A couple of cases of this happening have been reported on the UK forum and AFAIK they were all UK bikes. Do you ride through the winter?

 

Whilst out on a ride today the header pipes fractured. It was at the point where the 2 into 1 pipes go into the muffler. No warning noises of exhaust gases escaping, just a clean break. I managed to loosen the muffler clamp & straddled it over the break. It didn’t prevent gases escaping but it did stop the exhaust system vibrating excessively & although it was a bit noisy it got me home.

A quick search online found me a new header for £130 (UK pounds) but after recovering the broken off piece from inside the muffler body gasket I’m thinking of TIG welding it.

Interestingly, I found a used header pipe online which is described as being ‘previously repaired’.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kawasaki-KLE6...xhaust-Front-Down-Pipe-/390149816178?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item5ad6bdbf72

In the photo it looks to me as if it’s been welded at the same point where mine has broken.

Just wondering, is this a problem anyone else has experienced?

Tolski

Don't bother with the second hand ones go for these

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kawasaki-Versys-KLE650-Exhaust-Downpipes-Headers-07-10-/280561604187?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item4152c6565b

As it say on the e-bay page -These have been developed to ensure the common cracking/fatigue fault will not be present and Delkevic guarantee the downpipes for life


Also see this tread on the UK Versys forum on what to do if still under manufactures 2 year warranty.
www.versys.co.uk/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=45&topic=5449.0

When gutting the cat and trialing the installation of the rear box, I observed that however much I tried, I could not get the main "long" mounting bolt tight enough. This meant that the rear box tended to rotate around the front single mounting stabilising bolt and therefore at the header / box joint it was was flexing up and down, which to my mind would contribute and cause the joint to fail. :thumbdown:

As a fix to stop this happening, I have modified the spare "gutted box" by removing the spacer tube between the rear box flange supports and use two bolts and nuts instead. As can be seen at the bottom of the following picture.

Now the whole of the rear box is solidly mounted and does not flex at all at the header /rear box joint :clap:


Richard

 

Them pipes are sexy! :thumb:

 

Mt.Versuvius
Yes I ride the bike through winter but it gets cleaned & Scottoil 365’d after every outing. The fracture is a clean break with no sign of any corrosion.

Towerman
Wouldn’t have bought a used one I just highlighted it as possibly having the same problem. However, you’ve identified the cause & by the looks of things you’ve found a solution. I’ll modify the box mounts as you’ve done. Thanks.

The Delkevic downpipes you mentioned are the ones I saw on eBay for £130 but I can’t see any mention on the listing about them ensuring the cracking/fatigue fault will not be present or a lifetime guarantee? Their website indicates that they have a lifetime ‘anti-perforation’ guarantee & from the picture it looks as though the pipe that goes into the box doesn’t have the ridge (the bit that failed on mine) on it. They certainly look well made & I’ll have to consider whether to TIG mine or buy one off Delkevic.

 

Mt.Versuvius

Towerman

The Delkevic downpipes you mentioned are the ones I saw on eBay for £130 but I can’t see any mention on the listing about them ensuring the cracking/fatigue fault will not be present or a lifetime guarantee? Their website indicates that they have a lifetime ‘anti-perforation’ guarantee & from the picture it looks as though the pipe that goes into the box doesn’t have the ridge (the bit that failed on mine) on it. They certainly look well made & I’ll have to consider whether to TIG mine or buy one off Delkevic.

See web page for clearer view of highlighted section in red :thumb:

Richard

 

Towerman

Just finished reading the thread on UK Versys forum. Interesting stuff. It appears it is a common problem. My Versys is an 07 with 11000 miles on the clock & the header pipes/box are in much better condition than those shown in the photos. I'm pretty sure its a stress fracture issue & nothing to do with corrosion. I'm going to weld it back on & do your box mount modification. :thumb:

Another thing I noticed (some time ago before the header pipe fractured) was air/exhaust gas escaping from a small drain hole underneath the muffler box. When I pointed this out to a Kawasaki dealer I was told its normal. Can you throw any light on this?

 

Another thing I noticed (some time ago before the header pipe fractured) was air/exhaust gas escaping from a small drain hole underneath the muffler box. When I pointed this out to a Kawasaki dealer I was told its normal. Can you throw any light on this?

The water drain hole is normal, as found on cars and trucks. Although most of the moisture comes out in vapor, there is about 1 gallon of water produced for every gallon of gasoline consumed.

 

Delvevic sells via Ebay in the US, but I don't see this header here.....I sent them an email asking if it is available, I will post back with what I learn.

The US seller is local to me down in Denver!

 

Interested in what they say about availability. Keep me posted.

 

They were very nice and polite.......and said, "unfortunately no, you need to purchase from the UK Ebay store."

 

Delkevic PR1739 (Versys, ER6, Ninja 650R) $159.99 free shipping in USA from Colorado:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-...mQQhashZitem43a47df339QQitemZ290522526521QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Delkevic UK: http://www.delkevic.co.uk/?section=...09_kle650_versys_0710_down_pipes_stainless_steel&start=0&search_term=&order_by=

 

I wondered if those would fit, but I'm too new to know for sure.....thanks for that! penarms:

 

I was in the process of removing my "Cherry Bomb" muffler to install my awesome new DanMoto titanium/stainless slip-on when I noticed the crack that has been apparently a chronic defect in the stock header pipe. The crack was around the small ridge that's formed on the header where it enters the muffler. It hadn't broken off yet because the crack only circled about 75% of the circumference. I took it to a machine shop who explained that the metal had to be thinned slightly in order to create that ridge in the pipe. Over time, with normal vibration it finally stress cracked. The Cherry Bomb unit was significantly lighter than the stock muffler so if anything there would have been less stress on the pipe. How long it's been like this is impossible to tell but I have a feeling that a large number of Versys owners probably have a cracked header pipe and don't know it. The machine shop said it would cost about $85.00 to repair using a TIG welder because the metal is so thin.

 

I've got Delkevics on my bike...very nice pipes. Make sure you order the gaskets also, or have some new stock gaskets on hand FYI I ordered thru the UK site but they ship (very quickly) from China. I had mine 4 days after ordering.

 

I looked at those pipes but I can't justify well over $200 for new pipes when I can have them welded for less than $50.00. I love the look of the stainless pipes but sometimes I need to be practical. As you know, there's no end to what you can spend just to upgrade a bike piece by piece.

 

Yet another 2007 with 10k on the clock. Identical details just gave up, clean break same spot.
If I can arrange it I will take the weld option.
In like manner, no signs of heavy corrosion.
Is my bike starting to talk to me, like I think you need a new bike.
Love my Versys hmmm

 

Strangely enough, it seems to happen mostly in the UK. I don't think there are any such North American cases... Header downtubes are made of grade 304 non-magnetic stainless steel, and they're welded to lower grade 409 magnetic stainless steel collector.

 

2007 V with same issue here in Canada. I ride through the winter and have tried on several occasions to convince the V to be a KLR and assumed bashing down trail was the reasons for the splitting on my pipe

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2009-10-Kaw...SHIP-/330901408976?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4d0b42ccd0&vxp=mtr