My ZXR400 L5 Strip And Rebuild

Here's a chance to show off your zxr400, so get them digital cameras out and show us some piccies.Rebuilding your bike or modding it then let everyone in on it.

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ryan1984
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 4:37 pm
My Bike: Kawasaki ZXR400 L5
Location: Ipswich/Northampton

My ZXR400 L5 Strip And Rebuild

Post by ryan1984 »

Well here we go the start of my project i bought a zxr400 l5 with 18000 km on the clock for £800 of e bay the plan is to strip it clean it and paint it will put pictures on here as it goes on. Don’t have any plans on colour yet.
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gavinfdavies
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Re: My ZXR400 L5 Strip And Rebuild

Post by gavinfdavies »

good luck mate, I'll be keeping an eye on your progress - we're about the same age, same bike (L5), from same area (I used to live by woodbridge, now peterborough), and same plans, trying to restore mine to not showroom but definateky mint condition with all the mods.
I do 700 miles a week in all weathers including snow, that's roughly 35,000 miles a year, and some weekend warrior biker has the nerve to get out of his Audi at work to tell me to I was riding far too fast in the wet (over taking at 50... fast eh?).
ryan1984
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 4:37 pm
My Bike: Kawasaki ZXR400 L5
Location: Ipswich/Northampton

Re: My ZXR400 L5 Strip And Rebuild

Post by ryan1984 »

Glad to see some one is following me messing it up well spent 5 hours on it so far stripping it down so this is progress so far.
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ryan1984
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 4:37 pm
My Bike: Kawasaki ZXR400 L5
Location: Ipswich/Northampton

Re: My ZXR400 L5 Strip And Rebuild

Post by ryan1984 »

And so it continues
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ryan1984
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 4:37 pm
My Bike: Kawasaki ZXR400 L5
Location: Ipswich/Northampton

Re: My ZXR400 L5 Strip And Rebuild

Post by ryan1984 »

Optimized-IMG_0721.JPG

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ryan1984
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 4:37 pm
My Bike: Kawasaki ZXR400 L5
Location: Ipswich/Northampton

Re: My ZXR400 L5 Strip And Rebuild

Post by ryan1984 »

Optimized-IMG_0724.JPG
Well thats it so far more to come.
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gavinfdavies
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My Bike: gpz500s d5, zxr400 L5
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Re: My ZXR400 L5 Strip And Rebuild

Post by gavinfdavies »

getting there. might i make a sugestion? get hold of a check off-cut of carpet. makes a world of difference to working conditions, warmer, softer of your knees, and if you drop a part it get a coating of hair, not of grit. hair doesn't knacker threads! my garage has got carpet, i've nearly done draught proofing the door and roof, new double glazed door ready to be put in, and then I can start with some insulation. I like to a) work in the warm, and b) keep the temp above 10 deg C, makes cold starting alot nicer, no choke, and is alot kinder on engines. but the carpet is the biggest improvement.

just ordered a load of new stuff - renthal HA cogs and x-ring chain, scott oiler + dual injector, good chain breaker/rivetter. got some new sintered pads too. can't wait to get the calipers off, give em a quick clean and give the discs a scrub, and get the new pads off. This lot should give the bike a whole new feel - i prefer riding with little free play in the drive chain, which means a slighter tighter than normal chain, hence the scott oiler to stop it stretching.

what's the aim of the strip? just giving it a good clean, or a good mod and tune while you're in there?
I do 700 miles a week in all weathers including snow, that's roughly 35,000 miles a year, and some weekend warrior biker has the nerve to get out of his Audi at work to tell me to I was riding far too fast in the wet (over taking at 50... fast eh?).
ryan1984
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 4:37 pm
My Bike: Kawasaki ZXR400 L5
Location: Ipswich/Northampton

Re: My ZXR400 L5 Strip And Rebuild

Post by ryan1984 »

The carpet is noted not been the most comfortable place but the amount of gunk on the bike probably a good thing. The floor is a bit of a mess I did a fork seal on it was a right pain to get the callipers off the disc as there is a ridge on the right hand side disc so I had to split the callipers once everything was back on I could not get them to bleed properly.(I was going to wait till next winter before stripping it) but I just started taking stuff of. The plan as is the frame, swing arm, sub frame, wheels and fitting are all going of to be powder coated I was thinking satin black but I am open to suggestions as this will be having a custom pain job done and rear seat unit. So what’s the sate of play with yours?
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gavinfdavies
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Re: My ZXR400 L5 Strip And Rebuild

Post by gavinfdavies »

still in one piece but only just - started overheating badly the last few days, esp if i drop below 70! a good clean of the rad has helped (first time since august!), but i'm gonna do the shims and carbs over the next few days me thinks. its vibey too. still runs ok - did 300 miles on it this week!
I do 700 miles a week in all weathers including snow, that's roughly 35,000 miles a year, and some weekend warrior biker has the nerve to get out of his Audi at work to tell me to I was riding far too fast in the wet (over taking at 50... fast eh?).
ryan1984
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 4:37 pm
My Bike: Kawasaki ZXR400 L5
Location: Ipswich/Northampton

Re: My ZXR400 L5 Strip And Rebuild

Post by ryan1984 »

are you doing the shims and carbs your self if so whats involved?
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gavinfdavies
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Location: Peterborough
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Re: My ZXR400 L5 Strip And Rebuild

Post by gavinfdavies »

shim: take rocker cover off, to access cams. use feeler gauge to measure clearance between each finger follower and the tiny hockey puck like shim underneath it. This has to be done with the relevant cam lobe point up (away) from the follower, so you'll need to rotate the crank a few times as you work your way through each one. don't use the starter for this, use the nut on end of the crank and a socket wrench. one measured, if they're all within tollerances then fine, if not,then the shims will need to be swapped to adjust the clearance. to find out exactly what size shim you'll need, move the finger follower over, and use a magnetic pick up tool to pick out each shim, and measure it with a micrometer of a good vernier caliper. stuff rags etc under the cams to cover all the holes in the head incase you drop a shim. once you know the size of the shim you have, you can add on the adjustment amount to it, to get the size of shim you need. you might be able to swap a few shims about, but you'll probably want some new ones. I beleive the club has it's own stash, so you can exchange as you go.
for example (fictional figures!), if the intake clearance is 1.1 to 1.3 mm, and your clearance is actually 1.5mm, then you need to take up between 0.2 and 0.4mm of slack. i'd go for the tighter tolerance, since it has been getting looser. So you'll want a shim that's 0.4mm thicker. After removing you own shim for this valve, it turns out to be a 4.5mm shim. This means you'll need to find/beg/borrow/steal a 4.5+0.4=4.9mm shim from somewhere.
if the valve clearances are out, say all are too slack, some of the cam lift will be used to take up the slack, so the valves won't be opened so far, and you'll loose power.

for carb balancing, you'll want a balance gauge (a set of 4 vacuum gauges, with hoses and preferably damper to minimise needle fluctation). take off the tank, and probably the air box. on top of each carb is a rubber cap covering a pipe stub. this leads onto the carb-to-head part of the inlet tract, and since the throttles are restricting air flow this is below atmospheric pressure. attach a gauge to each take off point, attach an external fuel line to the carbs (since the tank has to be off. most people use a plastic bottle and a length of fuel line), and fire her up. adjust the idle to able 4000rpm say. the needles on the gauges will be bouncing up and down a bit, so adjust the dampers so they settle to a maximum reading. the throttles all want to move as one, at the same settings, so each cyclinder produces the same power. if this is the case, the vacuum on each gauge will read the same. if not, there are some screws on the back of the carbs that alter the position of each throttle based on the position of the linkage from the throttle cable. adjusting each of these screws will adjust how much each throttle opens at a given twist grip position. adjust these until all the gauges read the same.


this is a pretty rough guide i know, but it gives an idea of what's involved. there are probably better threads on here for these jobs. the balance gauges are the worst bit, £50-100 for a good set, though you might be able to hire some from a garage for a few quid or a six pack.

and bear in mind i've never done either of these on this bike, and only the first on my other bike, which is not the same set up (each follwer has adjustable screws, so no shim to fanny about with)
I do 700 miles a week in all weathers including snow, that's roughly 35,000 miles a year, and some weekend warrior biker has the nerve to get out of his Audi at work to tell me to I was riding far too fast in the wet (over taking at 50... fast eh?).
ryan1984
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 4:37 pm
My Bike: Kawasaki ZXR400 L5
Location: Ipswich/Northampton

Re: My ZXR400 L5 Strip And Rebuild

Post by ryan1984 »

sounds complicated update on the bike just been cleaning parts mainly so not much to photo yet going to take some photos of the frame and bits before they go off to the powder coaters so we can see the change. any suggestion on what i should do with the calipers paint powder coat ect?
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gavinfdavies
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Posts: 358
Joined: Wed Jun 23, 2010 10:56 pm
My Bike: gpz500s d5, zxr400 L5
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Re: My ZXR400 L5 Strip And Rebuild

Post by gavinfdavies »

yeah, but both are essential maintainance, every 5 to 10 thousand miles. it takes quite a bit of time but doesn't cost much in parts. the problem is most mechaincs charge £40+ per hour, and this a a 3 hour job if you're quick! from that point of view £100 quid for a good balance gauge, and a few quid for some shims and a mag pickup tool suddenly becomes good value.

calipers with fancy poweder coating looks good, or you could go for the polished look (BLING!). one thing on the calipers, when i next strip mine, i'm gonna get a small hole drilled and tap behind each piston, maybe M2 size, then seal it up with a good quality bolt and tiny copper washer. then each time i need to give the calipers a overhaul, just undo the bolt, then tap out the pistons with a small rod, drift etc. saves alot of fannying about with compressed air or extremly expensive piston extractors (laser want about £110 for one!). like i said, have done it yet, but my caliper are nearly due for an overhaul after winter, so i'm gonna find a local machine shop to get it done.
I do 700 miles a week in all weathers including snow, that's roughly 35,000 miles a year, and some weekend warrior biker has the nerve to get out of his Audi at work to tell me to I was riding far too fast in the wet (over taking at 50... fast eh?).
ryan1984
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 4:37 pm
My Bike: Kawasaki ZXR400 L5
Location: Ipswich/Northampton

Re: My ZXR400 L5 Strip And Rebuild

Post by ryan1984 »

news just in got the bits back from the powder coaters all in satin black £200 so start putting it back to gether.
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ryan1984
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 4:37 pm
My Bike: Kawasaki ZXR400 L5
Location: Ipswich/Northampton

Re: My ZXR400 L5 Strip And Rebuild

Post by ryan1984 »

a few more
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