Hey COG,
I owned a 2013 c-14 with 19,500 miles kept in very good condition (bought used). I was on a local road that apparently has a sink hole on it that needs constant attention.
Just so that I don't freak out the C-14 community, this is not a hole, this is the complete side of the road dropping down...how much? I don't know because it has been repaired ...again the next day, so think 8-10 feet long and as wide as the road. I was moving at a sprinted pace and once I saw the darkness in the road, it was too late to jamb on the brakes, so I chose the youthful instinct to "bunny hop" it, evidently not good enough. BOOM.... I'm still in one piece...bike feels rigid in the rear but still driving...I come to a complete stop. DUJESUS!!!... I say to myself and WTF...I am clearly closer to the road because I can flat foot the bike from anywhere on the seat...hmmm... I ride the bike below 35 mph the short distance home. I make it home, neither the center stand or the side stand will work, bike is too close to the ground. I get some help from the youth in my house and lift up the rear enough to get the bike to sit on the center stand , with lean. The pictures below are what I saw next. There is zero damage to rear wheel, or tire, or anything, just the frame shear. I thought, is this for real?? I called Kawasaki customer support. They had me bring to a dealership to take several photos. Their answer is that yes, the frame did fail somewhat, but because I was not the original owner and out of warranty they did not extend a "good faith repair" for me. There was a similar callback on early zx-14's too. I was not too surprised. I called my ins. company and it has been settled (bike is a t/l). I chose to buy the salvage back ($1500), and sold it locally. I fought with the Ins. to be sure this claim was filed under comprehensive. This spot on the road has a reputation in the local insurance community, this was the only reason, I feel, I was able to get it settled under comp.
Was my frame faulty or was it my spirited riding?? Hard to say but the right side picture with the weld broken looks like the shiny spots indicate it has been rubbing there over time, I think the impact exposed this weakness.
I don't know how anyone could check for this weak weld though unless they had the frame out of the bike.
Picking up another C-14 soon.
I owned a 2013 c-14 with 19,500 miles kept in very good condition (bought used). I was on a local road that apparently has a sink hole on it that needs constant attention.
Just so that I don't freak out the C-14 community, this is not a hole, this is the complete side of the road dropping down...how much? I don't know because it has been repaired ...again the next day, so think 8-10 feet long and as wide as the road. I was moving at a sprinted pace and once I saw the darkness in the road, it was too late to jamb on the brakes, so I chose the youthful instinct to "bunny hop" it, evidently not good enough. BOOM.... I'm still in one piece...bike feels rigid in the rear but still driving...I come to a complete stop. DUJESUS!!!... I say to myself and WTF...I am clearly closer to the road because I can flat foot the bike from anywhere on the seat...hmmm... I ride the bike below 35 mph the short distance home. I make it home, neither the center stand or the side stand will work, bike is too close to the ground. I get some help from the youth in my house and lift up the rear enough to get the bike to sit on the center stand , with lean. The pictures below are what I saw next. There is zero damage to rear wheel, or tire, or anything, just the frame shear. I thought, is this for real?? I called Kawasaki customer support. They had me bring to a dealership to take several photos. Their answer is that yes, the frame did fail somewhat, but because I was not the original owner and out of warranty they did not extend a "good faith repair" for me. There was a similar callback on early zx-14's too. I was not too surprised. I called my ins. company and it has been settled (bike is a t/l). I chose to buy the salvage back ($1500), and sold it locally. I fought with the Ins. to be sure this claim was filed under comprehensive. This spot on the road has a reputation in the local insurance community, this was the only reason, I feel, I was able to get it settled under comp.
Was my frame faulty or was it my spirited riding?? Hard to say but the right side picture with the weld broken looks like the shiny spots indicate it has been rubbing there over time, I think the impact exposed this weakness.
I don't know how anyone could check for this weak weld though unless they had the frame out of the bike.
Picking up another C-14 soon.
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