KDXRIDER.NET

is there a secret to getting these out?
can i spray a little "Deep Creep" penetrant along the sides to help them slip off? They seem like they want to tear, if i have not already torn one.

Mine were glued on. I had to just grab them with pliers and a rag, not too much damage. I put them back on with some RTV.

were you able to reuse them?

I lost one of mine, the other's stuck on like glue like yours.

Where to find a replacement? Not on buykawasaki.com that I can tell . . .

That just means you have never ... or anybody for that matter.... greased your swingarm bearings!

layoutd wrote:were you able to reuse them?

Yea, they were fine. Just use something soft on the pliers so you don't cut them up too much. Just pinch them in the middle.


Are you greasing your bearings?

i'm replacing my bearings

From past experience I know my swingarm bearings are good for 3-4 suspension bearing maintains...and the latter is about every six months.

..with the caged lower shock bearing. With the OEM lower shock it was more like every two months.

I do re-place mine using RTV. To remove, I use an orange-stick kind'a thing (actually a nylon fret replacement tool used on Printronix line printers) to lever the cover away from the frame. Once that part of the 'glue' is 'unglued' it comes off pretty well.

Seek and ye shall find.

From the 'Engine Mount' diagram at BuyKawi:



It's callout 'E', 11012.

That translates to:

11012 11012-1591 CAP,AXLE NUT

Yeah...it's NOT a cap for the axle nut, but if you look where 'E' goes, it's the swingarm pivot cap.

There 'ya go!!

So, let's just say that hypothetically one of the covers was dry rotted and had to be dug out in 20 pieces, hypothetically speaking of course. How bad is it to not replace these? just have an extra hole to clean out? Any suggestions for replacement? i imagine that kawasaki is proud of this little piece, i have not looked them up yet.

I hypothetically replaced one of mine last summer at $3.10 because I hypothetically didn't glue it in.

Mine have been hypothetically missing since I got the bike. I keep meaning to buy a pair of them but haven't bothered yet. So far its just prompted me to tear everything apart on a more regular basis.

Start with the name of the things...'Axle caps'...and the consider they in fact are NOT on the AXLE. The (rear) axle survives without caps, so I suppose the swingarm pivot could, too. There is more likely crud going to get in between the swingarm and frame than from that outside hole. THAT is pretty well closed off with the pin shoulder and nut/washer.

Now is when m0rie says, 'Washer?'

I doubt those caps are a big deal. I'd buy replacements if I goobered one, though (not that I ever WOULD do that...but speaking hypothetically of course), because I don't like the looks of the empty hole.

AND...what if having them there does in fact (non-hypothetically speaking) keep the swingarm bearings alive!!??

Yes, I do understand that the pivot pin is as much an axle as the rear wheel axle is.

canyncarvr wrote: Now is when m0rie says, 'Washer?'

There I done said it already...