Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

I Have just purchased a 98 ZX9R.
I am not allowed to ride it yet legally, I am only a few weeks off now.

It came with a carbon fibre can on it which is Oz racing. However the exhaust noise is really.. well.. throaty. The whole sound is a lot more race-like that I have heard from other exhausts.. The only way I can expalin it, is compare a standard v8 with a nice exhaust, and now add a racing cam with its spitting low rev growl. I am not nearly as familiar around motorbike engines as I am car engines, but I had a look at the extractors and follow the pipes down, and all the piping looks quite new. I was wandering if there was any way I could easily see if more work had been done to it rather than just a changed can.


Also, I know that not until 2000 models was it actually a requirement to use PULP in ZX9R's, but does anyone already have experience with a 1998 zx9r and know which petrol tends to run most effectively?

One other question which doesnt really belong in this section, but I will ask it here anyway, is about the brakes.. Everywhere I read, it talked about the brakes on the zx9r's being really strong. However I find them really squishy.. Is it likely that I need new breaks? apparently the brake fluid has just recently been drained and refilled. If I do get new brakes, is there a particular type of pad that is recommended?

Not to sure which pad to recommend, there are a few around, some peeps here who do track days with zx9's no doubt will be of assistance, has it got braided lines? if not this will reduce that squishy feeling.

Nice choice of bike, I hope you got the blue one!

If you can get a photo of the headers, particularly where they join together I can tell you whether they are the same as mine. They do sound pretty good with a pipe on so it may just be that.

I can run regular unleaded in mine with no problems like pinging, I prefer to run premium though.

I run EBC HH pads on mine, and they have heaps of braking power, but the C1 model has a bit of a reputation for squishy feeling brakes. They can be a bugger to bleed properly, and if you are not patient they can end up feeling worse than when you started. Whoever did yours may not have done a great job.

How many kays have you got on it? Be wary of the gearbox, they also have a bit of a reputation for the 3rd gear to play up and need a rebuild. Not all of them do it, but it's something to be careful of. You can see what I went through fixing mine here http://users.tpg.com.au/mjcowey/gearbox.html

it's actually a gunmetal respray (no accident, the guy did the respray himself)

It's not a bad colour, but I am either going to respray it, or do a lot of chrome work. The bike is excellent, and is the result of about 6 months of bike research, so it suits me perfectly. By the way, is it in need of a steering damper? It has none at the moment.

So far the third gear seems fine, my dad has given it a few good squirts before I purchased it, and no problems there.

With regards to Braided lines (which it does not have) What sort of cost am I looking at?

You shouldn't need a steering damper.

Mick C 98ZX9R wrote:You shouldn't need a steering damper.

yeah l agree you shouldnt need a steering damper....
if you feel it does then l'd be looking at the following
Tyres? are they in good condition or worn?
Forks? when was the last time the oil/springs checked?

l've ridden mine for 6 years and never had any head shake whatsoeva..

try here for raided lines;
http://www.dynobike.com/brake_lines.htm
dunno where you are located but heres a start

Mate if the fluids just been changed you're more likely to have an air bubble in the brake pipes, try bleeding it at the banjo screw where the two pipes go into one above the front end

as for the gas...
i've found LRP to be the best!!!
-sorry inside joke-
sounds like a nice ride, any pics of the gun-ship?!

Deleted for Supidity

Yankee wrote:as for the gas...
i've found LRP to be the best!!!
-sorry inside joke-
sounds like a nice ride, any pics of the gun-ship?!

Yeah i do! http://www.ksrc-au.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2608

Rossi wrote:Mate if the fluids just been changed you're more likely to have an air bubble in the brake pipes, try bleeding it at the banjo screw where the two pipes go into one above the front end

like rossi says, sounds like air in the line, 1 trick an old salt showed me was to disconnect ur brake light switch then remove the front brake fluid reservoir cap, stretch a rag over the reservoir & put a rubber band round it (this stops any shit gettin into the reservoir, but lets air out) next gently squeeze the front brake on till its pulled back all the way, then zip tie the fuker round the brake lever & the handle bar. walk away, crack ur fav beveridge, get pissed & look at it the next morning. this leaves the whole hydraulic system open, letting any trapped air rise up to the highest point (the reservoir) overnight, & cause u don't have the cap on it doesn't get the chance 2 get hydraulic lock from an equalization in pressure (shit i'm startin 2 sound like an engineer)u have now bled all the air from the system without comprimising the integrity of the hydraulic material(sorry couldn't help meself, i was on a roll )

*plop*plop* so i see.

Yankee wrote:as for the gas...
i've found LRP to be the best!!!
-sorry inside joke-
sounds like a nice ride, any pics of the gun-ship?!

yankee u goose, don't lead the newbies astray..........never listen 2 a septic tank dj, all you'll hear is shit..premium is the go m8.

marty & his lead replacement fuel
nearly fuked his bike , the tool
thought he got a red hot tip
from a honda riding stupid shit!
but very soon she start 2 splutter
& marty say "cmon girl, whats the matter"
asks the kwaka boys, who tore him 2 shreds
we couldn't believe it, we just shook our heads
now premium unleaded is all she burn
the yank nearly had an exspensive lesson to learn
but she goes hard now, & its got all goods
but don't listen to honda riders
CAUSE THEY PULL THEIR PUDDS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers for Yappa!!!!

Lovely work there Yappa