OK, Bob, all of this is great information, but I need to remove my ignition cylinder for whatever reason (replace damaged cylinder, etc). How do I do this?

This operation is a little more difficult, but not impossible. Besides basic hand tools, you'll need a 12mm hex key, a small Torx-head driver, and a drill. Follow these steps:

1. Remove the handlebar bolts. Remove the handlebars from the top triple clamp, and lay them against a rag to protect the tank and fairing. You don't need to remove the switchgear, cables, or anything else on the bars themselves.

2. Loosen the bolts holding the forks in the top triple clamp. Use a 12mm hex key to remove the bolt holding the top triple clamp to the steering stem. Gently raise the top triple clamp a few inches, taking care not to strain the wiring still attached to the back. You may need to use a soft mallet and/or block of wood to loosen the top triple clamp.

3. Remove the dust cover on the back of the triple clamp that covers the ignition switch (you'll need your Torx driver for this). Also remove the bolt that holds the cable bracket.

4. You can now see the back of the ignition switch itself — there is a lot of bare wire connections on the back of the switch. Some of these are "hot", so I recommend removing your ignition fuse to prevent you from grounding out your hand tools. Remove the Torx-head bolt that secures the switch. Remove the switch.

5. The top triple clamp should now be free from the bike, with the ignition lock cylinder still entombed within. Take the triple clamp to a well-lit work bench and examine it upside down. You'll notice that the ignition cylinder is held in place by a cast piece that is bolted to the triple clamp. However, the bolts are not normal bolts. They are special theft-resistant bolts from Kawasaki. The heads of these bolts were broken off when they were installed at the factory. The nubs that remain are brass-colored, with a small tit in the center. In order for you to now remove them, they must be drilled out. Use a center-punch to mark the center of the tit on the top of the bolt. Use a drill with a small (about 1/8"-1/4") bit. If you have reverse-threaded bits (I've seen these advertized before — they're used especially for bolt removal) they would likely work best. Drill down into the bolt about 1/4" to 3/8", being careful not to damage the surrounding casting material. Now use an Easyout type bolt extractor to remove the bolts. They should come out _very easily_. If not, try drilling some more with a larger bit to remove more bolt material. I was able to turn mine out using a Torx driver instead of an Easyout. The bolts are not hardened, and are not secured with Loctite.

6. Once these bolts are out, remove the platic cover on the lock cylinder with a small flat bladed screwdriver. The cast piece that secures the lock cylinder can now be removed easily.

7. As the shop manual is so fond of saying, "ressembly is the reverse". Although the breakaway bolts are available through Kawasaki, I'd recommend the much cheaper option of replacing those bolts with standard stainless hex-socket or cross-tip metric bolts. The factory bolts use a standard metric thread, and can be replaced easily at your local hardware store. Besides, there are much easier ways of stealing a bike than removing the igntion cylinder.

As a final note, if you haven't already done so, be sure that your lock code is recorded somewhere convenient. Don't write it on something that's kept under the seat (owner's manual), as that won't do you much good when you've lost your keys and can't unlock the seat! Recording your key code _before you lose your keys_ can save you a lot of the above hassle.

- Bob Sims