I was doing some wheelies, or atleast i tried :D , outside our house last summer. When i turned the bike and drove away i felt something landed on my left foot, didnt bother, continued on. But changed my mind, turned back and found this(ref. picture) on the ground. It definately belong on the bike, because of the number 7 that i recognise from other bolts on the bike. Ive looked almost everywhere on the bike, but can figure out where it belongs. My kawasaki dealer couldnt help me either, something i'd expect, since this shouldnt happen to a new bike (2500miles). The manual says nothing about the number 7, and i have looked really well over the bike, and cant find anything.

Have driven alot after this, so its no big deal, but would be great to find out where this thing belongs. anyone got an idea? :o

Also, if someone else wonders where stuff belongs on the 250R, feel free to use this thread.

You should return to where you were doing the wheelie and see if you can find one of these:

http://www.mutualscrew.com/productimages_big/n-19.jpg

It has an "8" on it! :eek:

You should return to where you were doing the wheelie and see if you can find one of these:

http://www.mutualscrew.com/productimages_big/n-19.jpg

It has an "8" on it! :eek:

i have, but didnt find anything. And i have looked everywhere on the bike, but cant figure this out :p

Just giving you a hard time! :) It didn't look like anyone else was going to respond.

A wheelie would tend to be rougher on the front wheel area, but this could be to mount a plate or lock a cable down, i.e. choke cable on the carb, etc. Have you taken the fairings off? Lots of spots it could be from. Might be to hold the speedo cable or brake line or ..... Obviously, it hasn't hurt anything....yet.

Good Luck with your quest.

I remember seeing one of those when I had mine torn all apart, but have no clue where it goes....
also, the 7 doesn't have anything to do with where it goes....

g21-30: hehe, i see. good idea about the front wheel and that area. But i really dont think it has anything to do with it. Just a little story to make the thread more than "Where does this go". Im guessing it may have been loose, and rolled out when the bike was standing up.
i havent got the fairings off yet, but i have looked behind them with a flashlight.

i will probably hand it over to my dealer when next service is coming up, but thats in 3-4months. And now its snow outside for a couple of more months aswell, so when i cant ride the bike, i try to figure out stuff like this. :P Things should stick to a new bike after 1 month of driving.

can you put something next to the bolt in the picture so we can get some perspective on how big it is?

It may be from the crate it gets shipped in .
When they take it out , things may get dropped.

.

That's a pretty good sized bolt. If you suspect it came from the front end, check the bolts that hold the fork tubes to the triple tree, down closer to the radiator.

Also, with it not being dirty, I wouldn't suspect it came from the engine. check the exhaust system where it connects to the frame and the muffler portion where it mounts to the passenger peg frame.

if not, next time you have the fairings off, be sure to check anything engine related closer to the tank where the engine connects to the frame. should be pretty easy to spot with a bolt that size missing.

That's a pretty good sized bolt. If you suspect it came from the front end, check the bolts that hold the fork tubes to the triple tree, down closer to the radiator.

Also, with it not being dirty, I wouldn't suspect it came from the engine. check the exhaust system where it connects to the frame and the muffler portion where it mounts to the passenger peg frame.

if not, next time you have the fairings off, be sure to check anything engine related closer to the tank where the engine connects to the frame. should be pretty easy to spot with a bolt that size missing.
ye its a good size on it :confused:

ill go check out the front end then. engine is checked

checked the front end now. nothing missing there.
have also looked trough all of the DIY's, and cant see any of theese no.7 bolts anywhere. :(

I wouldn't worry about it to much if your bike is running fine or nothing odd is happening, but I would continue to be looking for where it might have come from whenever you do any work on the bike. As Steve said, it could have been something left over from assembly time and was stuck somewhere until you jostled it loose.

Might be God's way of telling you not to pop wheelies with the 250R. :D

It goes to the part that is about to fall off. Make sure you save it so you can put that piece back on after it falls off.

Might be God's way of telling you not to pop wheelies with the 250R. :D

hehehe, he dont need too. i care for the clutch too much :D

i will certainly keep looking, but theres not often i work on the bike. i suspect that it belong deep under the gas tank or somewhere tricky, so ill have to take apart the whole bike. :p i bought this bike NOT to work on it, just refuel and service at my dealer :P and im not planning on doing anything for atleast another 8months :P so, it could take awhile

It goes to the part that is about to fall off. Make sure you save it so you can put that piece back on after it falls off.

yes, thats true :) ill be looking for parts falling off it.

This is at least the third time I've heard about this.
The first was on my son's 09 250, someone on the other forum posted about it as well.
I think the 7 stands for 7mm.
I looked all over for a missing bolt, couldn't find one.
I'm convinced the guys in Thailand thought I needed a spare.
The bike has about 300 miles since it fell out and no problems yet.
Also, the bolt shows no signs of use, no marks on the threads or head.

Normally, numbers on boltheads have to do with the hardness of the metal or class of bolt. I do not know if that's applicable here, though.

BTW, if it is hardness in this case, 7 is not very high on the scale.

I looked back at your photo, the bolt has signs of use on the head.
The one we have is chrome, yours is anodized.
Maybe something to do with the crating?

This is at least the third time I've heard about this.
The first was on my son's 09 250, someone on the other forum posted about it as well.
I think the 7 stands for 7mm.
I looked all over for a missing bolt, couldn't find one.
I'm convinced the guys in Thailand thought I needed a spare.
The bike has about 300 miles since it fell out and no problems yet.
Also, the bolt shows no signs of use, no marks on the threads or head.really? good im not alone about this.

yes, could be one of those M7 or whatever its called.
but ive found bolt with '6' on it, that are bigger.
edit: i think kkim is right. its about the material.

I looked back at your photo, the bolt has signs of use on the head.
The one we have is chrome, yours is anodized.
Maybe something to do with the crating?

yes mine has got marks on the head as you now noticed, threads looks untouched, but are a little dirty :confused:

I've found several 7-bolts on the bike, but they are all silver, but this one ive got is 'gold'.
anodized, have to look that up, but is it anywhere on the bike that that could be useful?
edit: ok its more heat-resistent and salt/corrosion resistent. hmm

Kkim, you are probably right, I thought the threads were 7mm.
But hell, I thought it had a L on it, before the kid corrected me.
The bolt I have is a higher quality than the one pictured.
I also thought, I found matching bolts on the engine somewhere but none were missing. But an engine bolt doesn't make sense as it would be a different production line. This one was caught in the plastics somewhere.

hmm, theres 7-bolts everywhere..one i remember is front brakes. cant be that bad quality afterall.

I went out to the garage to check, briefly, it's below freezing out there.
I couldn't find any bolts that were gold anodized, all are chrome, zinc or black anodized. There are some gold anodized washers though.
Also, I think the "6" bolts are smaller than the "7" bolts, which is why I was thinking it was 7mm.
I wouldn't worry about it, but if something falls off let me know.

I went out to the garage to check, briefly, it's below freezing out there.
I couldn't find any bolts that were gold anodized, all are chrome, zinc or black anodized. There are some gold anodized washers though.
Also, I think the "6" bolts are smaller than the "7" bolts, which is why I was thinking it was 7mm.
I wouldn't worry about it, but if something falls off let me know.

thanks lol. hmm i havent really seen any gold anodized on my bike either.

ok the 6'ers are smaller, i may have remembered wrong. :D
dunno if the 7's are 7mm, ill check it out tomorrow

ive driven about 1000mi after this, havent been a problem. but i guess it was on the bike for a reason

Have you installed a fender eliminator kit? That bolt looks like one of the 2 bolts to the rear fairing (under the passenger seat) that are left over after the kit is installed.

Have you installed a fender eliminator kit? That bolt looks like one of the 2 bolts to the rear fairing (under the passenger seat) that are left over after the kit is installed.

nope, havent installed one of those. but ill check if one of those bolts are missing :thumbup:

TrueFaith: Found those 2 bolts ;) They were exactly the same, just colored black, and they were both there :)

Anyone else got any ideas? :confused:

I have still not seen any bolts that are gold-colored, on my bike! :confused:

well I have all my fairings off now except the gas tank and looked for you for number 7 bolts, so far I have seen 2 located in the front fender, you need to take off the plastic and you will see a metal bracket in the middle just under where the plastic part is mounted on or right above the front wheel it is 7 bolts. Also there are 3 number 7 bolts used to hold the gauge in place that might be it. Good luck

I've saw a few number 7 bolts back by the rear fender when I was installing my eliminator kit. I'd check there.

I've saw a few number 7 bolts back by the rear fender when I was installing my eliminator kit. I'd check there.
yes ive aldready checked those, they were in their places ;)
well I have all my fairings off now except the gas tank and looked for you for number 7 bolts, so far I have seen 2 located in the front fender, you need to take off the plastic and you will see a metal bracket in the middle just under where the plastic part is mounted on or right above the front wheel it is 7 bolts. Also there are 3 number 7 bolts used to hold the gauge in place that might be it. Good luck
thanks! ill check that out first thing when i get home from work :D

^sorry dude I thought there were under the front fender plastic but I'm mistaken, but there are four under the front seat near the battery they are black though not like your picture. So it might be your gauge that's my guess.

^sorry dude I thought there were under the front fender plastic but I'm mistaken, but there are four under the front seat near the battery they are black though not like your picture. So it might be your gauge that's my guess.

thats ok :) just came home from work, havent looked at the bike yet. thanks for telling. i will look closer at the gauge then. :D

At this point the best thing to do would be to go to the Kawasaki website. Under "Owner Info" you can access diagrams of the entire bike and it may help you track down where those bolts go.

watcanido: i now found 2 of those bolts that holds the gauges in place, you were talking about.
They were the right color i think, so thats a good sign, havent found any bolts with this color on the bike yet. took some pics, and couldnt find the 3rd bolt. i think theese are a little smaller than the one im looking for though.

From the parts diagram it says the gauge cluster bolts are M5x14. So just measure yours and see if that is the right size.

From the parts diagram it says the gauge cluster bolts are M5x14. So just measure yours and see if that is the right size.

i was going to, but then i didnt know what measuring units was used. the bolt i have is certainly not 14cm or 14mm long

This would all be in mm.

This would all be in mm.

ok :) then im looking for an 7x20, or maybe even an 8x20

edit: no 7x20's in the parts diagram :(

My guess would be 8. 7 is not a common size.

My guess would be 8. 7 is not a common size.

thats true. but i cant find any 8x20 in the parts diagram either :confused:
i think ill take of the gas tank tomorrow, and probably keep searching the diagram for 8x18 or 8x22 :p :p

There should be a total of three bolts holding the gauge in place, they are in a triangle formation. Try checking the top middle of the gauge.

I don't have a clue where it comes from. But, I do think the "gold anodizing" is actually cadmium plating. Which would make those grade 8 bolts. Grade 5 bolts are usually just silver. The higher the number the stronger the tensile strength. Also, I'm pretty sure the number on top tells from which location it was forged at. If I remember correctly the bolts with the 3 lines on them come from China. Unfortuately for the US they are better than the ones from here because they are double dipped in cadmium.

Markings on the heads (lines for SAE bolts, and numbers for metric bolts) are for the grade of bolt. The plating or coating does not necessarily tell you the grade of the bolt, as grade 8 bolts can even be unplated steel.

SAE Bolt Head Marking Chart (http://www.unified-eng.com/scitech/bolt/boltmarks.html)

Metric bolts will usually be marked with 8.8, 10.9, or 12.9. I'm not sure what the 7 is for in this case.

Markings on the heads (lines for SAE bolts, and numbers for metric bolts) are for the grade of bolt. The plating or coating does not necessarily tell you the grade of the bolt, as grade 8 bolts can even be unplated steel.

SAE Bolt Head Marking Chart (http://www.unified-eng.com/scitech/bolt/boltmarks.html)

Metric bolts will usually be marked with 8.8, 10.9, or 12.9. I'm not sure what the 7 is for in this case.
yes the 8.8 i see very often at work, on all kind of bolts. very common, unlike 7.
There should be a total of three bolts holding the gauge in place, they are in a triangle formation. Try checking the top middle of the gauge.

ah, right, couldnt find it :thumbup:
I don't have a clue where it comes from. But, I do think the "gold anodizing" is actually cadmium plating. Which would make those grade 8 bolts. Grade 5 bolts are usually just silver. The higher the number the stronger the tensile strength. Also, I'm pretty sure the number on top tells from which location it was forged at. If I remember correctly the bolts with the 3 lines on them come from China. Unfortuately for the US they are better than the ones from here because they are double dipped in cadmium.
ure probably right about the cadmiuim plating. i think it(the color) has something to do with its placement on the bike, so im gonna take off the gas tank when i got time later today, have never done that before, and i suspect that the bolt belongs to some kind of electric mountings etc under the gas tank.

It may be from the crate it gets shipped in .
When they take it out , things may get dropped.

I still think it is probably from the crate when they did the setup ...they have the seat off to prepare the battery and charge it.
:o

I still think it is probably from the crate when they did the setup ...they have the seat off to prepare the battery and charge it.
:o
could be that you are right..but its not easy to find out if it was.
if i dont find the 'answer' under the gas-tank, i think your right :o , a bolt this size shouldnt be this hard to figure out

are you close enough to a dealer that you can go watch them uncrate one?

It's not fair for you to be the only person suffering from this malady. What I think you need to do to fix it is pick up a handful of random types of screws at the hardware store, and next time you're at a biker hangout hide a different screw in as many different bellypans of the bikes in the lot. With any luck, the screw will rattle out just in time to fall out in the owner's garage, and then he'll have to ask for the same internet help as you've had to do. Heck, maybe that's what started this for you in the first place. :D

are you close enough to a dealer that you can go watch them uncrate one?

1 hour drive. I dont think i will go watch them uncrate, but i will definately take the bolt to them, when my bike goes into 6000km service in april/may. Then they will probably recognize it, if the bolt came from a crate.. :o
It's not fair for you to be the only person suffering from this malady. What I think you need to do to fix it is pick up a handful of random types of screws at the hardware store, and next time you're at a biker hangout hide a different screw in as many different bellypans of the bikes in the lot. With any luck, the screw will rattle out just in time to fall out in the owner's garage, and then he'll have to ask for the same internet help as you've had to do. Heck, maybe that's what started this for you in the first place. :D

hahaha. yea its not fair at all!

hehe, i will go by the hardware store first thing on monday :thumbup: :cool: it is time for revenge

Why would a bolt on a shipping crate be cadmium plated? Sounds kinda pricy to ship a 4 grand bike.

the same bolt fell from my bike when i took off my fairing to install an area p. the head is rounded a bit, and there is some wear. i found it when my bike had around 400 miles, now it has 3000 and i have no problems. hopefully its from shipping like some are saying.

welcome to the forum James!

the same bolt fell from my bike when i took off my fairing to install an area p. the head is rounded a bit, and there is some wear. i found it when my bike had around 400 miles, now it has 3000 and i have no problems. hopefully its from shipping like some are saying.

are you kidding? :P you dont happen to have a picture of it? :o

It actually reminds me a little of the bolts holding the mirrors on... It's been 3 months since I've looked at them, but mine were definitely gold-ish in color and annoyed me because they weren't allen-able... I replaced my mirror without completely taking off the fairings and had to get creative with a socket - 10mm, if I'm not mistaken. 20mm in length sounds too long to be the ones I have in mind, but it's worth a quick look.

Take a look at the mirrors if you have your fairings off - there's two on each side, so losing one would probably not cause a noticeable difference - the mirrors were cranked on so tight that I actually had both bolts out and the mirror still didn't move at all.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c334/wujames88/th_P3010273.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c334/wujames88/?action=view&current=P3010273.jpg)

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c334/wujames88/th_P3010274.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c334/wujames88/?action=view&current=P3010274.jpg)

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c334/wujames88/th_P3010275.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c334/wujames88/?action=view&current=P3010275.jpg)

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c334/wujames88/th_P3010269.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c334/wujames88/?action=view&current=P3010269.jpg)

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c334/wujames88/th_P3010270.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c334/wujames88/?action=view&current=P3010270.jpg)

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c334/wujames88/th_P3010270.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c334/wujames88/?action=view&current=P3010270.jpg)

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c334/wujames88/th_P3010272.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c334/wujames88/?action=view&current=P3010272.jpg)

It actually reminds me a little of the bolts holding the mirrors on... It's been 3 months since I've looked at them, but mine were definitely gold-ish in color and annoyed me because they weren't allen-able... I replaced my mirror without completely taking off the fairings and had to get creative with a socket - 10mm, if I'm not mistaken. 20mm in length sounds too long to be the ones I have in mind, but it's worth a quick look.

Take a look at the mirrors if you have your fairings off - there's two on each side, so losing one would probably not cause a noticeable difference - the mirrors were cranked on so tight that I actually had both bolts out and the mirror still didn't move at all.

ill check that out :) thanks


WuJames88: That looks to be the exact same bolt ive got. :confused: :rolleyes:

i actually had a similar problem one of my fairing bolts fell off one day on the highway, its the bolt that's in the gauge cluster area under the mirror (there are two hex bolts under the windshield) so i noticed that my mirror kept shaking then i started looking at it one day and the bolt was missing so i was wondering where i can get a replacement bolt or even a replacement bolt kit for the fairing? or if anyone know more about this

take the other bolt out, go down to the hardware store and get a metric equivalent of the the bolt you took out.

you can buy it from kawasaki, but you'll most likely pay at least a few dollars for a new one.

i actually went to lowes and found that they had no hex socket bolts so i ended up getting a pair of regular hex bolts (sry my cam broke camera phone)
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/album.php?albumid=77&pictureid=874

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=77&pictureid=874