Kawasaki drivetrain issues anyone?

[Kerrville78028]

I have read in a few posts on this forum about how I should not tamper with my governor because the Kawasaki drivetrains have plastic governor gears and they will explode if I go any faster than the factory setting.
Is this true?...
Does anyone know of an actual case of this ever happening?
It seems to me that there would be tons of people complaining about this since the introduction of this setup over 7 years ago.
Anyone out there have any actual issues with the Kawasaki 400 drivetrain?

[sccowboy]

You might try to pm brewcitymusic he seems to have had experience with that issue.

[Nub]

My st has been running at 22-23 for who knows how long with no issues... it's an 09 with the kawasaki drive train.

[Kerrville78028]

I adjusted the governor over the weekend and am now running at 24mph according to my GPS. I ordered a tachometer last week.
If I break anything I will post it here.

[sccowboy]

That would be helpful for all. Thx

[BrewCityMusic]

I have a good friend who works as a Field Tech for EZGO, he literally has 2 Gaylord boxes on skids behind his shop full of bad driven clutches from Kawi's as well as another one full of busted up engine shrouds and fans from them hanging down under the carts ... A simple call to an EZGO dealer or Service Center will confirm the Clutch Recalls and factory "Band-Aid Balancers". As to the Governors, He's also the one who showed me 3 locked up carts behind his shop awaiting rear-end teardowns/repairs, both from Governor Tampering and shattered gears - and since then I've talked with 2 other actual SELLERS who have had carts come back. As to how prevalent it is, I can't say but it's obviously enough that he was adamant that his position was to avoid the Kawi carts like the plague. I've known him for years and he's been w EZGO since the 90's so I'm at least personally convinced to listen to him. Seeing it happen elsewhere was just icing on the cake.

That said, I buy sell and flip a lot of carts and have seen FAR too many "clean" Kawi carts with worn (read: ready to explode) driven clutches. I have personally seen a set of replacement Governor gears (and they are low-quality plastic) ... Add in the still pending litigation against EZGO for the new Pedal design as well as the Recall last March for faulty Steering Wheels, the recall in 2011 for steering components shattering for no reason, and the distribution of balancers to Fleet Operators as an attempt to keep even the NEW Kawasaki clutches from self-destructing, and it starts to add up pretty seriously against the Kawi-Drivetrain carts.

http://golfsliced.com/equipment/golf...faces-lawsuit/

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2014/...9591398219422/

http://blog.al.com/live/2011/12/e-z-...ars_shutt.html

Here's just a start to the reading on the issues. I actually *Have* one of the issued Balancers somewhere in the shop, I'll dig it out and get pics, I'll also be swinging by my buddies this weekend and I'll see if he has a set of the gears I can snap a pic of.

[BrewCityMusic]

DSCN0843.jpg

DSCN0844.jpg

This is the Balancer assembly the factory shipped to Fleet Operators when the clutches started exploding. You have to tap threads into the existing holes on the clutch to install them so it's a "dealer" or "Fleet Operator" only type of part, I don't believe they are even available to the average Joe.

[Kerrville78028]

Not sure what you mean by "busted engine shrouds and fans from them hanging down under the carts". I got under my cart and looked but my shroud doesn't appear to hang low or anything. My cart is lifted so it wouldn't be an issue for me anyway.
My 2015 has a TEAM clutch so that is not an issue for me either. I don't understand why Anyone with an older cart that may be having a clutch issue would add that balancer when they can simply swap to the newer TEAM clutch setup.
If an older recalled tie rod end breaks... replace it. Not a big deal.
As far as some sue happy people that can't figure out that there is debris around the accelerator of their RXV or that their steering wheel is loose. That would not deter me from buying an older Kawasaki cart.

I really prefer the torque and drivability of the engine over my other carts. I've got a 99 TXT with a 295 robins as well as an 81 Marathon sparky in my fleet. But I gotta say, I love this Kawasaki setup the best so far. I actually bought it for its looks (I wanted that newer style front end).
I've met a few others with these carts that say they have had no issues with running 25 mph. Many are running all over the town of Port Aransas, TX where carts are legal to drive on the streets.
I have a tach now so that I can keep an eye on the RPM's and if I explode the governor gears then I will simply remove them.
I will update here if I do break something.

[BrewCityMusic]

Well, as a Fleet Maintenance / Service Tech, I'm relatively sure lifted carts aren't often on his plate, LOL but believe me, those shrouds just BEG for smashing on the Kawi carts as tey come from the factory - and yeah, popping another $4-500 on top of the price of a used cart for TEAM clutches will obviously solve the known issues (albeit not in a cost-effective manner for Fleets, hence the balancers) ...

Everyone has their likes and dislikes, if You look back through my threads I actually did some pretty extensive time with a couple of the Kawi carts, and they DO have their merits - I personally just don't like the "thumpiness" of the Kawi engine when compared to the smoothness of the Twins, and even though they "Feel" torquier with the TEAM clutches it's still no match for the smoothness, Torque, and Power of a stock Robins 350 with the factory 28deg clutch (trust me, I did a lot of "side by side" with the 2 platforms on my 80 acres which is actually an old Ski Area so quite hilly to say the least, and while either setup is FAR superior to the old 295cc/36deg clutch of a standard TXT, the 350 twin and the 28deg are hands down the best for pulling trailers full of firewood, mulch, brush, dirt, rocks, etc especially on hills).

Again, to each their own, my experiences with many, many (well over 40 at last count) carts of all years, styles, engines, clutching, etc have obviously given me a slightly broader range of reasons for my opinions. This thread, however, was started to ascertain some facts and experiences, which is really all I am trying to share.

"If a recalled XXX part breaks, replace it" is NOT in line with my opinion, though, that I CAN say. 25mph in a Golf Cart is a risky behavior with a bolt-on lift anyhow, add in a couple of rearward-facing passengers and that "oops it broke, oh well" tie-rod and suddenly You're looking at broken bones or possibly worse (not to mention the liability) .... Your call. Think about those gears exploding "IF they do" - now add in a locked up rear end on a cart doing 20+ mph with passengers, etc and again - YOUR opinion how You want to handle it but the risk to ME looking at the big picture goes a lot farther than "I'll replace them". NOW, (and I'm not preaching, just informing) look at the other big picture that many fail to think about, and that's insurance. Try to itemize or add a recalled, secondhand cart to your homeowners policy once, might not be so easy. If You take your cart off-property (such as around the neighborhood) it's no longer covered under most policies unless specifically covered. Many insurers will not even cover a cart with a non-factory rear seat, lift, etc (been there, seen that) .... Anyhow, the question was asked RE the potential problems with the Kawi's, from here it's a pretty easy decision I would think.

Update us please if You break something - hopefully it's not an arm, leg, loved one, or neighborhood kid.

[Kerrville78028]

I just find it odd that there seems to be nothing out there on the internet or otherwise about the governor gears breaking. If it was really a problem then I would think it would be talked about more.
The big single "thumper" engine was an attraction for me. I may actually look into making it louder but I don't want to run an open exhaust or anything.
I use my cart at motorcycle rallies and races. My cart is far from unsafe, it handles well and the tie rods are just fine. Even at the occasional 25mph, I am one of the slower, safer rides at the rallies. (the guys on the V8 powered bar stools are nuts!)
It's insured on my motorcycle policy and I actually have a "City of Port Aransas" license plate on it. (along with seat belts, brake lights and blinkers)