KiPAss

[Bob]

Has ANY ONE person with a '10 or '11 model reported a KiPass problem that has REALLY turned out to be KiPass?  If so can you point me at the thread? The stealership friend of mine here in tampa said they have not seen one yet on a '10 or '11 model come in for Kipass.

Not saying it hasn't happened, but somehow i suspect improvements have been made because it was a major complaint on earlier models.

In all honesty, I don't remember if any of the 2010 or 2011 bikes have had actual problems or not. I truly hope that this spring will be the fix needed for the past problems. One thing for dure. A bigger spring probably can't hurt. Maybe they have it now. We'll have to wait and see! 

[Shadowofshoe]

  Well I'll chime in ,just after I purchased my 08 the stove key could spin 360 degrees. As it did this I had to fiddle sometimes for ten minutes or more to find the wandering sweet spot.
  Finally one day I got it to release in FSS position put in key from fob and it worked fine (never removed it).   My dealer was over an hour away so I had to slice/dice to arrange work...not wanting to lose bike for an extended period just after I bought it. In conversations it was clear to me that I knew way more than the dealer about Kipass...kudos to you all!
     It turns out that it was the stove key itself..so rare that mother Kaw had it overnighted to them. Bike works great and I am in love w/a machine.

      Mike

[Mad River Marc]

Inserting it all depends on you and what postion the key might have been in.

     **Must...resist...snarky....comments........ LOL

[B.D.F.]

Why? You simply cannot ruin a KiPass thread! Snarky away....

 

Brian

     **Must...resist...snarky....comments........ LOL

[B.D.F.]

Do you mean the ign. key handle itself? If so, they are supposed to spin all the way around in case someone tries to turn the key without the ignition being unlocked (in other words, someone turning the key without a valid fob present). The body of the key will spin against the hub holding the key itself but it will work no matter what the rotation of the upper (handle) part of the key. It would look odd but it would work.

Or are you talking about the actually key and ignition turning all the way around? If that is what happened, it sounds like a broken ignition switch cylinder.

Brian

  Well I'll chime in ,just after I purchased my 08 the stove key could spin 360 degrees. As it did this I had to fiddle sometimes for ten minutes or more to find the wandering sweet spot.
  Finally one day I got it to release in FSS position put in key from fob and it worked fine (never removed it).   My dealer was over an hour away so I had to slice/dice to arrange work...not wanting to lose bike for an extended period just after I bought it. In conversations it was clear to me that I knew way more than the dealer about Kipass...kudos to you all!
     It turns out that it was the stove key itself..so rare that mother Kaw had it overnighted to them. Bike works great and I am in love w/a machine.

      Mike

[lather]

Plain ole ignition switches fail too. I think have a failure rate worse than KIPASS and Bob has no proof to contradict me. Bob has a right to post what he wants but to me his posts just lack that little bit of credibility and value that they would have if he was a C14 owner.

[Shadowofshoe]

Do you mean the ign. key handle itself? If so, they are supposed to spin all the way around in case someone tries to turn the key without the ignition being unlocked (in other words, someone turning the key without a valid fob present). The body of the key will spin against the hub holding the key itself but it will work no matter what the rotation of the upper (handle) part of the key. It would look odd but it would work.

Or are you talking about the actually key and ignition turning all the way around? If that is what happened, it sounds like a broken ignition switch cylinder.

Brian

     Learn something new everyday-thanks Brian. So when it spins I'm guessing it will not necessarily Line up with the proper "marks" unless turned back to spot on?? And oddly enough it did only work correctly with mechanical key,maybe not odd ass it did not spin?
   And lastly the new key works flawlessly

              Mike
   Btw-Brian just when out to bike to experience this feature, interesting!
    BTWW-it spun much easier before replacement though.

[B.D.F.]

Yes, if the top part of the key is spun in relationship to the bottom part (the metal key and hub) then the direction of the key will not line up with the markings on the ign. housing (FSS, ON, etc.). It will still work and turn the correct number of degrees but it will look odd.

I wonder if you were perhaps putting the key in the wrong position because the top was misaligned? It would be a natural result of the key being rotated anything other than full turns.

As far as your original key turning easier, it certainly may have been broken. Way back in the early days of C-14s I think I remember reading about someone having a key that spun fairly freely- it sounded as though that key might have been missing a spring from the factory. Maybe your original was like that?

Brian

     Learn something new everyday-thanks Brian. So when it spins I'm guessing it will not necessarily Line up with the proper "marks" unless turned back to spot on?? And oddly enough it did only work correctly with mechanical key,maybe not odd ass it did not spin?
   And lastly the new key works flawlessly

              Mike
   Btw-Brian just when out to bike to experience this feature, interesting!
    BTWW-it spun much easier before replacement though.

[Bob]

Plain ole ignition switches fail too. I think have a failure rate worse than KIPASS and Bob has no proof to contradict me. Bob has a right to post what he wants but to me his posts just lack that little bit of credibility and value that they would have if he was a C14 owner.

That's OK. It has become very apparent for the last four years that if you don't say something to the effect that the C14 is the best thing since sliced bread and has never had any problems or design issues, you have no credibility! Especially if you decided that the Concours14 is not the best bike for you! Then you will get flack from the forum members with closed minds who can't accept what may be true, only what they feel they have to because they own the motorcycle in question! 

[Shadowofshoe]

Yes, if the top part of the key is spun in relationship to the bottom part (the metal key and hub) then the direction of the key will not line up with the markings on the ign. housing (FSS, ON, etc.). It will still work and turn the correct number of degrees but it will look odd.

I wonder if you were perhaps putting the key in the wrong position because the top was misaligned? It would be a natural result of the key being rotated anything other than full turns.

As far as your original key turning easier, it certainly may have been broken. Way back in the early days of C-14s I think I remember reading about someone having a key that spun fairly freely- it sounded as though that key might have been missing a spring from the factory. Maybe your original was like that?

Brian

     Ya know I always wondered if I was at fault for screwing it up as I was not really shown how properly use it. I thought for a bit that you held key in the down/inserted position for it to work
     Don't tell Kaw though,hell who knows I only did it a day or so.
       Mike

[mkorn]

Very sad to see that Cap'n Bob has become just Bob and a guest.   

[VirginiaJim]

Possibly he'll 'Bob' back in every now and then to say hello....

[sherob]

Very sad to see that Cap'n Bob has become just Bob and a guest.   

+1 Hope to see the friendly banter from Bob soon... great humor... will be missed.

I've learned alot about KiPass the last few days.  More than I wished to know, but info that is good to know now.

The fact I haven't received a call yet from my dealer kinda leads me to think it is a KiPass issue rather than a dead battery.  I think they would have ferreted out a dead battery by now and called me... you would think so anyway. 

I'll give a call in a few hours just to see what is going on.

[Boomer]

"What I find a little boring is hearing the same "KiPass is ****" over and over from the same people as soon as someone even mentions the word."
 You mean it isn't boaring hearing the same bunch of people rub it in our face how good it is? How it's the answer to all problems. How it cures cancer.
<snipped>

Yes Bob, it is boring but that is just an overreaction to the masses of "KiPass Sux" posts on here from the same few people,.... over and over.

"These systems are not aimed at convenience but more at security."

I don't buy it. Most bikes are stolen for parts. So security is very limited.

But is improved as now they cannot sell on the electronics. Also if the police find a parted out C14 they can ask for the provenance as Kawasaki keep a list of EVERY owner out there.
If you sell your C14 and don't sign over the bike to the new owner with Kawi, then they will not be able to buy a replacement KiPass/ECU set.
They could also be accused of theft.

This is nothing but a convince system for people who are not thinking about their riding preparations and constantly forget to take their key out before donning all their gear. Most people should not need this. But of course there are plenty of people who do. To be fair, probably everyone has done this at least once. But I bet a lot of people have also left their fob in another jacket or in the house also. So it is not infallible. 

I managed for 30 years with keys but they were fiddly and inconvenient.
They broke occasionally and on 2 occasions I dropped them inside the C10 fairing.
My tools were in the trunk and the key for the trunk was on the keyring. 

I would prefer a system that doesn't need a key at all.
I would flick the killswitch on and push the starter once to wake the bike up and then push again to start the motor.
The gas tank would unlock once the ignition was on as would the seat, glovebox, sidebags and trunk.
You would hit the killswitch to stop the motor, and with the killswitch off press the starter button to lock the bike.

God I hope not.

Sorry Bob but the future is already here. 
I don't want ABS/CBS/TCS or any other acronym ridden gadget that tells me how I should be riding the bike, but I seem to be stuck with them. 
I guess I should just go back to my C10 but I know I would miss the power and the handling of the C14.

[sherob]

Here is the update...

It was a KiPass issue.  The pin was stuck in the switch.  Since this is my first episode with this problem, Kawasaki will not replace the switch/housing/part.  My dealer is taking it apart, cleaning it up, making sure everything fits right, and works as it should.  I should have her back in my hands Friday.

I plan on taking apart the switch/housing to clean it on a semi regular basis now... prevention goes a long way to not having to deal with this again.  I am glad it did this 5 miles from my house instead of a 2 weeks earlier when I was in Spearfish, SD.

[B.D.F.]

The activation switch sticking down or 'ON'- yep, that will defeat the entire system.

There are a couple of work- arounds for that; the first is to unplug and then reconnect the gray connector under the top / left fairing. As soon as you reconnect it, the LCD will illuminate and you have something like five seconds to turn the key. You can do this each time you want to unlock the key until the switch itself is fixed. The second way is to splice a fuse or switch into a wire that powers KiPass ign. switch. This is the bypass I developed and it is documented somewhere on this forum. You remove and reinstall the fuse each time you need to start the bike until the switch is fixed. Both of these things are not fixes but work- arounds to get the bike started and the switch itself will always need to be fixed properly.

I believe the 'clean and lube' is the bona fide Kawasaki fix for this problem. I also think they install a heavier return spring under the switch. This problem seems to have been eliminated but can rear its ugly head on the earlier models, at least into the 2009 models.

Brian

[VirginiaJim]

Here is the update...

It was a KiPass issue.  The pin was stuck in the switch.  Since this is my first episode with this problem, Kawasaki will not replace the switch/housing/part.  My dealer is taking it apart, cleaning it up, making sure everything fits right, and works as it should.  I should have her back in my hands Friday.

I plan on taking apart the switch/housing to clean it on a semi regular basis now... prevention goes a long way to not having to deal with this again.  I am glad it did this 5 miles from my house instead of a 2 weeks earlier when I was in Spearfish, SD.

So they aren't going to replace the spring with the newer, heftier spring?  There is one out, you know.  Do they know about that?

[sherob]

So they aren't going to replace the spring with the newer, heftier spring?  There is one out, you know.  Do they know about that?

Yes he knows... talked to K-Techie... but they won't do a thing since it was my first time having this problem, his words.  I tend to believe him... he has gone to bat for me on 2 sets of rotors already.

[VirginiaJim]

I had it happen to me once and I was able to get it unstuck.  I used verbal abuse and turned the knob on the key 360 degrees a couple of times and it freed up.  I got lucky and it hasn't happened again.  I have used contact cleaner in there a few times since.  I don't worry about it anymore as I now carry Maxwell's Silver Hammer with me at all times.

[vivo]

KIPASS sucks!

Ok, I will be the new Capt Vivo!  Do I get a star or patch as a new Capt?

Seriously, I was thinking how do we all feel about cleaning as a repair when we know a new spring is available???  Is cleaning without updating acceptable to the owners? I would have to say no in my opinion...

Personally I am thinking Kawasaki isn't taking this seriously enough. It's cool that this bike had an issue a few miles from home but it would be way less cool if he was in a different situation where being stranded caused risk for the owner...

As an owner I might be interested in signing a letter of dis-satisfacton to be sent to Kawasaki customer service or elsewhere... It is possible that with enough owners interested in voicing concerns we could change this situation? It may effect few people but does this matter? How many members here?

Or we can make fun of Bob. I can go either way... or are we so gun shy that we would rather not open this can of worms?

I am just asking... not suggesting anything....

Taking the Captn hat off now...

vivo