Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Hi ZZRians,

I've just picked up a second hand zzr600 1998 E model. I ran out of fuel on the second day I owned it, (only got 200km's out of the tank ) I turned the tap to reserve and it wouldn't restart.

After getting the bike home we took the reserve tap off and tried to blow compressed air through it and no air would go through. We could poke a bit of wire through the reserve nozzle so it wasn't blocked I guess but no fuel or anything else was getting through the tap in the reserve position. After putting everything back together and trying to start it on reserve again sure enough it still wouldn't start. Looking at the fuel filter no fuel was going through to the filter when I pressed the starter button when on reserve. What's happening here? Has anyone else had this problem? Any ideas? The bike runs fine on the main tank with the tap turned to on.

If it is a vacuum tap, it will only flow while set to 'prime'. Otherwise it needs a vacuum source (engine usually) to pull the diaphram and get fuel flowing.

Check the fuel pump. E model doesn't have a vacuum tap. Mine used to be extremely difficult to restart after running out of fuel. The lower part of the tank is below carby level, so it will run on gravity feed on main - but needs to be pumped on reserve. Mine wouldn't pick up the fuel from reserve unless I switched it over before the main ran dry. Then the pump died completely and the bike would only run if it had more than a third of a tank of fuel.

^My ZX7 (96)had a similar thing, i just made sure if i could start to feel it running out i'd quickly switch while still moving, otherwise you could either run the battery flat (did this a few times) OR after a while i worked out if you leave it sitting for about 5mins it seemed to fire up again, after a few small hits of the starter.

My 7R had to switch it over on the fly before cut out otherwise it wouldn't start on reserve unless you clutch started it.

greenmeanie wrote:My 7R had to switch it over on the fly before cut out otherwise it wouldn't start on reserve unless you clutch started it.

My 7 was exactly the same

So is it a 'priming' issue like the guys above are talking about, or have you filled up again, and now it still runs on "ON" but not on "RES"?