[Zx9_newrider]

Hi everyone,
I'm a new zx9 rider. Managed to bag myself a 99 C2 stock ninja (red/black) that's in pretty good shape. I have a few issues I'd like you guy's opinion of.

I've read through the forums to find someone with the same problem but as of yet, no one has the same 'noises' as I have.*

Between dead stop and moving up to around 3500 rpm there's a rattle that sounds like something clicking against plastic. Kinda like a knocking noise. It increases in speed with the bike and sound like the front end (hard to tell with helmet on!). It doesn't make the noise when stationary. I'm advised to check my calipers..?*

I should mention the bike was bought at 30k miles and I'm led to believe it has mostly been driven only 3k a year in dry weather. It was pretty clean when I got it other than a shed-load of sludge that had collected in the front sprocket. There's no signs of wear in the metals and frame/swingarm.

I have the seemingly common 'jumping' of revs when holding steady throttle too. Am I right that a jet kit is the answer? If so I know where to source one but am unsure of the benefits (money's tight these days!). I don't care about extra hp, just a comfy ride.

Im curious about lowering the front end. If it increases stability in corners, as I've read, then I'm all for it. I ride mostly town roads (stop start) and sometimes 20miles of motorway 6 times a week so I do a lot of miles.
How much should I lower the forks through the clamps? Do I need an extra pair of hands to hold things so it doesn't fall apart on my concrete garage floor? :-/

I also want to repaint the fairing. Any tips for a complete newbie? Current fairing is stock black/red/purple from 99 C2. I'd like it black mostly with white and/or ninja green. Yum.*
Do the stickers peel off easy? Do I have to sandblast the old paint off the tank first? The panel stickers On the tank look lacquered..?

One last one.. I read someone changed the rear end of their zx9 to a zx6 tail. Does this involve cutting metal? If so I'm not that way inclined. But nice if not. And the 2001 zx9 front fairing fits 99?

Thanks

Rob

 

[e1_ZX-9r]

Rob,

Welcome to ZXF! I'll take a stab at the 3rd, 4th & 5th paragraphs.

Your front-end noise could be the caliper tension plate. Take it off and bend it slightly to increase the force it puts on the brake pads. One or both of your rotors are warped enough to cause the pads to knock back and forth. <more>

All that chain lube goop & crud is normal. At least it shows the previous owner lubed the chain.

Buying a jet kit to solve the lean-surge issue common on our 9Rs is not necessary. What your bike needs are two things: a proper carb synchronization and perhaps shimming the jet needle up 0.5 - 0.8 mm. The bike will not only behave more like an EFI bike, including easier starts, but with this minor shim raising, boost mid-range power for a little more exhilarating ride.

 

[Zx9_newrider]

Thanks

Thanks for the quick response. I'll definitely check these out at my local dealer. Is it likely I'll be needing a new pair of disks if they're warped, or can they be reshaped cheaper? Prices for disks is obscene...

I'm planning a 2500 mile Europe trip this summer and I want make sure my new bike is up to it.
Any other recommendations for me to check?
Best tires for that trip? I'm going nurburgring race circuit for a few laps. No racing but a but of fun with friends, plus we're travelling to the stelvio pass
Want to take a few winding roads so it's not all boring motorway!

Thanks

 

[e1_ZX-9r]

You can do what I mentioned yourself. The sync takes 45 minutes with the ~$85 CarbTune, start to finish and if you include that time to get to the top of the carbs, the jet needle shim for your C2 model CVKDs will take less than 10 additional minutes. The shim washers are $0.59 a set at Home Depot as outlined in the Web links.

As for the rotors, I know it is possible to resurface rotors, but at what cost? If you're getting positive feedback while braking, I'd leave them as is and not fret about it. Long trip and maintenance advice? Like that of any other vehicle before a long journey. I'd like to know where every maintenance item is within its scheduled interval, fresh motor oil, plenty of brake pad life, valves adjusted, etc. Tires? Whatever you prefer. I like Michelin. I'd scrub in a new set before the trip. Take a tire repair kit, if you can.

 

[Zx9_newrider]

Forgive me for being lame, but shim? Needles? I know not what you speak of..
I figure if I don't know what they are I shouldn't be trying to fix them. However, I would like to know basically what these processes are since it will save me cash in repairs if I can do it myself.

 

[clarkmanning]

Your explanation of lowering the front end is confusing me. If you move the fork legs up through the triple tree clamps you are lowering the front end. If you lower the front end you will lose a little ground clearance. Your bike will be less stable in the corners. It will steer faster and feel a little twitchy.

If you want more stability in corners you would raise the front end. You would push the fork tubes down in the triple tree clamps. Do you actually have room to do this without pushing the forks lower than the top edge of of the triple tree clamp?

Instead of raising the front end which no one does, you might consider lowering the rear a little. IMO, if you want big stability in corners, you have bought the wrong bike. The zx series bikes are made to change direction easily and quickly. If you want slow steady cornering you should have bought a sport touring bike, not a Ninja.

 

[e1_ZX-9r]

Forgive me for being lame, but shim? Needles? I know not what you speak of..

Sorry, it's your Web browser playing tricks on what is written herein. Mouse-over the underlined pairs of words in my original thread's last paragraph. Then click to select. They're Web hyperlinks to two separate ZXF threads that will have all that you desire and more, about these concepts.

 

[Rick S.]

with respect to the front end and steering, make sure the tire pressures are correct. Low tire pressure will make the bike hard to steer.