FZRSupport: the FZROnline Archive

I just picked up a 1989 FZR1000 in need of some TLC. Winter has hit, so I figured it's prime time to work on it. When I got the bike it didn't run all that well so my local shop adjusted the valve clearance and replaced the sprocket. Now my problem was not solved, but it did run better for a few days. Basically, that bike runs really awful, and idles really awful, when driven at slow speeds or just left idling in the garage. I've been playing with the idle control screw/valve and it hasn't made ANY difference. The RPMs climb to about 6 or so and just hang out there. I replaced the throttle cable and that didn't do anything. The snap back on the throttle is decent. So aside from that issue (We'll get to that more in depth in a moment), I've got another, more pressing one. The bike now will not start. I replaced the battery recently and filled the clutch fluid reservoir. The bike makes a clacking noise, like gears are hitting each other when I try and start it. I'm thinking the clutch might not be depressing properly. The more I trying and start it, the quieter this gets, because the battery is draining. If I hook up the charger, it makes the sound all day. Any idea what this is? It really sounds like someone dropped a plate of ceramic/metallic dominoes or something similar. Very clackitty sounding. The problem did not occur after I filled the clutch reservoir, but before. That was my attempt to diagnose/repair it. So any thoughts?

Aside from that issue, which I don't believe is related t the prior issue. I was told by the PO the carbs had been synced/cleaned. Is there a way to verify this? When the bike did run, it would stall out when shifting through gears at a slow speed (25mph or less), and not start right back up. So if anyone has thoughts or questions, feel free to contribute. I can't tell you how relieved I was when I found out there was a FZR forum out there!

you are able to start the bike without even touching the clutch as long as your in nuetral. how far do you want to go into this? if it were me i would pull off the clutch cover and check the clutch basket for damage. im sure if its damaged it will be easy to see. do you remember anything at all that you did just prior to the bike making all that racket at start up? did you go out and hammer on the bike? hard to really tell you without hearing it but that noise might have something to do with the starter itself. i might be wrong here so dont take this to heart but i think our bikes have starter clutches too. that could be a cause of the noise. have you tried push starting? this is a very good way to determine the root cause of your noises. just push the bike down a hill and let the clutch out in second gear and it shoud fire up, my favorite is to grab hold of a car or tail gate of a truck and go for alittle ride to about 30 mph then dump it! that method basically forces the bike to start no matter what, well if your base engine is in good shape, your getting fuel and spark and compression. its cold so dont forget the choke too. now this is dangerous so if your not up to it dont try it. personally i use it all the time especially when i had bent valves, it would refuse to start no matter what if it was cold out. so let me know if that trick works for you, if so you can focus your attention on the starting system.
also you said it ran better after the valve job? how much better? and after a few days it started running as if you never got the valve job? are you using the old fuel? if you are the bike probley wont run worth a sh!t. you might be well off to get into those carbs and see what you can find there. a

Alright. So I ripped the carbs off today. Everything looks good. Everything. I noticed the cover on the last carb was different than the rest, but I think someone either rebuilt these at some point or its a factory configuration to have the last cover facing the opposite direction. I think it said Muniki on the carbs, but not 100%.

Given that, I thought I'd give it a go and sync them up myself, to ensure they are done properly and what not. Before I did that however, I thought it'd be nice to bleed the clutch properly (in some vain hope that would solve my clutch problem). Well I did that, and I'm getting a lot of air. I bled it for about a half hour. Below I've described how I bled the clutch in hopes someone can point out an error.

1) Filled a bucket with 1 inch of break fluid.
2) Cut hose to reach from bleed valve nipple to bottom of bucket. End of hose fully submerged in brake fluid.
3) Attach hose to the bleed valve and place the other end in bucket. ^
4) Remove master cylinder cover screws, cover, and grommet.
5) Fill reservoir to full mark.
6) Replace cover and grommet, not screws.
7) Press clutch lever 5 times quickly, then hold in.
8) Open bleed valve 1/4 turn. Let air and old fluid escape.
9) Tighten bleed valve, release lever.
10) Repeat.

Now, I've noticed a few issues with this. Occasionally the lever would go limp, and lose all stifness (I'm not in the mood for porno references...). This was due the master cylinder getting low on fluid. I tried to keep an eye on that and keep it full after each cycle of bleeding. However, I'm not sure exactly how low the master cylinder can get before it stars introducing air back into the system (if at all).

Secondly, I'm continually getting bubbles and dirty fluid out of this. I filled a quarter gallon bucket with dirty fluid and bubbles. Somehow I'm reintroducing air into the system, while also purging it of dirty fluid. What is the max capacity of fluid for the master cylinder + clutch line? Am I getting air in the system due to not keeping the fluid topped up? Should I keep the cover and grommet off the master cylinder and do the bleed cycle, or would that cause problems?

Lastly, can I drain the entire system and start over? How much of a PITA is that? The fluid coming out is dirty. The bike has 31K miles and it hasn't been taken very good care of. I'd guess this has never been done (however the carbs were cleaned by someone at some point). Do I have to go through the brake side of the hydraulic system to do this properly?

I have that Haynes manual as my guide, and it seems to be not 100% everywhere. I appeal to you for advice, FZR Forum.

Just like bleeding the brakes, the clutch can be a bitch. I use a MityVac (http://www.harborfreight.com/mityvac-va ... 39522.html<---Click there) for things like that. The last time I had to bleed my clutch it took a lazy 10 minutes using that tool. I'd suggest that you look into getting one. The other issue is possibly your clutch slave is in need of a rebuild or replacement. Are you not seeing any leaks? If ponying up for the Vacuum Pump is not what you want to do you can try this method http://www.fzronline.com/wiki/doku.php? ... _5_minutes <--click there. That could yield better results.

The carbs are Mikuni brand and yours are way out of synch it seems. You want to do what we call a "Dynamic" synch. Which involves a tool-whether it be homemade (http://www.fzronline.com/wiki/doku.php?id=synch_tool <--click there) or store bought.

Hope that helps

Thank you Duane. You have literally saved me $1500.

So to sync the carbs up I do carbs 3 and 4 first, then 1 and 2. Then 2 and 3? I can do all that with the two bottle solution? And excuse me for being naive, but the carburetor has enough vacuum to move fluid from the bottom of that glass starbucks bottle to the hose sticking an inch through the top? Does anyone have a video of this in action?

And for the clutch, if I reverse bleed it by forcing fluid in the bleed valve, it will come out the master cylinder, correct? It would just spill all over the bike. I'm not certain how this is more effective than a gravity bleed. Thanks for any and all help!

saabdriver wrote:Thank you Duane. You have literally saved me $1500.

Glad I could help

saabdriver wrote:So to sync the carbs up I do carbs 3 and 4 first, then 1 and 2. Then 2 and 3? I can do all that with the two bottle solution? And excuse me for being naive, but the carburetor has enough vacuum to move fluid from the bottom of that glass starbucks bottle to the hose sticking an inch through the top? Does anyone have a video of this in action?

And for the clutch, if I reverse bleed it by forcing fluid in the bleed valve, it will come out the master cylinder, correct? It would just spill all over the bike. I'm not certain how this is more effective than a gravity bleed. Thanks for any and all help!

You do carbs 1&2 first-then 3&4 and the synch the whole lot together. Yeah the carbs pull enough vacuum to move the fluid. If things are really off the fluid will move from one bottle to the other almost immediately. As far as the reverse bleeding, just be careful if you decide to go that route because it will spill if you aren't.

Thanks mate. I somehow made a myself a bit of work with the throttle linkage and what not, so I'm bound up trying to get snap back on the throttle right now. The Haynes manual is awful for this, as the pictures are quiet dark and the description doesn't apply to a 1000, rather a 600 and they seem to be set up slightly differently. I built the manometer out of two Yoohoo bottles, some barbed 1/4 bits, 20 ft of clear tubing, and some caulking. I'll post back with the carb sync results in a few days.

Alright. So I am having a bit of trouble with the throttle linkage. I I've got everything going the right way, but the snap back isn't that same as it was before I took off the carbs. I've attached some pics I just took of what it currently is. Is it where I have those locking/adjusting nuts? Which side of the stop/mount/guide are they supposed to be on? It snaps back everytime, but its slow. Also, the deceleration line seems to have quite a bit of slack in it that I don't believe it did before. The Haynes manual isn't really great at covering this, and it shows pics from a 94, which is different than mine. Any and all help is appreciated!

Also, where do I connect the hoses to sync the carb? I cannot find any information/pictures about this in the book or online...?

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Nvm about the carbs. Got that figured out. Still working on the throttle though...

So I got everything back together and now when I try to start it in neutral or in 1st gear it makes a few revolutions (as if its going to catch) and the I hear a spinning sound. Kind of a like a high pitched whine. Is this something to do with the clutch? It tries almost every time but always goes to this spinning sound.

Additional Note: I notice the bike wants to lurch forward even when the clutch is engaged in 1st gear. I already bled the clutch and the pressure is good. I can shift through the gears fine. Could the plates be stuck? If so, do I just remove them and soak them in oil for the night to fix it? This bike ran a little over a month ago, and I have changed the oil recently. TIA.

did you read my post? i did mention the starter clutch might be going out. did you try push starting it? get it running that will give you a better indication of the clutch is working properly too.

Your suggestion isn't really an option for me unfortunately. I live on back roads and it's a bit too cold to be pushing a motorcycle up a hill. There must be another way to determine if the starter clutch is slipping than "grabbing onto the tailgate of a truck" and dumping the clutch. I know you have to take the engine out to replace it, but right now I'm just concerned about diagnostics. What else could this be or what other methods of diagnostics can I use?

fine with me do things your way

Sorry Apsolus, I'd also tend to ignore someone who told me to tow-start my bike off a truck ...

Saabdriver - push-starting isn't that hard; it's a lot easier with a buddy (especially on a bigger bike). You don't need a 45-deg grade, flat ground will do just fine.

A metallic clattery sound when trying to start, followed by the relatively quiet whine of an electric motor, says to me that Apsolus is correct on this aspect - your starter clutch is seriously hammered. The 1k is far more 'automotive' than its smaller cousins, with a chain-driven Bendix clutch between starter motor and engine. If you've lost one or more springs in the Bendix, it will slip badly, possibly wearing the friction pins or galling the contact surface on the shaft; this damage is cumulative and rapid. Drain your oil, pull the starter cover, see what falls out.