broke down in Sturgis 9/28/11 6:12pm South Dakota time

[RIGS]

You have my sympathies, I was almost k-stranded. The same thing happen to me just over the border in PA. Not a good feeling but I was lucky, it was the last day of a 2.5 week x-country trip. I used my BMW Motorrad sidestand plate as the k-hammer, it started and I rode back to RI without shutting the bike down.
My dealer fixed it, they did the Kawasaki recommended fix and installed a stronger spring in the ignition. Do a search here for more tech info about what the spring does and how it fails. The spring looked like something out of pen....LOL!

My bike is a 2010 with 20k on it at the time of the k-failure....

[Beamer]

One aspect of this adventure is the fact that the entire Sturgis / Black Hills area is really not all that biker friendly.

I mean, don't get me wrong, they really do appreciate the revenue and tourism dollars that Bike Week and other bikers bring to the area. But in general they want you to come, spend your money, and leave as soon as you can.

We were in the Black Hills in Sept of 08', rode all the usual areas (Needles, Custer, Spearfish, etc.......) when we rode into Sturgis a friend wanted to stop at Sturgis H-D, and while going across the parking lot he ran over a piece of metal and it cut his rear tire on his V-Rod and it went flat to the rim. We all look at each other and say "well, at least we are at the H-D dealer!"

Turns out the H-D dealer only has service during bike week, the rest of the year it's a shirt shack. Call EVERY tire store in Sturgis, asking if we brought in the rear wheel if they would take a look at it "Nope, we don't work on Motorcycle Tires". I rode to a small bike shop (I think the only one in town), and he didn't have any tire changing gear, but he said we would have no luck short of Rapid City, and not to expect help from anyone west of Rapid. We couldn't even find a Sturgis based towing company to haul the bike to Rapid. So, after a $800 bill at the H-D dealer in Rapid ($500 to tow, $300 for a tire and install, and it wasted an entire day) we were back on the road.

That trip left a bad taste in my mouth about the area. The riding is great, and in general the people are quite nice, but the business owners, at least to me, do not appreciate what they have. At one fuel stop, we all filled up, walked in the door and I didn't have cash, was going to use my debit card. I needed to pay for about $15 in fuel, and was informed that there was a $25 minimum charge for fuel on credit/debit cards. No if, ands, or buts. Several gas stations had a similar policy, or a $5 charge for using a credit card (irregardless of what you were buying). The guy at the bike shop said they only really enforce it if you weren't a local.

Sorry about the rant, but I could see the situation the fella was in with the Ignition being stuck

[Khrome]

One aspect of this adventure is the fact that the entire Sturgis / Black Hills area is really not all that biker friendly.

That trip left a bad taste in my mouth about the area.

Wow  I can see my desire dwindling to make that trip... Had always thought I would at some point...

[lather]

Wow  I can see my desire dwindling to make that trip... Had always thought I would at some point...

We made a trip to Deadwood in 07 and did not experience any negative biker treatment at all and had a great stay. It was July and Sturgis was like a ghost town but the one restuarant that was open was very biker friendly. The owner was a rider and sat down with us and  had a nice chat and told us about some great local roads.

I suspect any negative treatment is a result of bad behavior by the Sturgis Harley trash.

[gPink]

Pirates do as pirates are.

[ang]

Does anyone know what the part number for the stronger spring is?

[Khrome]

Does anyone know what the part number for the stronger spring is?

Does anyone know if the 11 comes with the "stronger spring"?

[Shoe]

............... But in general they want you to come, spend your money, and leave as soon as you can.
................

My experience with traveling in the West is that they want you to leave it as you found it! I am sympathetic to their wishes.

Many tourist tend to loose their inhibitions and in fact act as if because they aren't at home that no one will know or see.

[Beamer]

I actually live in Minnesota, and work for a Machine Tool dealer, and part of our territory is N and S Dakota. I am in Rapid and the surrounding area 5 or 6 times a year for work, and the only negative trip I have had out there has been the one time on my bike. It was not just a single occurrence, it happened to all 3 of us over the span of 5 days. We were nothing but respectful.

[sherob]

I spent a week in Spearfish... we have a meet up there every year in July at the City campground.. ~50 of us.  They have been nothing but kind to us, roll out the welcome mat, the Mayor even shows up and hangs out with us once in a while.

We ride all over the Blackhills... Needles... Devils Tower... we get nothing but kidness, normal people being normal.  Now, we do hear from a few about "hell is coming soon", which is the Sturgis meet.  But they refer to us as the "quite ones"... and "motorcyclists". 

[PH14]

Guys. After a couple of hours it connected & I haven't turned it off since. Ate a seventy dollar
Motel room and left last night. Near Chicago and trying to make it home. It never had any previous symptom.
The bike just went over ten thousand on this trip

Good to hear you got back going. I hope you had a good ride. I rode from Pittsburgh to Iowa yesterday and decided to take I-70 instead of I-80 because it looked like marginally better weather on that route or I would have passed by you. I got stormed on through Indiana and then had high winds the rest of the way, but it wasn't too bad. Good luck, hopefully you won't have any more issues.

[B.D.F.]

Can you elaborate a little bit on what the specific problem was and what you mean by 'it connected'? What did you do, if anything, to cause it to work?

Brian

Guys. After a couple of hours it connected & I haven't turned it off since. Ate a seventy dollar
Motel room and left last night. Near Chicago and trying to make it home. It never had any previous symptom.
The bike just went over ten thousand on this trip

[RIGS]

I asked about the part number for the new stronger spring when my bike was repaired.
I was told that there wasn't a new part number, just a stronger spring....

I don't know, didn't push it further as the guys at Razee Motorcycles are top notch....

[B.D.F.]

Yeah, me too- the whole spring thing is being handled pretty close to the vest.... No part number, no knowledge of when, or even if, it is used in newer ignition assemblies, etc. I don't really blame Kawi though as there would be a line a mile long for the new spring if it was a traceable part.

OFFTOPIC a little bit: Did you get your new air filter in your bike OK? If so, I have an amusing story about that. If not, I have absolutely no knowledge about the air filter or any other major maintenance performed on your bike.... 

Brian

I asked about the part number for the new stronger spring when my bike was repaired.
I was told that there wasn't a new part number, just a stronger spring....

I don't know, didn't push it further as the guys at Razee Motorcycles are top notch....

[VirginiaJim]

Yeah, me too- the whole spring thing is being handled pretty close to the vest.... No part number, no knowledge of when, or even if, it is used in newer ignition assemblies, etc. I don't really blame Kawi though as there would be a line a mile long for the new spring if it was a traceable part.

OFFTOPIC a little bit: Did you get your new air filter in your bike OK? If so, I have an amusing story about that. If not, I have absolutely no knowledge about the air filter or any other major maintenance performed on your bike.... 

Brian

I like amusing stories, but start a new thread with it.  We haven't had a funny air filter story in awhile.

[Supatramp]

Can you elaborate a little bit on what the specific problem was and what you mean by 'it connected'? What did you do, if anything, to cause it to work?

Brian

I just got home, 1 o'clock est., I didn't sleep the whole trip, except last night, on a rest stop floor, for about a half hour. About a quarter way down the Penn. Turnpike, heading east, I guess, I dozed off. When I looked up, I was about to sideswipe the wall. I don't know how I didn't go down, but held it up,  sideswiped the cement median.
The left mirror got a little scratched and the saddel bad has a nice war scare on it now. Anyway I'm ready to go again.
Back to the bike, I shut it down at home and it's dead in the water, glad I let it run the past two days. Will look into the connections, when I feel mentally repaired.
What I meant by contact is, the panel lit up as normal, by pressing the key down, lighting up and hearing the click. The bike fired up without a problem, before that, pressing the key down, or using the fob method, got no response at all, like the battery wasn't connected, hopefully, that's what it is.
 It sure sounds like a connection problem. I'll get back here as soon as I can think straight. Thanks, for all the responses guys. By the way, it was the trip of a lifetime, I'm ready to go again.

[B.D.F.]

Wow, it was only going to be a one- post deviation. How about a little judicial discretion subject to later tie- in?   

Brian

I like amusing stories, but start a new thread with it.  We haven't had a funny air filter story in awhile.

[B.D.F.]

Yeah, I just finished up one of those long distance, no- sleep trips myself. They can be trying. Glad to hear it was just a nick.

OK, so you push the key down and nothing happens. That sounds like the 'stuck activation switch' problem. If you want to tinker with the bike, let me know and I can try to help you troubleshoot it. If the bike is under warranty, it is a warranty issue. If not, there still might be something that you can do to the bike to fix this depending on how much work you want to do and are comfortable doing.

Brian

I just got home, 1 o'clock est., I didn't sleep the whole trip, except last night, on a rest stop floor, for about a half hour. About a quarter way down the Penn. Turnpike, heading east, I guess, I dozed off. When I looked up, I was about to sideswipe the wall. I don't know how I didn't go down, but held it up,  sideswiped the cement median.
The left mirror got a little scratched and the saddel bad has a nice war scare on it now. Anyway I'm ready to go again.
Back to the bike, I shut it down at home and it's dead in the water, glad I let it run the past two days. Will look into the connections, when I feel mentally repaired.
What I meant by contact is, the panel lit up as normal, by pressing the key down, lighting up and hearing the click. The bike fired up without a problem, before that, pressing the key down, or using the fob method, got no response at all, like the battery wasn't connected, hopefully, that's what it is.
 It sure sounds like a connection problem. I'll get back here as soon as I can think straight. Thanks, for all the responses guys. By the way, it was the trip of a lifetime, I'm ready to go again.

[VirginiaJim]

Wow, it was only going to be a one- post deviation. How about a little judicial discretion subject to later tie- in?   

Brian

Nope.  I need amusement and one post ain't gonna do it.  And I want it separate because we deserves it.

[B.D.F.]

I fear that I may have built up too much anticipation- the story just isn't going to be that amusing. It really would have only been amusing to RIGS.... maybe. I respectfully withdraw my earlier intent to post a funny story about RIGS air filter.

Good thing we didn't go off topic.

Brian

Nope.  I need amusement and one post ain't gonna do it.  And I want it separate because we deserves it.