At 22k I replaced my standard OEM chain because it was badly damaged. I replaced it with an original DID 520 VP2 (OEM) chain bought at an Kawasaki dealer. I also replaced the sprockets (original) and now at 31k (less as 10k!) I have to replace it again! Mind you the chain is not worn-out or stretched but damaged. And it seems I am not the only person .... I know at least 4 other Kawasaki Versys riders who have the same problem. A friend of mine just replaced his chain (DID) at 4.500km riding with it!!

Would the fault really be at "DID made in Thailand" chain? Then Kawasaki should not be selling it!
Or is there an design or building fault at (some) Kawasaki Versys?

Actually weird because looking on any DID web-site I do not see an VP2 .... only sold in Thailand?

So I would like to ask all Kawasaki Versys riders who have chain problems (with DID chains or other chains) to put a complain down at your local Kawasaki Big Bike dealer. And make an complain at Kawasaki Thailand. Actually also with Kawasaki Japan.


Chang Noi

The number one problem with replacing the drive chain is not the quality of the chain or the brand name, the biggest problem is the alignment of the rear wheel (and the sprockets). Most mechanics think that replacing the sprockets and chain as a routine and easy to do job. But a few millimeters out of alignment can seriously shorten the lifespan of your chain and sprockets.

Most chains from D.I.D. are made by Daido Sittipol Co., Ltd in Thailand, some motorcycle manufacturers have an OEM contract with D.I.D. and the chains they specially produce for this motorcycle manufacturers are not available from other sources – still they're 100% original products.

my ER6n chain failed at 14000km. i noticed the o rings popping out and then while on a ride around nakon sawan the inner links started to move out to the outer links and seize together! i rode with my buttocks clenched from there to kanchanaburi oiling the chain as i rode. i took a hammer and a rock and beat the links back onto the rollers where they belonged, a 2 hour job. the chain was ok untill i got back into pattaya where it did the same thing again.
kawasaki replaced the chain and the mechanic left it as tight as a gituar string! i asked him to slacken it off but he said it was fine as it would 'stretch' to the right slackness.............wonderful.
on many kawasaki chains i can see the rollers are very poor and worn with a lot of side play, more than any of my other bike chains.
i use a scottoiler on my bikes to keep them lubricated, im at 8000 on the present chain so im interested to see what this 1 does before failing. im also fitting scottoilers to other peoples bikes as i have a holdall full of them.

Yesterday 28 March 2013 I did receive an email from from Kawasaki Motors Enterprise (Thailand) Co. LTD giving me the test results by DID and Kawasaki of my 2 DID 520 chains sold to me by Kawasaki Motors Enterprise (Thailand) Co. LTD both with frozen links.

Their investigations results states that there is nothing wrong with the chains. So I must have been mistaken twice, as are a few people riding an Kawasaki in Thailand.

IMO this is utterly BS!

Currently my EK 520 chain is still doing very fine after 6000km. So if you buy an Kawasaki motorbike with an DID chain (new or secondhand) just have the chain replaces at once.

Chang Noi

I witnessed a Kawasaki “trained” mechanic at one of the Bangkok dealers refitting a ER6N rear wheel some time ago and I was shocked that he didn't checked the alignment.

With a step-through Kawasaki Kaze 112cc motorcycle a few millimeters tolerance will probably not mess-up the drive chain that much earlier. But with a 650cc twin-cylinder engine the power and pull is much larger, also the distance from countershaft (front) sprocket to rear sprocket is a good amount more, meaning that a millimeter or even less misalignment of the rear wheel can have serious damaging influence on the sprockets and chain...

I bet that the EK520 chain was not installed by your regular Kawasaki mechanic... For the fun of it you should contact Daido Sittipol (DID) Thailand http://www.ds.co.th for there take on the results of the test... I would not be surprised if Kawasaki (dealer or Kawasaki themselves) ever bothered to contact them.

You are right, mis-allinment could damage your chain .... but also your sprockets. And as both time when the DID 520 VP2 chain was damaged with frozen links, the sprockets were still good (although the front sprocket was a bit worn-out). The same goes for 3 friends of mine with Kawasaki motorbikes with DID chains. The chain was damaged but the sprockets were still good.

So I would say the DID 520 VP2 chain is the problem.

So I would like to ask all people with problems with their chain to go to their local dealer and demand an written & signed complain. And demand a new chain.

Or send your old chain to the HQ of Kawasaki Motors Enterprise (Thailand) Co. LTD at Rama 9 in Bangkok.

To proof that Kawasaki and DID care about their customers I had a meeting today at the Kawasaki dealer in Khon Kaen with the Assistant manager of the Technical Service Section of Kawasaki Motors Enterprise (Thailand) Co. LTD and an engineer of Research & Development of Daido Sittipol Co. LTD (DID). And there was an engineer from the factory Kawasaki Motors Enterprise (Thailand) Co. LTD. This all in the office of and with the owner/manager of the Kawasaki dealer Khon Kaen.

I was given back my first original DID 520 VP2 chain and my second DID 520 VP2 chain. And they repeated what I had been confirmed by email from Ken Sakamoto that there is nothing wrong with both chains. They said DID did clean the chains and then tested them. And I must say the chains that I have been given back feel almost 100% normal. But of course I am not sure if this are actually my old chains. And I do not know how they did clean them. But never mind.

Although not said by the letter, their conclusion is that I did not clean & lubricate my chains well enough. With my first chain that could have been the case, although I have never seen an mechanic at an Kawasaki dealer cleaning my chain. Lubricating yes, cleaning no! But never mind. I know for myself that I did take care of my second DID chain.

I also do not believe that Davidfl, TonyBKK, Grubman, Dave and others did not take care their chains of their Kawasaki bikes. I still believe there is something wrong with the DID chains or with the Kawasaki setup of the chain & sprockets. Although I doubt the latter as I think that would not result in frozen links. Maybe that due to low quality of the DID chain, the chain is very sensitive for dirt and needs more & better cleaning? According to DID this chain (DID 520 VP2) is also used on the Honda CB500 and on some Ducati bikes.

They offered me to install a brand new DID chain, what I refused as I still have a beautiful EK 520 SR05 chain. So they asked me if I would give them the opportunity to put an DID chain on my bike when the EK chain need replacement. I said maybe (depending on how good or bad the EK chain will perform).

The DID guy said that at the moment they are doing 2 investigations into the quality of DID chains, mine and that of another. They said that other people with the same problem should contact Kawasaki at

So both DID & Kawasaki did give me an new DID chain. One that I can take as spare with me and one will be at the Kawasaki dealer in Khon Kaen. The owner/manager was a bit sad that I told that for service-checks I go to Udon Thani as I do not trust their mechanics (but that is another story)

Chang Noi

It's always extremely difficult to find out why something mechanical fails, and it's very unlikely that you were told the full story of the DID 520 VP2 chain.

I would not be surprised, especially when you know 4 more people with the same problems. It could be a manufacturing/production error, but you would not get DID or Kawasaki to confirm that...

When you changed the chain to the EK 520 SR05 did you also replaced the sprockets? It can be that the OEM sprockets on the Kawasaki's where to hard. Normally sprockets are made from SS400 or S45C steel or something similar in hardness...

Today we had a Honda CB500F in our workshop and because I was a bit curious I checked the chain, it was not the expected DID 520 VP2 but a 112 links DID 520V0 chain...

Hello people,

I am so happy I found this website, I also have a problem with my Kawasaki Ninja 650R and an DID chain. The chain was worn out very quickly, in less than 10,000 km, but the mechanics from Kawasaki, even the chef mechanic told me they had never experienced something like this before.

Now I feel cheated and have a bad feeling about the service from Kawasaki

What can we do?

Bob