rosszx9r

flipin' 'eck.... my bike only has 6 gears.... seriously though, make sure the gear lever returns to it's central position by itself. it could be the return spring isn't working properly. you can get round this temporarily by tapping the gear lever back down with your foot after changing into second. failing this, it will be either the selector drum or the drup forks. either are a bugger to get to so lets hope it's something simple like the return spring. shouldn't be the clutch as bike gears are constant mesh type and don't need a clutch to change gear.

SHUT THE F@#k UP...... sorry frankie but the buttons usually allow the disc to 'float' they aren't riveted that tight. the rotor is alloy and the disc steel. they expand at different rates so there has to be movement at the 'button' or 'rivot'. if you look at the new ebc disc range, you'll see they have developed a new elongated button to reduce wear/wieght, it's designed to allow movement. thought you knew better than to go for a bodge job...

just be careful with changing barrels.... the piston still needs to match the barrel size! you can buy pistons in a number of oversizes. the superdream has 4 piston sizes so it depends how worn the barrels are as to which one you need. david silver might be offering refurbed ones so check the piston size before you order as you'll be needing new pistons anyway if it doesn't match the ones you have. btw - piston diamater should be 70.47 - 70.49mm oversizes come in 0.25mm increments.

no need to replace the barrels rebores aren't that expensive. get a quote from a bike shop before discounting it! the tool for the valve seats should be a stick with a sucker on the end. you put a little grinding paste on the valve seats then use the stick like you're trying to start a fire by rubbing it between your hands... not easy to explain but what i'm trying to get at is it's easy and cheap to do. don't go spending money on fancy drill attachments of fancy tools! sounds like the head wasn't tight enough so you'd of lost compression possibly. you would need a micrometer to measure the barrels properly. if you take it to a bike shop (a proper one! not a nessesarily a dealer) they should be able to measure it for you. if your looking to keep the cost down to a minimum, new rings will make a difference. with a top end overhaul and new gaskets and the valves reseated, you probably will get a decent running bike. remember to run it in properly too for at least 200 miles if you've not got a manual, i can scan the relevent sections out of my old haynes for you or you can google valve seating. probably find a youtube video on this too if you take a look!

some bikes have 2 throttle cables. one to open the throttle, the other to close it! take a look at the inner side of the throttle grip. if you see 2 cables coming from the bottom, then i'd say thats your problem. easy to replace. if you only have a single cable, then i'd suggest the carb sliders may be sticking but that's not really very common.

good guess it could be the caliper casing seals if it's a 2 piston caliper but that's really unlikely. got to strip it down for sure though. not really difficult to do. should only take a couple of hours to complete. quick tip though.... unbolt the caliper while still keeping the hydraulic system full. remove the pads then carefully pump the brake lever to eject the piston. if you don't use the hydraulics to do this, you'll need a plastic foot pump adaptor to pump the piston out which is a little harder to do. just make sure you wrap a cloth roung the caliper before starting and have an oil container ready to catch a flood of fluid if you pump it too far out! if you do pop the piston out, get all the brake fluid off the caliper paint quick as it acts like paint stripper!

well you've done the hardest part and got the top end off. you might as well well get the engine rebored with new pistons (IMHO at the very least, new piston rings like you say. the valves need lapping in once you've cleaned them up. you will also need new valve stem seals. you can usually buy a top end seal kit with all the parts you need for this. shouldn't be too expensive. with all this done, you should see a big improvement in throttle response (well, as much as you can expect from a superdream ) and it should sort out the oil burning issue too...

can't find any info on a 1989 model. the VF750 was available until '87 and vfr from '90 onward. just a thought.... the brown isn't actually a red but just faded/discoloured is it? alternatively, http://server6.theimagehosting.com/image.php?img=vf750-83-87.JPG&album=24592&fullsize=1 gives the wiring diagram for a VF750 which has the same colours apart from the br/bl it has r/bl instead but is probably close enough. based on this, i'd choose the br/bl

oooh.... that even made me cringe

i've used 'sure' noise cancelling earphones and they are good. you need to be careful with earphones though as you'll be cranking the volume up so high it will damage your hearing if you set the volume to a reasonably loud level with your helmet on and the bike enginge off, and you find you still can't hear the music properly while your riding with that volume level setting, get another type of earphone and don't just pump up the volume... pump up the volume.. pump up the volume... dance.. dance.... sorry, getting carried away with myself there....

i did read the comments on the site last time.... it comes down to setting the lube system up correctly. set it up right and there shouldn't be any problems. if you read the whole document, this guy is refering to running a dirt bike at 1/2 throttle for long distances. dirt bikes aren't meant to run long distances. i'd suspect the lube system is set up differently to that of standard road bikes. oil pumps for 2 strokes provide a constant stream of oil while the engine is running then an additional squirt of oil as the throttle is opened and closed. road bikes will have a decent flow of oil continuously while a dirt bike is more likely to depend on the 'squirt' of extra oil as the throttle is used because of how the bike is expected to be used.

2 strokes are not inherently unreliable! the lube system needs setting up properly, thats all. i ran 2 strokes for years (travelling 40miles on motorway to glasgow and back) and the only issue i had was with the crank nut spinning off and drilling through the crankcase but that was a week after i'd finished restoring the bike and it was my fault for not fitting the locking tab properly! once repaired it never faultered again. i sold the bike with 45k miles on the clock and it was running sweetly. loads of old RD's around with 30 - 40k on the clock. most 2 stroke rebores are done to restore power after the cylinder wears over time

you're right that a chain is a series of rivet links but it's the bit about 'the right tools' that makes the difference. if the joints are done by the manufacturer the join will be better quality and the chain is less likely to have a weak point as all links will be the same strength. i've only ever had one chain fail on me and that was a split link connection on a chain fitted to a VFR750. i didn't realise until it snapped that it was a split link (never looked too closely until i was sat at the side of the raod waiting for the AA man to come along!) i replaced it with a riveted link and that was fine for years. i don't believe there is a huge difference between an endless and a properly riveted link unless you really thrash the bike or go on track days in which case i'd definately recomend continuous. the spring clip type split links are fine for bikes with less than ~50bhp. having said that, it's the torque that would snap the chain so if in doubt, go with what the manufacturer recomends.

i use cornwall kawasaki http://www.cornwallkawasaki.co.uk/shop/ ... model=ZX9R thier online parts veiwer will tell you if it's the same part or not...

continuos chains are common and in fact recomended for some larger bikes. it is routine to have to remove the swingarm pivot bolt to get the new chain on. having said that, unless you've got the special tools for the swing arm removal, the rivet link is much easier. just bought a link splitter/riveter to change the chain on my zx9r as it costs £80 for the special kawasaki socket to slacken the swingarm locknut at least with the splitter i can use it on any bike.

never had an issue with mine. maybe it was too big for you i was advised to buy a jacket that felt tight initailly as the leather streches

i've got the same deal from abindon honda dealer... one question from me though.... are they ok for track days? reason i ask is that the track day advice says two piece leathers must be fully zipped front to rear. the RST leathers have a zip which almost comes to the front. are they considered ok?

seems odd but batteries do have different capacities at different temperatures. when cool, you'll get a good kick out a battery. when hot, a little less. it's possibly a faulty battery. go for a run then have a feel of the battery to see if it's getting hot. it should be warm (~30degc) as it will of been charging but much more than that and you should get it tested. not sure if all bike garages do it but kwick-fit do a battery test with a special meter. best test to do is with a volt meter... ignition off - battery voltage 12.5 - 12.7v ignition on engine off - battery volts may drop ~0.2v ingition on engine on (just started with choke on - high idle speed) - battery volts ~13.2v if you rev the engine, the volts should never exceed 13.5v. if it does your regulator is knackered and will cause battery overheat due to excessive charging.

that sounds fine. it's the gases being compressed that you hear hissing. no need to force it any further. you're right. 3 faulty batteries is unlikely. but still possible there are far more likely causes. if the engine turns over, i'd be thinking it's ok mechanically and that it's an electrical fault of some sort. if it is the starter clutch it must be completely mullered if it's draining the battery that quickly and i would of thought you'd notice when turning the alternator by hand. looking on the net, the main problem appears to be the clutch not engaging properly (starter free wheeling i.e. not jamming). i've also checked a couple of old haynes manuals for a CX500 and CB400 both with similar starter clutches and there is nothing of note in there except for a comment about failure in this area being unlikely. what could be happening is your battery is feeding an electrical fault at the time you are trying to start the machine. since it's not blowing any fuses, it must be in the ignition or starter circuit. if you turn the ignition on and then the headlight, does the light last long? what then happens if you try and start the bike with the headlight on? does it dim straight away? one thing you can do is after recharging the battery and trying to get the engine turned over a few times, feel for warm areas on the wiring loom or on connections such as the main ground connection. it might help you identify where all the battery power is going. ideally, i'd suggest using a multi meter but unless you're familair with electrical fault finding that won't be much use. i really think it worth the effort to rule out electrical faults before pulling the engine apart (unless you've loads of time on your hands!) failing that, if the bike bump starts, get it round to a nearby garage and give them the heartache of finding the fault. once they have the diagnosis, you can still take it away and do the repair yourself to keep costs down. just need to pay them for there time!...

bolt 14 holds it in place. not sure why you're calling this a bendix, it looks more like an alternator rotor to me. and no point taking it off. the fact that it turns is good as it is bolted onto the end of the crankshaft so you can rule out engine seizure. just to verify all is ok, when you turn it, it gets harder and harder to turn, then if you keep turning, it surges round? if so, that would confirm your getting compression in the cylinder. taking this alternator rotor off requires locking the crank. you can just put it in gear and put the rear brake on but as i've said, i really don't think you'll achieve anything doing that. since you've had the alternator apart, you'll most likely need to reset the timing (could be why it doesn't start!) it's probably worth taking a step back from where you've got too. get the basics ruled out. make sure your timing is set up correctly. clean the carbs out charge the battery (again) clean the air filter use fresh petrol clean the plugs (replace if needed) check all the electrical connections on the HT system verify you get a good strong spark (could be a failing HT coil causing poor starting) hope this helps...

i had BT014's on mine and they wore pretty quick. i'm trying the new BT016 at present as it's supposed to have a harder wearing centre area. it's the BT020 thats the sports touring tyre so if it's long life over grip your after, that would be a better option for you.

i think you'll have to bite the bullet and strip the starter motor down! the power to the motor goes via a pretty meaty contact that gets made by the solanoid pulling the motor into it's drive position. the solanoid is easy enough to check as you'll hear it click when you tried to start the machine, the main power contact is the main suspect followed as you guessed by the motor brushes. have you checked/ cleaned the earth connection for the starter and battery?

Hi all, i've been reading a few emails here today about vibration and wheel balance and it got me wondering.... do you need to balance a bike wheel? i never have and i've never had any issues with vibration. i can understand why car wheels need balancing as they are much larger and mass produced so likely to have greater manufacturing differences. bike tyres require higher quality moulding due to the importance of the profile for grip. i just bought a new BT016 for my bike and i wasn't even asked if i wanted it balanced. i've never seen a bike with the lead wieghts on the wheels! it's a right little earner for car tyre fitters so i would of thought if it were needed for bikes, all the dealers would be offering it... i'd be interested to know everyone elses experience and thoughts...

when was the last time the bike ran ok? looking at the rust on the front sprocket, it's been a while we could do with a bit more background in order to help such as any other work you've done to the bike if the battery is good and the starter motor turns but only slowly, it's because the motor isn't passing enough current or the load on the motor is greater than it can cope with. not passing current is due to: poor battery poor electrical connection (both at the battery or the starter motor grounding) worn solanoid contact worn starter motor brushes or weak brush springs over loaded motor could be: no oil in engine corroded cylinder increasing friction failed bearing couple of quick test would be to take the starter motor off the bike and test it on a bench to make sure it spins ok. take the plugs out the engine and put a small amount of oil in the cylinder (if it's been sat for a while unused) double check all main power connections and especially the ground connections. you really need a volt meter to test the battery properly but when connected to a decent charger, the charger itself should give some indication of battery state. does it charge up ok?

it's not ally..... it would melt i bought a polishing kit from MandP to polish my wheels. it works great and only cost £17 for all the brushes and compounds. and as already said, laquer it after although, good luck finding a heat resistant laquer! might be easier just to paint it silver???