All the way from Canada

One for you newbies to introduce yourselves and show us your ZXR!

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cycklone
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 11:35 pm
My Bike: '90 ZXR400 H2

All the way from Canada

Post by cycklone »

Hey guy's, just wanted to say hello and let you know that you have an awesome site here. Just recently bought a '90 H2 as a project bike 2 weeks ago and shes been stripped down to the frame as of last night. I've discovered a couple of things along the way that were disappointing in terms of having to fix.

Creamy oil drained from the oil plug...not too much but enough :smt010
The regulator/rectifier and connector burned/melted :smt013
The gas tank has to be repaired at the fuel shut-off valve... this one will require some welding.

The biggest b#$$%^d of them all is that I have to find everything online for the ZXR 400. :smt006
What takes the pain away....nobody has one here except for me :excited , I think!

I'll be posting pictures in the coming months...not like you guy's haven't seen enough of them.
Cheers,

Ontario, Canada
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Mori Man
Blingmeister
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Posts: 1976
Joined: Thu May 10, 2007 3:30 pm
My Bike: ZXR400J2
Location: JAPAN

Re: All the way from Canada

Post by Mori Man »

Howdy and welcome to the site :smt001

An H2 , a man after my own heart :smt003 You'll find plenty pic's of mine on the site cause I am just a pic whore :smt007

Can certainly source you parts for it no worries , I have a fair stock in my store rooms - Reg/Rectifiers are checked on my own bike , generally I will send the one on my bike as I know thats a good un and saves me double work :smt005

I have a tank here but needs to be vapour blasted out like at a rad' shop and sealed , apart from that its in pretty good nick - original that came off my bike.

Sounds like a blown head gasket - no biggie and a good opportunity to give the top end a seeing too :smt004 But , was the bike started recently and it's just emulsion left from not getting it up too temp' ?

I have a used H loom in stock as an owner here has never got back to me :smt009

I would reckon you might be the only one , I know of only one other in the US . Two more years before the 1989 H1 can be brought in legit and registered but I think Canada is only 15~20yrs before the restriction is dropped as thats a way in for US buyers to get complete bikes in sooner.

Anyhoo, get stuck on anything ask away :smt015

MM! :smt001
Nothing worse than having an H and not being able to scratch it !
Living life on the edge, SuPposedly
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gavinfdavies
zxr400 oc member
zxr400 oc member
Posts: 358
Joined: Wed Jun 23, 2010 10:56 pm
My Bike: gpz500s d5, zxr400 L5
Location: Peterborough
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Re: All the way from Canada

Post by gavinfdavies »

i wouldn't worry about the creamy oil yet, fix the known faults first. I say this for two reasons...

1) your HG might be fine. Heck, my GPZ has the odd bout of spunky oil but has been running for a good 12,000 miles easy peasy!

2) My ZXR *DOES* have a blown HG, and I've done 300 miles on it since it went! Admitantly it's only gone piston to coolant (i think, i assume this engine has coolant routes running through HG, if not, i don't know what's wrong!) and just needs to be kept north of 8mph to avoid over heating! Could be my water pump i guess...

speaking of which, what would be the best way to check water pump is actually working? or to find the source of my over heating woes anyway? no leaks of oil/coolant, no mixing of those either. Water level in tank right up to limit once hot (i'm guessing it's overspressurising the system somehow and over flowing into the tank, but not sure).

anyhoo, good luck with the rebuild!
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?).
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Mori Man
Blingmeister
Blingmeister
Posts: 1976
Joined: Thu May 10, 2007 3:30 pm
My Bike: ZXR400J2
Location: JAPAN

Re: All the way from Canada

Post by Mori Man »

@ gav

Remove rad cap , start bike - you should observe coolant moving - the very fine hole in thermo allows this but once up to temp very noticeable and coolant level will rise so be ready with the cap or switch off !!

As long as you see the coolant moving the pump is working , however their bearings can go so you get weak pressure but I am sure that means it will never overflow out an open rad cap as not enough oooommmph to cause.

MM!
Nothing worse than having an H and not being able to scratch it !
Living life on the edge, SuPposedly
Neosophist
Posts: 241
Joined: Wed May 28, 2008 2:18 pm
My Bike: VFR400R NC24

Re: All the way from Canada

Post by Neosophist »

Not to digress from the topic too much but

I had a knackered waterpump on a VFR once, the owner was using normal water and some silica antifreeze, i guess this combination had eaten away at the impeller fins (which were all floating aroud the system) the pumps seal had gone and sized at some point, the shaft that connects the pump to the crank had snapped and was sitting in the oil strainer!

Easiest way would be to take the cover off the water pump and visually inspect it, it should be nice and shiny with all of the fins intact... crank the engine a couple of times with the cover off and make sure it is turning ok)

Since the water pump cover removal will drain all the coolant, crack the lower hose off the rad and flush it through with a running hosepipe till the water runs clear, do this from the bottom hose so it comes out the rad cap too (Reverse flush).

Replace the waterpump cover and flush through the engine too.

This should dislodge and remove any crap. You can get a chemical treatment that works wonders too (2 part clenaer / neutraliser from halfords) if there was a lot of rust / crud come out. dont be tempted to use the sand based cleaners, there too abrasive for the motorycle engine.

While your at it inspect the rad, make sure the fins are not covered in mud, when i do this to bikes i often remove the rad and leave it soaking in a bowl of degreaser overnight and rinse it with water aftewards to get all the crap out.. you can get 'fin combs' that will straighten bent fins if you have a lot, as if the air can't flow through it then it wont be working too well.

Last but not least check the thermostat is opening and closing, its easy to remove, boil a pan of water and gently drop it in (dont want to get splashed by boiling water) and you should see the stat open, i think its 8mm at 100c or there abouts. If it doesnt open this could be causing over-heating so replace it.

Connect everything back up and fill with 50/50 antifreeze (try and get a motorcycle / silica free type) and distilled water, this will stop mineral from building up in the block.

Should be good to go!

Back to the op.

The H2 is a lovely bike,

Creamy oil can also be becuase of condensation, I was getting it when the bike was left in the damp and not being used very often, unless your specifically tearing the block to bits I would dump the oil and see how you get on.

For all of the bikes I dont use regularly and havnt put into 'storage mode' I start them up at least once every month or so and warm them up until the fan cuts in and out twice, this will get the oil upto a temperature hot enough to burn off any condensation that has built up.

Hope you get it all sorted out soon, MM will be able to find pretty much anything you need :excited

Word of warning though, if you do look at some of his pics (and I suggest you do!) be prepared to want lots of shiny Titanium, FCR exotica for your new bike smiler

I can attest to the fact that it is all totally worth it though, the bike goes pulls like a train cgeek
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Mori Man
Blingmeister
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Posts: 1976
Joined: Thu May 10, 2007 3:30 pm
My Bike: ZXR400J2
Location: JAPAN

Re: All the way from Canada

Post by Mori Man »

Neosophist wrote: Hope you get it all sorted out soon, MM will be able to find pretty much anything you need :excited

Word of warning though, if you do look at some of his pics (and I suggest you do!) be prepared to want lots of shiny Titanium, FCR exotica for your new bike smiler

I can attest to the fact that it is all totally worth it though, the bike goes pulls like a train cgeek
Why thank you N :smt001

Promise it will be better for your next jaunt - have booked at least 5 quakes this time :smt005

Pulls more like a train with my missus on the back though :pmsl

:smt002

MM! :smt004
Nothing worse than having an H and not being able to scratch it !
Living life on the edge, SuPposedly
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gavinfdavies
zxr400 oc member
zxr400 oc member
Posts: 358
Joined: Wed Jun 23, 2010 10:56 pm
My Bike: gpz500s d5, zxr400 L5
Location: Peterborough
Contact:

Re: All the way from Canada

Post by gavinfdavies »

Sorry I've hijacked this topic a tad! I'll try that thing with rad cap. But if I've blown through into a coolant line surely the pressure would blow water through too, confusing the issue. Your info does reveal that my Gpz does have a duff thermostat though - fire it up cold with pressure cap off and you get a face full of water! And you can get rad combs? Excited! Need one for a spare mini rad I've got!


ok, I'll release my grip on this thread, hope It's helped you too. Let us know how you get on with your h2!
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?).
cycklone
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 11:35 pm
My Bike: '90 ZXR400 H2

Re: All the way from Canada

Post by cycklone »

ZHoly smokes! Thank for the nice reception guy's! smiler That's a ton of info from the get go. I really appreciate all the pointers and tips...heck I would reply quotes on all of you but you've got me beat.. that's alot of thank you's, but thanks to all you anyway.

Mori Man ...I'll be in touch with you soon. Just let me get through my taxes prepping over the next couple of weeks. Besides I have a lot cleaning and stripping at the moment.

To the rest of you...No worries on the hijacking...any info I get now is less of me asking later.

Cheers again gents...
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