[Brinkman]

I just got my hands on a 1993 ZX11D that's been stored, uncovered, out in the elements for a few years. The last time it was started was a few years ago. I've got some work ahead of me and wanted to post my progress here as well as get advice and suggestions from members here.

Here's the list of things I've found so far:

Leak from a rust spot at the bottom of the fuel tank.

Choke lever not moving.

Front brakes and fork area are loaded with what appears to be caked up grease or oil.

Seat is heavily cracked up from weather exposure.

Piece of a screwdriver broken off in the ignition from when it got stolen several years ago.

Chain is rusted.

Needs a new battery.

That's my list so far. I'll update when I get a chance to give the bike a more thorough look.

In the meantime, I'm assuming I'll need to pull the carbs off and do a cleaning. Tank will need to have the old fuel emptied out and check for internal rust. I was thinking about patching the leak in the fuel tank with JB Weld for the time being and coating the inside of the tank with epoxy. I'm going to change the brake pads because they've been sitting for so long. Choke cable should just need some lubrication.

Any advice or suggestions in general are welcome.

 

[M.Rad.]

Congrats on the new (to you) machine! I hope it was inexpensive, because it sounds like it needs some work. Do you know the bike's history? Was it running when parked? What problem led to it being abandoned? I can never understand how people can let a fine piece of machinery just sit and rot! If you can't afford to fix it at least pass it along to someone who will care for it!

Since the heart of the machine is the engine, and there are known issues with oil starvation to the rods I would start with a diagnosis of the oil and filter. Drain and look for metallic particles, then depending on your mechanical ability, consider pulling the sump and inspecting that. If the engine is toast, you would do better to move on before spending time and money on anything else. Or do like I did and buy a running engine and install it.

If you are lucky (and I hope you are), it will just take some cleaning and normal maintenance items and you will be on the road for a few hundred bucks. Seats, chains, sprockets, batteries are all fairly cheap on the 'bay and Amazon.

Best of luck and keep us posted.

 

[Brinkman]

Congrats on the new (to you) machine! I hope it was inexpensive, because it sounds like it needs some work. Do you know the bike's history? Was it running when parked? What problem led to it being abandoned? I can never understand how people can let a fine piece of machinery just sit and rot! If you can't afford to fix it at least pass it along to someone who will care for it!

Since the heart of the machine is the engine, and there are known issues with oil starvation to the rods I would start with a diagnosis of the oil and filter. Drain and look for metallic particles, then depending on your mechanical ability, consider pulling the sump and inspecting that. If the engine is toast, you would do better to move on before spending time and money on anything else. Or do like I did and buy a running engine and install it.

If you are lucky (and I hope you are), it will just take some cleaning and normal maintenance items and you will be on the road for a few hundred bucks. Seats, chains, sprockets, batteries are all fairly cheap on the 'bay and Amazon.

Best of luck and keep us posted.

Didn't want to bore people with backstory, but in hindsight it would have helped.

So, the bike was generously given to me. I've been around the bike since she was purchased used many moons ago, around '06 if memory serves me. She's been down twice, just cosmetic damage. Oil changes at regular intervals, chain lube, etc. Ran like a champ when parked. The bike was 'abandoned' because it's a theft recovery. Off the top of my head I'll say it was stolen about 4 years ago. When it was stolen my friend bought a new CBR as a replacement. Around 6 months later he found the ZX and recovered it, hence the need for a new ignition. It looks like they used a screwdriver to start it and it broke off in the ignition. He didn't want to get rid of the ZX so he put it to the side. So, now, years later it's been given to me.

I know I can't afford to bring it back to pristine condition right now, but making it rideable should be doable.

I'll be posting some pics soon.

 

[M.Rad.]

Well, that's good news knowing it ran well when parked. As for being a theft recovery, it really doesn't matter if you are only rebuilding it for your self to ride. And if you ever do decide to sell it, the values are so shamefully low these days that it won't matter.

And as I said, used parts are cheap on the 'bay. You may be able to get it looking and running better than you expect for less than you think. You can learn bondo/sanding work on your own and flat black is acceptable until you can afford real paint.

In the mean time this is your opportunity to get very familiar with the bike's systems and become more mechanically adept. This site has some great write ups and pictures, as well as generous and helpful members. Again, some things only need to be carefully cleaned and lovingly re-assembled, and they will continue to serve for a long time.

Oh, and down load the manual! I repeat-download the manual!!

These machines are highly sophisticated and even an experienced wrench may not anticipate their specific quirks.

Good luck, and post pics!

 

[quisp]

Don't sink money into it till you see how it runs .

 

[Brinkman]

Don't sink money into it till you see how it runs .

Getting it running is first and foremost on my to-do list. I'm hoping it will run like it did before.

I haven't tried starting it yet since the battery is dead. I'm going to try charging the current battery before I drop money on a new one just yet. Going to drain the tank and patch the pinhole leak that seems to be from a rust spot. I figured I could use some JB Weld for that. I'm assuming I'll need to clean out the inside of the tank and coat it with some epoxy. For the carbs I was thinking maybe I can run some Sea Foam through them and see how that goes before I tear them apart.

 

[taildragger1197]

For the carbs I was thinking maybe I can run some Sea Foam through them and see how that goes before I tear them apart.

:crackup Don't waste your time or money on that shit. It will require a tear-down and physically scrubbing and running a wire through the tiny holes in the main jets/holders and especially the pilot jets.

Bringing one of these bikes back from the brink, especially after being abused and not maintained for an extended period will be expensive, time and labor consuming and frustrating if you try to cut too many corners. I suggest you invest in reading some of the threads here on carburetor trouble shooting before you tear into them.

The members here can help if you ask but please be clear on what you ask and include pics whenever you can. Good luck.

 

[Brinkman]

Here are some pics of the whole bike, the inside of the tank, the inside of the ignition, and the chain.

 

[Brinkman]

The other day I was about to attempt drilling the metal out of the ignition when my drill died after about 3 seconds. I had just charged it that morning. That turned out to be corroded and leaky batteries in the battery pack. Time to rebuild the pack. One more project for the to-do list.

Moving on from that I pulled the battery out to see if it was any good. Zero volts on the meter. Added some distilled water and it measured .21 volts. Charger won't kick in because the voltage is too low. I hooked a 12v 1.5A power supply to it for around 45 minutes and it's now up to 3.21 volts. Tomorrow I'll try putting my charger on again and see if it will kick in.

In the meantime I've got a good amount of rust in the tank that needs to be cleaned out. Pics in the post above this one. I'm going to clean it out the best I can and then coat the inside with epoxy. Seems safe to say that should do the trick with using the existing tank. I haven't researched what to use for the rust removal yet.

I've got a few ideas for getting the metal out of the ignition. Plenty of time to tinker around so I'm in no rush to buy a new ignition. If all else fails my final attempt will be to JB Weld some solid metal wire to whatever is stuck in there and try to jiggle it out.

 

[quisp]

Metal rescue for the rust . Bill Hirsch for sealer, Don't use Kreem or POR 15 .

 

[Brinkman]

Metal rescue for the rust . Bill Hirsch for sealer, Don't use Kreem or POR 15 .

Thanks for the advice on those. That's going to be my next task.

 

[Brinkman]

Ignition update

Drilling didn't work as I suspected. Broke a couple of bits trying.

My next idea was to use a thin screwdriver to try and wiggle it up from a thin gap on the side. After some hammering, maneuvering and patience I was able to get the piece to shift inside the ignition. At that point I knew it was just a matter of time before I could get it out. Spent a couple of hours total on it and I finally got it. Pic of what appears to be a screwdriver tip is attached.

Next was to make sure the key would still go in and turn. Success.

Now I'll move on to cleaning out and coating the tank.

Discovered it needs a new rear sprocket so I'll have to order one. Some of the teeth are worn down.

 

[CrashTheSuzi]

Good way 2 clean the rust out is w a power washer. Remove every acces port u can and blast it as much as u can. When ur satisfied w that plug it and soak it w muriatic acid. Carefully. Like a few hours to overnight for each panel. It will eat the metal. So make sure u soap n water it well when ur done w that. Then if its still poor inside coat it w a good sealer. And install an inline filter to watch for particles. Lotta work but well worth the effort if u plan on keeping the bike

 

[quisp]

Metal rescue is biodegradable and won't harm paint .

 

[Brinkman]

Metal rescue for the rust . Bill Hirsch for sealer, Don't use Kreem or POR 15 .

Any thoughts on using the Metal Rescue for the chain?

 

[quisp]

Any thoughts on using the Metal Rescue for the chain?

No, Buy new it's shot if it's rusty . You don't want a chain failing going down the road ,

 

[viktor92]

No, Buy new it's shot if it's rusty . You don't want a chain failing going down the road ,

Also, I don't think the rubber o-rings will like the Metal Rescue...

 

[quisp]

Any thoughts on using the Metal Rescue for the chain?

Auto trans fluid if it's just surface rust .

 

[Blainethemono]

I have a stock seat

$100 obo

I have stock bar ends - free
Think I have a stock windshield as well

Chain is shot, get rid of it...... Its a broken link looking for a place to happen.

 

[Strider]

Metal rescue for the rust . Bill Hirsch for sealer, Don't use Kreem or POR 15 .

Or Evapo-Rust: https://amzn.to/2IJHmK2

That stuff is amazing! It gets rid of all the rust and doesn't harm the good metal at all.