ZZR1100: Any known horrors?

Got a chance to pick up one, and possibly even the pair (1) of these soon.
Anyone have any knowledge of known horrors to look/listen/feel for?
Preferably based on fact rather than "a bloke in a pub once told me that his
mate's brother in law's ZZR...."
On paper the ZZR seems like a more 'modern' replacement for my old FJ for my
daily commute and longer trips.
At this stage I don't even know whether they are C or D models.
Any info appreciated.
Cheers.
JB


(1) 2 brothers bought matching bikes.

 

Shit. All models or just certain ones? Any particular mileage at which the
problem usually occurs? What was the problem exactly?
Thanks in advance.
JB

 

A quick Google suggests the 2nd & 5th gear dogs go on C's & the 3rd on
D's. Symptoms are jumping out of gear.

 

As Vass says, second gear on Cs. Didn't know about 3rd gear on Ds. Oh,
and if it's whining, then the balancer shaft needs adjusting (yes, I
know it's gear-driven, but there's some sort of adjuster mechanism
just the same which frequently gets overlooked because, well, "because
it's gear-driven and doesn't need adjusting, does it?")

 

I guess a browse of various owners' forums will be in order for this weekend
then. Ta for the info.
JB

 

I suppose if there is any weak point in the drivetrain, ~150BHP will find
it. I may keep the old FJ1100 after all. One of my engines (a 'temporary'
fit until I sorted the burnt valve on the orginal) has the 2nd gear problem,
the original one didn't.
Cheers,
JB

 

Here's one to start you off
http://www.zzr-rg.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3996

 

You could go look for a ZZR1200. Amazing kit for 3 grand.

Though why you don't just buy a Gixxer Thou is a mystery ;o)

 

£3k?! I ain't no IT contractor. I'm talking sub £1k per bike here. Plenty
cheapness. SOBs rool.

Riiiiight. I couldn't afford the laundry bill in any case.

JB

 

This was a bike relatively popular in southern Spain at the time.

I still keep mine, a '92 C, bought new and owned a '90 that was damaged in an
accident but later repaired by a friend.

I never experienced personally any of the horror stories but the main failure
mode is a tendency to spin third crankshaft bearing. This is very related with
how the bike is used.

Many of the bikes around died of that, even know somebody that managed to repeat
the problem three times (fixed under warranty).

The cause of the bearing failure has been discussed extensively in the net but
the consensus seems to be a marginal lubrication system along with a slow return
of oil from the camshaft space to the sump, leaving the pump dry. Third bearing
is simply the weakest point.
This slow return is aggravated doing wheelies or long times of hard acceleration
(yes, I know) as the oil pools in the crankshaft space.
Apparently, simply keeping the oil lever a bit over the upper mark is enough to
make a big difference. Note that the level must be read with the engine hot,
after 5 minutes rest.

Balancing shaft is a non problem, noisy as hell if it's out of whack but its
gear clearance is adjusted by an eccentrical screw and that's all. A slight
annoyance is the tendency of it's oil seal to leak, must be replaced regularly.

Mine is going fine with about 95Mm, the list of failures in 18 years are a rear
damper, a punctured radiator and a blown cooling pipe.

My first '90, repaired and used by a friend, had bearing failure at 135Mm,
repeated at 210Mm, engine swapped, used for some years and then set aside due to
general crumbling.

 

Excellent info. Thanks. A little worrying though. Did they fix the bearing
issue by the D model?
Cheers.
JB

 

Kawasaki did some sump modifications about D's 3rd or 4th year but apparently
made not a big difference.

As I said it has been discussed extensively, many solutions proposed, even
modified sumps but at the end the problem is that the pump sucks air in some
conditions.

What fails afterwards depends of tolerance stacking, oil used, and luck.

Proposed remedy is high oil level, decent syntetic oil (I use Castrol 10-60W,
the one for BMW M series, hot conditions here) and refrain for wheeling.

The biggest factor is still the driver.

Note that C handles better than D, both are decently comfortable in long trips
at a speed, aside from difficulty of fitting luggage. Braking in both models is
marginal, steel braided lines are a must.

 

Again thanks for the excellent info. You can't beat an owner's perspective.
As this is a possible replacement for my FJ1100, I don't think I'll worry
about the brakes or handling.
Cheers,
JB

 

My pleasure, sir.

BTW, in Spain only the full power model was sold but in UK it was restricted for
the first years.

The telltale sign is the top cover of carburators, flat top is full power, a
central cylindrical riser is restricted. Not complicated to fix but it's a
haggling point.

 

http://www.zxforums.com/forums/zx-11-forum/5394-oil-starvation-3-rod.html

 

Apologies, I didn't realise you were a "Traveller"

 

Nice!
No. Just skint. My toys come waaaaay down the list.

JB

 

I have had two, loved 'em to bits.

Cam tensioners can rattle

Balancer shaft makes a noise like a really fucked engine, but isnt

Clutch baskets can be a bit iffy

Cush drives can go a bit wonky

Wheels can crack

Much like any 20 year old bike i suppose, but they are great bikes, fucking
great. Ugly as a **** with a mouldy minge, but great to ride.



--


Nige,

'Candygram for Mongo'

R1

 

Don't forget the ponderous steering and front brakes only just up to the job

 

Steering is fine ofr a 20 year old bike, brakes are shit. Last one i had
some uprated calipers, they did stop it better.

--


Nige,

'Candygram for Mongo'

R1