My GF bought a Ninja 250 at Westside Motorsports, Spokane (heads-up, boys and girls). Bike ran poorly from the start, but they assured her that high idle speed (2k to 3k), flat spots on acceleration, hard starting, and excessive warm-up time were "normal." She put up with this until we met and I told her it wasn't normal and to get it back to the dealer before the warranty expired. It has sat there for a month. Repeated calls got no concrete answer as far as what is wrong with the bike or when it will be done, and repeated promises to call us back, of course, rarely happened.
I called today and asked specifically, "after having had the bike in the shop for a month, what part do you think is defective?" "We don't know," was the answer. I finally called Kawasaki to ask them what the problem is. They informed me that only the gas cap vent had been changed.
Investigation on the internet revealed the following: The Ninja 250 comes from the factory perfectly equipped to run like crap:
retarded ignition timing
retarded cam timing.
excessively lean jetting for low-speed, mid-range, and top end.
restrictive airflow for the intake system.
I'm not sure how they could make the engine run worse.
I point-blank asked the Kawasaki rep if there was a known issues(s) for the 250. He denied knowing of any. I don't believe him.
After relaying the findings of my research to the service manager at Westside Motorsports in Spokane, Washington, he said they would fix the retarded ignition timing and cam timing. I don't believe him. The ignition timing is fixed and can only be advanced beyond the excessively retarded factory setting by purchasing an aftermarket CDI box (200 to 300 dollars). They won't fix the jetting. And I'm pretty sure he's going to tell me they fixed the cam timing, but I'm pretty dubious of that too.
So, after buying two brand new Kawasakis and paying cash for both, guess how many future Kawasaki purchases this household will be making? That's right, zero. I hope Kawasaki is monitoring this forum.

 

Well not all your troubles are the brand, you just picked a dealer that is either too busy, too lazy or incompetent.

Definition of INCOMPETENT

1
: not legally qualified

2
: inadequate to or unsuitable for a particular purpose

3
a : lacking the qualities needed for effective action b : unable to function properly

Find a dealer, talk to the owner, they set the tone for the rest of the shop. If you get a good vibe then continue, if not continue on.

 

The dealership IS notorious amongst motorcyclists. My GF didn't know any better. However, I called Kawasaki direct after a month of the runaround, and they are most, if not all, of the problem because they are directing the warranty work. The repair personnel are doing as Kawasaki directs. That the repair personnel and shop manager are dishonest, liars, etc, isn't in question in my mind, but the main problem is Kawaski. Kawasaki customer service confirmed for me what I already knew, which is that they will not alter the bike from its stock form, which means it is going to continue to run like crap. I have always gotten poor results from dealerships, Suzuki, Kawi, whatever, and much better work and straight answers from independent shops, as well as better rates. There is a reason I don't buy new, the warranties are rarely worth the paper they are printed on, and the instant drop in value after you drive it off the lot; I just don't see the point in spending 12K for a new bike when I can get barely used for 5K, which is what I have done and been very happy with same.

I did find cost effective solutions for the bike's ills, an honest mechanic who will fix the jetting, and a kit to fix the timing problem. The rest is pretty simple.

I am perplexed by their attitude. They could have kept a customer had they just rejetted the bike which is practically nothing in parts (for the shop). They wasted way more time on the phone with me than it would have taken to fix the problem.

 

What makes you think the only honest good mechanics only exist outside the dealership realm? Your bad experience points out either your bad experiences with a few or not finding the good dealership.

I've seen a lot of nightmare stories about independents too. You see, sometimes some good training covers areas that the independents don't get with their "seat of the pants" experience. In addition sometimes an independent may think they know more than they actually do.

But, much like my comment about dealers, not all independents are like that. There are good in both realms. I've seen both and worked for one of the good dealers. Fact is a lot of good independents used to work for dealerships and left for any number of reasons. Sometimes it's the flexibility of being their own boss, other times it might be due to the way the dealership treated them or the customers. I've known people to leave dealers that are dishonest or don't treat people right.

 

my experiences with dealerships doing repairs has been:
Overpriced.
variable quality work.
Refusal to acknowledge wrongdoing and correct when repair goes wrong.

My experience with independents:
fair rates.
Less variability in quality (better quality) work.
Stay on problem until fixed.

My first experience with a dealership went like this: Took bike in for a clutch job, lasted one week, wouldn't shift after one week, took it back, wouldn't even tell me what was wrong with it, much less own up to any wrongdoing. Aurora Suzuki, Seattle. I ended up selling it because I was tired of fixing it and got a much newer bike.

I'm sure you are correct in your assessment. I'm fairly certain, even tho i'm less experienced in these matters than you, that I can get just as good in terms of quality work for less at an independent shop and get straight answers to my questions. I rarely get straight answers from dealerships, just a bunch of b.s. This isn't any different than automobiles. You can go to the dealer for your repairs, or you can go to an independent shop. The dealer doesn't do better work, just more expensive.

Amazingly, the service manager at Westside informed me that he is new to motorsports. WTH? How can u manage something u know nothing about?

 

You can thank our friends at the epa for 99% of that.