Tuning up ZL900 with chaindrive

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ARCHIVE_gehang

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ZL1000 Carbs question...

Can you tell i'm working on my bike this month? 3 days, 3 questions.. anyways...

So I sent my bike to a reputable (I thouht) kawasaki dealership to have the carbs cleaned and such. They replaced a bunch of o-rings, needles, and cleaned them up real good. When I picked it up this morning I drove it home and I noticed when I got home the last carb on the right was leaking real bad. The drip was right up between the last 2 carbs so I couldn't see where exactlly it was leaking, all I could see was the run-off dripping from the bottom of the last carb...

I drove it right back to the dealer and the guy at the desk called the shop guy out to the lot and asked him about it.

The shop guy said:
There is a brass piece which closes off the gas when the floats lift. After a carb clean on an older bike it's common for the seals to make bad contact. Even after replacing the rubber part, when the brass wares down there is nothing you can do about it but replace the carbs.

I asked him, well isn't it possible that you pinched an O-ring on the float bowl, or the drain plug itsn't tight. How are you sure the carb is shot, and why didn't you tell me this when I picked up my bike this morning..

We went back and forth for a bit, nothing new, he stuck to his, order new carbs theme...

It's hard to believe that you can't replace that brass thing?

Anyone know what he's talking about?
 
That's what I think.. It's terrible.. today I went around the block (less then 2 miles) and when I pulled in and set the kick stand down I noticed a drip from the other side now, I put my finger on the drip and started a flood. I taped the side cover (left leg side) and started another stream.. Then I took off the side cover and opened the air filter change hole in the air box.. Holy crap. There was about 1/4 inch of standing gas in there before I started undoing the screws and it all come out on to my feet. The air filter is soaked in gas, the whole inside was wet...

I wiped everything down and left it open to evaporate... I've got to get this fixed...

Is it hard to remove the carbs so I can take them in to someone?
 
If you can remove the carbs you can fix it yourself. The airbox boots have to be soft and pliable or get new ones. Loosen throttle cable adjusters, remove cables from grip leaving them bolted to the housing, housing hanging, remove tank, remove seat, drain fuel bowls,remove vacuum hoses, remove choke cable bracket and cable end, leave fuel hose on carbs, slide back the springs on the airbox boots, unbolt airbox and slide it back as far as it will go 1/4" lol...loosen carb holder clamps beyond loose as the boots need to expand to release carbs. tilt carbs down and out of holders then pull them against the airbox boots and slide them out halfway to the right Here is where you disconnect cables.
Remove fuel bowls, arrange them so they wont get mixed up, remove float pins, floats, and needle valve arrange these also. remove diaphragm covers and vacuum slides. Backflush with carb cleaner through the needle seat, while you are in there you may as well check the work you had done and remove the jets and spray carb cleaner and compressed air through all passages. make sure the air bleeds in the throttle valve are clear by squirting carbcleaner through the air screw hole, pilot jet hole, and pilot air jet hole(bottom airbox side of carb opening jet)
You need to install an inline fuel filter. I use a metal 5/16 filter #g454 from autozone, plastic ones have warped on me in the past, i don't trust them. Good luck. You can always PM me for my # and call. Later!
 
Hey mark, thanks for the detailed explination. I think they should all be pretty loose since they were just off earlier this week at the shop.

I'm gonig to try to pull them off on my day off next week. If I have any probs i'll PM you.. Thanks for the help offer, I may end up having to take you up on it...

Gehan G.
 
Hy everyone here -
only wanna know if anyone here has ever built an engine from a ZZR1100 or ZRX in his elli - my next project in the comming winter is exactely that and I´ve read that the ( probably expected ??? ) problem is the less place left inside the frame for the paththrough of the chain. I´m not scared about to check that out by my own, but other wise : whyever should I try something if there´s someone else who´s already done the same and knows what problems await me. Next issue : I´ve a pic of a fuel tank stored on my pc - the tank looks like a fat-boy tank from harley. Anyone here who can explain me how to upload pics here ??? Would like to publish that pic - perhaps someone knows who´s bike that is or where this tank is
from ??? Looks really great ( the whole bike ) and I wanna turn my elli in the same look.

Thanx you all and best greets from germany,

Tommy
 
Dreambike, check out MachIV's gallery, he has a ZRX1200 in his ZL. He kept the shaft drive.

Easiest way to post pics is to set up a "photobucket" account, it's free and easy. Once you get that set up all you have to do is copy the"URL" in the forum as described in the forum FAQ's.

Good luck, we look forward to pics here!
 
Hy Jeff,
thanks a lot for your describtion - try the way with the url.
The engine ZRX1100 / 1200 itself is not the problem - the problem is the chain... Don´t wanna built the shaft drive in that engine - shaft drive is the power-killer no. 1. I´ve had the same stuff years before with my V-Max ( avatar - pic ) after having changed from shaft drive to chain drive it was hell on wheels. Took a long time to make that and was definiately not easy to make in no way - but the result was great. It´s been the same problem : the place inside the frame was too small for the path of the chain.... needed a 7,5" backwheel to keep the chain in line.

Greets Tommy
 
zrx 020.jpg
dreambike said:
Hy everyone here -
only wanna know if anyone here has ever built an engine from a ZZR1100 or ZRX in his elli - my next project in the comming winter is exactely that and I´ve read that the ( probably expected ??? ) problem is the less place left inside the frame for the paththrough of the chain. I´m not scared about to check that out by my own, but other wise : whyever should I try something if there´s someone else who´s already done the same and knows what problems await me. Next issue : I´ve a pic of a fuel tank stored on my pc - the tank looks like a fat-boy tank from harley. Anyone here who can explain me how to upload pics here ??? Would like to publish that pic - perhaps someone knows who´s bike that is or where this tank is
from ??? Looks really great ( the whole bike ) and I wanna turn my elli in the same look.

Thanx you all and best greets from germany,

Tommy
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