2008 Kawasaki KLR650

THE 2008 KAWASAKI KLR 650 MOTORCYCLE OIL DRAIN PLUG SHOULD BE RECALLED AND CHANGED TO A LOW-PROFILE DRAIN PLUG. WITH ITS CURRENT HEIGHT, IT PROTRUDES BELOW THE SKID PLATE AND IS PRONE TO DAMAGE. ADDITIONALLY THE SKID PLATE IS MADE OF FLIMSY PLASTIC AND DOES NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION FOR THE ENGINE. WHILE TRAIL RIDING THIS NEW DUAL-SPORT MOTORCYCLE WITH ONLY 1400 MILES ON IT, I RODE OVER A SMALL ROCK, THIS CRACKED THE FLIMSY SKID-PLATE/ENGINE GUARD AND LOOSENED THE OIL DRAIN PLUG. WHILE RIDING HOME LATER ON THE FREEWAY, THE DRAIN PLUG FELL OUT, ALL THE OIL EVACUATED QUICKLY AND THE MOTOR SEIZED. THIS MOTORCYCLE IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY BUT THE DEALER INSISTED THAT THIS REPAIR WOULD NOT BE COVERED. THE PISTON RINGS WERE SEIZED AND THE REPAIR INVOLVES BORING THE CYLINDER, GETTING A LARGER PISTON AND RINGS, PLUS GASKETS AND LABOR. THE ESTIMATE FOR THIS REPAIR WAS $636.00. THE EVIDENCE OF THE NEED FOR THESE CHANGES TO THE MOTORCYCLE ARE THE PREVALENCE OF THESE PARTS AS AFTERMARKET ACCESSORIES, TO FILL THE OBVIOUS DEFICIENCY. THE LOW PROFILE DRAIN PLUGS ARE ROUGHLY $12.00 AND THE MORE STURDY ENGINE GUARDS ARE AROUND $120.00. *TR

I PURCHASED AN ENDURO MOTORCYCLE FOR USE ON THE HIGHWAY,THE MOTORCYCLE IS EQUIPPED WITH ALL NECESSARY COMPONENTS FOR THAT PURPOSE. THE FIRST PROBLEM WAS THE SPEEDOMETER WAS NOT CALIBRATED TO THE FAULT THAT I NEVER KNEW WHAT THE READING WOULD BE EVAN AT THE SAME ESTIMATED SPEED. I USED THE MOTORCYCLE ON MOSTLY SURFACE STREETS. ON THE EVENING THAT THE MOTORCYCLE FAILED IT SEEMED TO "GET A BOOST OF POWER" SO TO SPEAK, THEN IT STARTED TO RAPIDLY LOOSE ALL POWER UNTIL IT WOULD NO LONGER CONTINUE RUN. I ATTEMPTED TO RESTART IT BUT IT HAD LOST ENOUGH COMPRESSION TO DO SO. I RETURNED IT TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE FOR REPAIR IT HAS SINCE SAT FOR LACK OF COOPERATION OF THE MANUFACTURER AM HAVING TROUBLE INPUTTING THE MAKE AND MODEL OF MY MOTORCYCLE IT IS NOT ON THE LIST, IT IS A SHIENRIE ALLROAD 200CC ENDURO MADE IN CHINA, FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROCEEDING I WILL INPUT ANOTHER MAKE. *TR