Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Hi All, I went to start my GPZ900R the other day and all I got was clack, clack, clack and then the starter motor just free spinning and not engaging. It has also locked the engine up so I cant even push start her.......any ideas? Not sure but I think it may be the alternator chain tensioner or at worst starter clutch?

this sounds awfully familar!!!!!!!!

Mine ended up being a stuffed top end. Shit got inbetween the cams and its housing and decided to rip everything apart, sooooooo hopefully its not that, good luck dude.

Try pushing it backwards in gear....... you could have a hydrolic lock
But only a guess......

the gpz 900 has a few issues the starter issue is the starter ring gear the gt 750's had the same problem. as for the locked motor you have have a droped valve ? i have a gpx 750 and have found that this is the same problem the motor is locked

Check for leaking fuel tap- they can hydraulically lock the engine when it fills with fuel, and even bend rods if you are unlucky!

Thanks for the ideas guys, I will start pulling it down this weekend and see what i come up with.

Sounds like a great excuse for a total engine rebuild, upgrades and some mods he, he, he, he, he, he....
Time to turn her into a track bike hey? Just a thought!

Well i pulled the clutch side cover off and bingo! The alternator chain tensioner had worn causing the chain to be loose which then snapped and jamed gears to crankshaft hence the reason engine was locked up. Phew! that means no engine removal and case splitting.

Bad news! Alternator chain tesioner not available through kawasaki dealer!!! Looks like have to go second hand. Anyone have one lying around??

US Ebay Motors FTW mate .

You could also try Findapart, Victorian MC Wreckers or Metropolitan Spares in Sydney. Findapart is a great service, you should be able to track down a 2nd-hand tensioner through them......

and I think it's actually the balance-shaft tensioner which has broken......the alternator on those bikes is a normal alternator that is bolted onto the end of the crank and sits on the l/h side of the motor - the little chain that sits out in front of the clutch runs to a balance-shaft, and is know to cause problems on these bikes....

Thanks for the tips Gos. Will try the sources mentioned.