Well I finally got her! I have only had time to drive it about 20 miles, and here are my first impressions:

1. The build quality seems very high. I double checked all of the cables and chassis bolts, and everything looks good.
2. The first few miles produced some chemical smells and some stuff burning off. I took her easy and never went past half throttle per Kawi's recommendations. I checked out the Mototune guy's recommendations, but I just couldn't bring myself to go against the advice of the engineers who actually designed the machine.
3. This thing has some get up an go. I cannot wait until the break in period is over.
4. One thing I noticed was that when you come to a complete stop, the machine "creeped" just a little bit. Maybe a couple fo millimeters. I read that this is a good sign as the belt is nice and tight.
5. Pulling the seat off was easy, but putting it back on correctly is a pain in the butt. Make sure you have all the way secure or it will fly off!
6. I have this machine in a heated garage, and it does take some finesse to get here fired up. Once she is fired up for 20 seconds, it idles like a dream.
7. The stock tires are okay, but I definitely see replacements in the future. I will wear these out first as I have an attachment to my money!
8. The exhaust sound is fortunately quieter than I expected.
9. When shifting from R to H to L, sometimes it grinded just a little bit. I expect this can be adusted with a near perfect idle RPM.

Well, that is about it for now. I am very happy with the purchase so far. I cannot tell too much after 20 miles, but we'll see.

After doing much research, I will be running the Mobil MX4T and the Amsoil ATH fluids. I got a pretty good price on the MX4T, 9.00 per quart with free shipping on the case. The reason I am running the Amsoil is for the life of me, I cannot locate the Mobil 424 anywhere except Grainger, and there you have to be a business to purchase.

Thanks,

Bubba out!

 

5. Seat - Pull the center plastic tab (tongue) away from the seat. Use a heat gun to help bending it. The tab must slide into the bracket/slot on the frame. When putting on, slightly push down on the center of the seat to help the tab go into the slot. This center tab is the key to latch the seat correctly.

9. Grinding Noise when Shifting - You may be trying to shift while engine rpm is still higher than the spec idle rpm (1150 ). Reduce the choke to slow down the idle rpm and try to shift.

Synthetic Engine Oil - Your engine will thank you for using them and the reward is much more worth than it cost you. Make sure you use this good stuff on your front diff gear case as well.

Mobil 424 for rear wet brake - Try any farm tractor parts store - tractors have been using wet brakes for decades. Kawi has their own brand wet brake oil from Kawa-Chem as well.

 

Thanks for the reply Hayashi. I will try the seat trick. As far as the idle goes, how does one tell where 1150 rpm is? I think I can pretty well listen for I guess.

I do plan on using the MX4T in the front as well.

As far as oil filters go...I was thinking of going with the Amsoil SMF-103, as I do not feel comfortable using a filter made for an automobile. I use the Super Tech auto filters on my Nissan vehicle, and I know it uses a synthetic media, but I thought that ATV applications will have different pressure requirements as far as oil filters go.

Bubba

 

Oil Filter - Use the highest quality you can find (usually OEM) on this V-Twin engine. Just little bit of debris/dirt can ruin the top end of your engine (cam shaft lobes/journals, rocker arms, etc.) where clean oil supply is extremely critical. By the way, your engine's oil pressure is about 70 psi when hot @4500 rpm.

RPM - Intall a Tiny-Tach which is relatively inexpensive ($25?) and really easy to install (just 2 wires). Shows rpm in digital and also the "true" engine run hours (not like your meter on your ATV). Then you can precisely adjust the idle rpm to the spec.

 

As long as you can shift it into gear and it does not grind it is good. Just warm up completely and then turn the idle adjustment down till it does not grind when shifting, Just a quick of doing it , maybe when they prepped it they forgot to turn it down. The manuf. reccomendation of break in is so they dont have to replace a engine , its up to you but if you break it in a little harder it will run better. good luck.

 

I agree about the synthetic oils. Just make sure they are true synthetics or you will be paying a lot of money for glorified petroleum based synthetics like castrol Syntec. Amsoil, and Mobil 1 are true synthetics. For front diff oil make sure you get oil that is marked JASO-MA. This means they will have no friction modifiers in the additive package. Friction modifiers have the potential to make your front diff slip. Most automotive motor oils have friction modifiers, so be aware of what you are getting. Some people will tell you not to use synthetics until you are sure the rings are seated, but I have found no ill effects from putting it in on the first oil change at 10hrs.

There are no friction modifiers in Motorcycle oils or ATV type oils, but they are a little more money. You could probably get away with using automotive oil in your engine and be just fine because there are no clutches to slip. The oil I found that is cost effective (relative to motorcycle marked oil) and marked JASO-MA is the Amsoil High Performance 10W-40, but everyone seems to have a different recipe for success.

There are some automotive oil filters that will exceed the performance of the OEM filters, the one I use is the Bosch 3323. I like the 3323 because it is $5-6 instead of $9-10 for the Kawi OEM and it is a little longer than the OEM filter for better capacity. The Bosch 3300 is a direct tradeover for the OEM filter (same length). Plus, most auto parts stores stock them. (Autozone, Schucks)

When breaking your machine in make sure you fluctuate the throttle and vary the load by climbing hills or pushing snow. RPM's do not equal load. You can work it hard without going over half throttle.

 

Great tips here MadLT, thanks. I have already got the MX4T oil for the front and motor, and I just went ahead and bought the KawaChem Wet Brake oil for the rear. I already bought the OEM filter (at 11 bucks!!) before I read your post. I will pick up the Bosch filter next go around. The only thing I wonder is if the Bosch is rated for the same pressure at what the OEM requires. Is the Bosch an auto filter? Maybe it doesn't matter. What do you think?

thanks again,

Bubba

 

Yes, the Bosch is an automotive filter, and yes it will handle the pressure. Many guys use them with success. The automotive filters work just as good or better than the OEM Kawasaki filters. Here is a great site for filter conversion.

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/FilterXRef.html


Bubba, PM me if you are interested in a Dynatek CDI for your new machine.

 

i accually prefer the longer auto filters because the extra length gives you a little extra oil capacity, and more filter media surface area (crud holding ability).

monty

 

Some new information that I will look into for my next oil change. Wal-mart has full gallons of Shell Rotella T Synthetic for less than $15. I also checked into the Supertech filters at Wal mart and they are among the best you can buy and for an added bonus they are right around $2. How about that, a gallon of quality synthetic oil and a 99% filter for less than $20. The Super tech filter number for our machines is ST7317.

Who said that it costs too much to run Synthetics?