Man! Nobody has an 11?
 

So I'll be the 2nd to post on this site. I guess the ZX11 was a popular bike before the Internet had a chance to expand.

I recently sold my KLX250s and picked up an old ZX11D. After years of wanting one of these missiles I finally have one. It's old but it runs and looks pretty good too. It's a 97 that ended up on the impound lot for 7 long years. It landed on my lap a few weeks ago with 3905 original miles on the clock. I had my doubts at first but the tires were original and date stamped matching the bikes age. When I replaced the rear tire I noticed the bearings still looked new. No way this bike had any more then 4000 miles on it.

It's all stock and runs great, except for a little stumble off idle. It takes some getting used to but I'm sure once I get around to cracking open the carbs for a thorough cleaning it will clear up and loose that irritating hesitation.

Anyhow, after having the ZX11 for a few weeks I stumbled upon a crap load of articles that mentioned the #3 rod failure and how to avoid it. Now I get paranoid every time I hear something from down there.

It does have a strange noise but only when the engine is cold and on its way to hot. Once warmed up or hot the noise is gone. The sound comes from the left side close to my shifter. It sounds like something is rattling as I release the clutch and give it gas. Like I said the noise completely disappears once the engine is warmed up. Taking off produces no noise aside from the super smooth engine whine and lots of power (after the stumble).

Cause for concern or maybe a loose clutch part?

Congrats on the the ride. How did the oil change and filter look?

Oil was dark but no metal parts or shavings when sitting in my wifes tupperware and held up to the light. Filter was fine also. No chunks of anything to be found.

The noise sounds like something that spins needs tightening. Once it gets hot it expands and fills in the gaps? Dont know yet. At my next oil change i will take things apart to find what all the ruckus is about.

But man do I love this bike!

I got's me one too :) They are a blast. As for the #3 rod, my ZRX, which has the same basic motor as the ZX11, also suffers from this. The problem seems to be when the engine is run on its side. I got my 11 last november and the seller said he never crashed it, just dropped it in the garage. But after taking the fairing off to do an oil change, I saw some scaring on the right side from what appears to be a crash :( The bearing could go anywhere from 500 miles to 3000 miles. So I'm always listening for weird sounds. Its also a pain to drain both drains when changing oil. But once buttoned up, its a great machine. As for the noise on the left side of yours, I would pull the cover and take a look. Sounds like something loose.

Oh and Deej is right :D

Like this?
http://www.sportbikez.net/bikepics/1...1154318494.jpg

No, like this ;)

Attachment 20298

Keeping the ZX warm
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_RbJdO9mK4kI/Sj...6/IMG00161.jpg

Very nice :) Another important thing is to keep the oil level up. That can also cause failure, low oil.

Also I'm looking to add some lockable storage to make it more practical when commuting. Is there currently anything other then Givi stuff - wingracks and such? After pricing out the kit, rack, and luggage I'm looking at $1300+. Any standard racks that fit this bike?

I have not found much gear that is lockable. You might try JC.Whitney. They usually have good prices on that kinda stuff though.

Jc Whitney has a cheap lockable box that would be great but there's nowhere to mount it on the bike. I would need some kind of rack to place it on. I might have to create my own I guess.

What your hearing is your manual cam chain adjuster. The auto adjuster sometimes gets stuck between teeth and allows the timing chain to slack a bit. When the timing chain gets enough slack in it (you'll know when it sounds as if your chain is about to throw off) you'll hear a loud tick and the auto adjuster will tighten. This happpened to me twice. both times I swore I had thrown my timing chain. After a $150. inspection, I was informed that thiss is normal operation for the auto chain tensioner. Do yourself a favor and buy the manual cam chain tensioner from Orient Racing or APE and never deal with this issue.
As for the number three rod, the 11's were cursed with low oil volume to the rod but taking your oil pan to Terry Kaiser of Mr. Turbo in Texas is a sure fix. He modifies your stock oil pan with an external oil line that delivers oil directly to the #3 rod. It's worth the hundred or so bucks and the peace of mind. :)

Nice looking ride dgpilot15 and welcome to KF

Welcome dg :) That is a very sweet ride. What mods have you done to it?

1994 ZX11, 1109cc big bore, Yoshimura full exhaust, Muzzy emissions block off, APE manual cam chain tensioner, K & N air filter, Re-jetted, Orient two stage lockup clutch with Barnett plates, polished stainless bolt kit for motor, Race Tech gold valves in forks, Black anodized billet grips from Performance Machine, Zero Gravity dark double bubble touring screen, Airtech fiberglass bodywork with solo race tail section, fender eliminator kit, 150 shot two stage wet nitrous kit with purge, Trac Dynamics 240mm swingarm kit extended 8 inches with optional lower loop, RK gold x ring chain riding on Renthal Ultralite 46 tooth rear sprocket (safety wired), black anodized Performance Machine 4 piston rear caliper riding on a custom rear wave rotor, all braided stainless brake lines, Custom black anodized Tokico six piston front calipers riding on one-off Performance Machine full floating Revolution racing discs, all discs have Yoyodine titanium hardware, Performance Machine polished billet "Player" rims, 17 x 3.5 front rim with a Metzeler ME880 120/70/17 tire, 18 x 8.5 rear with a Metzeler ME880 240/40/18, bike repainted Jewel Green Metallic in February by Earl Sheib (dont laugh, they did a fantastic job for only $250.)

Total cost for build:

$15,000.

Being able to hand Busas their a$$ in style:

PRICELESS!

hahaha very nice!

Man, that sounds very impressive. Would love to see the look of a 'Busa pilot after that run :)

ga dam. yes some tinkering done on that ride, congrats.

True story... I left my I-Pod at a friends house in Menifee, Ca., about 100 miles away from home and decided to get up really early one Sunday morning and ride out to get it. It was around 7 am and not a soul on the freeway. I was cooking along the 15 freeway south at around 100mph. The bike was comfortable and happy at that speed. Just then, the bike started to surge. It felt as if it was asking me for more. I looked down and the speedo read 135. That's around 6500 rpm for me and coincidentally when my ram air starts working. I pondered.....Hmmm. Open freeway, straight as an arrow, not a sul in sight. Having never REALLY pinned my bike to the stops before, I was interested in what it was truly capable of. Being the crazy S.O.B. that I am, before my brain had made the choice, my wrist had already chosen for me. I don't really remember much. I remember the speed and how fast it came on was dumbfounding. I glanced down just for a millisecond and saw the needle sweep past 160. I was at 9500 rpms. The power was pouring on now. The wind was deafening and trying to suck me off the back of the bike.
I glanced down again and the speedo read 225 and 11500 rpm. Factoring in a 10% correction error, thats a blistering 195 MPH! It hadn't even really sunk in yet when all went wrong.
I was on the stretch of 15 freeway just in front of the Toms Farms plaza. What I wasn't aware of is the overpass creates a dip in the usually arrow straight freeway.
That's right! I hit this dip at 195 mph.
The bike went airborne, the tach hit the rev limiter and I sharted myself.
The bike landed straight, thank god no wobbles or difficulty (one more nod to the engineers at Kawi, if it were a Honda, I'd be a dead man!)
I had scared myself straight and continued the remainder of my trip at the posted speed limit.
I haven't topped her out since.
I still wonder what that extra 500 rpm would have given me.

OH! and if your law enforcement and reading this, it's all an elaborate story that I made up. ;)

Jeez!!!! So did you get your ipod back? Yeah if that were me I would have been found squatting bricks at the next overpass. There are plenty of close calls every time you ride but ones like your incident are those that really wake you up. I don't know about you but death defying calls like those leave me shaking for hours. Glad you made it without a scratch.

heck of a story. Congrats on your safe return.

Yep, I got my I-Pod. Ironically, I was hit on my ZX June 13th of last year by a 20 year old female in a Honda Accord pulling out of a driveway. I ricochet off her car at 30 mph and did very little damage to the bike but my left leg was sandwiched between the bike and car during impact resulting in a broken Tibia. Three weeks in the hospital, $300K in doctor's bills (thanks Pacificare!) and a shiny new Titanium Tibia.
Funny how I emerge unscathed from a 190mph oops and end up getting plowed at 30mph coming home from work.

Ouch :( Sorry to hear that. Glad you made it out alive.

Aint that some $hit. Against all odds we ride at times close to the sound barrier returning home unharmed only to slip on banana peels that end up killing us. This is why you have to do what you love to do no matter what it is. It's not that ride that will kill you it's small things you can't control around you.

Man 30mph bounce off a car cost $300K? Where is this health care system heading? At least you got a lighter, stronger tibia out of the deal. But damn! $300,000.. wow.

I got a '91 ZX1100C and I love it, too!
 

Hey guys,
I picked up a very clean '91 ZX1100C about 2 years ago. It was well maintained, had 16K miles. I tore it down over last winter, installed new Dunlop Quallifiers, RK chain and sprockets, K&N filter, replaced all fluids, Castrol GTX/new filter. It had a Muzzy 4 into 1 exhaust when I bought it. This thing really rips, yet it's still great for commuting 35 miles each way to work and back, so much torque! Oh yeah, I also installed a Corbin Gunfighter & Lady seat and a set of GenMar risers because I've had 2 major back surgeries. The seat/riser combo helps make the riding position much more comfortable. It also has a ZeroGravity windscreen. I have had 17 motorcycles since I was 7 ( I'm now 47) and this thing is by far the most fun! I've topped 170MPH several times and it wasn't even breaking a sweat! BTW-Regarding the third rod oiling problem, I run about 6 extra ounces of oil, which I've read is supposed to help. My only problem is I can't find anyone my age that still likes to ride a rocket, all my buddies have gone to Harley's or Cruisers. I've always been pretty good with a wrench, so if I can help anyone with any questions, drop me a line! Ride safe!!

interesting about the 6 oz extra on the engine oil. So you add just enough over to compensate for the lack of orifice and pump capacity but yet still not blow seals?

[quote]I have had 17 motorcycles since I was 7 ( I'm now 47) and this thing is by far the most fun! QUOTE]

hey now, no age limits allowed. Congrats on your choice

Hey AM, thats a sweet looking 11. Oil level is key in these motors. That is a good idea on the extra ounces :)

I typically keep the levels above the glass. No idea if I'm adding +6oz or +1qt as long as I don't see a bubble in the window I feel safe.

Now, a few weeks ago the bike sat for about a week while my kids were in town. The oil level was as I kept it, above the glass. 3 days later I checked and it was below the glass but still fairly high. 2 more days go by and the level dropped again on its own. I added more oil to keep it over the glass. Anyhow this happened one more time. There are no oil spills anywhere. The bike did not move in that time. Where is the oil going? It finally settled but only after adding over a half quart extra total. Seems like it creeps down into the bowels of the engine when it sits for a while. Since I typically run the bike daily the oil doesn't get a chance to contract and hide as much?

Check your airbox