Broken Frame - KLX250

[Wolf]

I bought this bike brand new from Kawasaki Chiang Mai in March 2009. It has 26,000 km on the clock and has never been on a motocross track. We only used it for trail riding.

 

[monsterman]

lookslike a clean metal fatigue fracture

 

[KTMphil]

There was another KLX floating around Chiang Mai that had a been in an accident and had a new frame.

 

[johnnysneds]

Last photo indicates the initial fracture happened just below the weld (weak spot!?!). Whats the warranty on these things like? I would show this to Kawasaki.

 

[LUFC]

Also looks like the classic spot for frames to break on bikes that have been jumped and taken a very hard landing.

Seen a few MX bikes look like this at the front. Maybe a slightly larger gentleman gave it some jumping practice when you weren't looking!

 

[jon]

Amazing that this happened when the bike was doing what it was designed to do. It was being ridden along a trail. The bike is on the world wide market and therefore designed to carry fairly large people. I don't think they get jumped that often as they are a bit heavy and low powered. Anyway, luckily it didn't happen while flat out on the road. I hope Kawasaki take some notice of this incase it happens again here or in another country and someone loses his life. It would make me wary of buying one and if I owned one, I think I would keep a close eye on that place on the frame or possibly think about some extra reinforcement.

 

[Matt]

A frame should never fail, let alone after 3 years of use and only 26,000 km. It's lucky it didn't end in a serious accident - if that had failed on the highway at 100 km/h it could have been really nasty.

If I had a KLX I'd be having a close look at the frame to see if there are any cracks developing in those areas.

Wolf - can we have a close up of the area Johnny has circled? Have you been in touch with Kawasaki? What is their response?

Matt

 

[harrygps]

I´m surprised.

 

[marcusb]

First off, someone on another forum did say that is a very clean break for steel, and it did get me thinking, seems odd that it isn't stretched and deformed much..... Hope the rider was close to home as that would suck in the middle of a tour.
The pic above shows the KLX frame, my frame broke on both sides just behind the rear triangle. (Sorry I'm a bicyclist not a motorcyclist. i do not know the correct terminology.) In the pic it is the the two 'bars" on the back end. In the diagram they show some gussets where they join. On my bike that is where both parts broke completely. I mean completely, the only thing holding the ass end on was the plastic bits and the rack. Previously I put my luggage on the rack, now I straddle it between the rack and the seat.