Kawasaki has recalled 799 of its 2018-2020 Ninja H2 supercharged sport motorcycles due to possible engine lock up.Kawasaki says the transmission’s gears may not align when shifting, causing the engine to lock up, increasing the risk of a crash.The following motorcycles are affected by the recall:
2018-2020 Ninja H2 SX
2018-2020 Ninja H2 SXSE
2019-2020 Ninja H2 SXSE+
2018 Kawasaki H2 SX SEKawasaki says “In the event of a gear misengagement the engine electronic control unit (ECU) programming doesn’t have the capability to suppress high RPM during transmission. If the transmission gears are not properly engaged while shifting into 4th or 5th gear, high engine RPM can cause the output gears of 4th or 5th to fracture when the gears re-engage.”Kawasaki will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the FI-ECU software, free of charge. Owners are advised to not ride their motorcycle until the repair has been completed. The recall is expected to begin on Nov. 16, 2020. Owners may contact KMC customer service at 1-866-802-9381. KMC’s number for this recall is MC20-10.Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
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This week, in the first segment Editor Don Williams talks to us about the new Kawasaki Versys 650 LT. It’s the middleweight ADV style machine that uses the same 650 parallel twin motor as the Ninja 650, so it’s an excellent performer in a user-friendly, good looking package.
In the second segment, I chat with one of my dearest industry friends—now retired Honda PR executive, Jon Seidel. Jon’s fascinating career spans some 30 years with Big Red, and gave him some great experiences with some incredible machines. I was fortunate enough to be invited on many of the press launches that he organized. His new project is documenting and saving many of the old archives from years gone by—and incidentally, if you have anything that may be of value to the project, please contact us by email at producer@ultimatemotorcycling.com and we’ll pass it all on to Jon.
So on that note, from all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!
