1998 Kawasaki KLR650 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1998 Kawasaki KLR650, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Engine466.7%
- Fuel system116.7%
- Transmission116.7%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE CHAIN IDLER SHAFT ADJUSTER ON MY KLR HAS BROKEN.
THIS INVOLVES ENGINE PART #13168-1436 (LEVER, IDLER SHAFT) (ALSO KNOWN AS THE "DOOHICKEY") , WHICH IS PART OF THE ENGINE'S BALANCER CHAIN TENSIONER SYSTEM. WHILE MAKING AN UNRELATED ADJUSTMENT TO THE ENGINE I REMOVED THE LEFT SIDE ENGINE COVER AND NOTICED THAT A PORTION OF THE DOOHICKEY HAD BROKEN OFF AND WAS LOOSE IN THE ENGINE CASE. THE DAMAGE TO THE DOOHICKEY WAS SIMILAR TO WHAT I HAVE SEEN IN OTHER KLR650 ENGINES AND APPEARED TO BE DUE TO THE STARTER GEAR (ENGINE PART #16085-1205 (GEAR, ONEWAY CLUTCH)) IMPACTING THE DOOHICKEY. FORTUNATELY, IN THIS CASE THE ENGINE DID NOT SEIZE, BUT SINCE THERE WAS AT LEAST ONE LOOSE HARDENED STEEL PIECE LOOSE IT COULD EASILY HAVE DONE SO AT ANY TIME. SINCE THIS IS A MOTORCYCLE, AN ENGINE SEIZURE, ESPECIALLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, WOULD HAVE CERTAINLY RESULTED IN A CRASH. I CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY TO HAVE CAUGHT THIS PROBLEM BEFORE THAT HAPPENED. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED NUMEROUS TIMES IN COMPLAINTS NUMBERED: 764806 10000072 . *AK 10000454 10000465 10000675 10000938 10000978 10000992 10005395 10005592 10018484 10018988 10023897 10023930 10032798 10033071
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
PROBLEMS WITH FUEL SYSTEM ON 1998 MODEL KAWASAKI MOTORCYCLE.*MR AT TIMES THE MOTORCYCLE EXPERIENCED AN ERRATIC SURGE AND BUCK AS IF IT HAD NO FUEL. UPON OPENING THE FILLER CAP, THE CONSUMER NOTICED TANK HAD PLENTY OF FUEL IN BOTH SECTIONS OF THE MOTORCYCLE, HOWEVER IT APPEARED THE FUEL WAS NOT DRAWN INTO THE CARBURETOR WITHOUT LONG AND REPEATED CRANKING OF THE STARTER. *JB *NM
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
A BROKEN IDLER SHAFT LEVER (DOOHICKEY) CAUSED MOTOR CYCLE TO SIEZE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .