[frypot]

hello, bought my first bike, and it is a z650. its great! good times....

this question maybe be super noobish, please forgive, but does the temp gauge on a bike work the same as a car, where it is supposed to stay around the middle?

my temp guage seems to go all the way up, and then drops down by 1 square. it does not stay around the middle like a car does. normal, or problems?

 

[JACoH]

Welcome to the world of Kawasaki Z650's. I am assuming that you are still in "breaking in" mode and riding it slow, and not over-reving it. It may be possible that you are riding it at slower speeds but in a lower gear so consequently higher rpm. Like being stuck in traffic in first gear, not enough cooling air going to the radiator. That would keep the temp gauge near the top. Assuming your fan is kicking in and cooling it as needed you should be OK. Most new bikes run hotter than they used to in order to make the emissions boys happy with less fumes and more gas mileage. I don't think you have anything to worrry about, but if it keeps staying in the upper end after break in, let your dealer know, I'll bet it will cool down after the first oil change, and you can use more of the rev range in all the gears.

 

[Tremonte]

The Z runs hot. We found this out by checking the maps during the dyno. The bike is set pretty lean from the factory, for emissions sake. It's completely normal to see the bike temp creep up near the top, especially under sustained load. For me, while crossing a certain mountain. As soon as I crest the top, the temp comes back down. This is one of the issues we are going to address with the Bazzaz, until remapping of the ECU becomes available for this bike. At that point, we will probably change the set point for the fan a bit lower to compensate, along with a few other tweaks on the fuel dump. Still waiting to hear from Bazzaz on connector compatibility on the previous model so we can order. As soon as I have it, I will be able to get everyone an actual dyno tuned map for the Z650.

 

[frypot]

wow thanks so much guys! stayed up rolling around in bed thinking about this til like 330 am...i was dam tired today!

thanks for the reassurance, and love this forum!

cheers!

 

[roadhawk]

Welcome to the world of Kawasaki Z650's. I am assuming that you are still in "breaking in" mode and riding it slow, and not over-reving it. It may be possible that you are riding it at slower speeds but in a lower gear so consequently higher rpm. Like being stuck in traffic in first gear, not enough cooling air going to the radiator. That would keep the temp gauge near the top. Assuming your fan is kicking in and cooling it as needed you should be OK. Most new bikes run hotter than they used to in order to make the emissions boys happy with less fumes and more gas mileage. I don't think you have anything to worrry about, but if it keeps staying in the upper end after break in, let your dealer know, I'll bet it will cool down after the first oil change, and you can use more of the rev range in all the gears.

Glad that someone mentioned the break in process since this is a vital time for any new product. What happens during and after is what we want to be focused on. As long as whats happening isn't an obvious pressing issue then you're in the clear.

 

[frypot]

time for another noob question!

i dont think its appropriate to start a new thread just for 1 simple question? if im wrong please let me know.

when you turn the key off, does it sound like a fax machine? what would that be?

 

[Tremonte]

It's the fuel pump in the tank. It's normal to hear some of the pressure letoff.

 

[frypot]

hey again, im such a noob, and none of my friends have a bike, you people are my only contact with people who know what they are talking about.......what does the bazzaz do, i know it has something to do with injecting fuel at certain, set times, or something along those lines...but what does it do for me as a rider on my streets? i dont race, i just drive to work and rip around and such...what difference would i feel on the bike with this device installed, with the corresponding dyno tuned map?

 

[Tremonte]

The Bazzaz could increase your fuel mileage, lower running temps, and deliver power in the areas you determine that it's needed. Those of course, are dependant on how much of the other aspect you are willing to give up. If you tune for mileage, you lose some power. If you tune for a cooler bike, you lose mileage and power, because you will be fueling more across the RPM spectrum, which may not be efficient for power. The Bazzaz allows you to adjust the fuel and ignition to meet basic requirements, but only to a certain degree. It does however, run circles around a power commander. The Bazzaz will let you specify fuel economy at XX Range, but deliver power above said range. It's pretty flexible.

Being that the Bazzaz is behind on development and production for the Z650, I am now looking toward Rapid Bike, which does the same thing, but to a higher degree. I will be able to adjust the timing and have finite control to the ignition and fueling well above what Bazzaz or Power Commander can do. It costs a bit more, but I'm impatient, and want it now. If you don't plan on adding exhaust, or changing the air flow on the bike, you don't need to touch a thing. Even if you do buy a better exhaust, you may not need any tuning if it's a quality setup.

I'll have dyno results this Wednesday on how much the Yoshimura changes the air to fuel ratio on our bikes, so keep an eye out. We will know more about how the Z can handle aftermarket exhausts then, and what may be needed.

 

[Stitch]

This is definitely the right thing you're doing and thankfully, we have a wealth of knowledge with @Tremonte on here! Keep shooting the questions, it's best to learn than to not know and experience something bad that'll discourage you

 

[frypot]

This is definitely the right thing you're doing and thankfully, we have a wealth of knowledge with @Tremonte on here! Keep shooting the questions, it's best to learn than to not know and experience something bad that'll discourage you

thank you i appreciate that! and i can tell the knowledge is strong on here! its crazy the dealer didnt even really talk to me about anything...

ok i have another question....at the back of the bike, on the rear tire chain sprocket, there are 5 lines i think, or 6? i cant recall, and a marker.....im guessing you use these lines to tell if you need to tighten the chain....

say my bike is facing left......my marker is on the second line if you are counting from left to right....what line is your marker on?

 

[Tremonte]

The marks can all be different between bikes of the same model. They are mostly for alignment. The best way to know if it's right is by measuring chain slack at the front of the swing arm for most bikes. There is a link to the service manual here on the forums, check that out for how to measure it. You may need another person to support the bike while you measure. You need all the weight off the side stand to get a true reading.

 

[JACoH]

Swing arm marks have been notoriously inaccurate over the years. Your owner's manual specifies the correct slack in the chain, 20-30 mm measured on the side stand. I use a Motion Pro brand chain alignment tool to be sure the chain is aligned, then compare the marks on both sides of swingarm. Surprisingly mine were perfect. Equating the measurement on the side stand to when the wheel is raised on my paddock stand (obviously it is easier to adjust when the wheel is off the ground), I figure 40 mm max, on the paddock stand. Adjust to that, tighten rear axle to 79 ft-lbs, recheck tension, you're done.

 

[frypot]

The Z runs hot. We found this out by checking the maps during the dyno. The bike is set pretty lean from the factory, for emissions sake. It's completely normal to see the bike temp creep up near the top, especially under sustained load. For me, while crossing a certain mountain. As soon as I crest the top, the temp comes back down. This is one of the issues we are going to address with the Bazzaz, until remapping of the ECU becomes available for this bike. At that point, we will probably change the set point for the fan a bit lower to compensate, along with a few other tweaks on the fuel dump. Still waiting to hear from Bazzaz on connector compatibility on the previous model so we can order. As soon as I have it, I will be able to get everyone an actual dyno tuned map for the Z650.

hey you good sir, thank you for putting up your Yoshimura Alpha Dyno vid.

so now that im coming up to 600 kms, im starting to push my bike a little harder as im def more comfortable with it too....i notice in your video above, unless im crazy, you are pushing the bike, harder than what the book recomends....i could be wording that wrong....so i go by speed when i shift, like at 15km, i shift up, 25 km shift again, 35 kms shift again etc whatever the book recommends, but you are going passed that, right? and if so, when i go passed that, my bike kinda shimmies or shakes...so my question is does your bike kinda shimmy like that too? or, what have you done where you are able to push the gears so far?

 

[Tremonte]

Yes, I push my bike a little more than the manual says so, but it will not hurt it. I wouldn't take it to redline every shift for a while, but for the first couple miles, running through the entire RPM range can actually help break the engine in better. Just don't abuse the bike. The bike does have a small amount of vibration, but that deminishes to some degree after 6k RPM. If you feel it's more of a shake than slight vibration, you may need to have it checked. It could be a loose motor mount.

 

[frypot]

Yes, I push my bike a little more than the manual says so, but it will not hurt it. I wouldn't take it to redline every shift for a while, but for the first couple miles, running through the entire RPM range can actually help break the engine in better. Just don't abuse the bike. The bike does have a small amount of vibration, but that deminishes to some degree after 6k RPM. If you feel it's more of a shake than slight vibration, you may need to have it checked. It could be a loose motor mount.

cool thank you, ill keep a closer eye on that....so for upgrades in my near future, (in order of cheapest to most expensive, as id have to buy each thing 1 atta time) i should look into this mythical k&n air filter that i have read about everywhere, the power commander 5, and then an exhaust? does that about sum that up? for basic upgrades?

 

[frypot]

ya also, it seems it was me being jerky with the throttle, bringing the rpms up, and being more steady and controlling on the throttle, makes shifting soooo much smoother!

 

[frypot]

hey again, i noticed after taken it on for the 1st service, i got it back, and now see 2 hoses hanging on the bottom near the gear shift.am i crazy, or was that always there?

 

[czrlaker]

My bike is 2 weeks only. No service done yet. I think you are good. However you seem to have 2 tubes. Someone more knowledgeable will know for sure.

 

[frypot]

My bike is 2 weeks only. No service done yet. I think you are good.

why in gods name r mine hanging down so far though? ...it def does not look like yours!