Quick (I Hope!) Charity Project - Kawasaki ZZR600

[A_morti]

When I got my 2004 fz6, the front brake was terrible despite the bike having only 15k km and all the components looking like brand new.

I removed the discs and pads from the bike and scrubbed them with lots of dish soap and a stiff brush, and a nozzle brush for cleaning out the drillings. Then did it again, and again, etc. until the soap bubbles came away clean.

Brakes work like a new bike now.

Might work for you too, and costs basically nowt.

[mikeycee]

When I got my 2004 fz6, the front brake was terrible despite the bike having only 15k km and all the components looking like brand new.

I removed the discs and pads from the bike and scrubbed them with lots of dish soap and a stiff brush, and a nozzle brush for cleaning out the drillings. Then did it again, and again, etc. until the soap bubbles came away clean.

Brakes work like a new bike now.

Might work for you too, and costs basically nowt.

Thanks for the tip - I’ll give that a go this weekend to see if I can get a bit more bite out of them. They are half worn, will definitely need new pads before the challenge but
If this can help in the interim that would be a massive bonus as they are not confidence inspiring in any way.

Discs are some nasty non-descript waveys which I’m sure is not helping matters

[mikeycee]

Afternoon All,

Hope you had a nice Easter break!

Quick update on the ZZR and its (Rather eventful) Shakedown runs so far....

If you have any spare pennies, please feel free to donate here - Even a quid would help and make all the embarrasment outlined below worthwhile

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/ ... lenge-2024

First off - a Couple more runs in the bag, I swapped out the LED Conversion for the original Halogen one and I think I am going to stick with the LED for now as the beam on the standard set up is pretty weak. I am going to be riding through the night and need good visibility, and I am also going to have some additional draw on the battery from a couple of USB ports and a tracker so the LED will do for now - I will maybe try and find a better set up before the event in terms of beam pattern however!

On my previous update, I mentioned that I lost the pedal on the rear brake and had to re-bleed the system..... This unfortunately came back to haunt me on the weekend!

The plan for Monday was to hit between 100-150 miles (Weather dependent) to give the bike a proper shakedown to identify any long distance running issues as it's only been relatively short hops so far.... And we identified one quite major issue only 14 miles into it. I was heading out towards Buckingham I noticed that the engine began to feel a little sluggish and wasn't pulling great at low revs (Particularly in higher gears) so I was having to change down more - Something I hadn't noticed before which rang some alarm bells. The engine was still running ok and feeling smooth so decided to press on and see how things went. I had put some fuel system cleaner in with the latest tank of fuel so I put it down to that.

That was all - No other symptoms, rattles, clatters or bangs.....

Pulled up at a (very busy) roundabout and waited to pull out. When the opportunity came I went to release the clutch and the bike wouldn't move - Stuck to the spot. Engine was still running fine but was locked at a standstill. I had no idea what was going on (I was in first, No brakes on, clutch ok..... But I'd lost the rear pedal again I noticed..... Foreshadowing). At this point I was waving traffic past me, feeling like a bit of a dickhead - But that was just the start of it!

Guy comes running across the road shouting 'Your on fire mate!!'

So I jump off the bike, and he was correct - Flames coming out of the rear brake, about half a metre or so high...These flames were not going to be patted out, so I stick the bike on the stand and me and this guy are running down the queue of traffic asking for water or a drink or any type from anyone and finally a lady gives us her sports bottle of water.... Bikes still on fire and gathering pace at this point with the flames now melting the rear left panel. Dousing the rear with water and we manage to get the fire out quickly and drag the bike (back wheel is locked solid) over to the path so the traffic could move again.



I was so embarrassed - And then it got worse when I heard the sirens in the distance.

Guy who helped me out headed for his car, and just as he pulled off a police motorcycle pulls up followed by a police car, then another police car..... And then a fire engine ~ Someone in the queue must have dialled 999..... So I'm there, with my shitty smouldering bike with 5 cops and three firemen all laughing at me whilst all I wanted is for the ground to open up and swallow me - I was mortified

A hundred apologies for wasting everyone's time (They were all fine and in good humour) and they were off to deal with some real emergencies and I went and hid at the fuel station whilst the AA Came to sweep me up.

Turns out the pistons in the rear caliper had seized, and were on all of the time, destroying the pads and discs - But as I was on the move it was impossible to tell the brakes were binding (But hindsight tells me I should have stopped when I noticed the engine was feeling sluggish as it was the rear brake pulling me back). As I was on the move also there was no noticeable burning or flames due to the cold air and no visible smoke - but once I stopped the pad plates (melted metal at this point) welded themselves to the disc and burst into flames along with all of the rubber seals and gators on the caliper.

Ugh



The AA Guy was also laughing at me a fair bit






These pads were only 50% Worn




Caliper looks to be salvageable, the brake line is ok so best case I need a new disc (found a second hand one on eBay for £15) and new pads, pistons and seals.

All being well I can get the parts this week and them get things back together and in working order over the weekend.

I knew there would be drama along the way with this challenge - But not fires!

[Supermofo]

As soon as you mentioned the sluggishness (with a hint too) I knew where this was going. I has similar on a brand new KTM 660SMC demo bike I took out. I left the dealer and a mile up the road the bike really started struggling so round the roundabout and back to the shop. Only as I exited the roundabout it slowed to almost a crawl. Jumped off and the rear disc was purple and smoking. Eventually got it cooled off and back to the shop. I didn't buy it

[Skub]

Amazing work. I wouldn't have believed a ZZR rear brake was that good.

[Rockburner]

I can take the key out with the ignition on - So I need to watch that!

The Mirthcycle used to do that. Get one of these and fix one end to your jacket.

Only real headache I've had so far is the jamming throttle.... It doesn't return at all. Both cables seem to be in good condition and move freely Ive checked the routing on the cables against the workshop manual and all is as it should be. Ive tried everything and the thing will sometimes slowly return but 90% of the time it will not return at all. The only solution I have found is removing the return cable - Once that is disconnected it snaps shut with no problem at all and is absolutely fine.

QUESTION - Is it ok to run it without the return cable? I cant seem to think of any scenarios where it could be a major issue or even dangerous, Unless someone can tell me otherwise? I would disconnect it at both ends and keep it onboard as a spare if the pull cable snapped so would be handy as a free backup.

Assuming the fittings are the same, go for it. IIRC I ran the Mirth like that for quite some time after the primary snapped en-route to a job interview.

[Dodgy69]

I've had this on the gs. Back brake needs to be well backed off. Good read though and hope it's all good from here. Always thought those luggage clips were a good idea on the zzr.

[mikeycee]

As soon as you mentioned the sluggishness (with a hint too) I knew where this was going.

I should have thought about it really - I just thought it was the engine holding back

Amazing work. I wouldn't have believed a ZZR rear brake was that good.

Its not - Its awful! Irony is I don't even use the rear brake at all haha

The Mirthcycle used to do that. Get one of these and fix one end to your jacket.

Good Shout, I will do that!

[mikeycee]

I've had this on the gs. Back brake needs to be well backed off. Good read though and hope it's all good from here. Always thought those luggage clips were a good idea on the zzr.

Once I get everything back together I will be sure to do that - Cant risk a repeat.

I thought the same with the clips, I am going to have a tank bag and a tail pack on and these will make things a lot easier!

[mikeycee]

Afternoon All,

Hope you have had a nice weekend!

If you have any change from your beer and BBQ Money, please may I have it?

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/ ... lenge-2024

Little update on Fireball ZZR for you, a good weekend following delay after delay and managed to get a lot of things covered that should have been well in the past if it was not for our little meltdown a few weeks back

Managed to get hold of a replacement caliper as there was some damage to the seat for the seals on the one I removed which I think may have contributed to the initial issue, not sure how long it had been like this, or if it happened during the overheating but either way I was not confident to put it back together in that condition.

I had a second hand straight disc for £15, some pads for £5 and most expensive of all a new piston kit for £38.... All for a brake that I don't even use

All reassembled and in place now... I am struggling to get the air out of the system and have a very spongy brake with low pressure, but I will be honest in that as I never use it I am not too bothered if it works well or not and it was more of just a box ticking exercise to keep it road legal!

With that done and out of the way, I could move on to other things.... Starting with getting that snapped ball ended allen key out of the reservoir!



With that done I fully flushed the front system out with new fluid, and at the same time bled a good bit of air out of the lines too. Lever has more of a solid feel now so I am hoping that performance will be more improved (a little at least) over the terrible feel and lack of power it had previously. I will need some new pads in the next month or so, that can only improve things further too.

Another engine oil change done as well, I wanted the first lot to be dropped quickly as a bit of a clean for the engine and I was surprised at how dirty it came out - Fresh oil in there now ready for some miles.

Also fitted my USB Charger up front, First one I have ever used and was impressed with the voltage indicator to keep an eye on things to make sure I'm not giving the battery too much of a pasting. I will be running a separate tracker as well as charging a Nav and phones so this should give me an early indication of any issues - Seems as though the charging system is running well with a healthy circa 14.2 when on the move.



I also made a start on my planned paint change for the bike, I am putting some of my sponsors logo's on the bike to show my appreciation so needed a blank canvas to work with:

Marvel at my ghetto paintwork skills





Quite happy with the way the logo's should contrast with the satin black (£14 for 4 Cans!)


So now we are back in a good position thankfully, I have some new fork oil to drop in at some point - But I am not in a massive rush to do that.

Time now to try and get back on the road and get some more miles in, I need to get a couple more weekends with moderate miles in and then I am going to get some long runs with some big circular routes when I can squeeze it in between work, kids, covid and everything else!

Thanks for reading!

[weeksy]

Thread of the month awarded

[mikeycee]

Thread of the month awarded

Thank you, and even more of a Thankyou for the support!

Do you have any more stickers left that I can purchase and stick a couple on the bike? I’ve had a few sponsors come through from this lovely RTTL bunch so I think a bit of appreciation is due!

[Count Steer]

Apparently there are no stickers left. I bet there's some one out there that hasn't got round to sticking theirs on though.

Anyone got a sticker or two to donate to the cause?

[weeksy]

Apparently there are no stickers left.

That's correct. We do have some of the fancy keyrings and a Buff or 5 left if that's any use ?

More than happy to get a sweatshirt or something made for you at our cost @mikeycee

[mikeycee]

Apparently there are no stickers left.

That's correct.

I may have a solution with the stickers @weeksy - I will drop you a PM if that's ok?

EDIT - I think your inbox may be full!

If anyone does happen to have some laying around unused however I would be able to give them a good home!

[mikeycee]

Evening!

Hope you are all having a nice weekend

Link plug to begin with, Sorry to bang on

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/ ... lenge-2024

Please can I have any of your unspent beer money?

Now the bike is all together again and ready to ride, There was nothing else for it than to get all my shit sorted and out of the way as quickly as possible today and get on the road! Although the sun was out, it was deceptively cold.... And to be fair I was not really feeling it (I am the bang average fair weather rider!) but I pressed on none the less.

Great ride out, bike did not miss a beat and everything to repot was positive

Rear brake was completely free moving, no heat at all from any part - And I did not use it once in the 75 Miles I was out for.... So I will deem that as problem solved

The last tank of fuel I put in, I added a dose of Forte fuel system cleaner. Ive never used anything like this before on any of my bikes but I wanted to give this a go as the inside of the tank was a bit nasty (Not full of rust, but the inside surface is discoloured and I have no idea on the history of the bike) so thought it would be worthwhile. I ran the first 200 Miles pre treatment, and the 75 Miles today has been with the additive added. I dont know if its placebo, but the intermittent misfire it had at low revs seems to have gone, it feels more responsive at low revs also and feels smoother through the range. Could just be that its improving the more miles I am doing, or it could be the cleaner doing its thing - But either way it feels better.

Ive noticed a huge difference in the front brakes since I have refreshed the fluid and pushed the residual amount of air out of the system that was in there. I have a much better feel at the lever, and a far better response and control mid-brake. To be fair, they are still crap... but feel far better than they were and the new pads I will get before the challenge day itself should hopefully improve things further.

I still need to replace the coolant and fork oil (They feel springy, clunky and horrible so need to see whats going on) but I am in no rush to sort that as its not causing any massive issues. I am just happy right now that there are no apparent big problems and I can just get on and ride the thing and get myself in a better place to be able to endure the miles!

Ive also got most of my sponsors on the bike now - The support I have had from everyone has been amazing, that includes you lovely people too!!





Thanks so much, I really appreciate it


More moderate miles now as mentioned in my last post and I have three routes planned of 500+ Miles that I intend to complete before the event. All circular routes planned on Calimoto, No motorways and all twisties to get me as prepared as I can be.

Thanks for reading - Enjoy your Sunday!

[Count Steer]

You got some RTTL stickers!

[mikeycee]

You got some RTTL stickers!

I did indeed!

Weeksy was kind enough to email me a Hi-Res logo and I managed to persuade the guy who did my other stickers to print me a few off on his digital press

[mikeycee]

Good Afternoon All

Hope you have all had a nice, sunny bank holiday weekend!

Just a quick plug for my charity page if you may not have yet seen it

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org ... enge-2024

So Saturday saw the first proper test for Fireball ZZR in a moderate distance run out to the cost on Saturday. The plan was a steady 210ish Mile, 4 hour plod from my hometown of Milton Keynes, up to Hunstanton and then back. Weather was looking good, so one I had all of my family duties out of the way in the morning I got my stuff together, dragged the bike out and got on the road.

Happily I know the route quite well, so no route planning was needed thankfully and I was just able to jump on the bike and go.

Really happy (And relieved) to report that the ZZR Didnt miss a beat. Pulling away is a pain (Ill get to that later) and first into second is a bit crappy but other than that - It was a smooth, easy ride up to the cost and then straight back just stopping for fuel and a sarnie! Seems at its most comfortable at 80mph at 7k revs and I think it would be happy to run at that all day long to be honest.

Brakes still feeling much improved after the fluid refresh and thorough bleeding..... and the rear still has not been touched

Bike is doing roughly 130 miles before the fuel light comes on so not a bad range, I am going to see if I can plan my stops around this sort of distance if possible. To be honest I did wring the ZZR's neck a little bit as I was getting a bit carried away trying to keep up with all of the Fireblades and GSXR's that were screaming about on the roads to and from Sunny Hunny and was having a bit of a giggle in the process. I think I could stretch it a bit further, and on my next run out which hopefully will be 500 Miles or so, I am going to practice riding more conservatively and see how much I can stretch the range..... I need to ride smart!

Got back to MK and I was in a fair bit of pain, Mainly knees and elbows.... Not sure if there is anything I can do to help with this (Maybe supports?) but I think I just need more time in the seat as I am just not used to these distances without regular brakes. I have done more miles on the road already this year than I have done annually probably the last 5 years so I think its just a case of getting conditioned to it again!

The clutch is causing me problems - Its so bloody heavy and is hurting my wrist and its also starting to slip when putting load on through the mid-range. I don't have any experience with clutches to be honest, but I am looking at getting a clutch kit for it next month potentially - But with my lack of knowledge I don't know weather I need both the steel plates and friction plates, or just the friction plates.... I assume I need new springs to make the action lighter, I don't know to be honest.... I just feel I need to do something with it before I do the full journey!

Any advice welcome

So happy with the first proper run out for the ZZR, 4 Hours and 235 Miles on the clock and really happy with the performance, really comfortable ride and really looking forward to pushing on with what I am considering the first 'proper' test for me and the bike in a ride of 500 Miles

Have a good week!

[Ian]

if the clutch is heavy and slipping could it be the cable binding? Mine isn't heavy and never slips. If the cable is binding maybe its never releasing properly