revtothelimit - motorbike forum

Thought I'd better start my own thread.....

My stepdad passed away, there was about 1k left after stuff was sorted, so that was the budget for a 600 size CBR,zx6 etc the reason was that I had a BMW 1100gs and when the nice lady wrote it off, I couldn't pick it up so I got a cbr600fx

The zzr, it was on gumtree and started at £1400,then it kept going down, at £800 I had to visit, it had new and refurbished parts(more later)
It wouldn't run properly and then the 'mechanic' blew the main fuse but didn't know how to find it so I fixed it, it ran but not well, it was much heavier than I wanted,it was much too big for me...so I bought it.

Collection day, I had to put fuel in ,it was only 300 meters - I hated it, it was really tall, one toe down, felt like it would tip over at low speed, £10 in and off home ......on 3 cylinders max 60mph.

Got home parked up, hated it and didn't even look back at it, thought I'd get rid in a few days(14 day insurance, distance selling)

Now when I collected it the good bits were
New chain and sprockets
New pirelli angels
A refurbished tank, clean inside and fresh paint
Harrison billet 6 pot calipers (more later)

So after a few days and a bit of research, I whipped the carbs off( took ages) float bowls full of rust/crap, cleaned them out and it ran on all 4 , still handled crap and still far too tall, I'm 5ft8 and the previous owner was 6ft2 and a bit chunky.

1st mod was bar risers, I have done this before on a zx7r and it ruined the front end feel, but as the zzr was much bigger and heavier I thought I'd try, 30mm risers £35 s/h off of a forum, much better on my poor old back/neck

Brakes - being a lot heavier than any of my recent past bikes(I've had approx 75) I couldn't get any feel from the brakes, approaching a set of lights that change late and it's damp, no faith in them or the front tyre, I used half the lever travel taking up slack and then thern not a lot, like squeezing a brick, so I took them to bits(I got a ultrasonic cleaner locally for £15,meant for jewellery) I cleaned everything, pushed the pistons out as far as I dared, red rubber grease etc, not really much better, so I ordered seals and removed the pistons
Cleaned and I got them to push back with my thumb's.
The result not a lot better, jumping on a bit I've since fitted a Yamaha R1m radial master cylinder, I guessed the piston size would work.

It's soooo much better, the lever has more travel and is softer, but you can feel the brakes biting then you can squeeze them and feel a difference, brakes sorted -pars are about £100 as there are 6 individual pads.

Sorting the height problem, I stripped the rear end , so seat ,tank, bodywork and the rear mudguard bit off as the shock is buried deep down inside with no chance of accessing it easily, I spotted a hagon shock -nice- the preload was maxed out, so I wound it almost right off, I could put one toe down each side now, still a bit tall so the next step was zzr600 dogbones, they are a little longer and lower the rear end by between 20-30mm
They also seem to soften the rear a bit too, as it was now so much lower I turned the chain eccentric so the wheel spindle was at it's lowest point, giving slightly faster steering

It's lots better, feels lighter and it hasn't really made it slower steering, I've got to re adjust the shock and add a bit of preload now.

Take it to Santa Pod, ZZRs are fast, it'll be cheap fun.

Next....
I've had the carbs off a fair bit, as it's very cold blooded, sometimes I leave for work at 0300, I've had to start it and give it over 4k to get up the very short drive, it would then take a while to warm up and not run very well, the pilot jets are notorious on these.
The cheap ultrasonic cleaner, I tried Harpic X10 watered down at first, but after watching a vid I use petrol in a sealed container,as the ultrasonic waves travel through the glass or plastic cleaning the jets, I've had to do them a few times, they have probably been in the cleaner over a hour in total, itcan now see through them.
It's still cold blooded, but it's better, it probably doesn't help when it's -2 and the car broke., Zzr in the snow not fun.

Then it started running really badly, a hard fought 30 mph, airbox off and only the middle two slides were working, carbs off and I fitted some new bits, I had new needles, I checked and refitted the carb slides, keeping the slides up slightly to stop the diaphragms pinching.
Back on 25 mins before I leave for work and all 4 slides were moving, off to work at up to 40 mph and a bit more if I juggle the choke, I found out there is a largish tube that goes from the back of the carbs to the ram air at the front, it had been pulled out, refitted I had full power again, still hadn't upgraded the master cylinder yet, so fast bike hardly any brakes,nice.


So far as I got a car (1.4diesel fiesta, heater and radio, luxury) I've not been out much, I tied the brake lever back over night and now have a firm lever, I'm on late shifts this week,3am finishes so maybe next week a proper test, snow allowing

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 11:13 am Take it to Santa Pod, ZZRs are fast, it'll be cheap fun.

I'm thinking that a track of some sort is the only place I can use full throttle, the other day I was in top gear, I challenge myself to hold the throttle open for 5 seconds(not motorway, dual carriageway) I only managed 3 to 4 before a corner approached

Iirc don't the emulsion tubes wear really badly on ZZR11's? Then the needles rattle around and it's just not as well fuelled as it could be.

Good read

I had a couple of the C model ZZR. They were a great bike once sorted. I had a Maxton rear shock and forks in mine and given it's ground clearance limitations it was a hoot at trackdays and a super road bike. 170 odd max,but it got there pretty quickly for a big old girl.

I built one up from a write off (cost me £750 in 93) and it was so much better than my 'straight' one,that I kept the scrapper and sold the other.

I also remember using gallons of brake fluid to get the brakes the way I wanted. There are so many more variables available now,than there was then.

KungFooBob wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 11:22 am Iirc don't the emulsion tubes wear really badly on ZZR11's? Then the needles rattle around and it's just not as well fuelled as it could be.

Yeah,the little bastards can come loose too. Don't ask me how many strip downs it took to find that....

KungFooBob wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 11:22 am Iirc don't the emulsion tubes wear really badly on ZZR11's? Then the needles rattle around and it's just not as well fuelled as it could be.

I thought that was the zx9r , which you cannot replace the emulsion tubes, the zzr has emulsion tubes you can remove

Ssray wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 12:17 pm

KungFooBob wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 11:22 am Iirc don't the emulsion tubes wear really badly on ZZR11's? Then the needles rattle around and it's just not as well fuelled as it could be.

I thought that was the zx9r , which you cannot replace the emulsion tubes, the zzr has emulsion tubes you can remove

Yes they can be replaced if worn to improve the fuelling.

It's the starting that's the problem, starts then revs up to about 2-2.5k
Then if I'm lucky it will do a lumpy tick over or it will stall

Then when it will run with no choke,it won't pull up the driveway,a bit of choke normally helps

Ssray wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 1:49 pm It's the starting that's the problem, starts then revs up to about 2-2.5k
Then if I'm lucky it will do a lumpy tick over or it will stall

Then when it will run with no choke,it won't pull up the driveway,a bit of choke normally helps

Sounds like blocked pilot jets, but could also be an air leak between the carbs and the head.

Ssray wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 1:49 pm It's the starting that's the problem, starts then revs up to about 2-2.5k
Then if I'm lucky it will do a lumpy tick over or it will stall

Then when it will run with no choke,it won't pull up the driveway,a bit of choke normally helps

They all do that sir. On start up some of them liked to sit at 4k,anything less is a stall.

Skub wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 3:13 pm

Ssray wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 1:49 pm It's the starting that's the problem, starts then revs up to about 2-2.5k
Then if I'm lucky it will do a lumpy tick over or it will stall

Then when it will run with no choke,it won't pull up the driveway,a bit of choke normally helps

They all do that sir. On start up some of them liked to sit at 4k,anything less is a stall.

Unless you go up one size on the pilots... Standard Kaw fix for decades.

Which I haven't done to my '95 D3 yet, but can keep the idle down to about 2000rpm by careful manipulation of the choke lever until it's willing to drop down to a regular idle.

On my ZRX (which has ZX11 cams & pistons etc) the usual method is full choke, hit the starter tit, as soon as it fires turn the choke off & ride away.

Ssray wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 11:00 am Sorting the height problem, I stripped the rear end , so seat ,tank, bodywork and the rear mudguard bit off as the shock is buried deep down inside with no chance of accessing it easily, I spotted a hagon shock -nice- the preload was maxed out, so I wound it almost right off, I could put one toe down each side now, still a bit tall so the next step was zzr600 dogbones, they are a little longer and lower the rear end by between 20-30mm
They also seem to soften the rear a bit too, as it was now so much lower I turned the chain eccentric so the wheel spindle was at it's lowest point, giving slightly faster steering

It's lots better, feels lighter and it hasn't really made it slower steering, I've got to re adjust the shock and add a bit of preload now.

Doesn't that effectively negate the drop from the ZX6 dogbones?

ZRX61 wrote: Sat Feb 18, 2023 5:56 am

Ssray wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 11:00 am Sorting the height problem, I stripped the rear end , so seat ,tank, bodywork and the rear mudguard bit off as the shock is buried deep down inside with no chance of accessing it easily, I spotted a hagon shock -nice- the preload was maxed out, so I wound it almost right off, I could put one toe down each side now, still a bit tall so the next step was zzr600 dogbones, they are a little longer and lower the rear end by between 20-30mm
They also seem to soften the rear a bit too, as it was now so much lower I turned the chain eccentric so the wheel spindle was at it's lowest point, giving slightly faster steering

It's lots better, feels lighter and it hasn't really made it slower steering, I've got to re adjust the shock and add a bit of preload now.

Doesn't that effectively negate the drop from the ZX6 dogbones?

It takes a bit of it back, it's still lower than before but the steering is quicker, the rear suspension seems slightly softer too

I noticed the suspendies seemed a bit pliant on mine too after Iowered it.

Took mine for a hoon this morning. Had a cop turn on his christmas lights for me this morning, but he was parked on the other side of the freeway as I went past at Warp Factor Stupid. I may have been making exceedingly good progress on the silly side of 130

ZRX61 wrote: Sun Feb 19, 2023 11:20 pm I noticed the suspendies seemed a bit pliant on mine too after Iowered it.

Took mine for a hoon this morning. Had a cop turn on his christmas lights for me this morning, but he was parked on the other side of the freeway as I went past at Warp Factor Stupid. I may have been making exceedingly good progress on the silly side of 130

They were giving you a round of applause

I think I'll rotate the eccentrics & see where I'm at. That should put the rake back closer to how it was before the low mod.

Of course what I REALLY need to do it swap out the 14yo tires... the rubber still looks perfect, no cracks or perishing etc.

Just thought of something:
Front brake feel & bite etc... Play with the span adjuster. I thought there was something wrong with the front anchors on mine, then I increased the span & they were much improved. They still aren't like my ZRX fronts which will howl the front tire with maybe 1/2in of lever travel, but they get the job done.