1999 ZX6R- Problems (long)
Pete
I have brought myself a 1999 Kawasaki ZX6R. I got this About 1 month ago now
my old bike was a 1996 ZX6R.
This new ZX6 has a few things I am not very happy with. And am wondering if
anyone else out there has the same problems or any Ideas on how I could fix
these problems?
The brakes both front and rear are very spongey and lack power and feeling
It is rather difficult to feel what the front tyre is doing, I keep locking
the front up , (have managed to recover all the time thou.) which isn't very
nice. You have to squeeze the hell out of the lever to get them to work and
when they get hot I am able to pull the lever all the way to the bars, the
brakes fade very quickly when hot.
The brakes feel like those horrible old Suzuki Katana GSX series brakes from
the 80's. I would expect better from a modern sports bike the 1996 ZX6 has
better brakes.
I have taken it bake to the service center and they are saying that - that
is as good as they get which is bloody poor.
Also there seems to be lots of engine heat blown up onto the riders (me)
legs and feet to the point that if it is over a 20degs day it gets
unbearable graet on cold mornings but very uncomfortable on warm days summer
will be horrible and thats teh best time to ride.
The suspension is very soft the front is overly soft the rear liveable. I
have adjusting lots and lots but nothing seems to be doing the trick yet.
Ok that will do for the moment this is long enough. I will post other issues
at a later date just a few at a time.
Does any one else suffer with these things or did I just get a DUD one out
of the crate?
If anyone has any hints on how to fix these things your help will be
appreciated.
As I want to try and fix them or else I will trade for something else but it
is hard here In Sth Aus to test ride bikes as no one is willing to let you
test bikes or don't have any available. I would have loved to try the Yam R6
and CBR600.
But no one was willing to let me test ride. Even with money in pocket.
Itried every bike shop in Adelaide believe me.
OK hope to get some responses.
See ya's
Peter. S
Richard Fay
I own a '98 ZX6R
> I have brought myself a 1999 Kawasaki ZX6R. and rear are very spongey >and lack power and feeling
> It is rather difficult to feel what the front tyre is doing, I keep >locking
> the front up , (have managed to recover all the time thou.) which isn't >very
> nice.
Don't have any complaints (really) with the brakes. Have never locked
up the front so I don't know how you do it on a regular basis. Maybe
you suspension fiddling has something to do with it.
> Also there seems to be lots of engine heat blown up onto the riders (me)
> legs and feet to the point that if it is over a 20degs day it gets
> unbearable graet on cold mornings but very uncomfortable on warm days summer
> will be horrible and thats teh best time to ride.
Don't notice that. Have ridden it in really hot weather and it is no
worse than other sports bikes. TRy a T595/955i then have a rethink :)
>
> The suspension is very soft the front is overly soft the rear liveable. I
> have adjusting lots and lots but nothing seems to be doing the trick yet.
That's modern sports bike suspension for you. No need for rock hard
suspensions anymore. I don't have any problems with the suspension. The
rear has a bit more preload and rebound because I weigh 85kg. Most
mags I have read about the ZX6R have recommended at most a little extra
rear ride height and rebound.
> I would have loved to try the Yam R6
> and CBR600.
I would suggest that you return all the settings to standard and start
again. I am really worried that your riding style is resulting in
regular front lockups.
Richard
Peter McGrath
Bleed your with a hi quality fluid - flushing the old fluid completly out of
the system and see if there's an improvement
Kitzo ZX6R
Sounds like rider problems.
Vic
--
**Hair iz For Imperfect Heads**
1998 ZX6R - Pearl purplish black mica.
Richard Fay <fa...@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
news:372DB4...@ozemail.com.au...
pre...@nospamcamtech.net.au
I dont write in here very often just read. But you may not be alone with
your issues.
I have read very smilar issues with the ZX6R 98-99 model in a few magazines
and reviews.
Stuff what the others say maybee you are more sensitive to these issues you
are listing. And other people, average riders may not ever notice.
And also coming from a 1996 model you would notice a lot of the good and
bad points of this type of bike much more so than other people just bying
this type/style of bike for the first time.
You might just have to live with it, and get used to all it's little nirks
and quirks, just like I have had to do.
Another ZX6R 98 owner
Richard Fay wrote in message <372DB4...@ozemail.com.au>...
Agg
In the april 1999 issue of Motorcyclist (US) magazine,
they have a 600 shootout, with R6, ZX-6, CBR6-F4 and
GSXR-600 (all 99 models, o'course). They made special note
of just how crap they thought the ZX-6's suspension and brakes
were, and how confidence-uninspiring they were. A few quotes:
"..went considerably quicker on the R6, too, cutting a 1:37.6
- a second ahead of his best GSX-R and F4 times. Leery of the
Kawasaki's brakes and chassis, his times on it tailed off into
the mid minute-40's."
"..but the ZX-6R's biggest time-waster, just like last year's
bike, is the lack of braking power. The pad material Kawasaki
uses needs a much greater squeeze (which results in much less
feel), earlier, .. (cut timing info) .. Help is as near as a
new set of front brake pads."
Having said that, they said it had possibly the best street
motor of the lot.. but they all LOVED the R6 by a long margin.
So I've made my mind up, anyway.. as long as I'm not too tall
for it (in which case an F4 may be in order) and the insurance
isn't too stupendous.. and after I've built a pyromaniac-loony-
proof shed, I'll be on an R6 asap..
Agg
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Pete
Hey thanks for the info COOL!
Would you happen to have got the name of the brake pads that can help
rectify this?
Also thinking of Braided brake lines. But not to sure if that is the way to
go or not? I have never tried braided hoses to see how much difference they
really make.
Can anyone fill me in here on that one?
Peter
Agg wrote in message <7gjv6d$lvl$1...@the-fly.zip.com.au>...
Richard Fay
>
> > 99 zx-6r crap brakes + suspension
>
>
> - a second ahead of his best GSX-R and F4 times. Leery of the
> Kawasaki's brakes and chassis, his times on it tailed off into
> the mid minute-40's."
>
> "..but the ZX-6R's biggest time-waster, just like last year's
> bike, is the lack of braking power. The pad material Kawasaki
> uses needs a much greater squeeze (which results in much less
> feel), earlier, .. (cut timing info) .. Help is as near as a
> new set of front brake pads."
>
> motor of the lot.. but they all LOVED the R6 by a long margin.
>
Yes I'm biased I own a ZX6R. And no I haven't read the article. But
even reading the quotes you have put here you should be aware of a few
things.
1. R6's are $14700 on the road
2. ZX6Rs can be had in the low $12K on the road.
That's an awful lot of brake pads and suspension upgrades. And you
still get the best 600cc engine in the market place.
The suspension on the ZX6R (and ZX9R) is setup for ROAD riding. And as
such will never satisfy the road tester who wants nothing else than to
punt a bike round a track all day.
And a final point. I know of 2 people with R1s (on which the
engine/gearbox of the R6 is relate) with 20K km on them. They are
starting to smoke and use oil (near 1L for the round trip to PI
(2000km)). Not terribly confidence inspiring is it.
BTW my ZX6R with 19,000km on the clock uses neglible oil between 6000km
services.
Richard
Peter
>
> And a final point. I know of 2 people with R1s (on which the
> engine/gearbox of the R6 is relate) with 20K km on them. They are
> starting to smoke and use oil (near 1L for the round trip to PI
> (2000km)). Not terribly confidence inspiring is it.
>
these bikes are ridden than a latent problem with the motor. I
would contend that any bike that is wheelied as often as the
average R1 appears to be is likely to give rise to potential oil
consumption and related problems. I've done around 12,000kms on my
R1 and am pleased to report that I have never had to top up the
oil between services.
Cheers
Peter
Agg
No, they didn't mention specifics.. the mag is still prolly on the newsstands
- "Motorcyclist", April 99 issue, about $7.50 [!].
Agg
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In article <372d9...@news.camtech.net.au>, pls-an...@camtech.net.au
says...
Agg
[shrug] If I'm going to spend $12k, I really don't care about the extra $2k.
It's all the Bank's money anyway. :)
>That's an awful lot of brake pads and suspension upgrades. And you
>still get the best 600cc engine in the market place.
Hmm, in what respect? I mean, the powerband is much wider on the R6 - the
whole power curve is a lot "fatter" on the r6, meaning more midrange. They
make pretty much the same peak power but the zx-6 tails off MUCH faster, the
r^6revs on quite a bit further without dropping.
> The suspension on the ZX6R (and ZX9R) is setup for ROAD riding. And as
> such will never satisfy the road tester who wants nothing else than to
> punt a bike round a track all day.
Well, there was a fair bit of street riding in the comparo. But yeah.. I
mean, really, the differences will be almost negligible on the road, to most
Joe Average riders.. the R6 has the sexy lcd clocks though. :)
> And a final point. I know of 2 people with R1s (on which the
> engine/gearbox of the R6 is relate) with 20K km on them. They are
> starting to smoke and use oil (near 1L for the round trip to PI
> (2000km)). Not terribly confidence inspiring is it.
Hmm, not actually relevant, either..
> etc
Anyway, I'm not going to get into a holy war. I just quoted some relevant bits
from a magazine for someone who asked for more info. When the insurance cheque
gets in I'll test ride 'em all if I can, and pick the one I like the most on
the day. If it's not a ZX-6 then we can get together sometime and spend a
pleasant afternoon swapping and comparing. :)
Richard Fay
>
> > And a final point. I know of 2 people with R1s (on which the
> > engine/gearbox of the R6 is relate) with 20K km on them. They are
> > starting to smoke and use oil (near 1L for the round trip to PI
> > (2000km)). Not terribly confidence inspiring is it.
>
> Hmm, not actually relevant, either..
You know what they say. Like father like son.
Richard
Richard Fay
> This may be so but then it's probably got more to do with the way
> these bikes are ridden than a latent problem with the motor. I
> would contend that any bike that is wheelied as often as the
> average R1 appears to be is likely to give rise to potential oil
> consumption and related problems. I've done around 12,000kms on my
> R1 and am pleased to report that I have never had to top up the
> oil between services.
But these bikes weren't using excessive oil at 12,000km. Stay tuned :)
BTW YZF1000s and YZF750s all seem to have a problem with excessive oil
usage.
My suggestion is ditch the R1 and put your name down for a ZX12R ;)
Richard
Pete
$12K mark which was disapointing as when I got my prices and wayed up a few
odds I thought value for money was OK. but when the crunch came to pay up
the price had risen. I could not turn back as I had to order it and waited 2
months. If I would have known that at the time I would have gone to honda
without a dought.
i am also a bit biased towards the Kawaski having had good experiances with
them unlike some other makes. But how things can change.
And it does not take much to make up $2000 odd dollars these days on a bike.
It will cost way over this amount to make it so I am completely happy with
it. Will keep you informed.
Peter S.
Richard Fay wrote in message <372E83...@ozemail.com.au>...
>Agg wrote:
>>
>> > 99 zx-6r crap brakes + suspension
>>
>>
>> "..went considerably quicker on the R6, too, cutting a 1:37.6
>> - a second ahead of his best GSX-R and F4 times. Leery of the
>> Kawasaki's brakes and chassis, his times on it tailed off into
>> the mid minute-40's."
>>
>> "..but the ZX-6R's biggest time-waster, just like last year's
>> bike, is the lack of braking power. The pad material Kawasaki
>> uses needs a much greater squeeze (which results in much less
>> feel), earlier, .. (cut timing info) .. Help is as near as a
>> new set of front brake pads."
>>
>> Having said that, they said it had possibly the best street
>> motor of the lot.. but they all LOVED the R6 by a long margin.
>>
>
>Yes I'm biased I own a ZX6R. And no I haven't read the article. But
>even reading the quotes you have put here you should be aware of a few
>things.
>
>1. R6's are $14700 on the road
>2. ZX6Rs can be had in the low $12K on the road.
>
>That's an awful lot of brake pads and suspension upgrades. And you
>still get the best 600cc engine in the market place.
>The suspension on the ZX6R (and ZX9R) is setup for ROAD riding. And as
>such will never satisfy the road tester who wants nothing else than to
>punt a bike round a track all day.
>
>And a final point. I know of 2 people with R1s (on which the
>engine/gearbox of the R6 is relate) with 20K km on them. They are
>starting to smoke and use oil (near 1L for the round trip to PI
>(2000km)). Not terribly confidence inspiring is it.
>
Pete
Dispite Richards comments thanks for your help.
I will price a few items and do some heavy research to try and sort out this
ZX6R 1999. But if it will cost any more than $3000 total I can get more
value by trading it in whilst it is still fairly new on a class 600 bike.
Either the CBR6 (yuk have had some pretty bad experiances with honda ,not
quite as bad as suzuki, but close) or the Yamaha R6.
Peter .S
Pete
But I have done this all ready twice now and the bike is only 1200Kms old
No difference at all.
Peter S.
Peter McGrath wrote in message ...
Mark Gardner
Try re-bleeding leave overnight then try again.
Too much furious bleeding can lead to air staying trapped in the system.
If this fails try back-bleeding.
This is a messy process so be sure to have
plenty off rag available plus some water incase of accidents.
Back - bleeding :-
clean out a trigger type oil can,
put brake fluid in can,
pump can until ONLY brake fluid with no trace of oil comes out,
fit a length of rubber hose to end of oil can spout,
attach other end to bleed nipple,
remove master cylinder cover,
place plenty of rag around neck of m/cyl,
slacken bleed nipple,
gently pump oil can look for air bubbles in m/cyl,
lock off bleed nipple,
refit diaphragm & m/cyl cover,try brakes.
Not sure if your type has a diaphragm if it does check it's
fitted properly and not damaged i.e. stretched or torn
Hope this helps
good luck
Mark.
--
GS 550 `82 & GSF 600`97
(bandit but not that sort !)
Pete <pls-an...@camtech.net.au> wrote in message
news:372f0...@news.camtech.net.au...
Brett "shadow" Wilcockson
where?
how?
who?
must have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
gimme!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I noticed before that agg made a comment that R1's using oil is not
relevant and this is true that statement is irrelevant in this thread
But if sapphire started chewing thru oil at 20,000 k's ( 10000 k's ago ) i
would have been jumping up and down on someones sales desk demanding it be
fixed!
(30000 k's old and the only oil leak it has had was a wrongly placed o ring
to seal off the spark plug tube)
This ZX6 with all the dramas sounds like a real monday bike so perhaps you
should consider taking it back to the shop where you bought it from and ride
another one to make sure it is just your bike
Then you tell em to fix it!
This of course will only work if you bought your bike from a reputable
*snigger, cackle* bike shop that is
Shadow
On the day i get a ZX12 i shall just go to the cop shop and give them my
license so they dont have to embaress themselves trying to chase me
Richard Fay wrote in message <372FD7...@ozemail.com.au>...
Kevin Gleeson
>someone said ZX12????
>where?
>how?
>who?
>must have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>gimme!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You fickle thing you . . .
I believe it is not going to be until end of year at the earliest.
Cheers
- - - - - - -
Kevin Gleeson
Imagine It
3D animation and graphics
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
ke...@imagine-it.com.au
http://www.imagine-it.com.au
aus.motorcycles bike page
http://www.imagine-it.com.au/ausmoto
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
pre...@nospamcamtech.net.au
A real bike mechanic shop will be able to do this.
Mark Gardner wrote in message
<7gnum5$3go$2...@nclient1-gui.server.virgin.net>...
Brett "shadow" Wilcockson
still want it
lots
had to wait for the nines to be released too
and as is always the way they were released 6 weeks after i bought the 7
not making the same mistake this time
Shadow
Kevin Gleeson wrote in message <3733a5be....@news.southcom.com.au>...
Pete
Forgot to say I will be quite happy to do a bit of swapping and comparing
with you any pleasent day.(weekend of course)
That would be rather good and enjoyable.
Let me know when you are ready.
Pete S.
Agg wrote in message <7gmn19$7tr$2...@the-fly.zip.com.au>...
>> 1. R6's are $14700 on the road
>
Peter
>
> But these bikes weren't using excessive oil at 12,000km. Stay tuned :)
Oh yeah! You want put a little wager on this???
>
> BTW YZF1000s and YZF750s all seem to have a problem with excessive oil
> usage.
"All"...a little hyperbole perhaps
>
> My suggestion is ditch the R1 and put your name down for a ZX12R ;)
Maybe, but I think the next one is likely to be a Hyabusa.
Peter
Mark Gardner
quite a dear bit of kit back then circa 1985.
When I moved to Mercedes they had a pressure bleed kit, this was a great bit
of kit, it was a mobile pressure vessel with a large fluid reservoir, you
pressurised it with an air line, attached it to the
m/cyl opened the bleed screw, then opened a valve on the pressure
vessel. A bit like a glorified eazi-bleed kit
The advantage this one had was that all you needed was a cap from
any type of m/cyl, drill a hole in it braze an adapter to the cap,
and bobs ya uncle.
Mark.
<pre...@NOSPAMcamtech.net.au> wrote in message
news:372fa...@news.camtech.net.au...
Tony Seton
Richard Fay wrote in message <372E83...@ozemail.com.au>...
<snip>
>1. R6's are $14700 on the road
>2. ZX6Rs can be had in the low $12K on the road.
>
Well I'd better go and beat the crap out of the salesman at one bike shop
I've been in lately. One of their "specials" at the moment is a January
'98-complianced ZX6R for _only_ $13,250 ride away (less without trade-in).
Methinks they'll have it a while longer!
Cheers,
Tony.
Pete
whats going on here they will lose out.
Peter S.
Tony Seton wrote in message <7gr3j1$oka$1...@ghostgum.hunterlink.net.au>...
Pete
Well I now have had my brakes vacum bleed, and no difference.
I have been doing some reading and sounds like that is the they are one
magazine reported the following quotes" Despite suffering overly soft
suspension", "Kawaski's under-springing is a major frustration" and, "the
rear end tends to succumb to an excessivley wimpy spring, squatting and
pogo-ing."
and last but not least "brakes that lack in power and not offerring much
feeling"
Every magazine I have read on them are all saying the same type of things
about them
Also the price of the Kawaski has risen from the low $12K to the high
$12K - low 13K mark.
So it looks like there are a few issues with the ZX6R. 1999 model
At least I am not the only one.
And it isn't just rider problems or a dud bike, Thats the way they are.
Moral to the story spend your money on some other type of bike.
Thanks for everyones input and help.
Peter. S.
Richard Fay
>
> Well I'd better go and beat the crap out of the salesman at one bike shop
> I've been in lately. One of their "specials" at the moment is a January
> '98-complianced ZX6R for _only_ $13,250 ride away (less without trade-in).
> Methinks they'll have it a while longer!
Sydney City Kawasaki has a Black ZX6R for $12500 on the road.
Richard
Supe
just released!). More importantly, their service is better after purchase.
This was their sticker price too, not a "special".
Not ZX-6Rs went up in price this year.
While I'm here, I did 26000kms on my 98 zx-6r. Track riding, dirt roads,
long hoon trips, day trips from sydney, rode to work on it for about a month
too.
Service was keenly observed.
Rode it fast, wasn't babying it.
Ran in VERY carefully.
Only probs were cam chain, recognised warranty job with 98 models, and two
other niggly warranty jobs that were fixed quickly and easily.
Never used a DROP of oil. I was pulling high speeds on middle of nowhere
roads, riding for hours in high revs, riding in all manner of conditions.
I'd say that some of these guys are either unlucky or don't pay enough care
to run in and service. Run in isn't just to 1600km you know. Also doesn't
hurt to chg oil at half intervals.
Supe.
Now riding a zx-9r, but the 6 was the rocketship.
Richard Fay <fa...@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
news:37325F...@ozemail.com.au...
Jindaro
Tony Seton wrote in message <7gr3j1$oka$1...@ghostgum.hunterlink.net.au>...
>
>Richard Fay wrote in message <372E83...@ozemail.com.au>...
>
><snip>
>>1. R6's are $14700 on the road
>>2. ZX6Rs can be had in the low $12K on the road.
>>
>
>
>I've been in lately. One of their "specials" at the moment is a January
>'98-complianced ZX6R for _only_ $13,250 ride away (less without trade-in).
>Methinks they'll have it a while longer!
Hmmm... after reading that I wonder what I was told the other day... ZX6R
for about low $14K brand new - on road... Sounds like I will have to shop
around a bit!!! It's definitely the bike I want... now just to find the
money (g).
Sharon
Richard Fay
>
> I'd say that some of these guys are either unlucky or don't pay enough care
> to run in and service. Run in isn't just to 1600km you know. Also doesn't
> hurt to chg oil at half intervals.
Inproper bedding in of the brakes may be the cause of this guy's brake
problems.
Richard