** WARNING TO ALL Z1000 OWNERS**

Get your header nuts inspected and thightened. These can loosen with vibration, creating and exhaust leak and possibly the loss of the 8 nuts in question. In certain rare cases, the seals may need to be replaced.

This operation doesnt require a lot of time or skill. You would need a rachet with a metric 12mm end, with an extension and articulated extension, if you wish to do it yourself. Acces is limited by the radiator.

I am warning you because I almost lost my exhaust this weekend on the highway. The wind noize was covering the exhaust leak, so I noticed the situation a little late.

How many miles on your bike ?
Has it seen the first service yet ?
These should have been checked if it had
Thanks for the " headsup"

That has been a notorious trait of the ZR-7 every year since it came out in 1999. Now it sounds like the Z1K is suffering from the same thing! It normally was only an issue on the ZR-7 for the first thousand miles or so. After break-in, they didn't seem to come loose much, but during break-in they came loose a lot. I think it's a good idea to check 'em once a week during break-in and monthly thereafter.

I'll move this thread to the Maintenance forum and stick it at the top so that others will see it.

Happened to me on Friday, I heard this terrible noise coming from the top end. Scared the crap out of me, stopped the bike and realized it was an exhaust leak sound. Rode it home and put a new nut on and then tightened up all the other nuts. Yes they were all pretty loose.

1,000 miles..mine were all loose too !! nice first service i got..

Yup, Jarel's right on about the ZR-7, mine have loosened up twice on me. Once within the forst 1000 mile s and once shorty after. I check them now a few times a year but it has been at least 2 years scense they have come loose now.

Just a word of caution, DO NOT tighten them when the engine is hot!!!! When it cools off it could snap a bolt.

Chris

I have about 2200 miles on mine, so while doing some chain maintenance tonight thought I would check the header nuts. Yep, sure enough while they seemed tight it took 1 to 2 complete turns of the nut to get them to the proper torque value.

So get out that torque wrench and check them header nuts.

2400 miles. Mine were loose as well. Not about to fall off, but still loose.

Guys, a word of caution. The torque spec is only 12 ft-lbs, so don't go crazy cranking the nuts down.

yup, mine were loose and almost lost a nut on the third cylinder...

Yup. Same here in the UK. When I came to change my exhaust at 1200 miles two were only finger tight, and there were signs that one of the seals had been blowing slightly.

Mine were somewhat loose but not excessively. I don't have the clutch lever buzz either -- apparently mine was screwed together pretty well at the factory (knock on wood).

might wan to check your seat bolts too....

i noticed my seat was moving around abit so lifted the rear cowl to discover the bolt completely out....

I lost one of the screws that hold the gas tank!

I suspect the buzziness of the Zed, which I'm actually partial towards, will eventually loosen most anything that isn't loctited, unless you make sure to periodically do a torque check. Can't the header bolts be loctited, or is the heat an issue? I'd use the blue or green on the seat bolt, since you only need to go in there to service fuses and remove the tank. You sure as heck don't need to check the battery anymore, unless you plan on charging it for winter storage (I'd get a plug-in adapter installed if I did, but I don't, since I ride year round).

Unless you totally trust your dealer when they hand you the bike--or at the post-breakin 600 mi first service if you believe in it--it's even easy enough for the shadetree mechanic to do a torque check on bolts-n-nuts. The OM even puts a blurb in it as part of the periodic maintenance requirements. Although it says to get the values from a dealer (although they were nice enough to indicate what to particularly check), I always found that the shop manual is a great reference. Maybe even if that is all you'd get out of the book.

When I had the 7S I put some spring washers on the header collar nuts and did not have a problem with them coming loose at all. Of course, if it were not for this board and people posting about them coming loose, I would have not remedied the situation so early on.