r/Kawasaki

I was wondering if anybody knows why the clutch lever of the Kawasaki Versys 650 has an indent

A few pics of the bike before the wreck.
EDIT: probably should’ve explained what happened before i posted this because there seems to be some confusion. I had just crossed over to the Tennessee side of the dragon and there was a decent sized straight before the corner so not knowing at the time i had gotten to much speed so going into the corner i still had to much speed to be able to make it causing me to veer into the other lane and while all that is happening a car from the other lane was going around the turn also. So unfortunately me and him collided. I am not blaming him or anything else for the accident, I understand stand that it is my fault, i took away a lot from this accident so i know what to work on once I get back on a bike.

Bike is taking shape boys! Looking good with the SW Motech TRAX Adventure.

Fun fact: the soft bag I was rocking before fits perfectly.

I controlled crankshaft sensor timing ignition all coil and spark plug injection

I’ve been going in circles with mechanics for months and nobody can properly diagnose this. Laying out everything I know in detail hoping someone here has dealt with this before.

The Bike
2016 Kawasaki ZX6R 636, 19,000km. Black and green. Previous owner removed the catalytic converter and fitted an SC Project slip-on exhaust with stock headers. No retune was done after this modification.

Pre-existing Issues When I Bought It
The bike has never hit the rev limiter since I owned it. It just hits a wall around 10-11k RPM — not a hard cut, not a limiter, just stops pulling. Above that it’s like riding into a wall.
It also always ran extremely rich. Standing behind the bike at idle my eyes would burn and the fuel smell was overwhelming. Fuel consumption was consistently 13-15L per 100km which is terrible for a 636.
I also had a DB killer fitted on the SC Project for a while before removing it. This caused significant carbon buildup throughout.

What’s Been Done
After a lowside crash I took the bike to a shop for a full restoration. Here’s everything that was done across two visits:
Visit 1 — New forks, fork seals, fork oil, front axle, both tires, brake pads, full fairings reinstall, throttle body sync, radiator flush with coolant change, full detail. Bill was around AED 12,400.
Simultaneously I sent the ECU to Moore Mafia for a tune. The tune instructions specifically say to remove the O2 sensor. The O2 sensor is still plugged in. I only realised this recently.
Visit 2 — Injector cleaning, spark plugs replaced, secondary air reed valves decarbonized, ABS sensor diagnosed as faulty. Bill was around AED 2,271. Power issue still not fixed after this visit.

Current Symptoms
This is the important part:
In neutral — bike revs freely and cleanly all the way to 11-12k RPM. Zero issues.
In gear under load — hits a wall around 8-10k, RPM won’t climb, and under full throttle the bike actually loses speed rather than accelerating.
Heavy carbon buildup throughout from the DB killer period and rich running history.
On startup when the key is turned to ON the subthrottle actuator makes a stuttering sound during its calibration cycle instead of a clean smooth whirr. This is a known symptom on 636s.
O2 sensor still plugged in despite the tune being designed to run without it.
ABS warning lights and KTRC issues were also present but traced to a wheel speed sensor disturbed during the fork and axle work — new OEM sensor on order and this appears to be a separate issue.

My Current Theories
Three things that I think are working together:
O2 sensor plugged in while running a tune designed for open loop — sensor is fighting the tune’s fuel maps causing rich running, erratic fueling and inconsistent power delivery

Subthrottle actuator failing — the stuttering calibration sound on startup is suspicious. This is a documented failure point on 636s and would explain a specific RPM wall under load. In neutral the engine doesn’t need full airflow so the stuck valves don’t matter as much

Exhaust backpressure from carbon buildup — DB killer used for extended period, lots of rich running, potentially heavily carboned exhaust internally causing restriction under sustained full load

What I Haven’t Tried Yet
Unplugging the O2 sensor — doing this immediately

Disconnecting the subthrottle actuator connector to test whether the valves staying closed is causing the RPM wall

Physical inspection inside the exhaust for carbon buildup

My Questions
Can a plugged in O2 sensor fighting an open loop tune cause power loss and rich running this severe?

Has anyone on a 2013-2016 636 confirmed subthrottle actuator failure — is the stuttering startup sound a definitive sign? Did disconnecting it fix your RPM wall?

Has anyone experienced exhaust carbon buildup severe enough to cause a specific RPM ceiling under load but not in neutral?

Given that the bike revs fine in neutral but hits a wall in gear — does this point clearly to one specific cause in your experience?

Anything else I’m missing given this history?

Bike is in Dubai so options are limited. Already spent significant money at shops that keep treating symptoms without finding the root cause. Trying to properly diagnose before spending more.

TL;DR — 2016 636 never hits rev limiter, walls at 10k under load but revs fine in neutral, rich running history, O2 sensor plugged in despite tune requiring removal, stuttering subthrottle actuator on startup, heavy carbon buildup history. Three shops haven’t found the cause. Help.

Post this in r/Kawasaki, r/motorcycles and r/motorcyclemechanics for best coverage.

Bought used with 18,200 miles. All was well and good, about 3 weeks in I let her rip in 3rd on the highway… slips and revs to redline. 4th gear is the same. I am able to ride through these gears up to about 3/4 throttle but full send she slips. 5th and 6th don’t slip from what I’m seeing, full throttle at 5k is normal. Not noticing slipping in 1st and 2nd. Clutch was bled, oil changed. Also gas difficulty selecting a gear when she’s hot(after riding hour + straight). Got everything for a clutch plate+fiber replacement, upgrade to HD springs, and gasket. Just seeing if anyone has any more specific ideas based on symptoms.

Top Sellerie heated and raised,

please po, hindi ko po alam mga basics please please please please please 🙏 😭😭

In seguito ad una caduta il mio scarico si è piegato, c’è un modo per sistemarlo a casa? O se devo portarlo da qualcuno che riesca a farlo, da chi dovrei portarlo? Fabbro?