So I just got my brand new Zx14 home from the dealership. Took it off my truck, and go to take it around the block. When doing so I put up the kickstand and pull in the clutch. With the bike in neutral the engine starts fine, but as soon as I put it into gear it shuts off like the kickstand is down, but it isn't. HELP please! All I want to do is ride my brand new ZX14 around the block. :(

The dealership is closed till Tuesday and I can't reach anyone at kawasaki's offices.

The bike was not bumped in any serious manner that would lead me to think that would be the cause of this problem. I've loaded and unloaded my other bike (ZX6r 2004) numerous times with the same ramp on the same truck without any problems. I am not sure if this is part of the prep, but around the switch and on the pin and lever is a lot of white grease which is so thick it is dripping down the bottom part of the fairing beneath the switch. Maybe this white grease got into the switch somehow and shorted it out?

Here is a crappy picture of the kickstand and the switch. I can't find anything visually wrong with it or out of place. Can you?

EDIT: Here are a couple of better pictures

* Last updated by: Brett636 on 8/20/2011 @ 11:56 PM *

+1 on what Hub says. Jump the switch, if it now works, your switch is bad.

Mad

I've located where the switch plugs in, and the harness side of the switch is the male side, so using a paperclip as a jump won't work. May have to dig up some clips somewhere and connect them to it and see what happens.

blue07- If you would read hub's initial response he asked if it was bumped when being removed from my truck. This bike sat in the back of my truck for a 2 hour trip home so it did endure the normal ups and downs of highway travel, but was not bumped or dropped during loading or unloading. In fact I cannot recall a single moment where the switch had any physical contact with any object while being moved, and my pictures fully display this. Its my initial assessment along with the opinion of the more knowledgeable members of this board that the problem is the result of a faulty side stand switch. The acknowledgement of the grease was just a hypothesis of my own that I threw out as a reason for the faulty switch although I am fully aware that some electronic components can fail on their own without any outside interference. Now if you have any more sarcastic comments to make please keep them to yourself unless you have a solution to my problem. Thanks!

blue- not trying to make you out to be the bad guy. Just more annoyed than anything else that I have, as you correctly pointed out, an $11k garage ornament right now. The more I think about the grease the more I am sure that is not really the problem. I would think being on such a low point on the bike that it would have a waterproof element to it considering it would be the first to get wet, covered in road grime, etc. If a glob of water based grease were all it took to fry it then I think we would be reading lot more about this issue on these forums. Bypassing the switch may be my best bet because if I can't make it move under its own power then I gotta figure out how I am going to get it back into the back of my truck by myself to take to a local dealership, and pushing a 550+ lb. motorcycle up a ramp into a truck bed doesn't sound like a good idea.

Brett636 if you've got some way of holding the bike up , stands, mates what ever. undo the bolt on the stand, drop it off and the spring then give that switch a few on, offs for awhile.
Like hub said { sounds like the kicker safety switch is out of line just a touch?} you can try all the positions in the full arc and see it you get a position that works.

maybe even some WD40 if its sticky, what ever gets it going.

Welcome to the forum, hope you have better luck

* Last updated by: ethin14 on 8/22/2011 @ 12:54 AM *

Thanks for the welcome.

Well the bike is at the dealership so we will see what they have to say about it. I just did not feel there was a good reason to be jerry rigging my bike considering it only has 4 miles on it. Perhaps much later in ownership, but not on a brand new bike. Thanks for the advice!

Brett636. good luck try and get some free goodies of them for all your heartache and worry

Just like opening present under the tree at xmas , a little red sports can and mum forgot to by the batteries

Only a lot worse

cheers and let us know how you go!

As expected they determined it was a faulty kick stand switch so now I'm waiting on that part to come in so I can ride my brand new bike.

dude thats got to be a bummer not haveing your new bike , but at least your heading in the right direction hope its a sunny day when you ride it.

watch for cops and cages hate to see it turn worse.

Yes it does suck, and what makes it worse is I'm in Indianapolis and this weekend the Moto GP is in town. Bikes are everywhere so its hard not to think about it. Luckily I still have my 636 to ride, but I've got plenty of seat time on it. I can't wait to get some seat time on the 14.

Yeah Brett636,your not kidding....saw literally thousands of bikes today, made several loops around the track and they had Monument circle cordoned off for bikes only....Indy is a bike lovers paradise this weekend, that's for sure!! Oh by the way, welcome to the 14 family! I've got a little over 4500 mi. on mine since May 24th and it just seems to get better and better!

brett if they have another 2011 ZX14 on the floor you tell them to take the switch off that and put it on your bike or you will get a layer the lemon law will still apply!

Yea, I have thought about that. The part still has not arrived and today marks day 7 it has been in the shop since I dropped it off last Tuesday. I dunno who their parts get shipped through, but I work in the shipping industry and I know of no company that takes this long to ship a part coming from the distances they told me it would be coming from. The dealership just sold its remaining 2011 so using that part. won't work. My patience is starting to wear thin, and I hope this fixes the problem or further steps may need to be taken

Dude tell them to bash it up their ASS , I'll get one here in Auss and post it to you air mail ,will take less than a week.

The part came in, and even though I had to go to the shop and light a fire under their rear ends to install it(warranty work must be a low priority) I have the bike back and so far its working fine. Thanks for all the input and keep the sticky side down!

+1

I would have just jumped the switch and been done with it. They are stupid anyway.

Mad

Blue- thats what I said when I finally got to take it out for a spin. :)

mad- That was what hub was suggesting, and although I considered it I felt that being a brand new bike I shouldn't have too. I don't know why it failed on the trip home when it was working fine at the original dealership I purchased it from. I'm just glad to have it back! :)