20 Most Recent 1997 kawasaki ZX-9R Ninja Questions & Answers

in a quick answer no it is more likley the tacho is not working right disconnect the wiring then plug it back in .it sounds like the tacho has a power problem on start up or is in need of a service,your dealer might best answer this or auto electrician,cheers hope this helps

this could be your kill switch sometimes the switch gear getts water in and gets a bit of corrosion on the pionts ,this could be your starter soliniod or a dirty lead to your starter from your battery or your earth lead

change air filter,clean carbs

no, either faulty solenoid or bad wiring through switch, or sensor not working as it should( on side stand or clutch)

I would siphon the old fuel out and replace it; if you didn't add any fuel stabilizer when you last ran the bike, the fuel has probably gone stale. I use stabilizer in all of our lesser used 2 & 4 cycle fuel eaters. It really does seem to help since restarting (especially summertime gadgets, including one car) happens cleanly.

Most bikes are built with this setup....
the positive battery post has 2 cables....one goes directly to one side of the starter solenoid relay, the other goes to the main fuse for the bike. With the key on, when you press the starter button it completes the circuit for the relay coil, which closes the heavy contacts of the solenoid and puts power to the starter motor.
This design allows the starter button to be constructed with smaller wires as they only operate the coil, not carry all the heavy current to spin the starter.
It sounds like your starter solenoid contacts are stuck closed so power is getting through at all times.
Sometimes with battery unhooked you can tap the solenoid and free the contacts....and it may work, however its probably time to replace the starter solenoid relay.

Sportsbike engines do run a bit hot at times, depending on how you use them. What exactly are you talking about when you say "a lot of heat off the engine" are you talking about feeling it on your legs when you are riding the bike? Is this a new problem for the bike or has it always been like that?

If the engine really IS hotter than the gauge is showing then there might possibly be a problem with the temperature sensor. Usually this will be screwed into the radiator somewhere with a single wire connected to the plug. If the threads of this plug are dirty or corroded it might give a false reading as the plug needs a good earth for the signal to be correct. Also, if the engine has been run on water only rather than coolant the actual sensor that sits inside the radiator in contact with the water may have some corrosion on it and require cleaning.

Another possibility is that the thermostat is not working and blocking the flow of water/coolant in the system. This might cause hot water to become trapped in the engine and the cool water in the radiator is not able to circulate into the engine.

Finally, one other thing that is a common cause of bike engines running hot is a lean condition where they are not getting enough fuel for the air being taken into the engine. This is a very common thing to happen when the exhaust is replaced with a much more open pipe without doing any rejetting. However in a normal situation you would expect to see the temp gauge running slightly higher if this was the problem.

If it's any comfort I've seen stunt guys try and blow up a ZX9 deliberately and they couldn't do it. Jammed the throttle full open for about 15 minutes, smashed the radiator and let all the water out, then finally kicked it over and smashed the engine cases and half the oil ran out. Still wouldn't stop running. They made those things pretty tough.

Gummed up carburetor jets are common issue with machines that have sat for a long time. This issue is fairly universal and the usual fix is to drain out all your old fuel (save it for the mower or something) drain carb bowl. Add fresh fuel and Sea Foam fuel additive. your carb may be too gummed up for a tool free fix - if it does not run better after this, then you should clear your jets with compressed air. you access these by removing the bowl at the bottom of the carb. Once your fuel system is straight, if it still won't run right, then you may have stuck piston rings. just try to keep it running long enough, and they may free up. If not, then you'll have to replace them. Bikebandit.com for parts.

ZX900-B4 Specs

I just got a 97 ZX9 and had the same issue... until I read the service manual. You need to remove the oil pipe flange bolt in order to get enough room to be able to remove the filter between the exhaust header and the motor case. Of course, unthreading the filter is an issue by itself. If you do not have the cap (tool) that fits over the end of the filter and provides access for a rachet tool to unscrew it, then you probably need to do what I ended up doing... punching a screwdriver through the old filter in order to gain the leverage needed to start unscrewing the filter.

sidestand safety switch, loose fuse holder,broken kill switch/ignition

Try to blow out the jets in the carburtor, the pilot and main jet.
Check too the float level.

radiator has to be removed then its just a simple job of undoing the header nuts and the silencer bolts, exhaust should be free to come off.

this sound like a crab deal for sure. when you cleaned the carbs did you take out the main and needle jets.if so carb cleaner my not work you will have to blow these jets out with with high pressure air and make sure you do all for carbs.

let me know how it gos

pull the plugs and see if you can turn the engine over if you can then it is hydraulic lock from fuel leaking into the chamber onto the top of the piston so you problem will be fuel and injector related if it is still seized then that indicates a lack of lubrication and the mechanics doing the repair initially where not sufficiently interested in find out why the bearing failed in the first place bearings on crank shafts fail mainly from not enough oil pressure / supply --pump or pick up failure or lack of quality oil in use or from excessive pressure -- pump relief valve jammed and not operational when that happens the pressure can reach pressures that will remove the metal in the bearings around the oil holes and that will lead to blockages in the oil galley Talking with the repair shop may get results but you can also contact the manufacturer direct to see if there were any service recalls / bulletins related to the failure Kwakas are reliable bikes with race bread engines so there is a problem that has not been properly diagnosed from the start and unfortunately that has set you back some money

you may be fluding the ingen with to much gass

open bleed screw a small amount and pump clutch until only fluid comes out, ensure resevoir is kept topped up at all times