Hi everyone!

I'm living in Bangkok, Thailand and recently bought a 2014 ZXR-14R. A dream bike of mine and I finally got it! I have not ridden it much, just to a workshop for a thorough check and thankfully I did; the tank had a severe internal rust problem.

So if you're looking to purchase a used bike, don't forget to look into the tank!

It would take a few days for the tank to be cleaned and treated. The fuel pump and filter need to be washed and the contacts cleaned but are usable. The fuel guage sensor has a nice furry coat of oxidized aluminium? I'm not sure if it can be salvaged as it seems rather fragile, but we'll see.

They will also be doing a valve clearance check, as the bike is at 30k KM (18.6K miles) and was due for a valve check the last servicing, and I'm not confident it was done. It's common for people not to send their bike in for regular maintenance here (as the rust attests to), so I wanted to ensure everything is in good condition before I hop on it and go crazy.

Rust problem aside, I also own a 2019 Suzuki GSX-S750 which is a great naked bike to ride both in and out of the bustling city of Bangkok, but you guys ain't here to read about Suzukis.

Well, that's my quick introduction, and I will spare you guys the gory pictures I was sent from my workshop. Looking forward to really being part of this community when I can ride my bike soon!

Hey Caleb,
Welcome! We like gory pictures but hope she runs like a dream when you get her back. Enjoy your new bike, definitely a different animal than the GSX-S750.

Dave

You asked for it!

Tank (Currently getting cleaned out and treated)

Fuel pump, filter and fuel guage sensor:

Thankfully, other than the tank and pump, the engine is fine. The injectors have been cleaned, and spark plugs changed.

I got the engine clearance and compression checked too and all are within spec. I changed the oil to be sure and break fluids too to as they were piss coloured.

Together with replacing the dead Annitori quickshifter with a Healtech, it's just the tank
pump and fuel sensor left.

* Last updated by: CalebG on 5/2/2022 @ 12:25 AM *

Wow,
Yeah I have always worried about that in my bikes. I try to keep my tanks full especially when stored over the winter months. Hard to find but there are a few places around me that have the non ethanol which also helps as it doesn't break down like 10% ethanol does. Not sure what your fuel is like over there. Do you ride year round?

Dave

Howdy Caleb. The Gen1 has a fuel filter inside the pump as well as the replaceable pre-filter shown in your pic. I believe the only way to change the main filter is to replace the whole fuel pump. There is a thread on here somewhere showing a Gen1 fuel pump sawed open to reveal a clogged filter. IDK if the Gen2 has updated this aspect of the fuel system.

Thanks for the heads up Rook. The workshop has told me that they have disassembled and cleaned up the fuel pump and gotten a replacement filter from Kawasaki. I'll do a search for that thread and send them the photos just to make sure.

I just purchased the bike and from what I can see, I assume it's due to the previous owner leaving it with a near-empty tank for a while. Either that, or he syphoned out most of the fuel which may be a practice here as I've not seen a used bike with a full tank before. Or it started to rust and he figured it's easier to just sell it and leave some chump like me to fix it.

Regardless, based on the first picture you can see the bottom is way worse than the top part. I assume that's where what little fuel remains is at. The workshop did say the fuel smelled bad, so I assume that's the rust and whatever else in the months or years old fuel.

Now I'm just waiting for the tank to come back and I'll be good to go! A full list of what I had to do (Or rather, the workshop to be specific):
- Cleaning and treating the fuel tank
- Cleaned the fuel pump
- Replaced fuel filter (to check about the internal filter, if any)
- Cleaned the fuel sensor
- Cleaned fuel injectors
- Replaced spark plugs (current ones were worn, no bad signs)
- Checked compression and valve clearances (all within spec)
- Replaced sprockets to JT steel sprockets (17/43) and RK XSO 525 (old sprockets were OEM and looked like they have seen better days, the chain has surface rust)
- Changed engine oil (Motul 10w50)
- Changed oil filter
- Changed to fresh brake fluid
- Replaced the faulty Annitori Quickshifer Pro? to a Healtech Quickshifter

Things we found out about the bike:
- Already contains a BMC air filter
- Has some sort of ECU override box (Gold, about the size of an SSD) in it. I might get them to remove it and do a dyno + flash.
- Has replaced full exhaust system, unsure which but the cat converter was definitely removed. I am considering getting a baffle for the M4 cans as they are WAY too loud. It drowns out the wind noise in my Shoei X-Spirit 3 helmet; that's quite a feat. Considering switching to Brock's in the future, if not, Akrapovic.

With that, we're looking to get it up and running by the end of the week.

Hey guys, just an update, everything is done! But the fuel guage is reading empty even with a full tank. I did some searching and noticed that's a problem, will first do a check that everything is connected properly, failing which maybe get a new sensor.

For fairings, I think it was put back wrong:

Did I miss a clip or something?

Something is not right

The plastics all fit nice and tight and even, if they are put together correctly

I don't even own a Gen2 but the ram air covers seem to be sitting too high as though there is something acting as a spacer beneath them. The Gen1 has a post on the fairing hanger bracket. The tabs with large holes on the tank fairing and the side fairing both overlap and fit on that post. It might matter wether the tank fairing tab is on top of the side fairing or vice versa. I know it mattered a bit on my Gen1. I usually put the tank fairing on top of the side fairing which made no sense because then you had to take the tank fairing off juat to remove the side fairings. Everything fit better that way though.

Grn14 says you can loosen the bolt that fastens the fairing hanger bracket and tweek it just a little for best fairing fit. Hope this leads to some clues because I don't even know if the Gen2 has the same fairing hanger bracket like the Gen1 has. If the fairiongs fit well befpre you took it apart, the poor fit now must have to do with the order you reinstalled them.

* Last updated by: Rook on 5/4/2022 @ 10:00 PM *

Thanks guys, I took it to a Kawasaki service centre to get the fuel sensor checked and to get the fairings sorted.

Thanks guys, I took it to a Kawasaki service centre to get the fuel sensor checked and to get the fairings sorted.