[woundwort]

I have a 1985 ZN1100 b2 that I am told by the previous owner that the starter needs replaced.

Symptom: Starter turns motor but slower than it used to according to previous owner. This makes for hard starting especially after a few years of storage. I bought it knowing this so I am ok with the work detail I purchased

is there ANYTHING else I should look for besides loose connection/weak battery before I swap this starter out with a rebuild????

 

[fenny777]

starter

i have a 84 b-1 an have not had that problem but have had had it with another bike try all other stuff but it is usually the starter .test volt regulator an all circuts . good luck

 

[ZX-2R]

SLOWER?

After you replace the battery, as long as it's not really "drag-ing" and it works...I'd live with it a while to see if it wasn't just the battery anyway. A Kaw Manual I was reading today said that cranking the starter really drains a battery and you can burn up a starter pretty fast unless you follow the Starting Cycle instructions of only cranking a maximum of 5 seconds...letting it cool before cranking on it again...it really puts a LOT of wear on the battery too. Let us know... Once you lose some power cranking it has to affect the spark power too. Bad batteries or even ones that get partially drained just getting it started...definately hurt when you figure that the same power source is trying to provide power to the circuits for spark as well. If you go from 12Vdc to 10Vdc taht is bad enough but figure how that affects spark and it only gets worse in a really bad way. proper tuning of carbs, (absolutely fresh gas), great plugs, clean air and as long as you have exhaust gasses escaping somewhere...it should start in a blink. Then again the Manual said that even in normal temps (?) that using the choke was almost mandantory to use it for starting each time during the day. Suggest a review of the appropriate manual... In, my past 30 years of bikes, I really don't remember using the choke all that much except on really cold days, then only for a very brief time before I would push it all the way off and control the RPM's (safely) myself...Winters in Rhode Island and riding in Maine were different than the winters (?) in Hawaii...but I never had any problems. It could be too, that because I'm such a geek and love to do carb sync's I've not had the problems... Using STA-BIL in the fall and actually running the motor on it to get it through the system is ok IF you have to do a partial storage...I still ran mine on it till spring then dumped the gas and went to fresh gas in the spring...great reading in the Owner's Manuals...

 

[woundwort]

thanks, read it plus the clymers manual. replaced battery and used a charging system to fully charge the battery before installing.

Bike starts but kinda hard and I don't want to burn either battery or starter out all the way. I think it's turning it too slow and not pulling enough air though to get it going.

Gonna pull the starter out tomorrow to see if I can see if it's just the brushes or the armatuer, I am semi able to do most things and the Clymers book explians the job pretty well. Price on a used starter is $90 rebuild is $180 and have not called about a new one. Wonder if I can get the brushes only from Kawasaki still, I see the part numbers on the parts pages.

I am just hoping to avoid the starter replacement so I can blow money on the carb kits to clean them up.

I bought this as a semi easy project and am not afraid of some clean up work or minor parts replacements. I did notice I have to do the fork seals. YUCK.

Well, later and thanks for the input

update,

after pulling the starter motor apart, it's all over my living room floor, I found that the post that the positive cable connects to is rusted and looks like it had shorted sometime ago. The previous owner had stated the starter had locked up and had not worked right since even after a dealer [email protected] $100+, thus the weak turn rate of starter. I honestly doubt the dealer ( Nashville TN???? ) did anything other that take it apart an put it back together. I mean I can see the scorch on the connector SHAME SHAME. get paid for a job do a job. I mean this was sooo easy to do

The armatuer checks out ok after cleaning it up pretty again. I am looking into just getting the brush plate assembly as the kawasaki diagram looks to include all the insulators that are junk on mine. # 21039 if anyone wants to quote a price.

If anyone see's a parts addy for BEARTOOTH, I'd be willing to shop through them if my local dealer is snotty
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[ZX-2R]

BEARTOOTH KAWASAKI

Where it says Discount Kawasaki Parts & Acessories at the top of the page..."just point and Click", and or call them at 1 800 556-3098!

 

[woundwort]

Update to the update.

Bought my brush plate assembly through my local Kawasaki dealer, Grayboy Kawasaki. Hope the host don't mind me plugging my local. Parts counter girl is cute.....

Anyway, Cleaned up starter, sanded off all rusted areas on old starter body. reassembled starter and installed. Turns over a lot better now., started like right now but I kept killing it. ran batt down again.

Important lesson. when buying a bike just out of storage and you have not heard it run make sure you ask the owner the procedure he usually used to start it. Mine is choke, crank and don't touch for a few minutes at all.
I'm used to tapping a tiny bit of throttle on all my other bikes I have had in the past.

The bike is at a buddys house and I woke him up with vroom vrooom vrooom. He came out bleary eyed with his perpetual grin.

The bike idles reasonable quiet but if you give it some gas, it is talking to the neighborhood..... Sounds really mean rode around my hood and a few alleys, never above 4 grand on the tach. It's rainey today but maybe saturday I can take it out for a short run. praying for some sun on friday too.

Well, insurance man here I come. I saw a link on another post for
www.bike-line.com Marlkey American. Anyone have info of feed back on them? They gave me the best quote so far so I will prolly use them but som word of mouth would be cool