While riding home on June 7 2025 on I64 West between Parham Rd and Gaskins Rd exits, my Kawasaki ZX-6R lurched while travelling around 70 mph at approximately 11:30PM. Engine RPM rose slightly during the lurch, afterwhich there was a noticeable drop in engine power. The engine continued to run, so I rode it off of the I64 Gaskins Rd exit, and it was only after I was on Gaskins Rd that the exhaust noise was noticeably louder, as if running on only a single cylinder instead of four. I continued to ride until I reached the intersection of Ridgefield Parkway and Raintree Rd, when the check engine light came on and the engine stopped working. I decided at that point not to attempt to continue riding, and with help from a passerby moved the vehicle to a parking lot further up the road. Some weeks later, after bringing the motorbike in to a Kawasaki dealer to assess the problem, I was informed that one of the pistons was heavily damaged by several dropped valve heads, and that the entire engine would have to be rebuilt/replaced. Mechanics stated the likely cause was the engine having insufficient engine oil and excessive RPMs. Kawasaki refused to repair as the bike was no longer under warranty. The valves dropping in the piston could have potentially locked up the engine, resulting in a fatal crash. Kawasaki refused to investigate the engine damage further, instead placing blame on the owner despite me furnishing receipts to prove that the engine oil was replaced multiple times by myself according to the intervals stated in the service manual. Prior to the incident, there was only one warning message that repeatedly came up which was Code 63, which is "exhaust butterfly valve actuator" fault. The actuator however was verified to be working. The engine, as well as photos supplied by the Kawasaki dealer are available upon request.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11704361 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov