[aero3685]

Hey,
Im looking at a kawasaki zx-6 and the only problem seems to be that the throttle doesnt feel very well lubed. On acceleration and when you release it to idle.. It will go all the way back, just not as quick as it should. I know it could be a few things, like cable routing, and bent handlebars ( bike looks excellent and shows NO signs of ever being down.) Does the throttle itself or the cable ever need lubing?

And also.. kinda not on the same topic, but is 30k generally the mileage that the clutches go out? And how hard would it be to DIY? I am pretty knowledgable on cars... swapping engines, but this will be the first bike I will mess with, so Just wanted to know your opinions.

 

[StEvEoKiNeVeO911]

There might be some kind of debris in the throttle cable.You can try spraying something down through it to see if that will clean it(You will have to take the cable off the bike of course.).It might also be a little old and you might have to replace it.Hopefully it's just the cable and not something in the carb keeping the throttle slide from sliding smoothly.I have never used lubing in any of my cables just cleaned them...but that was on a dirtbike.I'm not sure about around what mileage the clutches would wear out but it isn't really a rocketscience task.You could do it yourself...especially if you have expeience with cars.

 

[enos]

You can get a little thing that clamps down on one end of the cable and has a hole for a spray lube. You just keep spraying until lube comes out the other end of the cable. Works great. If you do get that bike, do that, or else you might slowly wear through the cable. I don't know how else you're gonna clean it, since you can't take the cable out of the sheath without cutting off one of the ends.

Edit: also, if there isn't enough slack in the cables, the two cables will fight each other and it won't snap back. That's pretty easy to loosen up (either at the handlebar or the carb)

30k seems low for a clutch to me, but i'm no expert. My '87 has 38k on the original clutch (as far as i know..) and it's doing just fine.

 

[aero3685]

OK, I wasnt sure on the whole clutch thing.. just figured I would throw it out there, and see what people had to say. I havent bought it yet, but going to check it out again, check for stuff like the fork seals, see if that throttle can be messed with.

Is there really any way to check the transmission without taking it for a ride or having it suspended off the ground? Can you shift through the gears while stopped just as when its driving.. or will that only tell you if its totally screwed up?

 

[R&DZX9]

Yes check the cable it might have something on it. Or the routing of it.

 

[enos]

You can run it through the gears, but that won't tell you too much. You need to ride it, and make sure it goes through all of them smoothly. You also want to engine brake with it in second, to make sure it doesn't pop out of gear. Ideally you'd want to do that with all gears, but second is usually the first one to go, so check it if nothing else.

The throttle thing wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. Even if you'd have to replace the cables, it's not a big deal at all. I bet a lube would make it go a loong way.

Is there anything that makes you suspicous of the bike?

 

[aero3685]

You can run it through the gears, but that won't tell you too much. You need to ride it, and make sure it goes through all of them smoothly. You also want to engine brake with it in second, to make sure it doesn't pop out of gear. Ideally you'd want to do that with all gears, but second is usually the first one to go, so check it if nothing else.

The throttle thing wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. Even if you'd have to replace the cables, it's not a big deal at all. I bet a lube would make it go a loong way.

Is there anything that makes you suspicous of the bike?

No.. I actually am very happy with the seller, and condition. I am VERY picky.. and check things out like a hawk. There are only 2 small scratches most likely from soemthing rubbing against it in the garage. He bought the bike from his neighbor (who was a responsible dude that wanted something b***** and faster). This guy rode it a lot, did the maintenance stuff, and just kept it REAL clean. The condition of everything looks better than most 4 year old bikes. You can tell its never been down.

The cable thing.. yeah i know, thats mucho simple, just wondered what you guys thought. I would really like to take it out for a ride. I am guessing that maybe I'll have to give him like half of the money.. or something so he has collateral incase I wreck. I read up that its not very often that you ride a bike before you buy it. Or at least from a private seller. And I would be nervous just riding it since its not mine... but we'll see. Maybe I can have him do it like past me... does it have to be upper rpms when it pops out? Im guessing just any substantial engine braking.

And this guy, hes im guessing middle 30's, cool guy, firefighter. He had one kid.. didnt ride as much, 2nd is on the way, so hes selling the bike and other misc. stuff that he doesnt need to make room for a camper which his wife wants. He also has the heavy stock dual exhaust, manuals, tank bag, and stock seat (there is a more comfortable one on there now)

Also, what are some good tires? The ones on there are OK, but I never skimp on tires.. I change them when I get a new car if they arent really good looking.

Also, im sure this can be found somewhere on the site.. but whats a better, relatively cheap, and comfortable jacket that keeps you cool (FL is too hot). I have some nice boots, and gloves. Then I'll look for a good snell approved helmet.

So hopefully it'll be mine tomorrow!!

 

[enos]

Yeah, upper rpms. You need to put as much load on the motor/trans as you can.

From what you say about the bike, I wouldn't be concerned about the tranny. You didn't say how many miles are on the thing, but judging by it's shape and why the owner is selling it, I wouldn't be concerned. I don't think having him do it past you is gonna work anyway, since you need to be doing at least 45 or so for it to work.

As for gear, check out the gear section on this site. www.newenough.com is a good place to buy gear cheap, too.

Good luck, and if this is your first bike, take it easy and take the MSF class! And prepare yourself for the flak you're gonna get by starting on a 600 ss...

 

[aero3685]

Yeah, well I already took the Riders Edge course through Harley. It was my first time riding a bike.. everyone else in my class had ridden before. Needless to say, people kept asking me if I ever rode on other peoples bikes or whatnot just cuz it pretty much came naturally. I ended up acing the final riding test, only one other person did, but he's been riding for a while, and went just slower than me on one section.

I know a 600 is too big to start off on, but it is a good deal if I end up getting it. He drove it around, and shifted through the gears, and engine braked it from pretty high with no problems.

But, I am only looking for something to learn on, and have as an extra weekend thing, so I really cant spend a bunch of money on my first bike since I still have registration, tag, and gear, the tires and whatnot before I could even ride it. I offered 2300 cuz thats really all i have, he rejected. He said he was firm on the 3k... So he is going to run the ad again, I'll just keep checking up if he has sold it. If it sells.. then hey, it wasnt meant to be, and I'll get something smaller. In 3 weeks if its still not sold, hopefully he'll come down in price.. if not.. then I guess he'll have to run the ad again.

Then again, I was looking and saw that you could get 05 ninja 250's for a little over 2000. If this falls through, I will def. look into something like that, maybe an 03-04 less than 2k. I really just want to learn about bikes and have fun, not lookin to be mr cool guy doing wheelies in traffic with a t-shirt and sandals on.

But thanks so far, i'll check out that gear site.

Edit:

textile and mesh jackets... whats the difference?

 

[enos]

3k for a 2001 zx-6 in pristine shape sounds pretty good. surprised he still has it.

You might get lucky and find another deal like it, but most likely you'll have to look for something slightly older.

Textile are full material jackets, mesh is more or less just an armor holder. It won't give you nearly as much protection as a textile, but it will be much cooler. If you plan on sliding on your ass, don't get mesh. But if it's mesh or nothing, then get at least that.

 

[WISPER]

Not to make you paranoid, but sometimes a slow return to idle is a carb issue. See if the bike's been rejeted.

 

[LifeLiberty]

and sometimes it is just that the owner installed some bar ends that are rubbing on the throttle or the grips and they need to be pulled out a little.

if it were a carb issue it is probably just the return spring being weak or restricted in some way. but since the bike runs good, I wouldn't worry much about other carb issues like them being gummed up.

and yes, the cable and throttle should be lubed and routed correctly.

 

[aero3685]

3k for a 2001 zx-6 in pristine shape sounds pretty good. surprised he still has it.

You might get lucky and find another deal like it, but most likely you'll have to look for something slightly older.

Textile are full material jackets, mesh is more or less just an armor holder. It won't give you nearly as much protection as a textile, but it will be much cooler. If you plan on sliding on your ass, don't get mesh. But if it's mesh or nothing, then get at least that.

Naw, its a 94 zx-6. It is pretty good condition though. After I asked him if he would budge with the price because of the throttle, and that it needs 2 new tires, he said he was before, but then saw that people were selling wrecked ones for that much. Although.. they might list it for 2500, but most likely someone offered less. But I guess I'll just be patient since if I was supposed to get it.. it'll be there in a few weeks.

How does 3000 sound to you w/needing new tires? They arent bald.. but I just would replace them and he said the rear has a plug. Everything else is good, front forks are nice and clean, no scratches, and dont leave oil/dirt when bounced. Everything else checks out.

Guess i'll look for a textile jacket then instead. As I saw in someones thread... "Sweat goes away, scars dont" The only thing is I kinda dont want to get a black jacket since it will be a bit hotter, and also less visable, but then again... it'll match whatever color bike.

 

[MAGNUM636]

Do the throttle adjustment as described in your manual

 

[aero3685]

Do the throttle adjustment as described in your manual

I dont have it yet... if I get it, i'll try that before trying to lube it up. So we'll see how long till he comes down to meet my offer.

 

[enos]

It's nothing too special. You're paying a premium because it's in good shape. That doesn't make it a bad deal, you're just partly reimbursing them for taking care of it.

If it were me, I wouldn't buy it because it's in such good shape. No matter how good you are, chances are non-negligable that you'll damage it in one way or another before you learn all the neuances of handling a bike outside a controlled environment. This can be scraping it against something, or tipping it over in the driveway, a low speed gravel induced lowside, if not a regular crash. You'll feel terrible if it happens to a nice bike. I'd go for a beater that's in good mechanical shape. Something without fairings would be great, if you're not set on the sportbike look. Trading up isn't a big deal later on, and you'll have a much better idea of what to get.

But if you have your heart set on it, go for it. You probably won't regret it.

 

[aero3685]

Yeah, I def know that i'll drop it.. it'll get messed up somehow. especially as I am a new rider.. but you are right. For right now, I'm just going to chill and keep my eyes peeled for something. I'll call him in 2 or 3 weeks and see if he wants to accept my offer. That is another reason why I dont want to spend 3k on a bike right now, is because 98% chance says it'll go down or get some kind of damage. Especially with 2 younger brothers, they would knock it over for the hell of it. So we'll see. Its good that I have more time though, so at least I will have more money to spend on gear, since I wouldnt have ended up riding this bike for probably a month since I dont have a full face helmet or a jacket yet.

but i cant wait to get a bike so i can be on here more.. seems like a very great community with plenty of nice people.

 

[enos]

Good luck and welcome aboard

 

[LifeLiberty]

he will sell that bike for 3,000, he has no need to come down on his offer, it's worth that from the sounds of it. you should start looking at bikes in your price range. probably about early to mid 90s bikes will fit that range.

 

[aero3685]

Yeah, well thats about the only bike around here that hasnt sold within the first day. It sucks in FL since everyone wants to ride.. not sell. Especially during summer, so i'll just keep lookin.