www.zxrworld.co.uk

There seems to be a few about or folks needing to work on their cams.

I have a J2 engine out on veranda - this was never destined to have anything done except a service to keep it in it's original state. So what I will do when I get a moment is do a thread on changing it's head gasket - I have several top end gasket kits so might as well use one up on it and refresh the valve stem seals at the same time.

I will list up the tools needed so you can go out and add to your collection , torque values required so you have an instant ready reckoner , shim chart (have posted before) as your now going to be in charge of serviceing your engine and any tips or tricks needed along with all parts needed (do not skimp on these).

So if your facing this challenge and haven't done before you will have a photo progression of what & how to do. The exchange in principle will be the same as if the engine was in frame , once I have the J2 built up I will swap it out for the H2 currently in the bike and do a removing your engine replacing thread on that to tie the whole procedure together.

Personally, I would not remove engine for this task but others advocate you should and they do - the descision is yours to make , if I had other jobs to do like say; paint radiator , clean the frame , wash the engine down etc then it certainly would be dropped out.

If you can't wait for the thread then start your own now , I will be happy to chirp in and advice where I can.

GENERAL DISCLAIMER*
Neither I or ZXRWORLD / ZXR400 Owners club is responsible for any untertaking you carry out on your bike following guides on this forum. They are here to help but you do need to have some ability and we can't supply that ! The hardest part of any bike maintenace is having the tools to check , adjust or repair the bike properly. You do not need specialist knowledge just a willingness to learn , observe & follow. Expert bodging comes from years of experience

MM!

PS. I will make this a sticky for now , if you would like to post if this is a good thing or not .

Brilliant! Just what I want to hear... This advice will be much needed by myself and insure alot of others!

Thanks dan

I hate having anyone I don't know / trust working on my bike. Years of half arsed dealer work, bodges, rip-offs and downright rubbish workmanship taught to me to learn to do my own work wherever possible. I've been learning ever since and expanding my toolbox as required. IME dealer work takes many miles off the life of a bike. If I was buying a bike and the FSH included loads of dealer servicing etc I'd be more inclined to walk away / seriously knock down the price than if the guy showed me a well equipped home workshop and clearly knew the bike inside out from personal experience. I know I'm not alone in this.

Engine work I have never tackled and I'm not confident with it, but I am a handy mechanic with loads of good tools, an ability to learn and mechanical common sense. I would love to be able to do stuff like HGs, cam chains and valve clearances myself when I need to. Really looking forward to this MM, many thanks indeed.

This is what biking is all about - bikers helping bikers. Dude!

will i be needing the small / medium or large hammer for this one

Mori man your threads are always worth waiting for.hope all is settled over there to an extent?!

MM!

I have plenty of pics 'somewhere' (I think!) of the ZXR in bits when I changed the HG / Camchain etc.

The block was left in the frame when I did this so i'll try and dig them up, can put them in your thread just so people can see what to expect when working on the engine.

From memory removing the head is straight-forward but a little bit of a wiggly job to get it out of the frame.. i put some thin rubber over the sides of the frame when i was taking the head off / putting it back on to avoid marking the inside of frame as unless your a guru at operation your likely to rub the top end against the inside of the frame!

Ive just changed my head gasket myself, went really well.
It seemed like a major job at first but once it was apart i couldn't help myself from playing.
I lapped the valves and it had a port and polish while i was doing it,
base gasket has been removed and replaced with gasket sealant.
also had a shim change.

This guide by MM really helped.
viewtopic.php?f=55&t=7671

just proves even a novice with no experience can do it.

masterofinsanity wrote:Mori man your threads are always worth waiting for.hope all is settled over there to an extent?!

Thanks Bro

Things are still a bit hectic here but seems it may be settling but is it the lull before the storm

How's the forum fund kitty doing mate ? Can't be having you supporting our lust on your ownsome !

PM me, got some GBP sitting in my PayPal

MM!

Spoke to soon and as I type this the aftershock is hitting

http://tenki.jp/earthquake/detail-4957.html

Man alive , I so need a vacation ! But thats happening soon just not quick enough !!