RoadVitals

2005 Kawasaki KL650A19

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
10
Latest Sep 7, 2010
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 10 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2005 Kawasaki KL650A19, most frequently naming the engine, steering and body & structure categories.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Engine866.7%
  • Steering325.0%
  • Body & structure18.3%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

View all 10
Engine
Filed Sep 7, 2010

BALANCE SHAFT TENSIONER ADJUST PLATE (DOOHICKEY) WAS FOUND IN THREE PIECES, TENSION SPRING ALSO IN TWO PIECES. *TR

NHTSA ID
10354083
Incident
Sep 7, 2010
Mileage
9,000 mi
Body & structure
Filed Oct 30, 2007

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 KAWASAKI KLR650 (NA). THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT APPROXIMATELY TEN BOLTS WERE MISSING FROM HIS VEHICLE. THE FOOT PEG BOLTS AND MUFFLER MOUNTING BOLTS WERE MISSING, WHICH CAUSED THE FOOT PEG TO DETACH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TWO DEALERS APPROXIMATELY FIVE TIMES REGARDING THE BOLTS, BUT THEY CONTINUE TO DETACH. THE CONTACT MUST USE PLASTIC ZIP TIES TO HOLD THE PARTS IN PLACE. THE VIN, ENGINE SIZE, PURCHASE DATE, AND NUMBER OF CYLINDERS WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 11,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100.

NHTSA ID
10207446
Incident
Dec 1, 2004
Mileage
100 mi
Steering
Filed May 26, 2007

WHILE DOING PM ON THE 2005 KAWASAKI KLR650 I FOUND THAT THE TENSION IDLER ARM, KNOWN IN THE KLR COMMUNITY AS THE DOOHICKEY WAS AND HAS BEEN BROKEN. WHILE THE MOTORCYCLE STILL RAN MOST SERIOIULY FAILED. *AK

NHTSA ID
10191804
Incident
May 26, 2007
Engine
Filed May 20, 2007

2005 KAWASAKI KLR 650 8,250 MILES. THE IDLER SHAFT LEVER (DOOHICKEY) RETENTION / RETURN SPRING WAS BROKEN. I OPENED THE CASE TO REPLACE THIS PART THAT HAS HAD PROBLEMS WITH FAILURE AND SURE ENOUGH MINE WAS BROKEN! HAD I NOT DONE THIS PREVENTIVE UPGRADE AND ADJUSTED THE LEVER AS PER MY REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE. I COULD HAVE RUINED THE MOTOR DUE TO THE BROKEN PART! THIS IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE TO KLR RIDERS THAT THIS IS A DEFECT THAT KAWASAKI NEEDS TO ADDRESS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10191274
Incident
May 19, 2007
Mileage
8,250 mi
Engine
Filed Apr 14, 2007

BROKEN BALANCE SHAFT ADJUSTER SPRING , THREE PIECES , ON THE INSIDE OF THE MOTOR ON A 2005 KAWASAKI KLR 650 MOTORCYCLE WITH 9,034 MILES. THE BREAKING OF THIS SPRING OR THE ADJUSTER WAS WELL DOCUMENTED ON INTERNET SITES AND WILL UNDOUBTEDLY CAUSE SOMEONE TO BE INJURED OR KILLED AT SOME POINT. IF IT HAS NOT ALREADY HAPPENED. FORTUNATELY FOR ME AN UPGRADED ADJUSTER AND SPRING WAS PURCHASED, AS WELL AS THE NECESSARY TOOLS, AFTER THE PROBLEM WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION FROM VARIOUS WEB SITES. I DISCOVERED THE BROKEN PARTS, ( FORTUNATELY ), AND RETRIEVED THEM FROM THE MOTOR WHEN I PERFORMED THE UPGRADE. HAD I WAITED MUCH LONGER SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE AND/OR MYSELF WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. COST OF THE UPGRADE, NOT INCLUDING MY LABOR COST WAS OVER $100.00 FROM ALL THE INFORMATION THAT I HAVE GATHERED FROM OTHER OWNERS OF THIS SAME MODEL OF MOTORCYCLE, KAWASAKI WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM. WILL IT TAKE SEVERAL DEATHS (OR MORE), BEFORE THE PROBLEM IS ADDRESSED?*AK

NHTSA ID
10187854
Incident
Apr 12, 2007
Mileage
9,034 mi
EngineSteering
Filed Jul 29, 2006

I AM VERY UPSET WITH KAWASAKI'S KLR 650'S IDLER SHAFT ASSEMBLY EVERYONE I TALK TO HAS OR WILL HAVE TO REPLACE IT. THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE FROM A COMPANY AS BIG AS KAWASAKI. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED A LONG TIME AGO. I TOO, WILL BE SPENDING THE $200 TO FIX SOON. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE. THANK,YOU. I HOPE YOU WILL DO SOMETHING. *JB

NHTSA ID
10163888
Incident
Jul 29, 2006
Mileage
7,000 mi
Engine
Filed Jun 26, 2006

INDEPENDENT KAWASAKI KLR650 WEB SITES DESCRIBE INHERENT PROBLEMS WITH THE IDLER SHAFT LEVER AND SPRING WITHIN THE ENGINE. I OPENED UP THE ENGINE ON MY 2005 KLR 650 WITH 8795 MILES AND DISCOVERED THAT THE SPRING WAS BROKEN AND NO LONGER FUNCTIONAL. THIS CAN LEAD TO CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AS THE CAMSHAFT CHAIN IS NO LONGER BEING TIGHTENED CORRECTLY. I THEN REPLACED THE IDLER SHAFT LEVER AND THE SPRING WITH AFTERMARKET PARTS. *JB

NHTSA ID
10160773
Incident
Jun 23, 2006
Mileage
8,795 mi
Engine
Filed Jun 17, 2006

THE BALANCER CHAIN ADJUSTER SPRING BROKE AND LODGED IN THE OIL SCREEN. *NM

NHTSA ID
10160063
Incident
May 10, 2006
Mileage
6,306 mi