What is this thing?

[ZLrider]

and how come no glue seems to stick to it? Almost feels like silicone and it's not exactly smooth. Seems to have a dent in it which may explain why it fell off?

I tried hot glue, seemed like such a light little piece of plastic wouldn't take a whole lot of stick-em to keep it in place. Next morning, lying on the floor again. Guess I should be thankful that I even have this part as it could have fell off going down the road.

Next I tried contact cement. Next morning on the ground. I got it all cleaned up once more and would like to reattach it. Anybody ever run into this before? I guess it's not a big deal, but I like my chrome and sure would like to get this thing to stay put.

 

[Ed]

You need a flexible adhesive because the seal's surface is rubber. Clean it with a solvent and use regular household silicone. Don't rough up the surfaces. Flexible adhesives stick better to smooth surfaces. Cover the entire area filling in the dent so it has the most surface area and let cure for a few days or more.

 

[Kid Nomad]

I had the same thing on my 600. Did like Ed said but used this.... An old Toyota mechanic turned me on to it, best form a gasket there is. Almost too good at times....https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Toyo...100315&sprefix=toyota+form+a+g,aps,368&sr=8-1

 

[Ed]

My 600 originally had the silver capped seal but the new part from Kawasaki doesn't. I changed it because it leaked but I'd like to put it back on with sealant. It seems rare plus, everything else on the bike is original.

 

[ZLrider]

Well since I got silicone on hand I'll give that a try. If that fails guess will spring for the Toyota stuff. What's that seal for and should I be concerned it's deformed? Seems to me that's maybe the whole reason the chrome piece fell off in the first place. Now that I'm thinking about it, think have a brand new tube of 3M weatherstrip adhesive somewhere in the garage. Guess that might be worth a shot too.

 

[Ed]

Weatherstrip adhesive might get hard over time and let go. Silicone is the only thing I know of that won't dry out. I was going to recommend Honda grip cement but it's not made to handle heat.

 

[Ed]

I think someone smacked it in the middle to install it. It doesn't hurt anything but if it forms too big of an air pocket that expands with heat, it could push the cap off. That's why I suggest filling it with silicone.

 

[R. J.]

https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/k...6/zl600-eliminator-zl600-a1/front-bevel-gears . Bevel cap. https://www.partzilla.com/product/kawasaki/11012-1715?ref=9d48974398c2fc3594705c678056afed3c230160 . You need to use gasket maker or it will still leak. Why do it more than one. Do it the right way. https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-821...1616242519&sprefix=permatx+gas,aps,204&sr=8-4 .

 

[musabinu]

I use seal-all since it is oil resistant:
https://www.amazon.com/Seal-All-380...ild=1&keywords=seal-all&qid=1616257669&sr=8-2

 

[R. J.]

Seal all is good stuff. I've used it on bikes fuel valves/petcocks. https://www.acehardware.com/departm...64DO69iUPpULLaUcpKIaAtv5EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds .

 

[Ed]

I used Dow-Corning 111 silicone grease on the new one. It's so thick and heat resistant that it acts as a sealant. If I put the old leaky one back in, I'll use a dedicated sealant.