Cams
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- RedexRobB
- Site Admin
- Posts: 7212
- Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2002 7:37 pm
- My Bike: ZXR400L3
- Location: Ipswich, Suffolk
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- zxr400 oc member
- Posts: 3342
- Joined: Sat Jan 08, 2005 10:33 am
- My Bike: tomos moped
- Location: Carrickfergus Northern Ireland
The Haynes manuals are like a dummies guide (no disrespect intended)
It did strike me as strange that they never did a manual for the ZXR400 when I first tried to get one. Clymer don't publish one either (the ZXR400 was never officially imported to USA)
But the Kawasaki manual is brilliant ok you need a little basic know how but everything you need to strip and build a ZXR400 is in there.
Torque settings and great pictures plus wear limits etc etc etc.
I wonder that for those of you lacking in the basics could you combine the Kawasaki manual with the general motorcyle mechanics manual that Haynes publish. It takes you through he basics of any bike/engine then refer to the Kawasaki one for the detail.
It did strike me as strange that they never did a manual for the ZXR400 when I first tried to get one. Clymer don't publish one either (the ZXR400 was never officially imported to USA)
But the Kawasaki manual is brilliant ok you need a little basic know how but everything you need to strip and build a ZXR400 is in there.
Torque settings and great pictures plus wear limits etc etc etc.
I wonder that for those of you lacking in the basics could you combine the Kawasaki manual with the general motorcyle mechanics manual that Haynes publish. It takes you through he basics of any bike/engine then refer to the Kawasaki one for the detail.
- RedexRobB
- Site Admin
- Posts: 7212
- Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2002 7:37 pm
- My Bike: ZXR400L3
- Location: Ipswich, Suffolk
Ones of the reasons im doing the workshop (although slowly) is to give a basic idea of how to do things. I think what some people struggle with is applying the ideas to all bikes. Obviously you can bleed brakes, change the calipers pretty much the same way on any bike, but i dont think people see this and they think its completely different.
But theres nothing like a dedicated manual, where everything looks the same, which gives you reassurance that your doing things right if it looks how it does in the pictures.
But theres nothing like a dedicated manual, where everything looks the same, which gives you reassurance that your doing things right if it looks how it does in the pictures.
- masterofinsanity
- Site Admin
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- My Bike: Aprilia Tuono Fighter
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- Contact:
what about the zxr750 manual haynes do? can't be too different from the 400 can it? apart from the engine internals and settings etc.
Don't forget people there is more to the zxr400 than this forum... check out www.zxrworld.co.uk also.
- Dylan
- Posts: 64
- Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2003 8:08 pm
- My Bike: tomos moped
- Location: Bury St Eds, Suffolk, or Leeds
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- Mori Man
- Blingmeister
- Posts: 1976
- Joined: Thu May 10, 2007 3:30 pm
- My Bike: ZXR400J2
- Location: JAPAN
If you have no luck sourcing how to check the valve clearance the best way is to look at the camshaft ends - you will se a cut out on each one.
With the pick-up cover of rotate the engine until these are pointing away from each other at 180 degrees - they should line up with the cylinder head surface where the rocker cover sits (front & Back). You should also see that the ignition timing on the rotor is also lined up with it's mark and as another visual check the inlet and outlet cams will be sitting lobe front & lobe back at 180 degrees. Your camshaft sprockets will also have marks and the exhaust one should be pointing parellel with the front surface.
***************************************************************************************************************************
On this set-up you can check the clearance of inlet 1 Exhaust 2 IN 3 EX 3 EX 4.
Rotate the engine another 360 Degrees so that the notches are now facing each other as well as the cam lobes and you can check EX 1 IN 2 IN 3 EX 3 IN 4
***************************************************************************************************************************
CHECK NEW POST FOR VALVE CHECK SEQUENCE!
Just make sure that the valve you are checking that the lobe is on it's rise and not fall stroke or is fully pointing up If you can't follow the above procedure.
Hope I have explained it well enough for you.
I'm a bit rusty on valve checks , so if some one could check that I've remembered it well, cheers. I will also consult my Kwak workshop manual when I have a moment to dig it out
With the pick-up cover of rotate the engine until these are pointing away from each other at 180 degrees - they should line up with the cylinder head surface where the rocker cover sits (front & Back). You should also see that the ignition timing on the rotor is also lined up with it's mark and as another visual check the inlet and outlet cams will be sitting lobe front & lobe back at 180 degrees. Your camshaft sprockets will also have marks and the exhaust one should be pointing parellel with the front surface.
***************************************************************************************************************************
On this set-up you can check the clearance of inlet 1 Exhaust 2 IN 3 EX 3 EX 4.
Rotate the engine another 360 Degrees so that the notches are now facing each other as well as the cam lobes and you can check EX 1 IN 2 IN 3 EX 3 IN 4
***************************************************************************************************************************
CHECK NEW POST FOR VALVE CHECK SEQUENCE!
Just make sure that the valve you are checking that the lobe is on it's rise and not fall stroke or is fully pointing up If you can't follow the above procedure.
Hope I have explained it well enough for you.
I'm a bit rusty on valve checks , so if some one could check that I've remembered it well, cheers. I will also consult my Kwak workshop manual when I have a moment to dig it out

Last edited by Mori Man on Wed May 23, 2007 3:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Nothing worse than having an H and not being able to scratch it !
Living life on the edge, SuPposedly
Living life on the edge, SuPposedly
- deviant
- zxr400 oc member
- Posts: 1352
- Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2005 9:50 am
- My Bike: ZXR400 L3
- Location: Nottingham, UK
- Contact:
which is never the case for most of the haynes manuals I've got!RobB wrote:But theres nothing like a dedicated manual, where everything looks the same, which gives you reassurance that your doing things right if it looks how it does in the pictures.
In the garage:
Kawasaki ZXR400 L3 - shiny
Suzuki DR800 - bouncy
1978 Suzuki GS400 - PROJECT RETRO RACER!
Kawasaki GPz500S - for sale soon
Honda CG125 BR-J - in bits
Kawasaki ZXR400 L3 - shiny
Suzuki DR800 - bouncy
1978 Suzuki GS400 - PROJECT RETRO RACER!
Kawasaki GPz500S - for sale soon
Honda CG125 BR-J - in bits
- RedexRobB
- Site Admin
- Posts: 7212
- Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2002 7:37 pm
- My Bike: ZXR400L3
- Location: Ipswich, Suffolk
lol true, the manual ive got for my 7R covers the ZX9 too so theres a mix. some times i look at a manual and think 'why did they even bother'. For example, to synchronise the carbs on the 7, they didnt even include a proper picture of where the vacuum points are, just a picture tellng you 'typical placement of vacuum points'.deviant wrote:which is never the case for most of the haynes manuals I've got!RobB wrote:But theres nothing like a dedicated manual, where everything looks the same, which gives you reassurance that your doing things right if it looks how it does in the pictures.
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- zxr400 oc member
- Posts: 1918
- Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:34 am
- My Bike: kwack ZXR750L1
- Location: Northampton
if you attualy compaire the 2 engines the 400 just looks like a smaller version apart from that there prity much the same!masterofinsanity wrote:what about the zxr750 manual haynes do? can't be too different from the 400 can it? apart from the engine internals and settings etc.
i genraly just use the manual for torque settings and the exploded diagrams
ZXR750 L1
tail tidy, polished bits, custom paint job, k&n, dynojet, Full akropovik, down geared, GSXR calipers, hel brake lines front and rear & clutch line, maxtron resprung froks 120BHP
BikePics page-
http://www.bikepics.com/members/zxr400rene/
tail tidy, polished bits, custom paint job, k&n, dynojet, Full akropovik, down geared, GSXR calipers, hel brake lines front and rear & clutch line, maxtron resprung froks 120BHP
BikePics page-
http://www.bikepics.com/members/zxr400rene/
- Mori Man
- Blingmeister
- Posts: 1976
- Joined: Thu May 10, 2007 3:30 pm
- My Bike: ZXR400J2
- Location: JAPAN
Valve measurement
I knew I was a bit rusty on this
With No.1 Cylinder at Top Dead Centre you can check the following valve clearances:
In 1 , Ex 1 , Ex 2 , In 3
With No.4 Cylinder at Top Dead Centre:
In 2 , EX 3, In 4 , Ex 4
The explenation I gave is still good as this sets the pistons too TDC.
(The 'T' mark on the rotor)
You can remove the spark plug from 1 & 4 and with a long screwdriver confirm that the piston crown is sitting at the top of the cylinder.


With No.1 Cylinder at Top Dead Centre you can check the following valve clearances:
In 1 , Ex 1 , Ex 2 , In 3
With No.4 Cylinder at Top Dead Centre:
In 2 , EX 3, In 4 , Ex 4
The explenation I gave is still good as this sets the pistons too TDC.
(The 'T' mark on the rotor)
You can remove the spark plug from 1 & 4 and with a long screwdriver confirm that the piston crown is sitting at the top of the cylinder.

Nothing worse than having an H and not being able to scratch it !
Living life on the edge, SuPposedly
Living life on the edge, SuPposedly