Wednesday, 21 April 2021

Targeting Repairs on 2010 Kawasaki Concours C14: windshield motor and hydraulic clutch gasket

Windshield Motor Details


Concours Parts Diagrams.  Handy for working out how
things together.






Video breakdown of how to get into the windshield motor on a C14 Concours:

"There are two relays (up and down) that are identical.  They're on the bracket that blocks the air filter removal.  Looking at them with the fairing off on the left side.  They are the first two that look alike.  I rather doubt that both of them are bad as you said it wouldn't work at all.  If only one direction worked then you could swap relays to see if you could narrow down the problem to one relay."

There is a connector to the motor.  Disconnect it and check the following:

    +         -            switch position     standard voltage

green     red              Free                      0

green     red              Up                         battery voltage

red       green            Free                       0

red       green            Down                     battery voltage

"30 amp fuse for the windshield motor: I would start at the connector to the motor and work backwards if the voltages aren't there or right.  Older model," but:  http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=10532.0

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The long and the short of this is that I need to test the wiring and then jump the motor to see if it works.  If it doesn't, taking it out looks like a pretty major operation, but then everything on the C14 looks like it's over engineered, which isn't a bad thing.

I can't believe how over-engineered the battery holder was!  Heavy and much more complicated than it needs to be, but that's kinda the vibe of the bike.










Pneumatic Clutch Cover

The former owner thinks it's leaking, but it seems pretty happy (no drips under the bike).  I'm going to torque it on properly to begin with and then keep an eye on it.

https://www.cmsnl.com/kawasaki-zg1400caf-concours-14-2010-usaabs_model21885/partslist/#.YH9iJehKiHs

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Another angle to take is just to remove all the electrical plumbing added by previous owners in order to ensure the bike is to spec.



Other Resources

C14 Common Issues:  https://motorandwheels.com/problems-kawasaki-concours-14/

Kawasaki plastic rivet: Manufacturer # 92039-0051

This have gotten fragile on this 11 year old C14 that's enjoyed 11 freezing Canadian winters followed by 11 boiling Canadian summers.

This kit from Amazon is automotive clips, but there are 50 in it that are a very close match to the Kawasaki part.  The OEM clips are hard to find.  For what that kit costs, I'm going to give it a shot and see if they work with it.  If not, I have some handy clip removing tools and a pile of optional sizes for the future for not much money.  The Kwak parts are $4US each.  50 of those (if I could find them) would be over 200 bucks, so I'll give the generics a shot.

Some of the louvred electronics pins have also broken (like I said, the plastics are starting to get fragile on this thing), so having a multi-pack is handy in other ways.


***

I'm just going to keep chucking GTR1400/C14 Concours/ZG1400 windshield details on here as I find them online.

The windshields on these seem to run into problems, especially if they're stressed while fully extended while operating at high speeds.  I hope something on here gives you what you need to figure out the problem.  COG members tell me the windshield motor assembly costs north of a thousand bucks, so this is a DIY situation (unless you've got thousands to chuck and an older bike).

The solution came in the 2015 model when the windshield came with a vent that reduces back pressure and stress on the unit.  Putting in an aftermarket or updated stock windshield will probably help you avoid windshield motor headaches.  It's on my to-do list for this bike.