shorten the life expectancy of a motorcycle rider....

As this is a US Government organization, Lifan also has a few recalls, but all of them are related that they excite government exhaust emission

Now I try to be no-partial, but when it comes to possible brakes and frame failures I have the feeling that the problems with the Thai made Japanese brand-names are a bit more dangerous.

THANKS Richard-BKK for this post.... As deeper I dig, as more shit comes up... and i am by far not the only one complaining with Kawasaki made in Thailand anymore...

What I dont understand is, why they are not just replace the part, say an excuse, give the CUSTOMER an extra cap or whatever and everything is fine... NO, in THAILAND they NEED people go mental, before anything happend.

I bet, if I visit this shop in Phuket town with my tall police friend who can look very serious, I got a new frame and an apology already...

If they want to play it this way, ok fine with me. I will make so many negative comercial about Kawasaki bikes until only idiots buying one...

No you're wrong, in Thailand the Thai manufacturing association has a free help line that helps when you have unsolvable problems with one of the member manufacturers.

Currently the association has only a toll-free telephone number 1800-222-444

All complains are handled by a panel of representatives of the member manufacturers and the Thai consumer protection board.

Previous attempts to bring this option to the English readers of Thaivisa where blocked because it's a commercial organization.... Hard to be not seen as a commercial with only two government members and 28 members from commercial companies.

For the telephone number it only supports Thai language, we have English support, but that is based on a website I cannot post the URL.

Edited September 5, 2013 by Richard-BKK

[pokerkid]

In the USA, much more of the usual motorcycles are sold than anywhere in the world. And all motorcycle possible manufacturing hazards/problems reported by owners are researched and evaluated they're all controlled by a independent government organization.

When we look at the figures that the American government organization for announcing recalls has recalled Thai manufactured motorcycles from the well known Japanese brands. Compared to how many times they recalled a product from manufacturers like Lifan, Keeway or any of the better Chinese manufacturers, we would see something that contradict the general attitude this forum.

For everybody to check, the leader of serious recalls, is products made by Thai Kawasaki. In the last year only we can find frame welding problems for several models, brake failure, and several electronic failures which some would seriously shorten the life expectancy of a motorcycle rider....

As this is a US Government organization, Lifan also has a few recalls, but all of them are related that they excite government exhaust emission

Now I try to be no-partial, but when it comes to possible brakes and frame failures I have the feeling that the problems with the Thai made Japanese brand-names are a bit more dangerous.

very interesting if this is true.... lets see what the china haters have to say about this. they have been very quiet lately

[Richard-BKK]

very interesting if this is true.... lets see what the china haters have to say about this. they have been very quiet lately

Currently only Lifan is as a Chinese Manufacturer member of this group. The oldest, and mostly represented company is probably Honda as it is member with all its sisters and brothers and other related companies, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha and all later foreign manufacturers are member including Ducati, and many more....

The information has absolutely nothing to do with Chinese manufacturers, its has everything to do with Thai manufacturers. And Lifan is a Thai motorcycle manufacturer in Thailand

Edited September 5, 2013 by Richard-BKK

[wantan]

Lets assume Richards claim is correct (i don't know if it is or not), maybe the japanese brands have more "serious" issues because the bikes get pushed harder from the owners. Just a "maybe"...

Edited September 5, 2013 by wantan

[guzzi850m2]

Some says that Kawasaki has bad/no customer service in Thailand, well one poster in bike forum got a new engine (under warranty I believe) for his ER6 after it failed in dramatic fashion.

[denkiblue555]

^^ and I believe it had done quite a few ks and wasn't so new?

[Richard-BKK]

Lets assume Richards claim is correct (i don't know if it is or not), maybe the japanese brands have more "serious" issues because the bikes get pushed harder from the owners. Just a "maybe"...

Sorry I not say that one or another manufacturer is better or worse, I only speak about statistical figures which can be accessed by anybody who knows how to use the computer.

Personally I not claim the any manufacturer is better than another.

[wantan]

Some says that Kawasaki has bad/no customer service in Thailand, well one poster in bike forum got a new engine (under warranty I believe) for his ER6 after it failed in dramatic fashion.

Of course quality of service and amiability/obligingness in such warranty claims is also always a matter of how well someone is connected. Sure not every customer gets treated the same, especially in Thailand.

[wantan]

Lets assume Richards claim is correct (i don't know if it is or not), maybe the japanese brands have more "serious" issues because the bikes get pushed harder from the owners. Just a "maybe"...

Sorry I not say that one or another manufacturer is better or worse, I only speak about statistical figures which can be accessed by anybody who knows how to use the computer.

Personally I not claim the any manufacturer is better than another.

I don't know how to use a computer or google but i can click a link if you can provide one. Or is this forbidden by forum rules?

[moskito]

Some says that Kawasaki has bad/no customer service in Thailand, well one poster in bike forum got a new engine (under warranty I believe) for his ER6 after it failed in dramatic fashion.

There are for sure cases where they just cant refuse to DO something.... Depends also WHO comes to the shop and complains...a normal Farang who is supposed to have the pockets full of money anyways, or a son of Khun Chalerm with two or three Bodyguards ... guess who is more succesfulll

I will visit a government office next week, if we not hear anything from Kawasaki before... I dont know how it is called in English, in German we call it Ombudsman, they are negotiating in cases like this. We used the office a couple of years ago in a case against our neighbor who crashed into us with his Pickup truck when he left his entrance without looking, and later refused to pay for hospital bills, broken shoulder and crashed knee... It needed some time but was working... at least he had to pay something....did not make my shoulder any better or like before but there are government places to go even in Thailand

I will also see if I can get any further with Richard.BKK phone number... It just cant be that they can do what ever they want just because they think you have money anyways as a farang.

however, a great weekend to all of you replying here THX for that

[Tiger10]

Hi
I do not know why but it' seems that I can not see the photo at all!
I m thinking to buy KLX 250 (2011)which for sale for 100000 baht but this worried me!
Is there any way you could email me the photo?
<email removed per forum rule>
Your help is much appreciated
Thanks
Tiger

Edited December 17, 2013 by metisdead
13) Not to post email addresses in posts due to potential spam problems.

[Sloopydee]

I also saw a Versys with an engine head that exploded and left a nice hole in the front of it after not many KM's, perhaps 30k.

It seems like it's the Thai manufactured bikes people need to watch out for, not Chinese.

[denkiblue555]

^^ Hahaha - no agendas there.....

Don't know about the explosion part - but I heard a similar story from a TV member in Chiang Mai who ended up with a decent size hole in the engine casing. From memory, the manufacturer sorted him out?

This bike (KLX/R250) has been in production for near on 30 years - I wonder if any of these infamous Chinese bikes you speak of will ever have production runs that long.

Edited December 17, 2013 by denkiblue555

[ll2]

^^ Hahaha - no agendas there.....

Don't know about the explosion part - but I heard a similar story from a TV member in Chiang Mai who ended up with a decent size hole in the engine casing. From memory, the manufacturer sorted him out?

This bike (KLX/R250) has been in production for near on 30 years - I wonder if any of these infamous Chinese bikes you speak of will ever have production runs that long.

yep, they sorted him out nicely with a new engine.

So, even though there are problems with Japanese bikes, they sort you otu somehow.

I dont think so a Chinese bike maker will give you a new engine if it explodes. Most probably they will tell you :"You get what you paid for so for that amount of money, you were not expecting a super quality bike with a nice service or miracles, right?"

anyway, sloppydee is banned forever as usual bc of his asspain.

[wantan]

LOL, now i am relieved to hear that manufacturers of thai made bikes repair their exploding engines

[denkiblue555]

My bike has regular explosions.... But it is Japanese...

[AllanB]

I have a 30 year old Honda 100% made in Japan and the quality of welding on the frame is appalling, I had assumed that it had been repaired, but a friend of mine who used to work for Team Suzuki told me this was fairly typical of Jap bikes.

This doesn't bode well for the integrity of the frame, since the welds are a crucial part of the whole structure, so this doesn't seem to be only a Thai manufacturing problem at all.

We used to build Off-road Karts, with zero suspension, other than than the tyres and never had one single frame failure, except in the case of accident damage, but then we could weld properly.

As with Thailand, it is considered unpatriotic (even treasonous) to complain in Japan about Japanese products, whereas in the UK it is a national pastime to knock our own kit. It took the Yanks to expose Toyota recently and when they did a whole raft of cover-ups were exposed, followed by numerous recalls covering many years. In the case of the Prius braking system fault, they did nothing at all, except a big PR exercise.

So as some others have suggested, how much worse are these new Chinese bikes in areas where it really matters?

Edited December 19, 2013 by AllanB

[Wong!]

Lets assume Richards claim is correct (i don't know if it is or not), maybe the japanese brands have more "serious" issues because the bikes get pushed harder from the owners. Just a "maybe"...

Sorry I not say that one or another manufacturer is better or worse, I only speak about statistical figures which can be accessed by anybody who knows how to use the computer.

Personally I not claim the any manufacturer is better than another.

I don't know how to use a computer or google but i can click a link if you can provide one. Or is this forbidden by forum rules?

Fancy that - he seems to have disappeared from this thread...

[Beardog]

That frame looks pretty strange. I never seen metal break clean like that short of liquid nitrogen & a hammer. It looks like someone set this bike up for a claim. I have shredded a couple dirt bike frames & the metal always had tears on the steel. Hard to believe any company would make something made for trials riding that would tear apart at the seams. That & the bike does look like the rider has driven it to death.if it was metal fatigue it would show stress cracks on either side of the area that snapped.

[Beardog]

As far as I know its not steel, its Aluminium.

Just checked for Frames and you can buy some in Ebay for ONLY around 150 USD... I really dont understand why Kawasaki has such a poor Customer Service and such WEAK frame work

I have problems with my frame too. My stand broke out of the frame after my KLX bought in Phuket was a year old... Kawasaki here refused to help us, said they dont do welding works...Sent me to a welder, and now after 8month it broke out again and the hole is even bigger...

DO NOT BUY ANY KAWASAKI IN THAILAND ... there is NO such thing like a CUSTOMER SERVICE...

Something like here on the picture is a CRIME... what happend if you are on the road with your bike, going 100 or 160km/h ????? you are fuc.king DEAD

They do Freejumping with KAWASAKI BIKES??? looks like suicide

the picture is unbelievable. i work as inspector of steel and never seen something breaks that clean. there should be some plastic deformation. and it breaks in 2 places, main tube and smaller tube - unbelievable. looks like its been cut with a hack saw

That is the word I was looking for deformation I said distort

But yes I agree 100%

But something is odd about those breaks.

They are not normal at all. That metal is somehow brittle to snap clean like that.

Metal like steel is malleable (pliable) by nature. Something in the metallurgical ratio/mix was wrong

with that metal to allow that to happen. No matter what the usage or strike against it.

Ok this picture looks like it has metal fatigue & believable that the metal work isn't that great. The other picture does not have the tell tale sign of a tear in the steel at all.

[AllanB]

There is a lot of welding around this area and if the welds are not done properly (as with my Jap built Honda) it can lead to just such a failure. Welding can alter the grain structure, hardness and brittleness of the material and lack of penetration can stratify this change in grain structure, causing lamination and weakening the whole area.

I have seen all sorts of suspicious looking breaks, which have turned out to be legitimate. Is is very difficult to fake a fracture, which can't be spotted by a reasonable good inspector. Purely looking at the photo, that doesn't look faked to me, however, it could be a failure following a poor repair.

I thought my bike frame had been repaired at first, as I couldn't believe a company like Honda could do such a shoddy job and even 30 years ago, I thought they had CAD/CAM.

[dave_boo]

There is a lot of welding around this area and if the welds are not done properly (as with my Jap built Honda) it can lead to just such a failure. Welding can alter the grain structure, hardness and brittleness of the material and lack of penetration can stratify this change in grain structure, causing lamination and weakening the whole area.

I have seen all sorts of suspicious looking breaks, which have turned out to be legitimate. Is is very difficult to fake a fracture, which can't be spotted by a reasonable good inspector. Purely looking at the photo, that doesn't look faked to me, however, it could be a failure following a poor repair.

I thought my bike frame had been repaired at first, as I couldn't believe a company like Honda could do such a shoddy job and even 30 years ago, I thought they had CAD/CAM.

They had CAM way back in 1952.

If you're talking about robot welding, wikipedia claims it was first introduced in the States in the '60s. However, it seems to indicate that non-spot welding (such as required on a frame) is a 'recent' advance.