In this video I show you how easy it is to service your carbs when the bike is really hard to start, or simply won't run without the choke. The pilot jets are clogged and this is a very easy fix. Enjoy.
Thanks for the lesson. my Zx7r would barely start even with the choke and not idle at all. After watching your video and following your easy instructions it started right up and idles beautifully and has so much more power. Thanks again bro.
Great to see someone who knows what they're doing making jobs like these looks simple. I have a 2003 European spec (asymmetric headlight design) and absolutely love it. These bikes have soul..
Thanks Jamie. And I agree, they have tons of character. I really respect the Europeans because they keep their bikes in such nice condition. These are hard to find here in the States (with oem fairings too) as many are abused and hacked apart.
Thanks just put my ZX7R on the roar after 18 months Would not idle so ditched the fuel then done the carbs By only advice to you is drain the bowls if you have the correct extended Allen key and a pipe It makes it so much easier to keep the fuel off the engine She now idles.
This video was super helpful and honestly made cleaning the carbs so easy for me. I just got my first bike 1998 zx-7R. Not only was this video great but the results I got were even better
Man i love your laid back videos. Especially how you edit the repetition out and have no stupid background music. Just the facts. When I take carbie bowls off that are a bit stuck I loosen the screws somewhat, and give the bowl a little tap tap with a screw driver handle to loosen them. Not being critical but I would have pulled the emulsifying tubes the main jets screw into and inspected for blockages after doing most of the work to reach them... Ride on my Brother from another mother of another colour. 🏍❤ P.S I worked for Honda Motorcycles in the 1980s and 90s. Love your dedication to carbies.
Thanks man I appreciate the support. I just don’t have the time for all the editing. Working full time, running a second business, and having a family makes it next to impossible.
I run my carbs dry at the end of the season. I turn off the fuel tap and unplug the fuel pump and let it run till it stalls. I have done this since 1999 on my 1993 ZX7 and never had a carb issue. Gas that does not have ethanol helps and use fuel stabilizer.
Thanks for the suggestion. I usually run the carbs dry in my track ZX7R but will now do the same for this one. These pilot jets lasted 5 years surprisingly.
Good video! I would have taken the carbs off the bike and loosened the throttle/choke cables: Mainly because my fingers would drop the little jets, flats, springs, and screws all in the frame! ha-ha! then it will be finding a needle in the haystack!
I always fit a 50 micron inline fuel filter. For winter storage I run my carbs dry, remove fuel pipe and fill carbs with 10:1 gas oil ratio. When the gas evaporates it leaves a nice coating of oil on all the carburettor parts which stops varnish or ethanol damage.
Good helpful video. Even though I rde a 98 zx9r, I learnt a couple of things. Thank you. Never too old to learn. A tip for you, ask the wife for a set of magnetic tipped screwdrivers for your birthday Lol. They are a god send . Good luck, be safe, outrun this Virus!!! Cheers Ian.
I really appreciate this video on carb service and loving your channel . i have 98 zx9r that i try to work on myself and your videos have helped me a lot . i hope your safe and well in this crazy year .
Keep me posted on what your issues are I'm currently doing the same to mine and am starting to get stuck. Need some ideas on what to check. Hopefully it's something like what's in the video
Very Good and informative video, thanks for posting, I am looking for a bike that is easy to maintain without costing a fortune, I hate this modern stuff with ABS and traction control bs, the simpler the better saves me $$$$$$$, These bikes are a beast, can keep up with and overtake bikes that are much much larger, but I just enjoy riding the twisties at normal speeds on the weekend. I am thinking of buying a ZX9, these older zx bikes are what I call real motorcycles, enjoyed the video !
Great video. I have had three of these and love them. It might be worth investing in some JIS (Japanese industry standard ) screwdrivers. They are cheap on amazon and they are actually made to fit the screws on Japanese bikes. When you get some you will never use Phillips head screwdrivers again and never round off any screw heads again. Regards from England.
Love the ZX videos, your a zx7r die hard fan like me… lol bought mine in 99, still have it and will not ever, not ever get rid of her, I’ve parked her about 7yrs ago and never got around to riding her again. She does not turn on, you said you’re a backstreet mechanic Lol, I would love for you to try to work on my bike… I am also in CT, Willimantic Norwich area…
That was a good job well done keeping viewers in mind during disassembly. Before or after cleaning and replacing the air box, did you have to adjust the throttle cables? This video kept my interest because the ZX owner looked the way a repairman should look taking a bike apart. Appearance matters a bunch. Some bikers work in their tank tops and flip flops. It kind of kills off my trust in their credibility in repair. It’s harder to fully take the person serious in repair work. That didn’t happen here. 😊 This feels most genuine. I enjoyed it and thank you. 👍
Thanks so much for posting this! I have the exact same bike, nowhere near as clean and original as yours though. This video really helped me tackle this job. Much appreciated sir!
How's it going man how are you just want to congratulate you I really do enjoy your content and learn a lot from your videos. Please brother tell me you live in the Tri-state area?
Why oh why do you not just clean your pilots????? Good videos though. I'm a motorcycle mechanic but you do stuff well. Explain yourself well and help people out with lots of stuff they can save money on. Good job.
I normally clean them but sometimes they get caked up pretty good and start to tarnish. When it gets to the point where the jet size isn’t visible I just chuck ‘em.
just got a 1996 zx7r as my first bike (non running), condition was abandoned . cleaned the engine and frame inside out checked spark ,air, comp etc , cranks over nicely with good spark but didn’t do nothing , ordered new jets and cleaned the carbs throughly inside out hoping this is the problem🙏🏽🙏🏽
Clogged Pilot Jets. Common on all carb bikes that people do not take care of properly when they store em. Sta-bil Marine is your best friend. It even stops tank corrosion. EDIT: Change em? WHY? A needle file or E string from a guitar pokes the crap out and carb cleaner disintegrates the gunk. I also have a sonic cleaner to soak em in. They get clean as brand new. Just have to double check the emulsion tube mini holes. Changing them unless you know exactly the size (and modified bikes with carb kits in em are all different) can be a PIA. You would not believe the crap I've seen come into the shop with wrong sized jets on stock bikes. Then the customer says "It runs like crap and my low speed bogs. Mid-range and high rpm is just fine"
@@myz06rocks Wow! That would make a great video. Valve Adjustments are a big big job. Personally, I like to drop the motor when doing that because of the cramped space with which to work. My '02 ZX7R has 15k miles and my '98 has about 16k but I just built that motor last winter. My ZX9R has about 19k. I'm sure at some point I will definitely have to do that again but I don't have an ETA at the moment. When I get around to it I'll definitely record it.
Gonna check that video out next. I have an ‘02 ZX9R myself and it started doing the same thing. Thank you for putting stuff up like this for us regular guys who don’t mind getting their hands dirty but just need a little direction.
The pilot jets are made from brass, which is a metal and being a non-mechanical component don't wear out. I always clean the main and pilot jets in carb cleaning solution, letting them soak for around 20 minutes and then dry them and blast them with compressed air. I view it as pointless and a waste of money replacing them with new parts unless different hole diameters are required.
Great comment. Thank you. Soaking and blasting doesn't always work tho. You need to run a thin line/wire through them and most people don't have that. Easier to replace.
I'm surprised you have not done the float bowl mod and Kleen air delete. The float bowl mod allows the carbs to be jetted properly and the kleen air delete removes emissions components.
Yeah, I've done it to my ZX9R and to my 98 race bike running FCRs. Even with the Kleen system, this bike still has a really good tune with the dynojet kit. There's a video of the dyno on my channel from a couple years ago. I'll remove it over the winter though. I thought I did it previously and was surprised when I removed the airbox myself. Hahahahahaha
Next time when your carbs are dry you can out it in first gear an press The starter. You Will gear clicks from The fuel pump after The clicking ends you have filled your carbs. You save your starter and battery life by doing this
Jonas, could you please explain this again? I’m all for priming the carbs with fuel as quickly as possible. The fuel pump operates from ignition pulses from one of the coils. Meanwhile, please explain your tip. Thanks
@@LetricShave IF your carbs are dry from fuel to full it up you just put it in gear and turn The fuel on then press The starter you Will then hear clicks from The fuel pump when The clicks ends you release The starter and your carbs are full With gas this is alot better to do. If you have dry carbs and just press The starter in neutral you Will wear The starter and The battery out faster. So always do what i explained when The carbs are dry or low on fuel. When they are filled you just start it up like usual hope this helped. Peace
2002 Carbs. ??, '85 my ex demonstrator GPZ550 uni-track,had d.f.i. fuel inj., No turbo, '84, my nearly new Kawa.750 turbo, d.f.i., thought a turbo thing.
East coast brother. I’m in VA and my 2k just started acting up. Starts fine runs fine but cuts out at traffic lights. Gonna clean carbs this weekend and check plugs. If you’re on IG I’m @project_zx7r 🙌🏼
Check the leads to the battery and make sure it's not snagged. I had my bike die intermittently on the track and the ground lead was damaged and needed to be repaired.
Nice work! I have a 1999 model. It doesnt have an issue starting or idling even in cold whether but, i noticed that sometimes when im stopped and i just rev it up to a high rpm, when its returning to idle it seems to want to stall out. It doesnt, but it goes down really low then returns to normal idle. Any idea why that would happen? Otherwise it runs fine, starts up easily when the engine is cold or hot and idles easily and revvs up without hesitation. Cheers!
Hey, thanks for getting back. I never thought of that. I have a stock exhaust for it. I'll try putting on to see how it behaves. The previous owner put a shortened muzzy exhaust on it and also threw in the original. I just checked the headers, everything looks ok, can't detect any leaks, so maybe its the shortened muffler. I'll let you know how I make out, thanks again!
If the idle drops and then returns to normal after blipping the throttle, that's an indication of a rich mixture. If the idle hangs high and then slowly returns to normal after blipping the throttle, that is an indication of a lean mixture. Source: Factory Pro jet kit installation instructions.
Hi dude. My 2000zx7r was left standing for 6 years and tried to start it. It was fluffing around but petrol was coming through the carb vent valve and into the air box. Thoughts? Needle not seating correctly and letting fuel through? Ultrasonic clean you think,
I had the same problem with fuel leaking into the venturi. Fuel smell everywhere and nothing resolved it until I changed the float valve seats. The o-rings on the seats go bad over time.
@@Turbo329 thanx for the reply ya your right. I found out the 2002/2003 model bracket also fits my 2001 and that bracket looks way better/sleeker I’m going to switch it for that one soon.
@@Turbo329 im going to look at a 2003 636 tomorrow and the guy said its just started cutting out and not running right. I may buy it if the price is right.. hopefully the carbs will just want sorted 👍
hello bud i just cleaned my carbs rebuilt everything the bike is hard to start. Choke on no throttle back firing will start run nice and smooth good throttle response idle good . i get it up to normal temp turn it off try start it again same response no choke still back firing but will start after a wile and run smooth . do you think the carbs might be out of sync
Hmm I'm honestly not sure. Where are your fuel screws set to? Are you running the original jets? If a bike is hard to start when warm that's usually a sign of a rich condition.
I’m in NY but I don’t do side work as I work full time. If you need carbs tuned check out flykittymotorsports. He’s near Monticello. Pete is the owner and he trained me about 10 years ago.
My bike 98 zx6 r ‘98 will only run if its cooled off? Why? It starts ni Problem with choke it goes it flies but when i shut it off and retry start int wont starttttt, after 15-20 min itll start because its cold, what can i do
Your bike is likely running rich. Rich conditions get worse as the bike warms up. Do you smell fuel? You should rebuild your carbs with the K&L kits that include float valve seats as those are likely shot.
Since the video deleted, Question, should there be a particular way to remove and install pilot jets? I'm planning on the fishing line and compressed air method and reinstalling.
Well I recommend replacing the pilot jets altogether since they are so cheap. For the cost of the carb cleaner at your local auto parts store, you can probably just get new pilot jets for about $10 more. Regarding the holes you can use compressed air but if the carbs are really caked up then nothing beats an ultrasonic cleaning.
Turbo329 okay, thanx. But I was wondering, does the pilot jet have to put back in the exact position it was in(i.e - rotations or turns of the jet) or remove and replace and tighten? Thank for this video very helpful and inspiring. Tired of getting bent over for this very same job.😧
@@evonpaige8873 The "Pilot Jets" you remove, replace and tighten. The "Pilot Screws" (not to be confused with Pilot "Jets") are entirely different and you count the rotations on those. I did not cover those in this video as that is a slightly more advanced topic. You need to find the setting on the "Pilot Screws" either with the bike running or through experimentation. This video assumes that the Pilot Screws are already set properly.
I had already completed that service. I pulled the carbs, cleaned them, then the bike sat for a while and the pilot jets clogged up. This is common with aftermarket pilot jets that are not Keihin. I pulled them and replaced with Keihin
I have a 99’ Zx7r, it won’t start without choke and I have to let it warm up for 5-10 mins before it can run without choke. Once choke off I’ll squeeze clutch lever and shuts off. I have to rev it to about 2500-3000 rpm to get it going.... what do you suggest
I Love My ZX7r and if you want some beautifully made carbon fiber for your 7r's go check out a really nice guy called Victor Watanabe on Instagram and buy everything from him his parts are out of this world.
This needs to be deleted. This is a hour long video that leads up to you not showing anyone how to do anything. Then on top of that you make excuses about your camera having issues. If your camera got issues then don’t make a video 🤦♂️ I’m super glad I wasn’t trying to learn anything from this video or I would be upset.
I'm sorry this video caused you some frustration. Is there anything you had a specific question about? I will try to help you out if possible. Generally my videos aren't really made for the complete novice and assumes that the person knows their way around a bike.
