Kawasaki Concours Forum
The C-14, aka Kawasaki Concours-14, the new one :) => The Bike - C14/GTR 1400 => Topic started by: SVonhof on October 14, 2011, 09:11:04 AM
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I got my bike used and the plug is already buggered up some. What do you guys use to open it? Looks like you could use a silver dollar and a crescent wrench.
I doubt many people have the driver filler cap tool: 57001-1454.
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I used a washer and a pair of vice grips. Worked fine for me!
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I use a good size washer (thick enough to barely fit in, and fill the groove) and a vice grip.
Works just fine-
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Holy coincidence batman!!!
Reid, I hadn't seen your post and wrote darn near the exact same thing- weird!
Guess that proves it- a washer and a vice grip is the way to go !!!
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Holy coincidence batman!!!
Reid, I hadn't seen your post and wrote darn near the exact same thing- weird!
Guess that proves it- a washer and a vice grip is the way to go !!!
Good enough for me! Except I think I will use a crescent wrench and see how it goes.
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after I tried to open with two quarters and a crescent wrench, I stuck my tire iron in there, and turned with the crescent wrench.
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I doubt many people have the driver filler cap tool: 57001-1454.
wonder if anyone has and how it fairs? Or if anyone makes a special tool for it. I just emailed Mike Judnic (guy that makes the stem nut wrench for Concours), if he ever considered making and marketing such a tool. I don't like my makeshift setup too much.
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Large washer and pliers here too untill I bought one of Murphs' tamper resistant oil filler caps. Actually bought two one for the crankcase and one for the final drive.
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Large washer and pliers here too untill I bought one of Murphs' tamper resistant oil filler caps. Actually bought two one for the crankcase and one for the final drive.
+1 Murphs cap is the ticket, it comes with its own little removal tool!
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+1 Murphs cap is the ticket, it comes with its own little removal tool!
Yeah, get one from Murph. I used a big ole screw driver to get the stocker off, it's sitting on a shelve now, the stock cap that is.
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And if you don't use the one from Murph's, don't re-tighten it to within an inch of it's life.
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damn I didn't know you could use Murph's for the final drive plug as well. Now I want one!
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A) Ride the bike for a few miles before you try and remove it as the plug comes loose MUCH easier when the gear case is warm.
B) Purchase a replacement plug with a hex/socket head and throw that slotted POS as far as you can. Mine is a 27 mm hex head IIRC, and is identical to the one for the oil fill cap.
Next....
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You got a lot of good, useful answers already but I did want to mention that once that over tightened, pesky cap is off, it does not have to be tightened again with any real force. Something like a coin held in your fingers is ample to tighten the cap. All the trouble starts when people use tools that have leverage in the first place. The final drive cap as well as the engine oil cap is interchangeable and the engine oil cap is plastic and tightened with nothing other than fingers and they do not fall off or loosen. This is a classic case of using tools where they really are not even needed (not blaming anyone here, just pointing that out). The caps on both lube fill points contain an O-ring that merely has to be snug, not really tight. Once the O-ring is compressed, and finger tight is more than enough, any additional tightening force is simply used to 'mash' the body of the cap into the body of the housing and wasted effort, although it does make it interesting to remove the cap later if 'extra' torque is used to tighten it.
Just snug them up without any kind of tool and all will be well at the next lube change.
Brian
I got my bike used and the plug is already buggered up some. What do you guys use to open it? Looks like you could use a silver dollar and a crescent wrench.
I doubt many people have the driver filler cap tool: 57001-1454.
-
You got a lot of good, useful answers already but I did want to mention that once that over tightened, pesky cap is off, it does not have to be tightened again with any real force. Something like a coin held in your fingers is ample to tighten the cap. All the trouble starts when people use tools that have leverage in the first place. The final drive cap as well as the engine oil cap is interchangeable and the engine oil cap is plastic and tightened with nothing other than fingers and they do not fall off or loosen. This is a classic case of using tools where they really are not even needed (not blaming anyone here, just pointing that out). The caps on both lube fill points contain an O-ring that merely has to be snug, not really tight. Once the O-ring is compressed, and finger tight is more than enough, any additional tightening force is simply used to 'mash' the body of the cap into the body of the housing and wasted effort, although it does make it interesting to remove the cap later if 'extra' torque is used to tighten it.
Just snug them up without any kind of tool and all will be well at the next lube change.
Brian
+1
The torque on that is rated at 18 inch pounds. Pound and a half. That's like the weight of a beer. But mine has been hamfisted by every boston butt arm that has touched it except me.
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In other words keep yer bike away from the damn monkey shop and you won't need no stink'n tool just some pocket change.
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Monkey shop case opener
(http://www.professionalequipment.com/product_images/Full/143705_big.jpg)