Doohickey problem revealed and fixed on 2010 KLR650

Since the start of its manufacture more than 20 years ago the Kawasaki KLR650 motorcycle has been having a serious problem with the, so called, "doohickey". "Doohickey" or short "Doo" is the street name for what Kawasaki would recognize as "Counter balancing chain adjustment mechanism". This mechanism does exactly what its name suggests. It tensions the counter balancing chain which in-turn helps to neutralize engine shake/vibration to achieve a smoother running single cylinder engine.

Kawasaki still refuse to admit to the problems related to the mechanism. The various dealers I've visited here in South Africa gave me a blank look the moment I started talking about this topic. In models pre 2008 the mechanism and spring that tensions it broke apart and caused serious engine damage as pieces of metal ended up in the gears. Post 2008 this problem was addressed but still not satisfactory.

In the video you will see how the mechanism has a poor fit and most important the spring that needs to tension the chain is basically coil-bound right from the start of the motorcycles life. Jurgen kindly allowed me to film the whole procedure as well as being an excellent tutor by talking the viewer through the operation of replacing the mechanism.

The motorcycle in the video is an 2010 model with 6500km on the clock.