Kawasaki VN750 Forum banner

Anybody lose a swing arm cap ?

6K views 23 replies 19 participants last post by  pmassey31545 
#1 ·
I lost one a few weeks back... neighbor found it but did not know what it was ! lol I also found one near the front door of a Walmart.. with two cracks in it...had been run over. Anybody else experiencing this cooler weather problem ?
:lockd:
 
#3 ·
If you apply some clear silicone to the lip, they tend to stay put better. Without it, it's only a matter of time before they leave........
 
#4 ·
I used to find mine laying on the floor next to the bike when it gets cold.

A little smear of silicone and reinstall will fix that problem.:smiley_th
 
#6 ·
Yes much like the leaves, they seem to start falling off this time of year when the temps begin to drop.

My only guess why is the weak spring contracts in the cold and they fall off.

Silicone them in. If yours have not fallen off yet it's a good idea to do this before they do.

There should be a must read sticky in this forum outlining all the needed Preventive Maintance every new owner should know.... Like also siliconing the tool box lock before it falls out .....
 
#7 ·
I tried to attach mine with silicone, but they just popped right back off. I removed the silicone, sanded the edges down a bit to where they fit without falling out, then put a small amount of Permatex #2 on the edges of the covers and the frame, let it dry for awhile, and stuck them back. 60,000 miles ago.

Kawasaki molded these covers, or at least some of them, wrong. They are to big to fit, and when you push them in, and release them, they pop right back out. Silicone, being slippery until it dries, makes it worse. I have noticed Kawasaki's QC on several Vulcan 750 parts, including cam chain tensioners, to be terrible. While new parts are available, I'll bet they are being made by old worn out tooling.
 
#11 ·
I didn't think those shiney widdle buggers would pop off. I thought someone had stolen them off of my ride, guess not, go figure :)
 
#12 ·
"Decorative" is an important thing for me, considering what is behind them. They do not serve as dust covers for the bearings, those are on the swing arm itself.
 
#13 ·
My bike has never had them since I have had it. I just got some new ones. So... I know for a fact water has hit the opening in the swingarm, are they just cosmetic, like I hope or do they act as a sheild for the bearings?
I wasn't planning on removing the swingarm this winter
 
#14 ·
I think a better title for this thread would be "Anybody NOT lose a swing arm cap?" My guess is that only the 'clever' few who have been forewarned of this impending disaster have managed to keep theirs. The lucky ones find them on the floor with no harm done....the rest of us, not so much.

They appear to be just decorative since they have no means to actually seal aside from the slightly tight fit. Still, it's probably better not to take chances and replace them if they go missing.

Hippie
 
#15 ·
I think a better title for this thread would be "Anybody NOT lose a swing arm cap ?"

Hippie
Actually, it should have read " Your swing arm caps are going to fall off, do something before they do.."

It's going to happen if it hasn't already. Your tool box lock is going to fall off, and if you use it alot, the whole door will fall off too.

Your splines will shear off if you don't lube them, your cables will stick if you don't lube them too. Your tires will wear out and wear badly if you don't check the air in them and tank will run out of gas if you don't fill it.

Some of these things you should figure out yourself, and others are particular to this bike and should be told to each new member here the day they join.....(although threads like this can help those that miss it elsewhere )
 
#16 ·
Tires and cables should be obvious to anyone capable of riding a motorcycle. But the caps, the toolbox door and lock, and the splines are all design flaws. Only someone with specific knowledge about this bike would know about them. I glued my caps on, locktited the toolbox lock, and run the seat without any bolts, so I will NEVER need to open that door. I did a spline lube on my '02 as soon as I brought it home, with about 10 miles on it. I found the splines bone dry. If I had waited until the maintenance schedule said to lube them, they would have sustained serious damage. Kawasaki should flat out be ashamed of themselves over the spline thing, and I think that they should have repaired them even after the warranty ran out, since it was their fault for not lubing them at the factory.
 
#19 ·
Not a lot of us have spare's lying around. Check your local dealer or you can order them from a parts place like bikebandit.
 
#20 ·
I found two new ones on ebay for $8. Just have to watch for them.

Had to sand the right side one a little, it fit so tight it pushed itself back off. Both are glued on now.

Post in Sell/Swap here also, there's been a few parts bikes lately.
 
#23 · (Edited)
"I've had to replace one twice on two different bikes."



Think you'd have learned from the first time...;)


There is a thread everyone should read that joins here, and this, along with other issues are mentioned:

http://www.vn750.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9127




Was #3 in my post there (post #5)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top