Just picked up my first KZ!

Whats up guys. I scored what I think is a pretty good deal on an 83 KZ440 LTD. 18k miles, runs perfect, clean title, 100% derivable condition... can't ask for much more than that.

Only thing i have noticed is that there is a tapping/knocking noise coming from the clutch area... goes away when you disengage the clutch by pulling the lever in. Is this normal or should I pop the cover off and check it out?

Welcome aboard! That's a really nice survivor you have there. Ed

Welcome.
Steve

Very very nice...rare to see one in that condition! Welcome to KZR.

Welcome, Tim! I'm new here as well. Does the lever have a lot of free play? If it does, try adjusting the cable a little tighter. If there's no free play, or the correct amount of free play, it could be the clutch rod knocking around. (the thing that pushes on the pressure plate), or I suppose it could be the rivets that hold the basket to the driven gear are loose, but I doubt it. Being that it goes away when you pull the lever, my bet is that the little clutch push rod and/or bearing is worn out.

I had one just like that, really enjoyed riding it. That little counterbalanced engine and the belt drive make a very smooth driving bike.

The 440 is known for some primary chain noise, they did it when they were new. If the noise is in the primary chain you will hear it most when you lug the bike at low speed, such as taking off from a stop in 2nd gear. If that's not the case you could have some issue with your clutch. But the 440 does had some primary chain slap and that's normal, often synchronizing the carburetors will reduce it some.

The clutch adjustment is also a bit strange on that bike, Kawasaki changed the clutch from a push rod to a cam type mounted directly in the right engine cover. It's easy to adjust but it has a soft feel to it, and some free play is normal there as well, my clutch lever rattled when it was adjusted right because there was almost no tension on it. If its tight you should loosen it up as KZcafechick suggests.

Thanks for the welcomes!

The noise is at the engine side of things, not up at the lever. The cable is tight and engages smoothly. I think I may pull the cover off and just make sure nothing is loose or broken.

This bike is actually for my fiance, she is very excited! I have a Suzuki Intruder 700. Also have some dirt bikes too!

We do not plan to modify the bike much, no permanent modification at least. She wants the put low rise bars and a cafe racer style seat. I am going to pick up another set of the mag wheels to have powder coated, I want to keep all the original parts in their oem condition.

Here's my ride:

KZCafeChickNJ wrote: Welcome, Tim! I'm new here as well. Does the lever have a lot of free play? If it does, try adjusting the cable a little tighter. If there's no free play, or the correct amount of free play, it could be the clutch rod knocking around. (the thing that pushes on the pressure plate), or I suppose it could be the rivets that hold the basket to the driven gear are loose, but I doubt it. Being that it goes away when you pull the lever, my bet is that the little clutch push rod and/or bearing is worn out.

We are also in NJ! We ride with a big group that has a lot of women riders, my fiance being the newest addition to the group. We are up in Sussex County, if your close you will have to join us for a cruise!

Bike night at the chatterbox is always a good turn out on Thursday nights.

Timfields45 wrote:

KZCafeChickNJ wrote: Welcome, Tim! I'm new here as well. Does the lever have a lot of free play? If it does, try adjusting the cable a little tighter. If there's no free play, or the correct amount of free play, it could be the clutch rod knocking around. (the thing that pushes on the pressure plate), or I suppose it could be the rivets that hold the basket to the driven gear are loose, but I doubt it. Being that it goes away when you pull the lever, my bet is that the little clutch push rod and/or bearing is worn out.

We are also in NJ! We ride with a big group that has a lot of women riders, my fiance being the newest addition to the group. We are up in Sussex County, if your close you will have to join us for a cruise!

Bike night at the chatterbox is always a good turn out on Thursday nights.

I haven't been to Chaterbox in eons. Awesome place though. I'm just 20 or so miles south of there off Rt 23. Great riding country here and up there. I was gonna say that bike cruise night there sounds like a lot of fun as long as there aren't too many Harleys, but after seeing the pic and knowing that Sussex Co. is like "Hog Heaven", that kinda answers my question. lol I'll definitely check it out next Spring when my bike is done, though. Maybe the Harley people there are ok.

Re: Your clutch side noise, think of the bearing that is in your pressure plate as a throw out bearing in a stick shift car or truck. If you've ever had a vehicle with a noisy throwout bearing that's on its way out, you know that the whirring/grinding noise goes away when you push the clutch pedal down. Exact same mechanical principle with your clutch. When you pull the lever, it puts pressure on that bearing via the little clutch rod and voila! the noise goes away. Change that bearing and the noise will go away. It's a light interference fit in the pressure plate and comes out quite easily.

Ok Let me clarify my previous post.

1. Your clutch lever should be loose when fully open if its not then you may be adjusted too tight.

2. That bike has a primary chain on the right side of the engine just behind the clutch, is all housed under that right side cover. The 440 are known for making noise on the right side of the engine from primary chain smacking the plastic guides in the cover. That is normal. If you do the test of pulling away in second gear and you get a knock-knock-knock noise at low rpm then you noise is from the primary chain.

3, If you pull the right side cover off, note the clutch cam in the cover and make sure you follow your manual when you put it back together. Unlike most air cooled KZ's the 440 engages the clutch directly from a cam in the right cover. You will need a new gasket, that side cover is full of oil all the time to lube the primary chain and its prone to leaks.

Ok great, thanks for the info from both of you. I am very familiar with the mechanics of engines and pretty much anything mechanical. I am a professional fabricator and build race cars for a living. I was just not familiar with this exact bike and any "normal" noises it may have. I know my intruder sounds like it ready to explode when it's cold but sounds smooth as can be when warm.

As for the crowd at the Chatterbox... I have never experienced anything negative there. I ride with a bunch of Harley riders who are very good friends of mine. Our group could care less what you ride as long as it has 2 wheels! There is a huge turn out of metric bikes there all the time...

Here are some tips that you may find helpful. If nothing else please take a look at the TOOLS and MOTOR OIL sections.

Many newbies and not so newbies run into or issues with their bikes which could be easily avoided with a little preparation or information. Here are a couple recommendations that I hope you will find useful.

Before riding your KZ you should take a little time to become familiar with it. Simple things like checking the oil, tire pressures, etc. are explained in the Kawasaki Owner's Manual. If you bike didn't come with one (they normally are in a little holder on the bottom of the seat) you can usually find one on eBay - be sure to get one for your exact year/model.


MANUAL

You really should consider buying the Kawasaki Factory Service Manual for your bike. The factory service manual provides instructions on the various maintenance procedures and schedules for your bike, procedures for diagnosing problems, proper torque values for the various fasteners (VERY IMPORTANT), and insight into how each system on your bike works even if you are not repairing that system. Studying the manual before you attempt performing service on your bike will impart an understanding of the system you are working on which will increase the odds of success.

The manuals usually are readily available for most models on eBay and other sources; but be sure to get one that has your specific year and model in it as there are differences between the various KZ650 models. I do not recommend Clymers, Haynes, or other aftermarket manuals as I have seen instances where they provide inaccurate advice. You may decide to use those to supplement the factory manual, but in my opinion they are not a suitable substitute. If you have trouble finding one for your model ask us to help.


TOOLS

WARNING! Do not even try to use Phillips screwdrivers on the Kawasaki cross head screws. Despite their appearance they are not Phillips screws. They are Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) screws. The tips of Phillips screwdrivers are too long & pointed to allow the 4 blades of the screwdriver to properly engage the screws, so when you apply force the screw head slots will deform and look like crap. The fact is that Phillips screws were deliberately designed to have the screwdriver bit "cam out." This was done to prevent production line assembly from over-tightening, stripping, or breaking the screws. JIS screws do not have this problem. A proper fitting JIS bit can tighten a JIS screw to and beyond the torque spec without camming out. Here's the good news - you can easily modify standard Phillips screwdriver tips to fit the JIS screws.

I have ground down the tips of DeWalt #2 and DeWalt #3 Phillips to make them fit JIS screws. The large crosshead screws on the cases take modified #3 bits (or genuine #3 JIS bits). To modify the DeWalt bits you need to grind the very tip a little, then test fit, then grind a little more and test fit, etc. until the bit no longer "rocks" back and forth in the screwhead. Picture 1 below shows how a DeWalt #3 bit fits the case screws of my KZ650 after being ground properly. The #2 DeWalt bits can be modified the same way to fit smaller JIS screws. Pictures 2 and 3 below shows DeWalt #2 and #3 modified bits.

I did find a place that sells authentic JIS bits. They don't list the #3 bit, but if you contact them they can provide the #3 JIS bits even though they are not listed on the website. These folks were very easy to work with, and the authentic bits do work great. Here's their site:

www.rjrcooltools.com/shop_item_detail.cfm?subcat_ID=89

Pictures 4 & 5 below show a comparison between my home made modified bits with the authentic JIS bits.

PICTURE 1

PICTURE 2

PICTURE 3

PICTURE 4

PICTURE 5

Before reaching for that wrench or ratchet consider the following. The bolts are steel, but your engine and front forks are aluminum. The bolts are much tougher than the aluminum and if over tightened will strip the aluminum threads. Although these can be repaired, preventing damage by applying proper torque will save you grief, time, and money. Tightening fasteners properly requires torque wrenches. Various vendors, including Snap-on, CDI, Sears, etc., market torque wrenches. The two most popular types are the bar type and micrometer type. Either will work, but the micrometer type is a bit easier to use, especially if you are tightening several fasteners with the same torque - such as cylinder head covers. You will need a torque wrench calibrated in INCH POUNDS for many of the bolts. You will also need a torque wrench calibrated in FOOT POUNDS for the larger bolts. Don't try to use the foot pounds wrench on the smaller bolts as it will not be sensitive enough at low torque settings to provide accurate torque. There are many fasteners that require low torque. These include such things as 6mm oil pan bolts, cylinder head cover bolts, etc. for which the torque in 61-78 inch pounds. These low torque bolts require a wrench that is accurate at low settings and this wrench should be graduated in inch pounds. In addition, there are numerous high torque fasteners such as the front axle nuts (51 - 65 foot pounds) or swing arm pivot shaft nuts (58 - 87 foot pounds). These require a wrench that is accurate at higher settings; this wrench should be graduated in foot pounds. Using the proper torque wrenches to correctly tighten fasteners will help prevent damage and contribute to a safe bike. The Kawasaki Service Manual will list the various torque specs for the bolts. I suggest you get the manual before buying the torque wrenches so you can decide which wrenches best meet the torque specs.

Consider buying a can of Kroil penetrating oil and use it to soak stubborn fasteners for a couple days before trying to loosen them. Remember, the original screws and bolts were installed on your bike when Jimmy Carter was President, so many of them may be hard to remove. Kroil can be bought online, at guns shows, and at some other venues.


MOTOR OIL
The ingredients in oils have changed over the years. For example, today's Castrol GTX oil (and pretty much all other AUTOMOBILE oil) is not the same as it was in the 1980's. Back then it worked great in KZ bikes. But, things have changed. Early AUTOMOBILE oils contained zinc phosphorus compounds (ZDDP) to protect engine components from metal to metal contact. This was good for engines, but it was found to be destructive to catalytic converters. Consequently, in AUTOMOBILE oils ZDDP was virtually eliminated and replaced with different chemistry generically referred to as "Friction Modifiers." These work fine and offer good protection for normal AUTOMOBILE engines. However, today's AUTOMOBILE oil "Friction Modifiers" are destructive to wet clutches. KZ bikes (and many other brands) have wet clutches. As a result of these oil chemistry changes a distinction needed to be made between those oils which are suitable for wet clutches and those which are not. That distinction was documented by the Japanese Engine Oil Standards Implementation Panel (JASO). JASO developed a number of different oil specifications for different applications. The specifications that apply to 4 stroke motorcycles fall under the "4T Specifications." Within the 4T specifications the JASO MA class oils are specifically formulated for 4 stroke motorcycles with wet clutches.

There are synthetic, semi-synthetic, and non-synthetic oils that meet the JASO-MA standard and any of them will work ok. However, using oils that are not designated as meeting the JASO-MA standard is destructive to KZ clutches.

Good luck with your bike. Ed