[j-ball]

Ok, so I'll say I'm not the easiest on my meanstreak, but I do regular maintenance and love to ride. In the past month a few problems has come up that I have yet to figure out. I've searched here on the forums and have found several different possibilities. I haven't done any mods as far as performance for a while now. The bike has 14k miles on her.

The problems that have occured...
1) vibration between 2k and 3300 rpm throughout the entire bike, handlebars and seat even sitting still. Not a big deal but kinda worries me... Some say headlight rattling or radiator but I've checked them and still does it. Possible cam chain tensioners need extenders?

2) lights seem to flicker (cluster lights and running lights). Bad ground maybe?where are the ground points at on the meanies?

3) Fuel shut off is at 120 mph at around 5300 rpm in 5th gear. I know it used to would top out at 132 mph at around 6k rpm. It'll redline in all the other gears though. I don't always speed, but like to know I have it when I pass on a narrow road. What could have happened to cause the change? Another ground issue? If so, why only in 5th gear though?

 

[wayne100]

Ok #1 All Meanies seem to have vibration between 2500 and 3000 rpm, headlight and radiator are just noise problems not the cause of anything.
You can try loosening and retightening the motor mounts, sometimes it will just click into place.
#2 Grounds , check that the battery terminals are tight and clean, you can also trace the ground cable to the other end and check that too.
#3 You are ****ting me , right?
You can't pass someone on a narrow road going 120? Maybe you should have left a liiiiiitle bit earlier.
But for arguments sake, check your PCIII, if it uses the squeeze clamp type of connections, they loosen up over time, sometimes even cut the wire they are connected to, try soldering the wires together.
I don't have one but I'm pretty sure you can set the rpm in top gear where the fuel shuts off.

 

[twowheeladdict]

If you have to go 120 to pass someone, maybe they don't need passing?

Anyway, my bike vibrates at idle and if I try and hold a steady 2000 RPMs. 2500 to 3000 is the sweet spot for my bike.

And when I say vibrate, I don't mean noise, I mean a shake in the seat, pegs, and handlebars.

 

[j-ball]

I worded it entirely wrong when I said "I don't always speed, but like to know I have it when I pass on a narrow road." Let me clear it up a little bit. I never pass on a narrow road, the only time I do is on a highway and only pass in the passing zones and definitely not at 120. I also don't do like a lot of bikers I've seen that pass where ever they feel like it. The only times I've topped it out is on a dynodrag and the strip not on the street. I guess what I meant was, I don't want to go to pass someone and not have the power to the wheels.

 

[j-ball]

As far as the vibration, I haven't changed my fuel map since I first installed it and the vibration wasn't present like it is now. And my headlight is tight. I believe I have noticed my clutch slipping slightly in the lower rpms, but it's so quick it's hard to tell. A slipping clutch wouldn't cause vibration though, just momentarily let the engine rev up, correct? I did change my oil a few hundred miles ago to Rotella Synthetic.

 

[streak07]

Tightness of the bucket isn't what we're talking about, its the pile of crap sitting inside of it. Unless its wrapped with foam its rattling either a little or a lot.
Another thing to consider is if the PC3 wire was soldered or the previous owner used the piece of crap scotchlock. They cause poor signals.

 

[hawaiian]

..

 

[hawaiian]

finally someone with the same issues, and cut off or surging at around 110-115 MHP (5200-5300 RPM), vibration between (2500-3200 RPM), that i am having. I have been struggling with tracing or finding the problem to this for the past 1 1/2 years. I have the same vibration issues in the same rmp range. I took my bike to two shops one of the shops ended up changing my front and back ignition coils and the pulse coil, rectifier, battery, and ECU. even after doing all of this I still have the symptoms. The dealer/mechanic called Kawasaki and addressed these problems with Kawasaki and they blamed it on the after market exhaust, intake and fuel module, even after telling them that the bike was not doing this after mods but happened awhile after installing mods. so even though myself and the mechanic experienced the problem; because mechanic could not specifically say what was causing bike to produce these symptoms Kawasaki said they would not pay to warrant it. so basically my dealer had to eat the cost of the parts and labor, and as a result of this said that they would do no more work or take it any further unless I filled out work order for them to address problem further, (which meant that if I okayed them to dig further which probably meant going into the engine, and they don't find anything I would have to pay for that out of pocket $$$$$, also if they happened to find the cause of the problem and Kawasaki felt that it was not a manufacturer problem I would again have to eat the cost out of pocket.....Kawasaki is famous for saying that it is a wear and tear item so that they are not liable to cover under warranty.

I recently took my bike to another dealer to see if they could address the problem last week. I described symptoms as bike surging at high speed (around 110-115 MPH), and also vibration between (2500-3200 RPM). upon signing the work order mechanic said that they would put bike on dyno to see if they could duplicate high speed fuel shut off or surging, and also see if they could find out why bike is vibrating at said RPM's. picked bike up that afternoon and this is what the mechanic said.

1. mechanic did not put bike on dyno because he called Kawasaki and was told that bike has a speed limiter that kicks in at around 105-110 MPH.

2. as far as vibration issue mechanic stated that he rechecked engine mounts and brackets and tightened everything to factory specs. mechanic said after doing this that bike feels alot more normal now. he also said that bike is probably vibrating more than before because of my high mileage (40K), which I think is a bunch of [email protected]!t.


so after hearing what mechanic had to say I told him that Kawasaki does not know what they are talking about cause I've had my bike up to 125 MPH, and know that bike does not have enough power to red line in fifth gear so bike will reach a certain speed and thats it. I also told mechanic that I was very disappointed that he did not put bike on dyno so he could see for himself what surging or fuel cut off I am experiencing. mechanic said well we found no need to put on dyno being that Kawasaki said that there is a speed limiter that kicks in at those speeds. this diagnosis costs me $208 and basically they did not do anything that I have not tried already.

if you make any progress towards finding the problem for vibration and high speed (surging or fuel cut off) please hit me up here, and I'll do the same.

on a side note I really enjoyed riding my bike but since these problems I really don't enjoy riding the bike anymore....I use my bike everyday for work and it is just not comfortable or enjoyable when you have the bike vibrating that badly, another thing is because the bike vibrates so much right in the RPM's that I cruise at my mirrors are useless.....

 

[billybobby]

I described symptoms as bike surging at high speed (around 110-115 MPH),

1. mechanic did not put bike on dyno because he called Kawasaki and was told that bike has a speed limiter that kicks in at around 105-110 MPH.

The speed limiter thing is complete BS. There is a rev limiter. On 1500's it's at 6,200 or 6,300 rpm. I'm not sure if it's at same rpm on the 1600.

The surging almost sounds like a fuel issue (starving). Could be as simple as the tank not venting adequately.

 

[hawaiian]

The speed limiter thing is complete BS. There is a rev limiter. On 1500's it's at 6,200 or 6,300 rpm. I'm not sure if it's at same rpm on the 1600.

The surging almost sounds like a fuel issue (starving). Could be as simple as the tank not venting adequately.

yeah I know this for a fact cause like I said I've had bike up to $125 on bike speedo.

also I spoke to thunder manufacturing and was told that bike would not be able to redline in 5th gear due to not having enough power to do so.

as far as tank not venting properly how can I check this?

 

[billybobby]

also I spoke to thunder manufacturing and was told that bike would not be able to redline in 5th gear due to not having enough power to do so.

as far as tank not venting properly how can I check this?

The 1600 cams give you a HP peak waaay below where the rev limiter cuts in.

Simplest test of tank venting is to go run it wide open with the gas cap open. Fuel starvation because of venting usually takes time to occur, like wide open in 5th waiting for your revs to max out. It takes a while for the tank to go negative enough to show up as a problem.

 

[j-ball]

The 1600 cams give you a HP peak waaay below where the rev limiter cuts in.

Simplest test of tank venting is to go run it wide open with the gas cap open. Fuel starvation because of venting usually takes time to occur, like wide open in 5th waiting for your revs to max out. It takes a while for the tank to go negative enough to show up as a problem.

Man, I believe this is this best suggestion so far! I have also have noticed that it has started being harder to start when warm after running, tank seems to have more of a suction than before when going to fuel up, and it whistles more.

Going to do the fuel cap "mod" tonight to see if it cures this drawn out series of problems

 

[hawaiian]

please post your findings after running bike with fuel cap open....so this could possibly be the issue with the high speed cutting in and out but would this also cause the vibration in the above stated range (2500-3200 RPM)..

I also spoke with Kawasaki myself today and they would not admit to telling mechanic that bike has a speed limiter that kicks in at 108-115....

they also tried to blame problem on after market exhaust, intake and pcIII. I said that these problems did not happen after installation of these mods but about a year after. I also stated to them that my brother has the exact same setup as mine and does not have this problem....

suggestion from kawasaki customer service rep is to take it to dealer and have them look further into problem possibly opening engine up....my only fear is they will find something and kawasaki will come back and say its not covered under warranty due to it being a wear and tear item.....but is'nt everything on the bike wear and tear?????.....so wear is line drawn???

 

[j-ball]

I'm almost certain the vibration is due to not getting a steady pulse of fuel throughout that rpm range but didn't know what could cause the fuel problem until now.

I'm gonna try it in the next few hours when I get home and I'll post my findings. The weather is nice out

 

[billybobby]

I think you're carrying what I said much too far. It won't fix everything, even if venting is a problem. The stock cap vent is supposed to let air in but restrict air/fumes getting out. An EPA thing. Hawaiian eleminated most of the other problems you'd look for with his hi-speed issue. This (inadequate venting) was one of the few things that didn't seem to have been tried that fit the symptoms. Could be fuel pump or regulator bypass issues too. Cap venting is easier to test. There are posts about "fixing" the vent flapper in the cap. That should be enough if the vent hose is clear but the simplest "test" to make sure is running with the cap open. Getting rid of the check valve in the cap will definitely cure the annoying whistle when the bike sits.

Vibration: These bikes do vibrate some. It can be magnified by your exhaust system and installation (stressing the system). Different bars can also make your mirrors "fuzz" more. The easiest "fix" can be to add weight to the bar ends. Many bikes come with weights welded or glued in the bar ends for that purpose.

 

[j-ball]

Billybobby, i owe you a 30 pack! I just took it for a ride w/ the fuel cap popped open and viloa, no vibration and steady climb to red line in 5th gear (benefits of living in bfe on a highway). Will do the cap mod tomorrow and let you know how it goes...

Thanks again everybody else for the help, this forum is like a big family to me

 

[Meanie]

On the topic of tank venting, this may or may not be something to also keep in mind. Under the tank there are three hoses. One of those hose, located the closest to the seat on the right side, is a vent hose. When installing the tank on the bike after removal, that hose needs to be pulled down while you lower the tank on the frame. I didn't pull it completely, which left a little kink in it. My bike would warm up then stall. I could wait a bit, it would start, then warm up again and stall. After the stalling, I retraced my steps to what I did with the tank removal. Since I only removed it to add wiring, I knew it couldn't be too much. The fuel hoses were snug and secure which left that vent hose. I tugged on it again which still had some slack. I ensured it was completely straight when I secured the tank. Since then, I never had the problem again. Therefore, I assumed it was related to the hose or simply coincident.

 

[hawaiian]

The 1600 cams give you a HP peak waaay below where the rev limiter cuts in.

Simplest test of tank venting is to go run it wide open with the gas cap open. Fuel starvation because of venting usually takes time to occur, like wide open in 5th waiting for your revs to max out. It takes a while for the tank to go negative enough to show up as a problem.

I don't know if J-ball experienced this but when I hit the speed that surging begins if I back off the throttle a little the bike smoothes out and if I hit it wide open again the surging begins....It's weird that it's happening at the exact same or very close to the exact same MP/RPM.....

if it is a venting issues then once it reaches the point of fuel starvation (so bike starts to surge), why is it that if I back off the throttle a little the surging stops and as soon as I hit the throttle again and get in the MP/RPM range the surging comes back????

 

[hawaiian]

I have not tried driving with gas cap popped off yet in fear of gas sloshing out into my face.....but J-ball's problem seems to have been cured by him doing exactly this....

question:

under the tank are a couple of hoses....is'nt one of these the vent hose that someone was talking about that can get kinked??? if so then could I just remove this hose???

 

[billybobby]

You don't have to have the filler cap fully opened, just enough to make sure air can get in.

Are you running a PCIII or other module?