I had my first mechanical experience with the mentioned ride yesterday.

The complaint was of bottom end acceleration hesitation and that it was recommended to replace the cracked carb boots that were found during a periodic 37k mile service. The rider mentioned that he had already changed the plugs and the oil/filter before the service. That he was charged $600 for the said kawi service. (no, I am not going there with a dealership bashing)

I hate 3rd party communications, but from what I was told, how can the costs be so high to what was done and the person still has an issue with the ride, with the company still wanting more $'s? I understand that during an exam, that items are found and are recommended to the customer for further diagnosis and repairs. So....here is a start of a story....

The person bought the recommended boots and appropriate O rings through the above mentioned shop. They were correct OEM parts. I am thinking life is good.

I proceed to setup the workbench with what I think would be all of the basic tools needed. Hand tools, sync gauges, tray for part organization.

While removing cosmetics, I noted that Kawi in its infinite wisdom of saving weight, really likes to keep their tank vent lines and fuel lines short while using thin looped wire clamps. OK, I can still work with this since nothing has really changed from any other kawi model I have tinkered with.

Removed the airbox (noting that it was dry and clean), disconnected the loose neg cable from the battery, labeled the vacuum lines for the smog, removed the tank (the rider had filled up prior to showing up!). Loosened everything, slid the rack over for the new boot placement. note: The boots are not marked in proper directional installation although they are correctly marked for the proper cylinder location. Ask me how I know this...lol the #3 cyl boot got me on the first attempt.

Replaced the rack, warmed up the ride for idle and sync. Placed the gauges, the left and right banks were smooth, had to synch the two banks together slightly, but the ride still shows some noticeable difference in slight throttle hesitation on the stand. So actually, not a big difference from the initial complaint but at least something and that an issue is still there. I call up the rider and tell him what I did, that there still is an issue that I am not happy with and that I would like the opportunity to try and figure this out. (mind you, I am not a mechanic. I like to tinker with anything mechanical).

So, while going through my service manual on this ride, I noted that the TPS can be adjusted (Which answered my first mental question on seeing this gadget on the carb, wtf is this thing?). So....I may just get the adapter (kawi special part) and test that before removing or adjusting the carbs to get a baseline of things. (Any info from Kawi guru's are welcomed). I will then go back to the basics of carb tuning if the voltage test on the TPS proves within specs.

edit: I have not verified any other aspects such as compression tests just because I am assuming (yeah, I know. Bite in the **** time) that the mechs at the dealership already have done this. And, the owner does not even know if the valves have been checked or not. I hate third party stuff! Reminds me of the Internet Troubleshooting what ifs help. Just another part of the learning curve.