Bike Out Of Mothballs !!!

[DC]

Reet Peeps
Time for some headscratching ! Since Ive been back up in Swindon Ive caught up with an old riding partner from fifteen years ago Hes still got the same bike and for one reason or another it hasnt been started for about 8 years :'( !!! Its a kwak zx6r f2 r reg 97 plate with 8500 miles on the clock, his tastebuds are just about rejuvenated but hes worried that it will have seized surely a total strip down isnt necessary where do we start to return this little beaty to her former glory ?

Cheers A

[BB]

Did he do anything to mothball it or just ride it in and park it? That will make a world of difference to what needs doing/where you start.

BB

[Jon_W]

Take the plugs out and turn the engine over.

If all ok, change the oil, put in fresh fuel and give it a whirl. Have started engines that have been sat for 20+ years and found they fire up first time!!

The most likely thing that will need doing is a clean of the carbs.

[Cemorah]

I Like to put a couple of squirts of oil down the bores if its been stood for a long time. Spin it a few times without the plugs in gets the oil around the top end before starting. Don't ride too far before changing coolant & brake fluid.

+ on the carbs

[Si]

They have all said it really mate. I have got an RD350 that has been stood for years. I have carried out an oil change and squirted oil into the barrels before attempting to start. My biggest issue is the carbs. Old petrol leaves a varnish over & in everything including the jets which are tiny anyway. The varnish build up makes all the holes smaller! Its also worth emptying all the old fuel from the tank as it will have a lot of water in it by now ;)

[DC]

Think he pretty much just rode it in to the shed and parked it. So remove the plugs and and squirt oil down into the pots and turn the engine over manually? on my triumph bonny when checking valve clearances you remove the alternator cover and turn the rotor bolt clockwise to turn the engine over! would this be the same operation for the Kwak ?

Cheers A

[Si]

With the plugs removed turn it over on the starter button just for a couple of seconds. All you are doing in effect is "Lubing" the barrels as all the oil will be at the lowest part of the engine by now. You dont need to put masses down there mind. It may smoke a bit when you finally start it but wont be for long! :)

[jonnydangerous]

old engine oil contains acids that arnt good for the metal. sometimes when the old oil is left in contact with mains and big end bearings it can eat away at the white metal surfaces.
you can remove the small crank cover cap (normally round with a nut or allen head) and turn the motor over by hand a bit to see if its seized or free.....
do all the above posts, and just ride it till its warm, if theres any damage done youll know pretty much straight away.
change all the fluids, also look at changing the pads and brake lines, fuel hoses and anything else that will have perished.
id change the tyres too as they havent moved for all those years and you want to push 100bhp through them at 100?mph.......

or you could sell it to me cheap ;-)

[DC]

Or does spinning the back wheel with the bike in gear do the same job ?

[DC]

old engine oil contains acids that arnt good for the metal. sometimes when the old oil is left in contact with mains and big end bearings it can eat away at the white metal surfaces.
you can remove the small crank cover cap (normally round with a nut or allen head) and turn the motor over by hand a bit to see if its seized or free.....
do all the above posts, and just ride it till its warm, if theres any damage done youll know pretty much straight away.
change all the fluids, also look at changing the pads and brake lines, fuel hoses and anything else that will have perished.
id change the tyres too as they havent moved for all those years and you want to push 100bhp through them at 100?mph.......

or you could sell it to me cheap ;-)
Think He would rather cut his own leg off than sell it !!! [smiley=shocked.gif]

[470four]

Or does spinning the back wheel with the bike in gear do the same job ?

That would work!

Dont glob too much oil down the bores or the plugs will foul under starting...

I would advise a carb strip & clean before starting, modern petrol will leave the carbs in a BAD way...

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n61/santav10/DSC04910.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n61/santav10/DSC04915.jpg

CBR600 carbs, bike standing six years... the gum will block the pilot jets & passages, stick the floats open/closed & make a BIG mess of the emulsion tubes & main jets as shown.

Once cleaned & reassembled, turn the engine over with the killswitch off / plugcaps off until the oil pressure builds up and the oil light goes off, this will ensure you have oil round the topend before it bursts into life dry & eats itself :(

Get the battery on a smart-charger & see if it is still alive/saveable? Doubtful but worth a shot!

As above - get a new pair of tyres on, six years sat in one place will give them a flatspot & they will undoubtadly be past their best - cheaper than new fairing panels... ;)

[SueZX4]

This all sounds very familiar..... My ZX-4 had been sat for 4 or 5 years without starting. Bought it from a salvage yard as a repairable project - advertised as mot failure due to rear shock (hence the name Zebedee for it!). Very low mileage for it's age. Even the salvage yard had it's identity wrong, advertising it as a ZXR400. He mentioned the fuel tap had seized.... When we got it home, realised the parts and where they were didn't match the zxr400, similar, but enough to realise it was a different bike! Yes, the fuel tap had seized, there was also something that may once have been petrol in the tank, but was orange, lumpy and smelled like paintstripper! Over last winter, stripped down completely, everything was blocked - carbs, fuel filter... new fuel filter, oil changed, reassembled... still wouldn't start, realised we forgot to check the fuel pump (Simon's GPZ doesn't have one so just forgot it was there!) That was frustrating as it had to be re-stripped and carbs cleaned again! Eventually we did get it started, luckily the rear shock was the easy bit as it does share alot of parts with the zxr400, took it in for it's mot and sailed through! The only advice the tester could offer as the bike had been sat for so long was just to keep going, yes, it would (and still does) have teething problems,but these will eventually settle down. the revs run high sometimes, we most recently had problems with the choke mechanism sticking open, but on the whole, it runs very well!
My advice?? Def strip the carbs and give a really good clean, fuel filter and pump.. and stick with it!!
:) :)

[DC]

Thanks to all for the more than valuable advice !!! [smiley=thumbup.gif]

Cheers A

[Jon_W]

Does it run????? :-?

[DC]

HI Jon W

Only just Passed on the info as he came round tonight ! but will keep you posted

Cheers A