Yeah, I had a CCT go on my superhawk with only 20k miles. So i dont feel comfortable without one on my bike. Those damn springs can just break.

It is very simple with the valve cover off, you can feel the chain. I like that.
But not on our bikes. I would not want to remove the valve cover. The spark plugs were enough of a pain in the butt.
I just thought it was strange that i could turn it with my fingers still. I turned it a lot hoping the noise would go down. It didn't.
I cannot hear any of the noises that are described in the videos.

FOCK!

There went 25 minutes of my life. lol it was worth the laugh.

* Last updated by: viperkillertt on 5/5/2011 @ 9:54 PM *

Man, i am not sure about this.

I have adjusted it like 5x now. I go to far and then i bring it back.

The instructions say to turn until you "feel" the chain guide.
I am assuming this is by hand.

Then turn back 1/4 of a turn.

I am having a very tough time finding the "sweet spot"

Also, i went through the manual thusmorning and i could not find the section on turning the engine manually. I want to get to top dead center on cylinder 4. They say that is where you should be when setting the CCT, but they do not tell you the section on actually manually turning the engine.
I am not very pleased with the Kawasaki manual. I find it very tough to find what i am looking for.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Also, i have given up on trying to get rid of the whine. It is just annoying. It cant be the chain. I have tightened it and loosened it. That whine is there to stay.

I am going to try a different motor oil. Maybe that will do the trick.
I really cant hear my valves over the whine. I want to hear my valves.

* Last updated by: viperkillertt on 5/6/2011 @ 12:04 PM *

Hey Viper....the instructions for the APE manual tensioner are these....Since she's already installed...do this....start your bike.Back the tensioner out until you begin to here the cam chain clack...you'll hear it.Okay...now....turn in til she stops the clack.Now,back out 1/2 turn.Tighten lock nut.You're done.If it still clacks while running,turn the tensioner in some more...JUST TILL IT STOPS.No further.That's it.Tighten lock nut.Done.Your whine sound is IMO the combo of intake and throttlebody pulling air into the engine.Do you have VELOCITY STACKS on there?Mine does the same thing as yours.But it's completely normal.She whistles and whines at various engine speeds.I'm not sure you CAN hear your valves.What does that sound like?

I would forget about "feeling the adjustment deal".Go by the chain sound...there or not.It's very hard to "feel" the bolt touching the shoe in there.Personally,I wouldn't do it like that.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 5/7/2011 @ 2:06 PM *

I got the bike CCT figured out i think.
I made a video of what i did.
Because the whine is so damn loud, i cant hear any chain at all.
So i took the crank cover off and manually found 4-1. Then i felt the chain.
I could easily figure out when she was tight or loose.
That i think is the best way to do the APE tensioner. There is no guessing.

Anyways, here is a video i found today. Skip 50 seconds in. NO WHINE! AT ALL!

I can hear his valves, but no whine.
So much better.
I could understand a whine when i was reving, but when i am at 1100 rpm, there really should not be a horribly high pitch whine. I want to hear my motor and exhaust.

* Last updated by: viperkillertt on 5/7/2011 @ 2:15 PM *

Ok, Here is my solution to setting an APE tensioner on our bike.
First, i have to apologize for my commentary. It is bad. But i hope you get the idea.
You can feel the tension in the chain and adjust the APE tensioner without having to listen to the bike.
I think it worked very well. Also, you can easily do this any time. Just pull off the right fairing and then the Crank Cover. The chain is right there.

* Last updated by: viperkillertt on 5/7/2011 @ 2:56 PM *

I went to the Kawasaki dealer today. I had one of the mechanics who had a lot of experience with the ZX14 check out my bike. He said he had never heard a bike with that pronounced engine whistle. He thought I was talking about the transmission when shifting. That is not a problem.

He had absolutely no clue what causes the high pitched noise, his only idea was something with the running gear. The noise is the exact same in all gears. It gets louder as i accelerate until i get into the next gear and then it starts over. So yeah. I wish i knew. It is just annoying, nothing more. It bugs me because it sounds like my "bike" has a loose belt. Bikes don't have belts, so it is annoying.

Does anyone else have a similar noise or been able to fix it possibly?

I am thinking about trying a new motor oil. Oh yeah, it was 14 dollars a quart for the synthetic oil at the stealership. WOW! THAT IS EXPENSIVE. I might check out AMSOIL. I think it is like 8-9 a QT or i might go with Schaeffer's.

Well, if anyone has any ideas. I have ruled out cam chain noise. And i am pretty certain it has nothing to do with the air box. There cant be that much air flowing in at idle to create that noise. I might take my fuel tank off and open up the top of the air box and turn the engine on for a few seconds to see what it sounds like open, just to rule out the air intake.
TTFN

And blue, i am pretty sure yours does make the same sound. I know that some zx14s do make the noise and some don't. I have heard a few youtube videos with and without the noise. I am not sure if i have heard a 2008+ that had the noise.

Mine sounds real close to that, maybe a bit less but the fairings, rubber mat, foam peices, seat, etc all reduce it as they are installed. I noticed the whining sound right away when I got my bike as sounding "different" but am sure it is not an issue, more of a "characteristic" of the 14. I believe it is due to the whole intake system, injection system, and the throttlebody location. I tell people its just the stock supercharger!

HAHA! Stock Supercharger. I like that!

Without really knowing anything at all about your bike I'd say something internal is spun, maybe the oil pump, maybe a bearing, maybe the water pump, but that obscene sound is anything but normal. But like I said I know nothing about your bike, just trying to give you some ideas.

I do have a similar ailment with mine. Mine makes a rolling grinding sound at the front end which gets louder as I speed up but engine RPM has no effect on it. When I hit a bump the noise smacks with the bump like it's getting conducted through the forks. Makes me think the wheel bearings are noisy. When I stop and check the hub for temperature there is none so they must be rolling smooth for the most part. I did slap my fender with my hand and it made a similar sound so maybe it's vibrating. Plus it's never constant. Seems to get worse in rain. Maybe I'll lose my fender for a week and see what happens.
But I sure know how maddening them noises can be to finger out!!!!

I can't really hear enough to diagnose on the videos, but Edge is right, if it is more of a squeal than a whistle, it very well could be a bearing or a pump. Just hope you're not trying to solve the infamous Ninja whistle for nothin'.