Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Hey folks, as some of you will know, im new to the forum and the world of the ZRX. When riding it yesterday and today i noticed a couple of things.
1) There is a vibration from about 3000rpm to about 7000rpm. Is this common and if it is, is there a common location to look.
2)The back end is rather soft and bouncy. The knobs on the side of the shocks are set at 4 both sides and the spring preload is adjusted to the 2nd hardes setting
3) When cornering and you hit a bump, or there is a dip in the road, it seems to get a bit unsettled.

Are these all common things for this bike or should i be looking at servicing these components?

Cheers in advance,
Chris

Ohlins bling seems to be standard fittment on all the ZRX's around here.

Hi Chris . . .

Also a ZRX Noob here (04 model) .. had mine for just over a month .. I think

Ive not noticed any vibration at all from the beast .... Id say something may be loose?

In regards to the suspension ... I believe these things have a reputation for being rather spongy with stock set up ..... (Others Rexers will be typing their response as I speak) . . . hence why you will find most (as Blurr has indicated) ZRX's you will find here have had their suspension re-valved and re-sprung .. some Ohlins ... some others . . .

You have your settings (on the rear) .. at max compression damping .. and only two on the preload .... these settings all depend on the weight of the rider and the style of riding you do . .. I would suggest taking the bike to someone who knows about these sorts of things and get it done right . .

Then you will love rexy baby more n more

AS Richo said, no vib problem..just a thought are the wheels balanced.
Ohlins are a great option for sorting out the rear end, unfortunately you will then have to do the front as the ohlins will show ya how bad the front is once fitted.

Gedday Chris,
How many kms on the bike .... the rex is normally known as hard on the back, not soft and bouncy. I've fitted Ohlins to the 12 but when I had the 11 (for 6 yrs) I had the shocks adjusted by Promecha in Melb to make them softer and more accomodating in relation to bumps. I found them to be too harshly sprung such that they jolted when they hit a bump rather than absorbing the bump (to a certain extent). My thinking is that a wheel that's not in contact with the ground doesn't contribute to good handling. When I lived in Ireland, a road racer once said that suspension should be set that it's at the point that it never bottoms out. Maybe that's too simple a setting process.
No vibes really, just the normal vibes through the handlebars that can be exacerbated by running alloy bars rather than steel, and bar ends that are lighter than stock (like me - sometimes hands are close to going to sleep! ).
Hope that helps a bit.
Tony

I adjusted the bound and rebound on the rear shocks to the hardest setting this afternoon and that seems to have settled it down a bit. Its got 40000k on it so it may be time for a strip down inspection?

Im gonna spend some time over the weekends checking things and having a good look over the bike. Ive got oil and a filter to change over this weekend!

First things first. Engines are usually creamy smooth, well mine is. So as been said something could be loose.
Check all engine mounts bolts.
Vibes can also come from carbs out of ballance. Worth a look.

Now suspension?
Front::Its very undersprung in the front, so fit some .90 springs.
The dampers are way to harsh on low speed damping & too soft on high speed damping. You will need to get your forks re-valved. That with the new springs should be a huge improvment.

Rear:: Spring are fine, but again the dampers are the issue.
You will need to get them serviced, & a re-valve. That should fix the backend.
Other than that, it Ohlins all round & your wallet will hate you, not to mention the wife will kill you.$$$$$$$$$$$$

Here's a very interesting read. I have my 05 ZRX forks & shocks there now being done. I execpt them back in the next few days, so I'll give my thoughts on their work then.
http://www.promecha.com.au/project_zed.htm

Im a litlte nervous about my Rex as its not had any Mechanical inspection since i purchased it last year.

Im getting a major service completed on it in the next month or so. I guess ill be told if their is any problems then. This will include the cams, carbs and a through going over by the mechanic.

As for now, it pulls like a Dozer and is running really smooth. I have had comments from mechanics on how smooth the engine sounds.
I service it every 5000km and have done all fluids bar the coolant, but service history said it was done around the 30,000 K mark. I have noticed a slight weep of oil coming out the gear selector shaft seal. Not sure what thats going to take to fix, but ill get to it in due course.

I love the bike to death, cant bet its ability to do almost everything.

s man wrote:Other than that, it Ohlins all round & your wallet will hate you, not to mention the wife will kill you.$$$$$$$$$$$$

You must'nt be doing it right