KR 150K Issues

[ldnz]

Hello All,
New to this place - have only recently joined the motorcyclist ranks with an ex demonstrator KR150K. Lovely bike, really enjoying it, but already have one or two issues.

1) The speedo tells more lies than my brother:
found this when riding the bike from auckland to palmy with a mate following me in a car. It seems that when my speedo reads 110 my actual speed is bang on 90km/h. Have tested with a couple of other vehicles and found that a speedo reading of 120km/h is approx 100km/h actual. Is there anything I can do about this? As far as Im aware the tyres are original size and spec. Are there addon electronic speedos available? Can you adjust cable driven ones? What is the legal tolerance? (I thought it was about 5%, but can't seem to find the info on LTSA's site).

2) The temperature gauge doesn't seem to ever read anything:
Do temp gauges generally read water temperature or block temperature?

Oh and 3) Is there any worthwhile performance mods available for the KR150's?

Sorry for being a little long winded! And I look foward to contributing to this wonderful community I now find myself a part of.

Ben

[F5 Dave]

Heya. Welcome & all.

1. Speedos of some vehicles eh? My Van I have found by driving past some of those radar trailers which display the speed you are doing is 12% out. Though the tyre issue is more likely here most manufacturers prefer optimistic speedos in case you change tyres & read pessimistic & then they get a bunch of legal claims for speeding tickets. Try find one of these speed display do-dahs & ride past several times. Put some marks on your speedo. If you are keen some bicycle speedos can be calibrated to any tyre size, but are kinda small to read.

2. Temp reads water temp. The bikes are Malaysian/Thai market I guess so it’s pretty hot. Perhaps the thermostat is rated super low. Pull it out & read the number on it. Should be 70 mumble degrees & have one small hole as a bleed in it. If it has multiple holes (Like my RF did) then block some holes (needs one though), or find a replacement that fits. As an experiment you can tape off half the radiator in winter & see if that brings up the temp.

3. Erm, Good oil. Tyres, Braking practise.

[Racey Rider]

Welcome to the site ldnz.
1: speedo's - I'm sure the one on my bike reads slow. (well I hope so anyway!)
You'ld think they could get a simple thing like that right. I guess for the Thailand market (where they are made), the correct speed is not a issue.
On the RGV250 I had was a Bicycle electronic speedo. Worked well. is calabrated to the size of your front rim. No light in it for at night tho.

2: My temperature gauge doesn't normaly show anything of a temp rise ether.
(except last time at the track, where it work REALLY well. as in Right up past the H for HHhhot well!) :Oops:
Reads water temperature at the clyinder head. If it's not showing a problem, theres normally no problem.

Perhaps the thermostat is rated super low.
I don't think they have a thermostat do they? Mine doesn't.

3: performance mods: Best thing you can do is get some decent tyres on it.
Dunlop TT900's or Bridgestone BT39's are the go. No point spending money changing other things on the bike till you've improved YOU. (YOUR riding skill). Then maybe a braided front brake line if that model doesn't have it.

Come out to Manfield this Saturday and get a free session on the track at lunch time. That will help your riding. Click Here (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=14288) for details

Racey

[F5 Dave]

Well if there’s not one on the head or in line to the rad then likely there isn’t one. Get that duct tape out. RS125s etc don’t have thermostats & just tape depending on temp. For a road bike running at the correct temp will be better for engine life & economy. Even my RG50 had a thermostat.

[ldnz]

Ok i'll have a hunt round and see if I can spot a thermostat. theres a couple of wires out the top of the radiator - what would they be for if the temp sensor is on the head?

I'll head down to the bike shop and have a look at pushbike speedos - its getting bloody frustrating not having a clue how fast im going around town. Would fixing a magnet to the wheel upset ballance?

I'll have a look at some better tyres as well - stick with the same sizes as are currently on it? I think its 90/90 on the front and 110/80 on the back atm.

I've put my name down for saturday, but its dependant on getting out of work early! Sounds like a great opportunity to gain some track experience.

Thanks for your help!

[F5 Dave]

Magnet would make no perceivable difference, they are pretty small.

The temp sensor is a thermistor that has wires to it. Can be located anywhere in the cooling system from the head up to the top of the rad. The thermostat, if it has one is a mechanical valve usually located in the head, but may be inline.

[Stroker Girl]

I had exactly the same problem with my 95 KR150. Thought I was humming along nicely but kept wondering why cars were tailgating me and I kept getting past by everyone on the motorway :weird:

After riding with others I discovered it was about 20kms under the limit around the 100km mark and about 15 kms under around the 50 km limit.

If you are sitting your restricted/full you might want to mention it to the tester as they can be pretty pedantic about staying exactly on the speed limit. I just rode around 120kms and 70kms when I did my licences and that seemed to work ok.

Enjoy your KR, they're a cool little bike. :yes:

[ldnz]

Thanks Stroker Girl,
Average town speed around palmy north seems to be about 60km/h on my dial. Though who knows what speed those useless drivers are actually at. I think I'll just have to ride alongside a car and make some notches on the dial.

[Potzman]

Hey,

Yeah just got my KR 150 the other week, second hand but was new in jan this year.
It too has the same speedo problem you speak of so yeah I just ride at about 120 and 60 odd, think I might go back to dealer and ask about a solution as the bike is still under warantee. I also have the maintenance manual which states that the temp guage showing cold is fine, this will be because the temp sense element is at the top of radiator. I guess it would only increase if there was alot of slow riding in hot weather. bike smells really hot after a good ride but is usually just the exhaust.

Hope this helps. :-)

[ldnz]

Thanks mate!
Let me know how you get on with the speedo - I've made enquiries with kawasaki and they were supposed to have gotten back to me by now. Thats what I had suspected about the temp sensor, though I don't have the benefit of the manual :no:

[Potzman]

Yeah the manual doesnt have a whole lot of detailed info but gives a good indication of servicing periods for various parts.
I can photo copy mine and send it down to you if you want?

[ldnz]

Wow that would be really handy! Details in pm.

[FzerozeroT]

if you try and get an aftermarket pushbike speedo be careful, i wasted money on one which only read to 100kph, so gave it double wheel circumference to halve the speedo's reading, somewhere around 70kph showing (140kph actual) it gave up the ghost.

best mods I found were Dunlop TT900's and four teeth smaller sprocket on the rear, there are two head gaskets in there so if you take the head off you can remove one for higher compression, this involves removing and replacing all the gear for the KIPS system as well so not a small job (unless you grind the KIPS cover ;) ).

I posted all my mods a while ago:
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=13497&highlight=kr150
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=7529&highlight=kr150
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=3822&highlight=kr150

amazing what the search engine can find :o

[Potzman]

Hey nice one FT, wow you really are one keen KR rider :2thumbsup
Cheers!

[Beemer]

The speedo on my RG150 was always reading more than the actual speed - I put it in and they supposedly recalibrated it, but it was just as bad afterwards. God knows what speed it was showing when I got done for 123kph!

The trouble with it being out is that you get a false sense of security about what speed you are actually doing.

[Shaun_c]

Yeah the manual doesnt have a whole lot of detailed info but gives a good indication of servicing periods for various parts.
I can photo copy mine and send it down to you if you want?

I have just brought a KR150 and have been looking for a manual so i can do a full service if someone could please tell me where i can find one i would be very grateful.
Thanks

[Theatre]

Seeing this thread has already been resurrected, did the enquiries about fixing the speedo yield any results? Need to get a mate to sit on 60/110 so that I can figure out what they'd be on my speedo. Going with the flow of traffic just doesnt cut it in this age of quotas.

Cheers.

[paturoa]

Borrow a GPS and mark your speedo with a twink and a sharpie, cheapest solution.

[Racey Rider]

I've been looking for a few years, and have yet to find any KR150 manual.

[Str8 Jacket]

I've been looking for a few years, and have yet to find any KR150 manual.

Potzman sent me a photocopied version of one he had. If you or anyone else would like a copy I can have a search for it at home tonite. Im not too sure where exactly it is as I was in the process of moving when he sent it to me...

[Racey Rider]

Isn't your bike the KRR150? I guess the manuals will be similar, but there were a few changes, like that 'position of the temp gauge'.

[Str8 Jacket]

No its a KR150F, potzman had a KR150K and the manual he sent me is pretty much the same as my bike...

[ldnz]

Speedo - yeah eventually Kawasaki NZ came back to me and said sweet as send it to us and we'll calibrate it for you, but by that stage i'd gotten used to it and couldn't be bothered.

Temperature - well thats a crock of shit, mine didn't even start reading until 80 degrees plus. I went to repco and bought a $20 autogauge one, and mounted it just below the handlebars.

You really really really want to cardboard over some of the radiator. I saw massive gains in fuel economy, and smoothness throughout the rev range. Mine is currently about 2/3rds covered over, and is running at a constant 70 degrees.

Service Manual, well im not sure one exists. Best i've seen is the big book of kwaka specifications that covers all models, and that didn't have a lot on the KR.

[Str8 Jacket]

You really really really want to cardboard over some of the radiator. I saw massive gains in fuel economy, and smoothness throughout the rev range. Mine is currently about 2/3rds covered over, and is running at a constant 70 degrees.


I put duct tape over part of mine during summer which got the guage working. I have taken it off for the winter months and the guage still seems to work fine... Two strokes eh?!

[Rosie]

Potzman sent me a photocopied version of one he had. If you or anyone else would like a copy I can have a search for it at home tonite. Im not too sure where exactly it is as I was in the process of moving when he sent it to me...

I've got Potzman's bike now, and I've got the little instruction manual thing that came with it if people want copies. It's not terribly useful though. A proper service manual would be nice.

[The Flux Capacita]

i got a manual with my bike when i brought it kr150a (2000 version) in ragards to the speedo yea it's a bit dodgey aye...my one when it workd seemd less than accurate about every 50 ks you give or take 10...my thoughts on why upon the destruction of mine is the speedo drive (small gear on the front wheel which turns the cable) perhaps on or both of the gears inside are the wrong size or angle by a small percentage...

still trying to attatch a push bike speedo to the wheel...useing sealing putty but in this climate its take a long time to dry...at least when it's on it'l give a better reading as long as your settings are correct but being a computer it can be adjusted...infact it does alot more than the mechanical one:)

not sure how you'l get it on your bike though...looks awsome by they way...mine isn't as easy on the eye but as long as it works...which at the moment it's not...DAM:slap:

[Shaun_c]

I found that this used to be a link and was worndering if anyone has it or knows what it was, still looking for a manual as i dont want to be blind when taking my bike apart.
KAWASAKI KR150 (2003 MODEL INFORMATION)
http://www.kawasaki.co.nz/pdfs/KR150-K.pdf

Thamks

[ldnz]

That link doesn't seem to work Shaun_c.

Speedos - well from most people i've talked to with the KR-150K (infact all of them I think?) the speedos are out by 20% - e.g. reading 60 when doing 50, 120 when doing 100 etc. A wrong gear size would explain it, and I wouldn't be suprised if it was semi deliberate on Kwaka's part.

From what I understand these bikes were designed for malaysia and thailand, where an accurate speedo is not necesary, and it can be considerably warmer than it is here, hence the large radiator and absence of a thermostat.

[sefer]

Well there was one of those 'check your speed' thingies near my place the other day so I tried to judge my speed at 50K with that and it showed 42. However it's worth mentioning that it was there for three days and I only managed to get a reading off it once (it just didn't want to see me), so I can't say for sure it was me it picked up and not the car behind.

It's hard to say for sure how much my speedo is out, since sometimes I'll be following someone who 'seems' to be going the limit and I'll read either 50 or 100, and sometimes I'll be reading 60 - 110..

[Str8 Jacket]

I was always told my speedo read slow by 10-11% so I used to always ride around at around 60kph until one day a cop pulled me over and had clocked me doing 66. I hadnt gone over 60 on my speedo.... Go figure!

[Theatre]

Hah, gotta love a bike with character! Ive found that going 65-70 seems to keep you with the flow of traffic. I think the 20% observation is about right, still going to get paced or check with a gps though, be nice to know the limit.

Ive also got the little white/red manual thing that came with the bike and like rosie said, its pretty useless. Just tells you how to do oil changes and stuff that you can figure out for yourself.

Shaun, Im pretty sure that pdf was just the sales brochure. If its the same as the one I've got it just tells you the features and gives a little blurb about the concept.

[ldnz]

My speedo always reads 20% high, it doesn't vary. For the KR-150K (2002+?) models that seems standard. I have GPS'ed it, and came up with a flat road no wind top speed of 174km/h which I was pretty happy with.

[sefer]

Hah, gotta love a bike with character! Ive found that going 65-70 seems to keep you with the flow of traffic. I think the 20% observation is about right, still going to get paced or check with a gps though, be nice to know the limit.


Yeah, but keeping with the flow doesn't prove much really when you consider most people drive 10k over the limit.

[sefer]

Ok probably the closest I'll ever get to a real test (at least without it costing anything :p) got stuck on Moorhouse Av today next to a cop for quite some time, and I was showing 60K (following others also stuck next to the cop).

Now I've actually got no idea of the speed limit down there as it isn't marked anywhere (I'm sure that's illegal), but I'm assuming it's 50 as it's the middle of town, even if it is a three lane road. (plus if I don't know chances are neither did anyone else, so everyone will have played it safe)