Kawasaki Versys Forum banner

Versys x300 - Sprockets/Re-gearing Causes Engine Fault Light

154K views 256 replies 67 participants last post by  NeverSatisfied 
#1 ·
Hi, bought my x300 two weeks ago, first one available in my area, olympia, wa.
This thing is geared very low, like a woods bike, which of course it is not.
I haven't found rear sprockets available yet. Any idea if Ninja 300 sprockets will fit?
thank-you, db
 
#3 ·
I'm looking into buying a 300 X and have read owners describe them as revvers (300cc after all) but that the red line is WAY up there so maybe comparing the 300 to a larger capacity bike is unfair. They talk about speeds of 70-80 mph being easy enough but require the RPM's.
 
#4 ·
Its a screamer. About 8K at 70mph. I understand the plus 1 Counter Shaft Sprocket drops RPM's about 500 plus. It's happy at those RPM's and after a bit you don't realize it. I think Kawasaki should have left the tach off like my WR250R. I ran the piss out of the WR and it never bothered me since i never saw the RPM's. I shifted when the rev limiter kicked in. It was a screamer also. I was riding at 8800 ft above sea level at 75 mph, 8500 plus RPM's and it would easily pull the hills in 6th gear without slowing down. Speed was monitored from my GPS. I had no doubt it would have gone to 12K if I wanted.
 
#5 ·
Thanks Doggie.

How do you think the 300 X will go geared up? There is surely not much torque there for lower slower speeds. How will the gearing effect dirt roads/back roads? Hoping to hear your feedback once done. Cheers.
 
#6 ·
If you plan on holding 90 on the freeway on the 300 regearing would be necessary, but if you're gonna be going 75- 80 cruising I don't think it's necessary. I'd rather have have the low end available for the trails. Coming from thumpers I get the urge to not rev it so high, but this engine is made to do that. I was getting around 65 mpg between 6 and 8k rpm in 6th gear which is roughly 60-70 mph and it was very windy. If you're using it to commute on freeways I can see the desire to gear it up, but if you're gonna get out on a trail of leave well enough alone and just rev it to 8 or 9k.
 
#7 ·
The short answer is I don't know. I'll put my sprocket on this weekend. From what I heard, from others who have made the switch, it only gets you 500 rpm's or so. I don't think its going to change much of anything, on road or off, but I have to try it. Others on the ADV Forum have gone 1 up on the front and 2 or more down on the rear. They are mostly highway riders. I fall somewhere in the middle. I would leave it alone, but I just rode to an off road area and doing 9000 rpm's at 75 or 80 seems a bit much. Bottom line is like Wildemonster says, Off road leave it alone, on road raise the gears.
 
#8 ·
Thanks guys. I still have not got a like button yet so think I need to write another post on the intro page.
I have a V-Strom 650 and am looking for something almost as capable but a little lighter in case I drop it somewhere remote. I see that fully fuelled the X300 is 175 kgs. My V-Strom is "220 kgs wet" and I'm going to assume that means oil and water but not fuel.
So add another 20 kgs and the X 300 may be up to 65 kgs lighter than a Suzuki V-Strom 650. Ever picked up 65 kgs lately?
Plus I get a new toy to play with. :smile2:
I appreciate your opinions and feedback.
 
#15 ·
I went with a 15T front sprocket about month or so ago and it's spot on. I still do a bunch of light trail riding in the Cleveland and San Bernardino National Forests here in Southern California with my VX300 and I'm having a blast! It does lower the revs at highway speeds about 500ish rpm and the bike stills pulls nicely over 65mph.
 
#16 ·
Bit the Bullet.

I signed up for an X-300 yesterday, and the dealer will put a 15 tooth on the front. I'm quite confident that it will not be over geared - even on dirt roads and trails. Perhaps may even want to look at a rear sprocket later on.
Pick up on Wednesday. I even managed to include a set of Mitas E-07's at cost. Kawasaki green for me. I'll hang on to my V-Strom for a while at least.

Inside the faring near the headlight is a spare electrical plug (white plastic, a two bayonet type plug designed to ensure power and earth are not switched). I will be looking to find switched power for camera and perhaps phone/GPS. Any ideas? And why does Kawasaki require a relay between power and outlet?
 
#104 ·
I signed up for an X-300 yesterday, and the dealer will put a 15 tooth on the front. I'm quite confident that it will not be over geared - even on dirt roads and trails. Perhaps may even want to look at a rear sprocket later on.
Pick up on Wednesday. I even managed to include a set of Mitas E-07's at cost. Kawasaki green for me. I'll hang on to my V-Strom for a while at least.

Inside the faring near the headlight is a spare electrical plug (white plastic, a two bayonet type plug designed to ensure power and earth are not switched). I will be looking to find switched power for camera and perhaps phone/GPS. Any ideas? And why does Kawasaki require a relay between power and outlet?

Brockie, the white plug (double barrel). I pulled out the fillers and checked for voltage but read nothing, I forgot to start the engine and check again. What is that plug for ?
 
#18 ·
I am thinking you have an issue independent from the regearing. I had a 15 tooth front installed and have no check engine or gear indicator issues. Could you have damaged the speed sensor during the change?
Does a 16 tooth front fit O.K.?
 
#19 · (Edited by Moderator)
Ninja 300

I also came across this on Kawasakininja300.com which must surely be identical to the X300 as after all the engine, and even the internal gear ratios are identical.
"The sensor will be on the left side, under the black cover right above where your shift rod attaches. The sensor will be a little black piece attached to the top of a metal bracket/cover, that bracket covers the front sprocket. It's pretty easy to get to honestly, you should try it, shouldn't take more than 10 minutes id say. I believe you need an 8 and 10 socket."

Could you have banged the sensor? or even interfered with its position?
 
#20 ·
No I did not damage the sensor and yes a 16 tooth fits with lots of room. On another forum someone changed the rear sprocket
by more then 3 teeth and the same thing happened. I do have a service manual and the error code reads " Gear position sensor
malfunction". I am guessing if you change the gear ratio to much the ECU can't read it anymore.
 
#21 ·
Wait a week as I have ordered a smaller rear sprocket. I will let you know what happens.
I am hoping that is not the case as I too will then have the same issue as yourself. I'd thought that the issue was related to the speed sensor but you state that it is a gear position sensor fault. Surely these are separate sensors and changing the final gearing ratio should have no effect on the gear position indicator, wherever that is (presumably within the gearbox).
Very strange. I will let you know what happens.
Does your X300 have ABS? Just wondering if that could have something to do with it.
 
#23 ·
Mine is ABS as well. I'll post after a test ride but surely if the fault occurs DURING a ride then it cannot be a conflict between gearing and ECU.
My rear sprocket is on its way, and a main stand as well so I will fit that first to make removing the rear wheel easier.
 
#28 ·
The service manual says you can get the error code by starting the bike and pressing the top button till it shows the odometer
then press both buttons for at least 2 seconds and it will show the code. I am sure it will # 25 "Gear position malfunction"
 
#29 ·
If I'm reading this right it's just the bikes with ABS that are showing a fault code and you have not broken anything-I have seen this before on some bikes that you can not change gearing if it has ABS-reason is the wheel sensors are there to detect uneven wheel movement (one turning faster than the other according to engine speed) you will not be able to fix that without the help of mother Kawasaki and I don't think they will help because of safety reasons-if it's a bike without ABS showing a code than I don't have a clue because it should not make a difference--we had a saying back in the day about ECU codes--if you don't tell it how it know again if it's ABS you told it..
 
#36 ·
Time to break this down--trouble shoot 101-cause and effect-problem 2 bikes on this forum with ABS-CA200(I do remember that Honda 90) and Brockie- gearing changed fault code came on--bikes without ABS no fault code-isolate problem- remove fuse code may or may not come on not sure without trying and may isolate problem but is not permanent fix-best way put gearing back to stock -code still there bike needs to go to dealer-code gone fixed- problem is gearing other than stock-will not be able to use on ABS bikes due to program in ECU that is non changeable---it is what it is
 
#37 ·
I'm inclined to agree with your analysis. And I'd suggest that cancelling the fault code can only be done by the dealer with a fault code reader. When I reconnected the X-300's battery the clock resumed it's display of the correct time. It even corrected itself for the few minutes it was off and so the ECU must have some sort of memory backup meaning that fault codes will probably not cure themselves.

I will remove the ABS fuse and see what happens during a ride. And then disconnect the battery overnight to see if the code resets. The cure for the issue is surely looking like reversing the gearing change - and then a visit to the dealer.
 
#39 · (Edited)
I took the ABS fuse out and went for a long ride, stopping every 40kms or so and turning the bike off and on again.

The ABS fuse also services the speed sensor so that when disconnected there is no speed indication, and therefore no "range remaining", and the odo and trip meters are frozen. After 120kms I replaced the fuse and rode a further 60kms home. The fault and the check engine light will not reset.

I'm guessing that like other Versys the speed sensor works off the countershaft sprocket. My next experiment will be to go back to a larger rear sprocket and buy a 16 tooth front sprocket that I now know will fit.

I'll also disconnect the battery overnight.

p.s. the two fault codes displayed by holding the two dash buttons are 24 and 25.
 
#42 ·
Gearing Change.

I disconnecting my battery overnight in an effort to cancel the "check engine" light caused by changing the rear sprocket. It didn't work.

I will need the dealer to do it - but first I'll change the gearing otherwise it will surely just do it again - so first I will order and fit a 16 tooth front and go back to the 46 tooth rear. There is sure to be a little Asian somewhere in Kawasaki who actually knows what is happening and what the options are but I guess there is slim chance of getting any information from them. So I'll just try this and that until I have exhausted all options.

Perhaps I will even put an email through to Kawasaki. Chances are they know nothing and care even less but we live in hope.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top