[Shilo]

I noted in another thread that my z1000 makes a 'buzz' at about 6000 RPM on up. With the advice of Tombiker (thanks Tombiker) I figured out that it was the clutch lever. I found a reference to the same thing here .

Both Tombiker and the article suggest that it can probably be remedied with a washer. I went out and picked up an assortment of nylon washers to see what I could do. I removed the clutch lever and tried to fit one of the washers in with the clutch lever to take up the free play.

The washers were all too thick so I sanded the thinnest on I could find down to almost nothing. It was still to thick. I don't think there is enough room to fit in any washer at all. It looks like the vibration may be caused by the bushing and Kawasaki's choice of bolt. The bolt is a regular bolt, not a shoulder bolt. Al of the (2) motorcycles I have ever worked on before had a shoulder bolt (no threads in the middle). There seems to be a lot of free play between the bushing and the bolt.

I endded up just putting some grease on the whole mechanism and tightening it back down to 52 inch pounds. The 52 inch pounds is just a guess, as the service manual didn't have a recommended torque setting. I got the 52 inch pounds from the torque specification for the brake lever bolt.

I'll ride again tomorrow to see if the added grease/ re-torqueing did any good, but I doubt it.

Is anyone else having this issue? I know it may be early, as a lot of people are probably still following the recommended break-in RPM limits, but if anyoner else has noticed the 'buzz' and has been able to fix it, I'd really like to knowwhat they have come up with. Also, does 52 inch pounds sound like the right torque? I'm a really crappy mechanic, but I am slowly learning.

If nothing else, I may make a trip down to the hardware store next week to see if I can find a shoulder bolt that takes up the bushing slack better.

Thanks for any tips or advice.

 

[JonF]

If the brake lever pivot looks the same as the clutch, even if not, try removing the brake lever bolt and seeing if it is a shoulder bolt. If so, try it in the clutch lever pivot and see if it works. If it does, order a bolt from the dealer and be done with it.

 

[Shilo]

Thanks for your quick reply. The bolt look totally different. The brake lever bolt has a round head with a standard screwdirver slot on top where-as the clutch lever bolt is just a regular hex bolt. The brake lever bolt and the brake lever nut also have torque setting that are different from each other, which I think means that the brake lever bolt threads into something besides just the brake lever nut. I don't think that I'll be able to swap the two bolts at all, but I'll check it out in a bit and let everyone know. Thanks again, JonF. Are me and the guy who tested the motorcycle for the article above the only people who are having this problem?

 

[JonF]

Is it a hydraulic clutch or a cable operated clutch? If cable operated maybe you can make a small adjustment to the clutch and minimize or remove the noise.
You may also be able to find a "spring washer" at a hardware store. They are typically made of very thin steel. Thinner than you would likely get from a filed down nylon washer. The thinness of the washer may allow it to fit and the "spring" function would keep the lever from vibrating.

 

[Shilo]

It's a cable clutch. I feel silly saying so, but I haven't tried adjusting the free play in the clutch. I only have the 2-3 mm of free play that is recommended and I thought that you weren't supposed to adjust it any tighter. The spring washer idea sounds great. I'll have to look for one of those on my next trip to the store. Thanks again.

 

[Tombiker]

Vibrations

My Z1K now has 800 miles and one sevice under it's belt. This morning I rode it all the way up to 8000 rpm, on the freeways and in the twisties, and experienced no funny vibration noises. However, my buddy swears his vibrates like a cold chihuaha, and as soon as he's out of the hospital he reckons to fit a washer of some sort to quell the vibration (CBR1100XX + 120mph + sweeping right-hander freeway on-ramp = trip to hospital).

Tom

 

[Shilo]

After taking the clutch lever off, greasing the bushing, and re-torqueing the buzz sound seems to be gone. I say seems because I rode it for the first time today since messing with it and it was just before I got to work that I thought, "Hey, I haven't noticed that annoying buzz. Hopefully this lasts.

 

[mschviuz]

I had the same prob with the clutch lever buzzing and headed off to the hardware store to find a solution. I used a very small snap ring(just because it was really thin). However, it was still too thick to fit in the tight spot so I did the unthinkable! I broke out the bench grinder and ever so gently took a tiny bit of thickness of the actual lever where the washer was going. Bingo.....fit perfect and NO BUZZING! :headbang:

 

[Shilo]

I finally had that buzz fixed. The previous fix only lasted a day. I couldn't find any washers thin enough to shim up the lever, so I told the mechanic about my problem when I took it in for the 600 mile service. When he called me to pick up my bike. he said that he had tried tightening up the bolt and adding grease but hadn't been able to fix it. I reminded him thatI had told him I had already tried that and I was just hoping that he had a washer thin enough to fit it in the bushing. He said he'd see whaat he could find. He ended up finding one that fit. He said it has a washer from the suspension from another bike, so I don't know where to find one still, but if anyone else has the same problem, they might want to check with their mechanic.

The buzz is almost completely gone. If I hadn't had the buzzing before, I probably wouldn't notice the buzz at all. It is now very faint and only shows up intermitantly. I will let everyone know if the buzz comes back.

I was very glad that the buzzing has been reolved because I was really considering trying the grinder.

 

[Bart]

I've tried the wave washer and as the others experienced, it was too thick.

I ended up wrapping electrical tape around the handlebar and then bolting the clutch assembly over the tape. It seems to work pretty well (much better than before), but be sure use blue lock-tight on the two bolts and snug them up very firm.

Bart

'03 BMW K1200LT-E Black
'03 Kawasaki Z1000 Orange

 

[erzatz]

Not so gettho solution...

I've found a very simple yet efficient solution to stop the vibrations, using a thick rubber band, so that the lever is tightened againt the support (see photo).

 

[ankur]

I cant see the photo.Has it been removed?