Stripped countershaft :-(

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Re: Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by KDXGarage »

If the chain being too tight caused this, then I would REALLY be concerned about the bearing by the sprocket! :shock:
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Re: Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by doakley »

Agreed and all the more reason to tear it down and do the repair right.
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Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by Molly's 70 »

I might weld it up to get me though a weekend, but you know your going to have to replace that part.
If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
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Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by kdxdazz »

Molly's 70 wrote:I might weld it up to get me though a weekend, but you know your going to have to replace that part.
in theory you could weld it up,it would last the life of the sprocket,cut it off and put a new one on,you could do this indefinately. i'm not sure why people keep wanting to pull down the engine due to a possible bad bearing,just give the shaft a wiggle and check for any free play,if it were a bad bearing you would here a horrible whirring sound
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Re: Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by ronopolis »

Hey guys, I'm the original poster with the bad countershaft.

Thanks for all of your comments! I really appreciate the feedback and comments. I have a few replies.

I do have a power washer, and clean the bike every other ride or so. So it isn't always this dirty. But bufftester brings up a good point -- the shop did a lot of work, including a new top end, and didn't really clean the engine, or notice the issue before they put it all back together and then rode it in the parking lot. I mean, they didn't screw up the cuntershaft -- but if they had noticed before or while the engine was out, it would be a lot cheaper fix.

Welding on a new sprocket... That I had not thought of. It is kind of kicking the can down the road, but an interesting idea. Eventually when the front sprocket had an issue, or there was some other bottom end issue, I assume it would be a pain to deal with the welded on sprocket??

I'm going to start taking the engine out, strip off as much as I have time for, then probably have a shop do the work. I've literally touched every other bolt on this bike when I rebuilt it, except the bottom end. If I had lots of time and a heated work space, I'd consider tackling this myself. But I don't have time, and I live in CO. My work area is a detached garage that is currently at 13 degrees.
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Re: Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by KDXGarage »

I was wondering if you were going to make it back. :grin:

Do you have a picture showing the chain tension you have been riding at?

Maybe some other members have an idea on how tough it would be to remove a welded on front sprocket. I imaging it would be pretty challenging to line up properly to weld it on in the first place, then a near nightmare to remove in the future. If you are not able to do the welding yourself, then it will cost money (or at least beer) to get someone to do it for you. One could factor that in when making a decision, I suppose.

13 degree garage equals NO FUN.
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Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by Molly's 70 »

I cut welds with a fiber disk & a die grinder. Makes quick work of it.
Re welding the same area over & over again is just begging for trouble. Contamination will eventually rear it's head.
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Re: Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by ronopolis »

Jason wrote:Do you have a picture showing the chain tension you have been riding at?
I would normally just go with the "three finger rule" like this guy is doing here.
https://www.southbayriders.com/forums/a ... ts/268021/

I mean, I don't measure it with a ruler, and I'm sure I rode it at least a few times without double checking. But in general I went through my "routine" before each ride -- check bolts, air pressure, chain, clean chain, clean air filter (about every other ride) etc. etc. I'll sure has heck be making sure I check it every single ride from now on.

As for the welding debate -- I have friend who could weld a sprocket on. But he also owns a KDX, and he almost won't do it, saying it is just asking for issues in the near and long term future. I mostly think he is correct. It is winter in CO, I'm not really riding right now anyway. I think I need to fix this proper.
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Re: Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by KDXGarage »

BRAVO! :bravo: :bravo:

Good luck on the rebuild.
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Re: Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by kdxdazz »

my sprocket will arrive this week and i will weld it on next week and give a short write up on it
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Re: Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by kdxdazz »

kdxdazz wrote:my sprocket will arrive this week and i will weld it on next week and give a short write up on it
my sprocket arrived and i welded it on but have no idea how to post photos on here,can anybody tell me please,never understood why websites make it so difficult and confusing
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Re: Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by KDXGarage »

kdxdazz wrote:
kdxdazz wrote:my sprocket will arrive this week and i will weld it on next week and give a short write up on it
my sprocket arrived and i welded it on but have no idea how to post photos on here,can anybody tell me please,never understood why websites make it so difficult and confusing
Hi. Sorry that you are having trouble. We have a Gallery for supporting members to host pictures and post them within the threads here. This site is paid for by donations from members. There are no ads to generate revenue. There is no paid staff running it. It is not a business. Julien D keeps the website going and has had to dig into his own pocket a few times to just pay the bills for hosting. If you want to dig deep into yours so a website about a dirt bike that hasn't been made in 12 years can transform to whatever it takes to easily allow picture uploading and storage, then please feel free to do so.

:prayer:
:pop:
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Re: Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by ronopolis »

Hey, OP here. Another update. I decided to bit the bullet and just have the shop put in a new countershaft. Or so I thought.

Just to recap, this all started with me having the shop do a fair amount of work on the bike, getting it in tip-top shape. Then the countershaft gave out (fully stripped at the sprocket) in their parking lot, 5 minutes after they got everything done. I got the "we finished, and... now your bike is totally broken" phone call.

But I need the bike working, so I suck it up and drop it off for the new countershaft. And I get the next call: "The countershaft is on back-order, so the earliest we could get it is in April, maybe May. But we found used parts on Ebay..." My mental justification for just doing it was "Well, at least I'll have these new shiny parts in the lower end." Now I'm paying through the nose for labor, for ebay parts. Ugh!

So I said forget it, I'll come get the bike. I have the bike at home, countershaft still stripped. I've decided I'm going to take my time and just do it myself. I'm sure this decision will make you guys all happy! :grin: I've seen the "split the case" thread here, and I'm starting to do my research. I've already touched just about everything else on the bike (I rebuilt it from frame up), so now I will have touched everything. Woot.

I'll be asking a lot of questions soon, I'm sure.
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Re: Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by KDXGarage »

Is this a Kawasaki dealer or a generic motorcycle repair place?

"13128 13128-1164 SHAFT-TRANSMISSION OUTPUT $138.57 $106.70 3 In-Stock
1"

3 in stock at Rocky Mountain. Try Partzilla for price, though.
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Re: Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by ronopolis »

Kawasaki Dealership in Longmont, CO. Confusingly, it is "Rocky Mountain Kawasaki" which not the Rocky Mountain we all order stuff from.
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Re: Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by KDXGarage »

That is odd. If it was a generic place, it would have made me wonder if they just didn't want to fool with it.
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Re: Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by Friedom »

Do you have an engine splitter? Cover postage and you can use mine. Rotor tool as well. They sit on the shelf, longing for another go in life.
I'm in AZ.
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Re: Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by ronopolis »

Once again, I'm the OP is back with an update. I was going to eat the cost and have a shop fix the stripped countershaft, but decided I should man up and do it myself. And I happened to find a full gear set with the countershaft on ebay for a reasonable price, and the seller was 30 minutes from me, so I bid low (no shipping). I realize I also need to buy a few other parts when I split the case.

So here is where I'm at. I have a stripped countershaft. I have a full set of replacement gears and countershaft -- they look brand new. In the last 2 years I have done almost everything on this bike (stripped bike to frame, replaced all bearings, did my own top end etc.). I'm new to riding and wrenching (2 years), but I have a local buddy who helped me through all of this. The one thing I have NOT done is split the case and touch anything on the bottom end. And nobody local has done this either. I have no problem buying parts tools etc. I also have access to my buddy's garage which has a nice press.

I'm wondering if someone here could be my "email mentor"? I already know I'm going to have a crazy number of questions, and I think it might be easiest if someone would like to help me by just answering all my questions in email. Honestly I'm pretty intimidated by this job, even though I've literally touched everything else on the bike.

Maybe SS109 would like to volunteer? Maybe someone else? And Friedom, I might just take you up on your offer to borrow some of the special tools. That is one of the first questions I have for my email mentor -- what do I need to get started, what tools, extra parts.

If you'd like to email mentor me, please let me know. If a few of you want to help, that is fine also.
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Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by SS109 »

I'll gladly help you through it. :supz:
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Re: Stripped countershaft :-(

Post by ronopolis »

Thank you sS109. I really appreciate your help. If you can shoot me and email at "rjv @ ronopolis.com" then we can get started. I can bore you with a long email giving you more details. I did pull the engine, so step 1 is done.
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