2008 KAWASAKI CONCOURS 14 — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

ON OR ABOUT JUNE 20, 2016 I NOTICED THAT MY REAR BRAKE PEDAL WAS BEGINNING TO GET HARDER TO PUSH TO APPLY BRAKE TO THE REAR ABS BRAKING SYSTEM. ON DECEMBER 20, 2017 I TOOK MY CONCOURS TO MY DEALER AND HAD 2 TIRES R&R AND ALSO REQUESTED THE DEALER TO CHECK THE BRAKING SYSTEM ON THE REAR. THERE WAS NO NOTICE FROM THE ABS SYSTEM THAT ALERTED ME TO ANY MALFUNCTIONING HARDWARE VIA THE IDIOT LIGHTS. (SEE ATTACHMENTS) I FEEL THE LIGHT NOT WORKING AND THE DEFECTIVE ABS CORE IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH KAWASAKI AND THEY HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO ADDRESS THIS SAFETY ISSUE. ON MARCH 6, 2018 I WROTE THROUGH THE ONLINE KAWASAKI PRODUCT FEEDBACK TO KAWASAKI ABOUT THE LACK OF RESPONSE TO PRESSING THE BACK BRAKE PEDAL AND A NATE DEPAUW FROM KAWASAKI WROTE BACK TO KEEP WORKING WITH MY LOCAL DEALER FOR A RESOLVE. THERE HAS STILL BEEN NOTHING RESOLVED. I HAVE SCANNED IN AND ATTACHED THE INFORMATION I HAVE BEEN USING TO TRY TO GAIN SATISFACTION. -

THE REAR BRAKE ON MY MOTORCYCLE WILL INTERMITTENTLY GET STUCK IN THE UP POSITION. IN ORDER FOR ME TO GET IT TO WORK AGAIN, I HAVE PRESS DOWN ON THE PEDAL WITH MORE THAN NORMAL OPERATING PRESSURE. THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION WHEN THIS HAPPENS. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE I AM NEVER SURE IF THE BRAKE IS GOING TO FUNCTION AS DESIGNED DUE TO IT GETTING STUCK. IT COULD CAUSE A CRASH BECAUSE OF NOT BEING ABLE TO STOP IN TIME WITH ONLY THE FRONT BRAKES. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE TO HAVE THIS SAME ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL OF MOTORCYCLE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KAWASAKI CONCOURS 14 EQUIPPED WITH PIRELLI ANGEL GT TIRES (NA), SIZE 120/70ZR/17 (NA). WHEN THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AFTER DRIVING 35 MPH, THE FRONT TIRE BECAME DISTORTED AND RESULTED IN A LOSS OF STABILITY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE TIRE DID NOT MEET THE SPECIFICATIONS OF THE BIKE WHICH CAUSED THE FAILURES. THE TIRE COULD NOT BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE SPEC MODELS WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL THE LATTER PART OF 2015. THE TIRE WAS RE-BALANCED. THE TIRES WERE NOT REPLACED. THE TIRES WERE REPLACEMENT TIRES. THE VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 21,922 AND THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,100.

REAR BRAKE CEASED TO FUNCTION. PEDAL TRAVEL TO FULL DEFLECTION BUT NO REAR BRAKE. DROPPED BIKE AT NAPLES KAWASAKI DEALERSHIP, AND A WEEK LATER THEY SAID IT WAS FIXED UNDER THE RECALL MC12-05 (BRAKE ROD END). I PICKED UP THE BIKE ONLY TO FIND THERE WAS STILL NO BRAKE. THIS RECALL DID NOT ADDRESS THE BRAKE FAILURE BUT PERTAINED TO PREVIOUS ISSUES. I THEN LEFT THE BIKE AT THE DEALER FOR CORRECTION OF THE BRAKE PROBLEM. THEY RAN TESTS AND COULD NOT FIND ANY ABS OR BRAKE RELATED READ OUTS IN THE INTERNAL DIAGNOSIS SYSTEM. I WAS TOLD THAT WHILE THEY DID NOT KNOW WHY THE BAKE BRAKE DID NOT WORK, THE ONLY "FIX" WAS TO REPLACE THE HYDRAULIC UNIT AND ALL RELATED LINES AT AN APPROXIMATE COST OF $2500.00 (EST). AFTER THE SERVICE MANAGER TALKED TO KAWASAKI SERVICE SUPPORT, KAWASAKI SAID A COMPLETE REBUILD OF MASTER CYLINDERS, BRAKE CALIPERS, AND ALL LINES AT A NEW ESTIMATE OF $4000.00. I CALLED KAWASAKI SUPPORT DIRECT AND THEY SAID THAT BECAUSE I COULD NOT PRODUCE DOCUMENTATION THAT BRAKE FLUID WAS CHANGED AT 20,000 MILES, THEY HAD NO RESPONSIBILITY. THE FAILURE OF THIS ABS UNIT LEFT ME WITH NO BRAKE AT ALL. SINCE THE ABS IS ACTIVE ONLY DURING A WHEEL SKID STOP, IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKING SHOULD BE CONSIDERED "NORMAL" UNDER NON EMERGENCY STOPS. AGAIN, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE DEALER COULD FIND NOTHING IN THE ABS SELF DIAGNOSIS COMPUTER GIVING ANY INDICATION OF A HYDRAULIC UNIT FAILURE. I HAVE COMPLETE FUNCTION OF THE FRONT BRAKE...THIS ONLY EFFECTED THE REAR BRAKE. *TR

OIL LEAKING FROM THE CAM POSITION SENSOR O-RING(S). FLUID LEAKS ONTO HOT CYLINDER BLOCK AND EXHAUST. I HAVE NOT HAD A FIRE YET, BUT THE POTENTIAL IS THERE IF ENOUGH FLUID ESCAPES ONTO THE EXHAUST. THE MOTORCYCLE IS CURRENTLY IN FOR THE SAME REPAIR FOR A THIRD TIME (AS OF 22 SEPTEMBER 2014). THE SECOND TIME WAS THE 14TH OF MAY 2014. CONVERSATIONS WITH SHOP PERSONNEL INDICATE THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AT KAWASAKI AND THE LEAK PROBLEM IS CURRENT AND ONGOING AMONG OWNERS OF THIS PARTICULAR MODEL MOTORCYCLE. *TR