'10 with 6k mi. for $9k or new '12 for $12k?

[PH14]

I betcha' this story makes it all the way back to Japan....

Quite a while ago, Kawasaki (Japan) collected some bevel gear ass'ys from high mileage C-14's to check up on them. Mine was one of the four they found with the highest mileage at that time and they ended up taking the bevel gear ass'y, the final drive and the ECU (for the data in it) for inspection. I had a look at both gear sets before they were sent back and both looked just a hair better than perfect.
But Kawasaki was concerned because the bevel gear ass'y is a new design, the highest loaded components in the drivetrain and they had no field feedback at all. I actually thought it was great of them to even look- most manufacturers design something, kick it out the door and that is the end of any knowledge the original designers have of the product.

I believe this is the first catastrophic failure of a bevel gear ass'y I have seen on a C-14 although there have been one or two others that were making noise and also needed replacement. Glad to hear it did not result in a surprise get-off or anything like that. Hope you get the bike back at least as good as new.

Brian

I remember that. I thought it was a great thing for them to do as well. It was nice knowing they were trying to track real world data on a new design. I had never heard of a manufacturer doing that until then.

[charles r]

Yeah! Your bevel gear failure is the first I've seen too!

Like B.D.F., I got to have a look-see at the pulled bevel drive. It looked perfect, and I had one trackday under its belt at that time. Also, I inspected the new unit before it was installed. As a mechanic myself, what specifically liked was that it looks like the drive units clearances are setup by hand. I could see the "setup grease" on the gear teeth faces, and the pattern was perfect.

You must POUND that bike!