the new zx-6r and zx-9r -...

FA L L 1 9 9 7 T H E K AWA S A K I T E C H N I C A L M A G A Z I N E V O L . 1 0 , N O . 3

INSIDEFeatures ZX-6R and ZX-9R . . . . . . 2Regional Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4News Latin America Support. . . 5

New Hot Line Tech . . . . . 5KIC Training . . . . . . . . . . 6Jet Ski® Cover Claims . . 7

Micro-K Hints and Facts . . . . . . . . 7Tech Tips Governer Assembly. . . . . 8

KVF400 Crankcase Vent . 9GTPP Certificates. . . . . . . 91100 STX Pressure . . . . 10Prairie Brakes . . . . . . . 11

ROUTE LIST ❑ SERVICE ❑ PARTS ❑ SALESP L E A S E R E T U R N T O S E R V I C E L I B R A R Y

THE NEWZX-6R AND ZX-9RTHE NEWZX-6R AND ZX-9R

2FALL 1997 K-TECH NEWS

Kawasaki has newtechnology up its sleevefor 1998. A new ZX-6Rand ZX-9R head the list ofvastly improved motorcy-cles. The new ZX-9R is 77pounds lighter than the’97 model and the ZX-6Rdrops 13 pounds from analready lightweight pack-age. New chassis aresmaller for quicker corner-ing. A completely newZX-9R engine and revisedZX-6R power plant offereven more power. Newtechnology includes athrottle position sensortied to the ignition and acatalytic converter systemfor California models. Thekinship between the ZX-6R and ZX-9R is clear,with similar layouts andmany shared components.

ZX-9R EngineThe ZX-9R engine

weighs 20 pounds lessand pumps out four morehorsepower than lastyear’s model. A largerbore and shorter strokeenabled 1mm larger in-take and exhaust valves.Hollow camshafts now di-rectly actuate the valvesthrough bucket tappetsfor less reciprocatingweight and a narrower in-

cluded valve angle. Thealternator is now mountedon the crankshaft insteadof behind the cylinders forless weight and friction.Special neodymium mag-nets reduce flywheelweight by over a poundfor an engine that revsand responds instantly.

New ignition technol-ogy includes theKawasaki ThrottleResponsive IgnitionControl (K-TRIC). Thissystem connects a throttleposition sensor to the igni-tion to vary timing withengine RPM and throttlesettings for more powerwith less fuel consump-tion. New stick-type igni-tion coils are spark plugcaps containing tiny coilsto save nearly a poundand provide more consis-tent spark. To keep these

coils cool, they only fireon the compressionstroke, thanks to an ex-haust cam sensor detect-ing the piston location.Most ignitions fire theplugs with every upstrokeof the piston.

The ZX-9R transmis-sion is now as compact asthe ZX-6R and features in-volute splines for im-proved shifting and twobearings on both shafts forsupport and smooth oper-ation. The shift forks arenow chrome plated fordurability and use 7mm(from 6mm) pins forsmoother shift action. Thelightweight cable-oper-ated clutch no longer usesa back-torque limiter andis the same size as the ZX-6R except for one extradrive and driven plate.

Lubrication improve-

by John GriffinInstructionalDesigner/Instructor

ZX-6R and ZX-9R—LessWeight, More Thrilling

Cover Story

K-TECH News

Vol. 10, No. 3Fall 1997

K-TECH News Staff

PublisherKawasaki Tech Services

Publications ManagerDon Church

Executive EditorGary Herzog

Editor-in-ChiefGregg Thompson

Regional Editors

North and EastFred DeHart

Central and SouthWalter Rainwater

WestRobert Taylor

ContributorsDave Corey,, Jill Dunning,

John Griffin, Jeff Hoeppner, Craig Martin, Keith Pestotnik,

Ray St. John

Graphics/Production

Graphic ArtGregg Thompson

PhotographyDave Corey, Rich Cox,

Kevin Wing

Copy EditorPat Shibata

ProductionHolland Marketing Services

©1997 Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.All rights reserved.

Published by KawasakiAll suggestions become the property of KMC.Sending a service suggestion gives Kawasaki

permission to publish and/or use itwithout further consideration.

Specifications subject to change without notice.

ZX-9R Notes: Alternator on end of crank, exhaust cam sensorabove #1 exhaust header, multiple magnesium covers, and noframe down tubes.


ments include a gear dri-ven oil pump with a sin-gle rotor using thecrankcase as part of thepump body for lessweight. It has two intakesfor better flow. New oildelivery passages in thecylinder block, generatorcover, and new oilgrooves in the #2 and #4crank journals better lubri-cate the con-rod big ends.

Exotic metals like a tita-nium muffler shell (stain-less steel on Californiamodel), and magnesiumcylinder head cover, pulsecover, generator cover,clutch cover, and enginesprocket cover cut weight.The clutch and enginesprocket covers even weara special recycling symbol.

ZX-6R EngineThe power and reliabil-

ity of last year’s best 600power plant are improvedfor ’98. New engine casesare stiffer in the crank areabecause two extra bolts se-cure this critical area. Astronger crankshaft nolonger uses a woodruffkey to locate the flywheelwhich now incorporatesneodymium magnets for

quicker engine response.A curved aluminum radi-ator increases cooling andallows a more compactwheelbase. The coolingfan is even moved to theupper left corner for com-pactness. Magnesium gen-erator and sprocket coversaid in reducing total en-gine weight by fourpounds.

Engineers worked hardto make changes that ben-efit outright performanceand improve its characteron the street. New MikuniBDSR36R carburetorswith K-TRIC enhancethrottle response and pro-vide a seamless power de-livery. The cam drive andprimary gears are refinedto reduce mechanicalnoise significantly. A liq-uid cooled oil cooler ismore efficient and al-lowed the removal of lastyear’s oil cooler. The oilfilter and oil drain plug

can now be removedwithout moving any pan-els or parts.

Catalytic ConvertersCalifornia ZX-9R and

ZX-6R models come witha catalytic converter sys-tem to meet the stringentemission levels with virtu-

ally no loss of power. Acatalyst in the muffler anda pre-catalyst just up-stream in the pipes usemetal honeycomb coatedwith platinum andrhodium to convert car-bon monoxide and hydro-carbons into harmless car-bon dioxide and water.

Microcomputer-con-trolled solenoid valves inthe carburetors shut offfuel to the motor duringover-rev situations or ifthe ignition is shut offwhile the motor is stillturning over. This pre-vents raw fuel from get-ting into the exhaust andburning out the catalysts.Using the converter en-abled Kawasaki to use thesame ignition and camson 49 state and Californiamodels. The Californiamodel ZX-9R is onlydown one horsepower orless than 1 percent.

Cover Story

Continued on page 12

Speedometer pickup is taken off the countershaft sprocket nut.

ZX-9R stick type coils arespark plug caps and coils inone.

New piggyback reservoir shock for both models. ZX-6R fea-tures adjustable ride height, removable subframe, and larger5.5-inch rear rim.

New Telephone Number forRegional Class Enrollment

To register for classesheld at our GrandRapids, Mich., orPiscataway, N.J., trainingcenters, please call (732)469-1221 and speak withMs. Karla Phillips. Karlawill be handling all stu-dent enrollments forthese two locations.

For the followingRoad School locations,registration should bemade through Ms. KarlaPhillips, at the same tele-phone number listedabove: Albany, N.Y.,West Lebanon, N.H.,Syracuse, N.Y., Buffalo,N.Y., Pittsburgh, Pa.,Columbus, Ohio,Indianapolis, Ind.

The Fall 1997 andSpring 1998 TechnicalTraining schedules havebeen mailed to your deal-ership and were alsogiven out at the OctoberKawasaki dealer meetingin Orlando, Fla. RoadSchool locations are alsolisted on this schedule.

Make sure yourService Department readsthis training schedule.

Sign up early to take ad-vantage of the trainingopportunities available toyour dealership person-nel.

We look forward tomeeting with you at oneof our classes in the nearfuture.�

Fred DeHart201 Circle Drive N. #107

Piscataway, NJ 08854(908) 469-1221

This past summer, Ihad the opportunity tohelp a dealer with an on-going customer problem.It was an example of acustomer losing confi-dence in the dealer’s ser-vice department. Ilearned from this experi-ence that a dealer canprevent most customerproblems by seeing thatrepairs are done correctlythe first time. The firsttime this bike visited theservice department, itwas a service problem.The second time, it be-came a customer prob-lem.

As soon as the dealermet this customer, a red

flag should have goneup. We would have toclassify this customer as“extremely picky.” Hisbike has always been de-pendable and safe to ride,but on a long trip it be-gan to exhibit a driveabil-ity problem. The cus-tomer took his bike totwo dealers, one of whichwas not a Kawasakidealer. The bike now hadmore problems than be-fore. Unhappy with hisexperiences so far, the“picky” customer finallytook his bike back to hislocal Kawasaki dealer.Unfortunately, the localdealer just added to theproblem by not seeing toit that the repairs werecarried out properly.Each time the customerpicked up the bike hewould inspect it care-fully. During several vis-its in the next couple ofmonths, the dealercaused a number of addi-tional problems. Theirony is that after all theparts and service prob-lems were finally cor-rected and the bike wasrunning properly, thecustomer refused to be-lieve his bike was fixed.The customer had lostconfidence in the dealer.

I had the opportunityto ride the bike and wasable to verify that it wasrunning properly. Onlythen was the customersatisfied, and finally ap-peared to be pleased withhis bike. Most of theseproblems could have

been prevented if the lo-cal dealer had been morethorough in his parts or-dering and careful withhis service work.

I hope you can use thisexample as a guide topreventing this type ofcustomer problem inyour servicedepartment.�

Walter Rainwater6110 Boat Rock Blvd. S.W.

Atlanta, GA 30378(404) 349-2000

There’s a lot of goodnews in the upcoming’97-98 training season.First, we have a newsatellite training center inTacoma, Wash. BatesTechnical College is lo-cated in the southern partof Tacoma and offers avariety of technicalclasses. We will be usingtheir facility for our K-Tech training classes inFebruary and Marchthese will include JetSki® watercraft, Jet Skiwatercraft Fuel andElectrical SystemsTroubleshooting, Mule™utility vehicles,Motorcycle Electrical


Regional

ATLANTA/DALLAS

PISCATAWAY/GRAND RAPIDS

IRVINE/SEATTLE

System Troubleshooting,Motorcycle Maintenance-1/ATV, Police MotorcycleMaintenance, ServiceUpdate ’98 and the newK-Share/KawasakiInformation Center (KIC)Seminar.

We are also expandingour support to the techni-cal training schoolsacross the nation. Newmodels and support ma-terials have been donatedto the schools in an effortto increase the student’sknowledge and abilitieson Kawasaki.�

Robert Taylor9950 Jeronimo Road

Irvine, CA 92618(714) 770-0400

In order to improveour support for KawasakiDistributors in LatinAmerica, we are pleasedto introduce to youCarlos Johnston, ServiceSupport Coordinator forLatin America. Carloshas extensive knowledgeof Kawasaki productswith 12 years experienceas a technician at one ofKawasaki’s best andlong-time dealerships inSouthern California.Carlos speaks and writesSpanish fluently; he waseducated and lived most

of his life in Spain.Carlos has begun an

extensive training pro-gram to get prepared forhis new responsibilities.He will be available toserve you beginningJanuary 1, 1998, with allservice-related mattersincluding:

• Technical SupportHot Line. Accepting

phone calls, facsimilemessages, letters, or E-mail correspondence re-garding technical andwarranty issues.

• Consumer Services.Advising Distributorshow we can work to-gether to handle cus-tomer complaints.

• Newsletter. Carlos willbe producing a Spanishnewsletter to allDistributors to addressservice issues from techtips to special tools.

• Service Bulletins.Translating service bul-letins and other impor-tant service documents,and distributing themto all Distributors.

• Technical Training.We will be offering atwo-week training pro-gram in Orlando, Fla.,for two weeks in June. Itwill be taught inSpanish.

• Visits to Distributors.Carlos will periodicallybe visiting each countryto advise and consultthe needs of efficientservice and parts de-partments. He will alsobe able to troubleshootdifficult product prob-lems using this as atraining opportunity.�


News

Improving Distributor Communications:Welcome Latin America Service Support Coordinator

Regional News-con’td

We would like to in-troduce our new Hotlinetechnician, DaveLangford. Dave washired in July to replaceShannon Beason whohad taken a position inthe KMC R&D depart-ment to work on newproduct development.

Dave has alreadybeen on the phonesthrough the busiest timeof the year, and he alsowent to the dealer showin Orlando. So many ofyou have already methim in person or on thephones.

For Dave it started at

age 12 when his fatherbought him a Yamaha100cc Trailmaster. Sincethen he has had a longhistory of enthusiasticinvolvement with ourindustry including sev-eral years of road racingboth production and GPbikes.

He landed his firstjob in a dealership in1975 when he went towork in a Kawasakishop assembling newbikes and helpingaround the service de-partment. Since then hehas worked at severalSouthern California

dealerships as techni-cian and service man-ager. Dave also has ex-tensive experience han-dling collision, theft andextended warrantyclaims as an indepen-dent insurance adjuster.

We are confidentDave’s enthusiasm andexperience will makehim a valuable additionto our Hotline group.

—Ed.

New Hot Line Technician

by Don ChurchManager, Service Trainingand Communications

K-Tech Training On the Road:News


You saw KIC for thefirst time at the KawasakiDealer Meeting inOrlando, Fla. Whetheryou attended one of theKIC overview presenta-tions or used KIC yourselfon the new K-ShareMicron PCs in the displayarea, you saw first handthis exciting new K-Shareapplication.

The KawasakiInformation Center is afull-featured electronicparts catalog system witheasy access to service pub-lications, flat ratecodes/times, and sales lit-erature. With all these fea-tures plus its integrationwith K-Share’s parts or-dering and warrantyclaims processing func-tions, KIC is a valuabletool for practically every-one in your store.

This is why K-Tech istaking KIC and K-Sharetraining on the road: totrain everyone in yourstore on how to use all thefunctions of KIC and K-

Share.Students will learn

what information lies un-der the various inquiry“buttons” in KIC, andhow to use the “fuzzy”search capabilities of KICto access this informationquickly.

Students will learn howto boost their productivityand reduce the potentialfor errors when using KICand K-Share together toorder parts and file war-ranty claims.

Students will learn howthey can use K-Share ap-plications such as theVehicle Service Inquiryand Vehicle InformationProcessing to boost cus-tomer service and loyalty.

Take advantage of thistraining opportunity evenif you saw KIC inOrlando. You will be sur-prised what you will learnin one day and how yournew skills will immedi-ately improve your work.Plus all students will re-ceive a “tool kit” of handyreference materials to helpthem continue to get themost out of K-Share andKIC.

To enroll in the K-Share/KIC seminars, callthe numbers listed.

Please note there is acharge of $25 per student

billed directly to yourparts account for all loca-tions except KawasakiTraining Centers.�

K-Tech Training On the Road:Getting Ready for the Kawasaki Information Center

December10th Grand Rapids, MI*................(732) 469-122112th Orlando, FL ..........................(404) 349-2000 ext. 422716th Fort Lauderdale, FL ..............(404) 349-2000 ext. 4227

January6th Piscataway, NJ*....................(732) 469-122113th Little Rock, AR......................(404) 349-2000 ext. 4227

Minneapolis, MN ..................(714) 770-0400 ext. 245216th Des Moines, IA ....................(714) 770-0400 ext. 2452

Hammond, LA ......................(404) 349-2000 ext. 422720th St. Louis, MO........................(714) 770-0400 ext. 2452

Syracuse, NY ........................(732) 469-122123rd Atlanta, GA ..........................(404) 349-2000 ext. 4227

Buffalo, NY ..........................(732) 469-1221Kansas City, KS ....................(714) 770-0400 ext. 2452

February24th Pittsburgh, PA ......................(732) 469-122127th Columbus, OH ......................(732) 469-1221

March10th Tacoma, WA*........................(714) 770-0400 ext. 245217th Indianapolis, IN....................(732) 469-1221

May1st Atlanta, GA* ........................(404) 349-2000 ext. 4227

*Kawasaki Training Center

by Don ChurchManager, Service Trainingand Communications

The Kawasaki Information Center is a full-featured elec-tronic parts catalog system with easy access to servicepublications, flat rate codes/times, and sales literature.

Students will learn how to boost their productivity and re-duce the potential for errors when using KIC and K-Sharetogether to order parts and file warranty claims.

The microfiche deckcan be your best friend oryour worst enemy. Ifproperly maintained, itwill be a well organized li-brary of accurate informa-tion; left neglected, ittransforms into a confus-ing wad of misfiled, du-plicated, expired, or mis-placed fiche.

The following is a listof helpful hints and littleknown facts that will helpyou get the most fromyour Micro-K library.

• Check out parts bulletinGen 97-01. It contains in-formation on fiche read-ers, bulbs, spare partsand fiche storage de-vices. Also look in the“Kawasaki TechnicalServices DepartmentCatalogs of ResourceMaterials.” It contains awealth of informationfor supplies and relateditems for your parts andservice departments.

• Monthly Micro-K mail-ings include an updatedIndex that shows thepart number and revi-sion date of every fichethat we print.Information on how toorder individual andcomplete decks of ficheis also contained on thisindex.

• With the exception ofnew models, every newfiche that you receive isa revision of a previousfiche. We reprint a re-vised fiche when newinformation is added orthere is inaccurate infor-mation contained on thefiche. Always replacethe old fiche with thenew one and throwaway the old fiche—itmay contain bad infor-mation.

• The July 1997 monthlydistribution containedan entire set of ATVfiche in a new categorycolor, orange. This willgive the ATV productline its own identity in aseparate part of yourfiche library, just likewatercraft or generators.

• Almost every microfichehas a part number indexat the bottom right sideof the card. It lists everypart number that is onthe fiche, and its loca-tion on the fiche. Thiscan be a handy little toolwhen you have a partnumber that you knowis on a fiche, but you

don’t know where.

• Monthly Micro-K mail-ings include a pinkMicro-K report card. Atthe time of the nextprinting of these cards, Iwill be revising the textto include reference tothe KIC electronic partscatalog. In the mean-time, please use thesecards for comments onMicro-K and KIC. Yourcomments are very im-portant.�

Micro-KMicro-K


Service Tips

The new “VACU-HOLD ULTRA” Jet Ski covers being sold byKawasaki Accessories this year have a two-year warranty from themanufacturer, Commercial Sewing. Each cover comes with a warrantystatement from Commercial Sewing explaining the warranty provisionsand the procedures to be followed in case of a warranty failure.

The manufacturer wants the dealership (you) to deal directly withthem for any warranty assistance. If a customer comes into your deal-ership with a defective cover, contact Commercial Sewing at (860)482-5509 and follow their instructions.

Depending on the failure, they may have you send the cover tothem for repairs.�

Jet Ski Cover Claims

RetractionOnEmissionsArticleBy John Griffin

In the last issue, I incorrectly statedthe ’98 KDX200 and KDX220Rwould not be sold in California.These models are sold in Californiaas “closed course competition”units.�

by Jeff HoeppnerParts Data Coordinator

Gettingthe MostFromYourLibrary

1998KX80-W1,KX100-C1KIPSGovernerAssemblyby Craig Martin and Gregg Thompson

If you ever have to re-place a KIPS ValveGoverner on a ’98 KX80 or100, you might be sur-prised to find out it's notavailable as an assembly.That's not so bad exceptthat the parts have to beassembled by pressing

them together; and it isvery easy to do thiswrong. The good news iswith a simple handmadespecial tool and a little in-formation, you can easilyassemble one of these cor-rectly with a bench vise.

The KIPS Governershaft has a small shoulderabout 6mm from eachend. The governer rampand the gear each have tobe pressed onto the shaft(one at each end) to be ex-actly flush with thatshoulder. Anything differ-ent results in the wrongpreload on the governerspring which in turncauses the governer to op-erate at the wrong RPM.

The special tool youneed is a smooth piece ofsteel or aluminum barstock with a hole drilled

through it. Not too tough,huh? The bar needs to beat least 3/8-inch thick. Thehole you drill in it shouldbe at least 6mm but nolarger than 1/4 inch (twodrill sizes you probablyhave).

Start by assembling thegoverner shaft, ball rampand your special tool inthe vice as shown. Be sure

to use aluminum jaws onyour vice to avoid damag-ing the KIPS governershaft.

As you press the shaftthrough the ball ramp, thesmall diameter portion ofthe shaft will go into thehole in your special tool.The shoulder will not gothrough the hole, so theshaft will stop exactlyflush with the outside sur-face of the ball ramp.Perfect.

Now assemble theother parts on the shaft asshown and use the sameprocedure (and specialtool) to press the gearonto the other end of theshaft. Like the ramp, thegear will come to a stopflush with the shoulder onthe shaft just like it’s sup-posed to.�


Service Tips

At least 3/8 inch

6mm hole

Press together in vise

SPECIAL TOOL

Toward Ramp Toward Gear

Preassemble

Toward Bearing Toward Spring

SPECIAL TOOL

SPECIAL TOOL


Service Tips

We have heard of a fewKVF400 Prairies that havehad problems with lots ofengine oil getting into theair box during normal rid-ing conditions. Thecrankcase breather systemis located in the castingsof the crankcases on thismodel and there are sev-eral holes in the cases thatare involved. If any ofthese holes are obstructed(by casting flash, for in-stance), the breather will

not work properly and oilwill end up in the air box.

Of course any time youhave a unit that is pump-ing oil into the air box,first make sure thecrankcase oil is not over-full. Also perform a leak-down test to make surethe piston rings are ingood shape (not allowingtoo much blow-by).

Once you are sure theengine is OK, you need toinvestigate the crankcasevent system. On theKVF400 Prairie, thismeans removing the left-hand crankcase half. Thatsounds pretty drastic butactually this can be donewithout removing the en-gine from the frame.

Locate the vent holes asshown in these drawingsand make sure they arefree of any obstructions.�

by Gregg ThompsonProduct Support Supervisor

CRANKCASE CENTER

CRANKCASE LEFT

3 Vent Holes

Vent Hole

CORRECTION: Mule Engineand Gear Case Assemblies

In the last issue of K-Tech News we published a table listing the engine assem-

blies and gear case assemblies available as spare parts for the various Mule utility

vehicles. Unfortunately, there were errors in that table. Please go to your shop

copy of that issue (Summer 1997, pg. 8 ) and make a note referring to this issue

for the correct information. We are sorry for any trouble this may have caused

you.—Ed.

KAF300-B/C KAF620-A (4x4) KAF620-B/C

ENGINE ASSY. 70290-2176-LF 70620-2007-EG 70620-2007-EG

TRANSAXLE ASSY N/A 13101-1194 13101-1196(Transmission)

FR. GEAR CASE N/A 13101-1220 N/A

KVF400PrairieCrankcaseVent

Have you ever had oneof those days where youknow you were supposedto do something, butforgot? Well, here isyour reminder.....

When you sellKawasaki’s GOODTIMES PROTECTIONPLAN extended war-ranty, please do not for-get to fill out the GTPPcertificate and pass it onto your customer. Thecertificate contains valu-

able information such as: • What is covered under the

GTPP• How to transfer the GTPP• How to cancel the GTPP• What is excluded from cov-

erage by the GTPPIf you need to order

GTPP certificates, the partnumber is 99995-593-03.�

by Jill A. DunningConsumer Analyst

GTPPCertificates


Service Tips

We have had a numberof reports from the fieldregarding 1100 STX JetSkis with hard startingand bad throttle hesita-tions that couldn’t be cor-rected by adjusting thecarburetor mixture screws.What we found on nearlyall of these was that thefuel inlet valve pop-offpressure was well abovethe factory specification.

“Pop-off pressure” isthe pressure needed topush the fuel inlet valveoff its seat and allow fuelto flow into the fuel cham-ber. We have found thatpop-off pressure in thesecarburetors should bearound 24 to 25psi. Whatdealers are finding is thatmost of these carburetorsare at about 30-35 psi.When the vehicle is run-ning, the pressure on theneedle is actually over-come (opening the valve)mostly by the diaphragm,not by fuel pressure. Thefuel chamber diaphragmis operated by vacuumfrom the carburetor ven-turi which it sensesthrough the main jet.

When the pop-off pres-sure is too high, the carbu-

retor will starve for fuelmomentarily under cer-tain conditions (usually atidle) causing a hesitationwhen the throttle isopened abruptly. Hardstarting can also resultfrom this condition.

To check the pop-offpressure, you need apump and gauge that willgo up to 30psi or more.The two outside carbure-tors on the 1100 STX havefuel pumps mounted onthem which make it easyto check pop-off pressure.All you have to do is con-nect your pump to thefuel return hose and pres-surize it. The fuel pumpprevents pressure from es-caping through the fuelinlet fitting. The centercarburetor does not have afuel pump, so on this oneyou have to block off the(dual spigot) inlet fittingbefore pressurizing the re-turn fitting.

When you pressurizethe carburetor with a

hand pump, the valve willhold pressure to a certainpoint (lets say 25psi) andsuddenly blow off, drop-ping a few psi abruptlyand then continue to leakdown slowly a few morepsi before stopping at alower pressure (let’s say19psi) which it shouldhold indefinitely. Thehigher pressure (25psi inthis example) is the “pop-off.” If the valve leaks airat a much lower pressure,there may be some wearor damage to the needleor seat. Minor damage tothe valve seat can some-times be repaired with aQ-tip and some fine lap-ping compound.

Note: Pop-off pressureshould be checked with a“wet” needle and seat.The best procedure is tolay the carburetor (or carbset) flat on your benchwith the fuel valve cham-ber facing up and the di-aphragm and cover re-moved. Fill the area

around the inlet valvewith solvent or WD-40 tokeep the valve wet. Thisalso allows you to seebubbles escaping from thevalve when it leaks.

To reduce the pop-offpressure, just cut somelength off the lever armspring. Usually removingjust the first turn of thespring will reduce thepop-off pressure by about5 psi, so be careful not tooverdo it. It’s hard to putmaterial back on thespring once you’ve cut itoff.

By the way, you canalso pressurize any ofthese carburetors throughthe fuel inlet pipe but thatrequires blocking off thereturn pipe first. So oncarburetors with integralfuel pumps, it’s easier topressurize them throughthe return fitting. If airleaks out through the fuelpump while pressurizingthe return hose, the fuelpump is bad.�

Setting1100 STXPop-OffPressure

Fill Chamber with Solvent

PressurizeReturn Fuel Line

Air Escapes from Inlet Valve

by Gregg ThompsonProduct Support Supervisor


Service Tips

Most dealers who sell afair number of KawasakiATVs are familiar withthe FDM for the rearbrake on the KVF400-A1Prairie. This repair cam-paign was to address pre-mature rear brake (mostlydrum and shoe) wear thatresulted from water andmud leaking into thebrake during use in ex-tremely wet conditions.

Unfortunately, some deal-ers are still having troublewith this problem afterperforming the FDM.

We have done some in-vestigating here at KMCand have found that withcareful assembly these im-proved parts do a verygood job of keeping waterout of the Prairie rearbrake. However, the brakedrum cover must not bedamaged in any way.Many of the units thatcontinue to leak after the

FDM has been done turnout to have a dent some-where in the cover fromstriking a rock or stump.Just about any dent in thiscover is likely to distortone of the sealing sur-faces, allowing it to leak.

When you have one ofthese apart for any reason,whether doing the FDMor just routine mainte-nance, it should be re-assembled very carefullyaccording to the followingprocedures.

➤ Assemble the unit us-ing high quality water-proof grease (Bel Rayis excellent) and RTVsilicone where indi-cated in this illustra-tion. Carefully Sealingthese parts as indi-cated with grease andsilicone is the key tosuccess in this repair.

➤ Put silicone on thebrake drum seal O.D.before installing it inthe cover. This makesit easier to install.

➤ When installing thebrake drum cover, becareful not to over-torque the bolts.Overtightening themwill warp the sheetmetal cover and possi-bly cause a leak.

➤ Assemble the brakeand cover with all thesilicone still wet andthen let it setovernight. With the sil-icone still wet, thebrake drum seal willcenter itself on thedrum and then hold inthat position when thesilicone cures.

➤ Route the vent hose ashigh as possible to pre-vent water from enter-ing there.

Note: Early units had adrain groove in the bottom ofthe cast aluminum backingplate. If the one you areworking on has a draingroove, fill the groove withsilicone.�

by Keith Pestotnik andGregg Thompson

Waterproofing Prairie Rear Brakes

Grease

Grease

(one side only)

Silicone (outer edge only)

DO NOTOVERTIGHTEN

Route VentHose High

Grease

Grease

Cover Story


ZX-9R And ZX-6R ChassisThe chassis for both

machines are new for ’98.The ZX-9R frame is muchlighter due to the elimina-tion of the down tubesand thinner wall alu-minum in most locations.The wheelbase is 25mmshorter for quicker steer-ing and less weight. TheZX-6R frame is moresporty with a 13mmshorter wheelbase , 0.5˚steeper rake (23.5˚ ), and1mm less trail. The steer-ing head tube is also15mm longer to space thetriple clamps farther apartfor superior rigidity. A re-movable rear subframeand adjustable rear rideheight are features rightoff the race bikes.

Suspension changes in-clude stout 46mm conven-tional cartridge forks onboth bikes for great rigid-ity, less weight, and better

action under braking.They offer adjustable pre-load, 10-way compression,and 12-way rebounddamping. New extrudedaluminum swingarms arestrong and light and se-cure new piggyback reser-voir rear shocks. Theseshocks feature adjustablespring preload, 20-waycompression, and 20-wayrebound damping. Lastyear’s remote reservoirunits offered only 4 re-bound adjustments.

New wheels andbrakes complete the per-formance picture. Six-pis-ton caliper brakes areused on the front of bothmodels for incrediblestopping power. The ZX-6R is the first 600 classbike offering this feature.The ZX-6R front brake ro-tors are 300mm in diame-ter and now 0.5mmthicker at 5mm. The ZX-9R uses ultra light 296mmx 4.5mm thick front brakerotors. The rear brake ro-tor on both models is

down-sized from 230mmto 220mm. Thinner wallaluminum rims are sharedby both bikes for less un-sprung weight and gyro-scopic effect. The ZX-6Rrear rim jumps from 5 to5.5 inches wide to handlea new 170/60-ZR17 tire.

The street-legal equip-ment was scrutinized forweight loss wherever pos-sible. The single multi-re-flector headlight uses aplastic lens and body. Theelectronic speedometeruses a magnetic sensor onthe countershaft sprocketnut for an accurate read-out. The odometer, tripmeter, and clock are

shown digitally on theLCD display. The LCDwater temp gauge has abar type display. New reargrab bars are made of re-inforced plastic. The side-stand uses a hollow tubewith a welded-on foot in-stead of the heavy forgedsteel units used in ’97.

The ZX-9R and ZX-6Ruse the best method forincreased performance—less weight and morepower. New technologyenables these two ma-chines to handle better,stop quicker, and acceler-ate like bats out of Hades.Ride one as soon as youcan.�

ZX-9R & ZX-6RContinued from page 3

Electronic speedometer is lightweight, digital displays show theodometer, tripmeter, clock, and a slick bar-type water tempera-ture gauge.

A 600 class first—6 piston calipers on ZX-6R.

the new zx-6r and zx-9r -...

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