Watch your master link clips!!!!

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by n4mwd

How many miles on it? Is this the one you rode from CA?

Hitting a curb head on may have bent your forks and might explain the leak. Engine noises could be nothing or everything. What does it sound like? Are you planning on doing the work yourself?

My seal was visibly bad a month before the trip. The fairings had grime all over the right side from the entire trip though the curb encounter was at the very end, so it only would have caused a bigger squirt vs. what had already coated the right side of the bike. I'm not saying the forks aren't tweaked, but the encounter did not cause the leak.

I don't have the tools to do engine work myself. KC and I did the valve job at his place a couple months ago. The noise sounds like a horrible and very loud loud rattle but it goes away after riding the bike a while (miles). It may be something like a valve cap sticking? We used Honda Bond to stick the shims in.

[n4mwd]

Originally Posted by CZroe

My seal was visibly bad a month before the trip. The fairings had grime all over the right side from the entire trip though the curb encounter was at the very end, so it only would have caused a bigger squirt vs. what had already coated the right side of the bike. I'm not saying the forks aren't tweaked, but the encounter did not cause the leak.

I don't have the tools to do engine work myself. KC and I did the valve job at his place a couple months ago. The noise sounds like a horrible and very loud loud rattle but it goes away after riding the bike a while (miles). It may be something like a valve cap sticking? We used Honda Bond to stick the shims in.

Are you sure the rattle isn't the infamous Kawasaki tick? Does it go away with a light load?

I'm thinking that the newgen engine must be radically different from the pregen. I've done the valves on my pregen and there are no shims in there. Its got little screws and lock nuts.

Again, not sure about the newgen, but the pregen comes with a little toolbox that can be used for most maintenance. I prefer using my own tools because I don't want to wear those out so I'll have them in an emergency if I need them. With the pregen, a metric allen wrench set, box end set, and socket set pretty much covers everything you need. I would guess that the newgen is similar.

PS - Here is something that might help with the fork seals.

[headshrink]

Originally Posted by Racer x

You can safety wire the clip. There is enough room for wire to go around the link and not get cut by the sprocket. I have never done it but I have seen it when I tech bikes at the track. I also have never seen a clip come off. The use them inside engines to hold cam chains together on Mercedes V8s. Are you sure it was put on going in the proper direction?

WOW I'm surprised this works!