please Advise ASAP!

[Kwaka-Kid]

just gotta 1989 Kawasaki ZXR400. Firstly, iwas told about this and its true, it has a Weak charging system.  Today i went into Mt Eden motorcycles for an oil filter and talked to the mabout it, they know the previous owner and all work on hte bike was done there.

they say its likey the Reg-Rec (Whatever the hell that is) and so its prolly toasted the.. shit i cant member the name, it sounds like a modern version of a Magneto/alternator, starting with "T".

anyways to reslove the problem, it will cost upto around $600. its fine, and always starts, but if i ride with headlight on, it flattens battery, so i gotta roll start, and i think its over charging the battery, because its burning it out of water.

either A) somebody advise me on where to go to get work done? or B) somebody advise me to do it myself? or C) anybodys advice on whatelse it could be would be much appriciated

I own 4 motorcycles and 1 car now, and NONE of my vechiles have EVER seen a Mechanic/Plastic welder/ ANYBODY who charges me for labour, ive done all work and stuff and had no problems, but then again, my other bikes are old, i dont have a clue with this mumbo jumbo about reg-rec crap, just give me another honda single thanks sir!

[Kwaka-Kid]

argh! i only just saw the VFR400 bat problems post! thats like IDENTICAL to mine! and yes reg/rec costs me about $200-$250 mt eden motorcycles sed, bu tthey sad if it toasted the other thingy, it would need to be re-wired for $200.  Also the bikes done 48,000km's 

and anybody want to advise on oil? i got lots of BP Visco V5000 sitting around, car oil? bad? :/

[wkid_one]

Try ringing wreckers

Also, go to www.micapeak.com (http://www.micapeak.com) and see if anyone else has resolved the same issue - look up the bike in the registry and filter by problems

[Kwaka-Kid]

cheers! :D

/me runs off to look now

[Kwaka-Kid]

argh stoopid registry! dont got no ZXR400's :( only ZX-6R's :( and none of them seem to ahv eht eproblem

According to mike @ MT Eden Motorcycles, the problem occurs thanks to neglect of the battery, and so when it gets old, it stuffs the reg/rect and furhter more the other bit and then yeah, i dunno but apparently its more common on Hondas, hes seen them do it after only 3,000-k's from new! jesus christ, that would sure f*** you right off now wouldnt it :)

Rule Number 1: Hate Honda

still got that plaque somewhere around the garage, and so true it is :D

[What?]

Don't hate Honda, Kwaka Kid. Truth be known, early 4 stroke Suzukis were much worse in this area, but you can't paint them all with that brush, either.

I suspect your alternator has burnt out one or more phase coils as a result of the reg/rec unit dying. The go (and sorry, but you are going to have to pay for this) is to get a new reg/rec and get the alternator re-wound. A bonus here is that you could get it to produce more power than standard, so you could run brighter lights and other electrical devices like heated grips with less battery worries in winter.

Shop around for parts - it is not always necessary or desirable to fit the original parts, as sometimes other bikes bits will fit and do a better job...:done:

[Kwaka-Kid]

ahh thanks for that info dude

so anyone keen on me finding a second hand alt? a Strata was the part that needs re-winding yeah? part of alt, or sumfin like that.

but yeah, i ride a honda too :) i love the honda singles, just perfect reliable bikes! (just love the rule no.1 plaque, my old mans, yet he raced honda singles in F3 :P)

[MikeL]

Bad luck! I thought this only happened to Hondas!! Your reg/rec is putting out too high a voltage - for my bike the max according to the book is about 15 v - anything higher and you start to cook the battery. You can easily test the voltage - I bet it's a lot higher than it should be.

[Kwaka-Kid]

why didnt i think of doing somthing as simple as that! :brick: ah, now this morning im going to, so you reckon ill find shes putting out more then std 12v yeah? (they run @ 14.4V when running tho aye?)

[MikeL]

The input voltage to the battery is always higher than the nominal battery (output) voltage otherwise you could never fully charge it. How much higher depends on the type/make/model. But the difference between a good charging voltage and one that's too high and starts to damage the battery is fairly small - just a couple of volts, which is why the regulator/rectifier is critical. I know that for some Hondas including mine the most common cause of battery problems is a faulty reg/rec - why they're so unreliable I don't know. As far as I am aware there is no adjustment or repair possible - you have to get a new one. Getting one from a wrecker's is a bit of a gamble - they all fail sooner rather than later. Hopefully on Kwakas they last a bit longer. Good luck:)

[What?]

MikeL sounds like he's on to it, Kwaka-Kid. 14 to 15 volts is what you want to see - more or less is a problem. Getting the stator rewound should not be frighteningly expensive, and is bound to be a better investment than a second hand one.

Is the ZXR400 NZ new, or a grey import? If an import, I would be looking really hard at parts for a NZ model that can be put in place - might save some further heart-ache in the future...:beer:

[MikeL]

One further point:
If you're having these problems and the cause is excessive voltage from the regulator/rectifier, don't delay in getting a replacement unit. Apart from the hassle of a dead battery there's also the possibility of "sudden catastrophic battery failure" i.e. fire - I have heard of 2 cases (Hondas again) in one of which the bike was a write-off. Beware of strange smells and crackling noises and an unexpectedly hot arse!!

[Kwaka-Kid]

hahaa! funy stuff, okay dude ill lookout for that! cheers heaps!

now can somebody please tell me of this "grey import" stuff? my bikes 1989 and was imported  12/92 so yes it san import, but whats a GREY IMPORT? ive seen people use that term in UK? does it just mean import? and they like the colour grey infront of it? i was quite sure my bike was blue to be honest, but i am possibly colour blind and its really just a blue shade of grey :P

[bluninja]

Kwaka_kid Grey imports are vehicle models imported that were not destined for distribution in the destination country, usually from Japan. So if a CBR250RR was brought to NZ and that model was not sold here through the official Honda outlet, then it would be a grey import. A parallel import is a model that is imported from another country, but which is available as an official model in the destination country (usually because the official prices are an absolute rip off). A personal import could be either. Clear as mud?

TTFN

[Kwaka-Kid]

gotcha buddy! cheers! well its a Kawasaki ZXR400H  :? i dunno, but im sure they prolly did sell them here. and one last thing

what on earth does TTFN stand for?

Talk to farkin nerds? i dunno, first things that came to mind

[SPman]

Ta ta For Now....I think I prefer talk to farkin nerds...... yep, you have got a.......grey.......import!

[Kwaka-Kid]

really? how did you know? did you ring all bike shops and ask them if they sold any ZXR400's in '89? :P

nah i understand you didnt do that, but are u sure? did u check the net? or do u know like, that NZ got no 400's untill 93 or sumfin odd like that?

[bluninja]

TTFN = Ta Ta For Now........I thought being a young un :p you would be into Winnie the Pooh. Tigger says this all the time.

[Kwaka-Kid]

rofl! no way, winnie da pooh waz for all the goody good rich kids.. Real men watched Smurf and Snorks! :P

[MikeL]

Re grey imports:
The easiest way to find out whether your bike is a grey import is to phone the Parts Department of your local Honda/Kwaka/Suzuki etc dealer, ask for a common part (e.g. headlight) for your model, then listen carefully. If you hear(a) a puzzled silence or (b) a loud, mocking laugh or (c) a sharp intake of breath then you've got your answer.

[Kwaka-Kid]

hey cheers dude!  but why? wont they still at least have imported some parts for them? or have a few wrecked ones lieing around?

[SPman]

Yeah, they did import some ZXR400s out here. I can recall seeing one (green  of course), at Crosby's (now Red Baron) around 89-90. F**king expensive though - about the same as a ZX7R I think, so they werent a big seller!NZ new ones would be rare.

[Kwaka-Kid]

oh okay, thanks for that.

now, im about to perfeorme a snorkelctomy on this baby, i gotta spare snorkel (incase i screw this one up bad) from the previous owner, thanks sudeep!, and so i was wondering what the plastic instert with foam around it was for in the snorkel? dust maybe? noise reduction? either way im taking it out to make throat bigger, and atm the snorkel by default faces AWAY from the dual ram air pipes, im going to spin it around to face them, and then inside the airbox the other end of snorkel will face the wrong way, so i will drill a few holes in the snorkel so air wont just hit the back wall of airbox, instead it will go into air filter, good idea?

[bluninja]

Silly question but why point the snorkel towards the ram air pipes ? Ram air only works when the pipes run almost straight, into a sealed airbox. My mechanic disconnected them during a lazy, cackhanded warranty validating service on a ZX9R. They were pointing the right way, but no seal, or sealed airbox. Once connected again I really noticed the difference at high speed, the bike topped out at 170 mph, but wasn't redlining so probably could have been geared down a touch.

BTW would a 400 go fast enough to get any benefit from ram air?

 :D

 

TTFN

[Kwaka-Kid]

hahaha :P prolly not, BUT I NEED SOMTHING TO DO AROUND WORK! so modifying stuff is fun :D and yes i see your point, but i read on net it gives 3hp boost @ some higher speed i cant member, i dunno, just turning snorkel around! but yeah i know what u mean, i wudnt mind building that sumtime, suddep (who i bought htis bike off) has his racebike, ZXR400 SP with a 750 fairing/tank/airbox on it so its got proper sealed ram air, coz 400's never had it.  but dead standerd they pull 227.5kmph apparently. not too too bad.  1/4 mile dead std @ 12.61 again not too bad for a crappy 400.

[SPman]

You want figures? Performance Bike magazine, Nov 90 tested a 400H and got,top speed prone    -139mph, top speed sitting up,127.6mph,ss1/4 12.67sec @ 109.6mph, ave 43.2 mpg. No  dyno reading, but 2 others they tested had 58bhp @ 12,600( April 92) and 59.1 bhp @ 13,450rpm (Sept 91) - new ones (unrestricted) were quite quick for a 400!

The last 400s made - 99 ZXR400R

 

[Kwaka-Kid]

yeah i already had that exact info :P hence why i said 227.5, i cudnt remember, but 227.91 is close enuf, so i got a little modest on the speed eh, give us a break :P ehhehe

have a good week all! and post me ur thoughts/ideas about my F3 machine (well, come sept. it should be) or is racing a bike with 48,000k's a bad idea?

[SPman]

Geoff, one of the mechanics at Red Baron races a Kwak 400. You could wander in and pick his brains. He seems OK for a pom.:D

[Kwaka-Kid]

Originally posted by SPman
He seems OK for a pom.:D

ahaha! you always need to bare this in mind... :P  nah, cheers for that SPman :) ill definatly be in touch with him getting all the info possible!