TOPIC:

i work for kawasaki in new york , kawasaki is very aware of the issue , we as dealers have the ability to look up most vintage parts from k-dealer website 30 years or so, , for non dealer support i would suggest ,bikebandit for kz parts pictures, kawasaki triples owners group for triple 2 smokers info. the only problem you may run into ,bikebandit wont give you part numbers,you can print of pics or email dealers and get a list of part numbers and supersession(newer updated) part numbers. we have asked why this has happened and we get the party line of (we are streamlining our parts fisch for the more modern offerings) we get calls everyday about this issue and hope they will change there thinking on this problem. honda goes back 30-35 years consistently for parts, kawasaki as a company should understand that the quality of machinery they produce is such high specification(quality) that they should be proud and take care of the vintage parts need. most manufactures start fazing out parts after 20 years, ducati does this parts fazing out after just 10 years or less!!!, a real cold shoulder to vintage bike fans like us all. a dealers opinion!!! kawi mike

Yea, I feel USA Kawasaki threw us ol'school owners under the ol'school bus by not doing the parts update aspect of the WEB site, as it used to be done. (spent many decades in the IT world.)

How it was done, in the past... Yea, I thought about it and was an alpha tester for years.


Create the new site, on the backside. Write up the pages and import all the data needed for the new format, since the import seems to be the crux of the issue. Test it. Alpha test it. Beta test it. Test it again. Get some knowledgeable real world people to see how it works, thru a temporary company URL and have them provide feedback. Tweek it, correct problems, test it again and get more feedback. Let it rest for a few days and take a break. Lotsa work still ahead.

Now, while all of this is happening, in the background, the orig database is still intact and works as it should! No one knows about the time spent and all the screwups made. Yea, we're all human, still...

Next... test the new database/site and confirm it still works as it should. Release it on the site, to the public and wait for more feedback. Trust me, with a rollout like this you'll get feedback. Good and bad! Don't shed the old DB, it's been there for some time, it's not going anywhere and now it's just an archive. Once the new pages are active, pull the drives, label them, date them for the pull and archive them. The upgrade was TOTALLY transparent to the end user and after all, don't you want smooth and transparent?

Oh, but geeks didn't make this decision, eh? What, the CEO/upper management made this decision? (yea, guessing... but know lots about big corp biz and how they [don't] work) Well, guess no one in the IT/WEB development was asked to give feedback before this was planned? Sad... but until I hear otherwise, by any knowledgeable logical thinking inside person, I can only presume this is how it happened! ...from the OUTSIDE. Perception is everything when you're dealing with the public... and they are (mostly) a knowledgeable/educated public. Please, don't sell us short.


- Doing this parts update aspect right -- ~$25,000 (guestimate, but an agreed upon number, with a timeline and a written schedule is the standard)
- Doing it the way it's done now -- $???,??? (No set timeline(?) w/unknown price? ...since it's not finished/fixed.)
- Not putting your customers out... old, new or prospective -- priceless! (fail)


I really hope that someone from Corp Kawasaki reads this. Putting your customers out is not good for business. This is less than transparent to us... and yea, I feel put out by "someones" (apparent) failure to think this thru!


These are my honest personal inputs to this regard... and all I have to say.

Thanks for reading.
Chris

</rant>
</soapbox>
</EOP>

powersports warehouse still has kaw/suz/Honda/yam pictures and numbers on their site guys,clear back into the 70s.

I can make due with the parts diagrams Kaw provided by PDF and my shop manual, but what I can't live without is the what fits what lookup we used to be able to do on kawasaki.com.

Is there any way to get that info anymore?

Topper wrote: I can make due with the parts diagrams Kaw provided by PDF and my shop manual, but what I can't live without is the what fits what lookup we used to be able to do on kawasaki.com.

Is there any way to get that info anymore?

Here’s one way –

Go to www.dealercostparts.com

On left side there is a column of red buttons. Click on the one labeled "Kawasaki Parts."

This will bring up a page in which you can navigate to find the part number for any year KZ.

After you know the part number enter it in the block near the top of the page next to the heading “START YOUR SEARCH” but do not hit the “Search” button. You will see a drop down appear that has 2 options. Click on the upper one next to the red and white KAWASAKI emblem. This will give you a new page with an outlined block near the top. In that block under “Where Used” you will see “Select Model.” Click on that and it will show the models on which that part number is used. If it is a part that is used on more than 100 models, like the side cover grommet, it will show only the first 100 models. Ed

It's not just Kawasaki.....does anyone know if Tsubaki has really ceased production of timing chains, especially those Heavy Duty ones so necessary for big engine builds?

650ed is 100% right ,the k dealer website for our shop works almost the same way ,same features as the dealercostparts website ,slightly different system we use lightspeed nxt,for our dealer operating system, actually i spent some time on the site 650ed gave us and i like it alot, the system is easy to use, and makes it easier for anybody to get the same results as we do without a trip or a phone call to you local kawasaki shop, do your research and bring in with your list of parts needs : and enjoy the new and awesome machinery as much as we enjoy the vintage steeds, remember without the past there is no present or future!! i hope this info helped you topper, and thanks to 650ed, mike

650ed wrote:

Topper wrote: I can make due with the parts diagrams Kaw provided by PDF and my shop manual, but what I can't live without is the what fits what lookup we used to be able to do on kawasaki.com.

Is there any way to get that info anymore?

Here’s one way –

Go to www.dealercostparts.com

On left side there is a column of red buttons. Click on the one labeled "Kawasaki Parts."

This will bring up a page in which you can navigate to find the part number for any year KZ.

After you know the part number enter it in the block near the top of the page next to the heading “START YOUR SEARCH” but do not hit the “Search” button. You will see a drop down appear that has 2 options. Click on the upper one next to the red and white KAWASAKI emblem. This will give you a new page with an outlined block near the top. In that block under “Where Used” you will see “Select Model.” Click on that and it will show the models on which that part number is used. If it is a part that is used on more than 100 models, like the side cover grommet, it will show only the first 100 models. Ed

I've noticed a problem with using the "where used" feature. It was the same way on the Kawasaki site. If you search a part, a master cylinder piston 43020-1012 for example, the "where used" shows several models that aren't correct. For example, the model 1977 KZ1000A shows up but only because the 79-80 KZ1000 A brake diagram is found as a sub group in the 1977 diagram. The piston is used only on the 79/80 but because it's a sub group of the 77, the 77 model shows up when searching a "where used". I've seen this on eBay too...people assume that all of the models listed use the part number that was searched. Here is a screen shot - notice all of the parts that have the option to select 77-78 or 79-80:

I suspect that all the dealer sites used Kawasaki.com as the source of their data, so any irregularities and errors on that site will most likely show up on the other sites. Ed

bluezbike wrote: It's not just Kawasaki.....does anyone know if Tsubaki has really ceased production of timing chains, especially those Heavy Duty ones so necessary for big engine builds?

"I think" ....... I remember Jeff from Z-1 just posting this a month or so ago saying to get em now before they are gone.

Dr. Gamma wrote: Just sent my email to KMC. You know the sad part, the person reading our emails, and their boss were both born after our motorcycles were made!!!! I really don't think any of the higher ups at KMC really give a flying f**k about us and our classic old Kawasaki's. Its sad but most likely true. They want to sell new units. Not cater to people that in their mind are just too old to even think about buying another new unit from them!!!

Just think now we will have to go down to that big new Kawasaki dealership and deal with the 18 year old snot nose punk in the AC/DC t-shirt and the purple spiked hair and be insulted by him as he tries to look up the little part we need to get our 1973 Z1 900 running again. Some college-bred moron decided to remove those older parts diagrams I bet.

Welcome to the way big business in America works in 2014.

I knew this is how it would end up.

Dr. Gamma wrote:

Dr. Gamma wrote: Just sent my email to KMC. You know the sad part, the person reading our emails, and their boss were both born after our motorcycles were made!!!! I really don't think any of the higher ups at KMC really give a flying f**k about us and our classic old Kawasaki's. Its sad but most likely true. They want to sell new units. Not cater to people that in their mind are just too old to even think about buying another new unit from them!!!

Just think now we will have to go down to that big new Kawasaki dealership and deal with the 18 year old snot nose punk in the AC/DC t-shirt and the purple spiked hair and be insulted by him as he tries to look up the little part we need to get our 1973 Z1 900 running again. Some college-bred moron decided to remove those older parts diagrams I bet.

Welcome to the way big business in America works in 2014.

I knew this is how it would end up.

I must speak in Kawasaki's defense. I can't speak for Kawasaki, but I can say that this is absolutely untrue. We are not a bunch of snot nose punks who were born after these motorcycles were made. Kawasaki is seriously working on restoring the Parts Diagrams. These go back almost 50 years. The data the diagrams when they were originated was all micro fiche. Computers didn't even exist. It is an enormous task to reproduce these diagrams online. The first round of data contained over 2,000,000 parts just back to 1984.

As evidenced by the people who have contacted Kawasaki and received personal responses with their parts diagrams, this is very important to Kawasaki.

I urge you to continue to contact Kawasaki with your concerns.