Own a ZRX? Check your clutch basket!!!!!!!

9500km. Looking through oil filler hole and I can see witness marks on the clutch pressure plate. Must be the usual bloody starter chain tensioner issue Kawasaki have had since 1984 when the GPZ900 engine came out. Haven't found a fix for it yet apparently. I wonder what Kawasaki warranty will do with this? New tensioner, chain and pressure plate would be a good start. Pitted cams at 20000km pissed me off with the ZZR12. This is the fourth warranty claim on the bike in eight months of ownership. Other things were minor, but FFS!

Time to buy a Honda mate!


Neil

I already own four Hondas, and while they are beautifully built and give me no trouble, they suck to work on and are pretty boring to ride. I rode the CB1300, XJR1300, GSX1400 and the ZRX and the ZRX is by FAR the best of the lot and the fastest. Just a pity about the build quality... Best looking too by a country mile.

Well stop bitchin about it & ride the thing, I clocked over 100K on 2 ZRX's and had no clutch problems, dont remember reading about to many clutch problems on ZRXOA either, even with turbo's involved. If it aint broke dont fix it!
Just my 2c worth.


Neil

Maybe you were too busy riding them to look at the clutch- it isn't a clutch problem - a starter chain/tensioner problem. Lots of threads over at ZRXOA on starter tensioners if you look. If I buy a new bike I expect it to be built properly, last a reasonable amount of time and not to fucking fall apart like this bike has. To be fair things falling off are due to poor PD.

My bike went in today and the starter chain is stretched to buggery and the tensioner has been hitting the clutch pressure plate. Kawasaki are going to warrant it but will take a couple of weeks to organise time with the mechanic.

Maybe you were too busy riding them to look at the clutch- it isn't a clutch problem - a starter chain/tensioner problem. Lots of threads over at ZRXOA on starter tensioners if you look. If I buy a new bike I expect it to be built properly, last a reasonable amount of time and not to fucking fall apart like this bike has. To be fair things falling off are due to poor PD.

My bike went in today and the starter chain is stretched to buggery and the tensioner has been hitting the clutch pressure plate. Kawasaki are going to warrant it but will take a couple of weeks to organise time with the mechanic.

Maybe you were too busy riding them to look at the clutch Yes I must have been!

My commiserations to the dealership you bought the bike from!

Neil

Dude dunno what your problem with me is but I assume it stems from my belief that the ZRX is a better bike than the ZZR, having owned both. Or maybe you are a soft touch that doesn't complain when something goes wrong with your items that you buy. Or.....

Dude dunno what your problem with me is but I assume it stems from my belief that the ZRX is a better bike than the ZZR, having owned both. Or maybe you are a soft touch that doesn't complain when something goes wrong with your items that you buy. Or.....

Don't have a problem with you mate! (dont quite know where I said I did?) or your choice of bike, hey its your hard earned after all is said and done. But reading some of your past posts all you do is whinge about Kawasaki this Kawasaki that, if you didn't like the last one, why buy another? So you can whinge about it???
I too had problems with the cams in the ZZR they were replaced at No cost to me, furthermore before they were installed they were sent to be hardened, in case they were also faulty. The cam followers were also replaced at this time. Oil, oil filter you guessed it, replaced free of charge. Time off the road 1 day, waited until the bike was due for a service. Exemplary service from my then Kawasaki dealer. So a lot of the problems regarding warranty work for Kawasaki in Australia in my opinion depend largely on the dealer!!!

When you assume something makes an ass/u/me!



Neil

You must have a good dealer- the dealer who did mine and to whom I haven't returned in three years charged me $80 on the warranty job which was oil, coolant and filter. Did a bloody rough job too.
The dealer I now deal with are great (Gatton Kawasaki) even though I didn't buy the bike from them. I wanted to buy from them but they couldn't come close on price and didn't want to trade my ZZR, which was fair enough coz most of their business is ag bikes and mowers.
Why did I buy another Kwaka- apart from insanity? Cos they are by far the most fun bikes around to ride and are priced well. Other bikes I was looking at were Guzzi Sport 1100 which I drooled over for years until I rode one. Yuk.... Guzzi 1200 Sport and Ducati Sport Classic 1000 were nearly double the price of ZRX, but with less power and less useable riding positions. Don't get me wrong I luv the ZRX. Just pissed about the lack of quality. I think this clutch basket/ tensioner issue is of importance as when the bike was disassembled today I ran my finger over the tensioner and several iron filings were sticking to the tensioner. Aluminium (clutch plate) and steel filings can't be doing my bike any good. Hmm. Might be worth an inspection of the ZZR too- look through the filler cap. The only reason I knew to look for this issue was that I read about it on ZRXOA. I knew GPZ900s did it and assumed they had fixed it by now.

I use a magnetic sump plug, nothing that I have seen warrants further inspection. I will leave that to my mechanic!


Neil

I use a magnetic sump plug, nothing that I have seen warrants further inspection. I will leave that to my mechanic!


Neil

Hey Neil, where did ya get the magnetic sump plug (I use a strainer to see if there is anything in the oil - chips taste terrible next time i use it though)
Thanks, Tony

Wonder if you can magnetise the factory plug? Wish I thought of that last week on the last oil change...

Just get an old hard drive from a pc and pull it to bits.
Inside there are two neodymium magnets in a sort of horseshoe shape, they are some of the strongest magnets available and will stick like shit to a stick to your existing sump plug and thereby magnetise it.
Unfortunately it wont pick up alum chips because they are not magnetic.

Last edited by seiko1 on Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:53 am, edited 1 time in total.

I use a magnetic sump plug, nothing that I have seen warrants further inspection. I will leave that to my mechanic!


Neil

Hey Neil, where did ya get the magnetic sump plug (I use a strainer to see if there is anything in the oil - chips taste terrible next time i use it though)
Thanks, Tony

I bought it from the ZZR site store in the US, alas it no longer exists, you could try the ZRXOA site they may be able to point you in the right direction. There was a rumor that some earlier Hondas had a magnetic plug that would fit, but I never followed up on that info!
Let me know if you cant find anything and I will contact a couple of guys I know in the US to see what they can track down.