New to the zxr400 family

[suupi]

Greetings!

My name is Matias and i'm from Finland. I recently bought 1999 zxr400. The bike has 80k on the clock, it smokes black on +10k rpm and the timing chain needs to be replaced.
Black smoke could be from bad valve timing right? I'm going to take the bike apart soon, so what are the most important things i should check while replacing the cam chain?
Also to note, the bike has no maintenance history at all if you do not count the last chain/sprocket/oil chance which was marked to the bike's manual. Guys at the bike shop just said that the earlier owner had done all the maintenance by himself. I tried to contact him couple of times but got no answer.
I have checked the cam chain tensioner, and it is protruded to max.

But honestly from the looks of it, i can not believe that it has done 80k.

[banner001]

looks very tidy, i agree, 80k kms seems a lot for such a clean bike.

things to do:
air filter
strip and clean carbs
new plugs
check HT leads and coils
check the reg/rec, alternator and wiring loom
check/replace battery
replace cam chain
do valve clearances and check wear of rockers
oil change
coolant flush and new coolant

i would also check over the disks, change new pads if necessary
drain and fill brakes with new fluid
check suspension front and rear
check chain and sprockets
tyre age and condition

setup the bike for your riding position

[suupi]

Thanks a lot!
Going to take it apart in couple of weeks when I can get my hands on the new cam chain.
I have already checked the suspension, chain&sprockets, discs&pads, air filter, battery and parts of the wiring.
Wirings are a bit shady in the rear indicators and light. Fork seals seem pristine and pads&discs seem to be in great condition.
Rear suspension seems to be the original one so that probably needs to be replaced.
It annoys me so much that people do not document their bike maintenance..

[banner001]

Sounds promising, if you want to do the rear properly, and the bike will thank you for it, make sure to fully strip the bushings from the tri-arm, and from the dog bones, as well as removing the swingarm and replacing all the bearings in there, as well as changing the shock out...

[EugeneRoss]

Fablous yu are as,

[schnecks]

Hey there!

Congratulations to your bike. Uff-80k you've got yourself a project there.
If you can get your hands on a pressure tester you can get a rough idea how your pistons are.
I have never seen a bike smoking just because of the timing chain. If you have the means, do consider popping the cylinder head and the cylinder. My engine had pitted valve seats after 50k but cleaned up ok with a bit of work. If you feel up or it, it's just a bit of your time.

- New valve stem seals
- clean and lapp in valves.
- Check the mating surface where the head gasket lives. That's usual 5 bucks at your Bike garage if you just bring them the clean parts

- If you remove the oil pen you can take look at your gearbox. Not required but always nice to know how your the dogs on the gears are.
That's a fair bit of work but if you don't mind, your bike will get a lot more reliable.

Welcome to the winter season !!!