1998 Kawasaki KLR650 Engine cooling Problems

“I heard about a flaw of the engine balancer system of the Kawasaki KLR650, I assumed that my engine was okay, as it seemed to be running fine, but then gave in to my curiosity, opened the engine cases and inspected the balancer mechanisms. Sure enough, just as many other klr owners had reported, the idler shaft was broken. I had an after market idler shaft that is forged from one piece of high grade steel and installed it. The engine runs quieter now and presumably is less prone to failure of this type. …”

“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. …”