Advice sought from mechanically knowledgeable brethren

When I dropped my ZRX1200 10 days ago the only apparent damage was the
paintwork and a missing indicator.

The bike landed (from approx 45kph) on it's RHS and slid to a halt 3
metres away from me. Now I wish I'd dived underneath it to prevent
serious damage.

Anyway it stalled and when I picked it up I had to nick it into
neutral to start it and then rode it home. No worries said I, it's
only external, and I parked it in the garage until my body & mind
healed sufficiently to take it to my dealer to get checked out and
have the indicator reinstalled.

Bugger me, it wouldn't start. All I got was the beginnings of a
starter motor whirr and a clunk.

Did this a couple of times and the brain is now starting to tell me
this could be expensive.

Call up dealer and they come and collect the bike for an assessment.

Call up Insurance co and they are sending out claim forms. Excess is
only $350 so (until today) had not planned on making a claim and would
have been content to pay whatever to fix the indicator and maybe the
paintwork and the bent rear brake lever.

Now I could be facing a buggered gearbox?? or what???

Any bright mechanically inclined person got any good ideas.

All contributions will be considered. I'll have the time to look at
them all, so make them humorous because I need a laugh, I might not be
going for a ride for a while.

Kind regards
Dave Milligan

 

Check the battery. Check the starter leads. Check it's
not in gear or something daft. LHS drops can bend the
selector mechanisms, RHS drops generally don't.

Will it turn over if you take the plugs out?
Will it turn over by hand?

Ugh, that sounds expensive. Never let a dealer get their
greasies on a perfectly good motorcycle.

It's too late for me to offer to help then! Good luck!

-----sharks

 

Is it a clunk in the motor or a relay kicking in and out?? A whirr and a
clunk is probably starter clutch. usually some form of sprag clutch.

A whirr and a click could be the starter solenoid kicking out, perhaps the
battery lost some fluid and just hasn't get the berries any more...

Stuart T
(couldn't think of anything funny to say so went with helpful.... won't
happen again)

 

check the battery , full capacity under load or flat ?.( light on might
offer an indication)

 

<Looks at subject>

OK, that lets me out ...

Cheers
Goaty

 

Glad you are OK Dave, my usual approach is to take it to the mechanic and
tell him its broken, and ask him to fix it. Then send the bill to the
insurance company.

Boxer

 

Sounds like you may have lost some battery fluid and the battery doesn't
have enough to turn over the engine.
The whirr click is a good indicator usually of a flat battery.

 

Yeah, but of course if the damage is less than the insurance
excess.......

I have a theory that the problem could be hydraulic lock. Caused by
the diaphragm in the petrol tap being dislodged in the fall and
leaking petrol through the carbs into one of the cylinders (and
probably into the sump) - this would provide the symptoms I
experienced yesterday.

I'll talk to Raceway Kawasaki today and see what they think.

Fingers crossed.

Kind regards
Dave Milligan

 

Takes the plugs out and turn it over by hand then, see if
it barfs fuel!

Also, odds are if your cylinders have been full of petrol
for a couple of days the engine oil will be thin and smelly.

-----sharks

 

whirr, click?
On injected: whirr...fuelpump works, click...not enough current/ bad
contact.
carbed: usually the other way around: first click...starter relais, then
whirr...solenoid trying to engage but not enough battery juice.

As long as you got something happening when turning the key/ hitting the
button, it's easy enough to trace (and usually not too expensive).
Sounds like a flat battery, though (for whatever reason...might be good to
check it for leakage, which could take the paint off below the casing if
left "unwashed" for too long), Batt case could've been cracked through fall,
could've leaked through overflow or popped a cap if not the sealed type, it
could be just flat...

I wouldn't claim until knowing what's wrong/ how many $$.
Certainly sounds less than your excess....
cheers
pete

 

Boxer said....

Which they may not pay. Some time ago, a fellow posted a link to his
website where he claimed that an insurer gave him the bum's rush
following a crash where the bike sustained mechanical as well as
cosmetic damage.

 

My old housemate had an RD350LC which sat under the house for over a year
after she lost the ignition key.
When I finally had enough and got a key cut it was locked solid but I
sprayed it full of RP7 and put a big shifter onto the crank and freed it
up.
I then put some petrol into it and pushed it up the footpath for a
bump-start down the hill.
After it started spinning I discovered why it was locked-up; the carb
needle-and-seat mustn't've been perfect and the tank had drained into the
cylinders, washing off all the lubrication.
She was pushing me and screamed when it pumped a litre-or-so of oily, stale
[yes it DOES go bloody stale Hammo!] petrol out the exhausts and all over
her legs!
Clem
(a week later some prick stole it!)

 

I wasn't too far wrong. The diaphragm in the petrol tap had dirt under
it (probably stirred up from the bottom of the tank when it went down)
and over several days it had leaked down and filled up one cylinder.

Hydraulic lock.

They've changed the oil and drained the petrol out and it's now like a
new one except for the buggered paintwork. That'll be $550, Sir! and
that's just the paintwork and stickers.

$200 to collect the bike, drain the fuel and change the oil. Farrk!

Bugger.

Kind regards
Dave Milligan

 

In aus.motorcycles on Thu, 15 Jul 2004 08:00:41 +1000

It'll be something like 130 for the collection, 1 hour at $60 to
do the work, and $10 for the fuel.

This is why doing your own work is a Good Thing.

I dread not being able to get a bike mobile, cos moving the buggers is
expensive.

Find a friend with a horsefloat!

Zebee

 

Geez, Milligoon, I would have charged you half a pizza to
tell you it was full of fuel, and some Coopers to tell you
that you don't need new decals 'cos chicks dig scars.

-----eccles

 

so the 3.5 litres of Motul semi synth they put in it was cheap.

and under normal circs I would have, but with a partly buggered knee
from tossing the bike down the road and a nearly buggered shoulder,
moving the damned thing in and out of the garage was an exercise in
pain. I'm a softarse! ...and a softarse getting older than I want
to...and softer than I should be

I've got an excellent Mazda E2000 long wheelbase - perfect bike
carrying beast, when necessary, but in my condition....Kind regards
Dave Milligan

 

Now ya tell me!

I've just finished the Coopers and will tomorrow start on the Bushy's
Ale (real - no fucking chemicals in this stuff) from the IoM. Brought
back 6 bottles to start someone on the trail of importing Bushy's Ales
from the IoM to Melb. Talking to a man tomorrow.

Chicks dig scars??

I don't need more of those. Happy with the one I married.

She of the 1 day old new bike with 108kms on the clock and the new
rego plate and sticker vibrated off somewhere up near Sunbury this
arvo.

Search party termorrer.

Kind regards
Dave Milligan

 

You wanker!

Of course it has fucking chemicals in it.

What do you think alcohol is made of? Something that is not a chemical?

Hammo

 

My understanding has always been that it takes one to know one.

Thank you, your knowledeable highness.

Flavoured water with no fucking chemicals!!

and you don't get a hangover with it. Well I didn't.

Kind regards
Dave Milligan

 

Want to buy some crystals then?

Hammo