Good read Romes...very.Thanks.

That was for the ZX-11 which used plumbing external to the block casting. There were verified restrictions in the plumbing due to overzealous sweating of brazed joints. From the ZX-12 forward the external plumbing has been eliminated save the under-piston irrigation system introduced with the 14R.

That was for the ZX-11

Yes of course. I thought it was still a good read as it might carry some in site as to the old and continued issue of the #3 as it relates to oiling issues.

Bikes have moved a long way forward but this continued prob with oiling seems to boggle the minds of the manufactures as this common issue remains after all these years. Even back then Not all bikes were affected.

I switched over to Amsoil full syn at only 1000 Km. This is Not something I would normally do, but that wonder if my bike is the next one to go boom sits in the back of my mind. It's Way back next to wear did I leave my wallet, but still is there. Just when I forget we see another one. Small % numbers but No One should be put through this repair.

Romes read your article on the older 11's and the oil bypass...
Anything us 2012 r owners should know. For instance they keep telling me at the dealer to run reg kawi oil. I'm at 4000km should I be moving to a synthetic and if so what...? Should I be running the Kaw stock stuff? help?
W

For instance they keep telling me at the dealer to run reg kawi oil.

Yikes, wolf this thread could turn into a oil debate which I want zero part of. Talking oil is almost as sensitive as religion lol. My personal view is no Engine should be run on syn until it is completely broke in. Next debate,,, when is that. Run Away,,,,,,,

I'm currently running Amsoil syn in all my bikes.

" For instance they keep telling me at the dealer to run reg kawi oil."

I'm not saying kawi dino is bad oil, but if you are running dino, there are better oils for less or same amount of money, Rotella, if you can get castrol M/C on sale, (local auto store had it on sale, so thats what I used to break mine in) the kawi dino was pretty dirty for an oil that only had 100 miles on it, granted it was a new engine ...

On the other hand, the kawi synthetic was rumored to be made by motul, a very good oil ....

Notnteying to start a war, if you can get kawi dino at a decent price, it will do just fine .. just my 2 cents

That owners manual says you can run full syn from the crate...well...okay...at first oil change anyway.That's close enough.That's what I did...not sayin you should or shouldn't,but full syn will not harm this motor out the gate.Aegis's motor went at 3900...I'm well past that...I think it's just a crapshoot really with these things seizing.The possibility that a guy will get a motor that 'may' be assembled with a fault is always there.Since this thread...I've paid more attention to my motor...sound wise and all.To me it sounds even better than it did new...IDK...I run mine up pretty good in the rpm's and all...but not all the time.I think...and may be totally wrong...but if the design is somehow 'wrong'...then why aren't we seeing all these motors going?It wouldn't be just one here and there....would it?I don't want to jinx myself here...so I'll shut up now...but mine has been well into the 12K redline several times...and purrs like a kitten in every rpm spot.IDK.....(I had my rpm limiter raised)...so far...nothing weird going on that I can tell.Those 'top outs' are not on purpose...just kinda happens if ya know what I mean...I've yet to have the motor limit on me...I don't run anything but Motul(Kawasaki)7100.Seems to be fine?

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 6/30/2013 @ 10:34 AM *

I've had a lot of questions asking if I heard any noises before my motor blew. I don't remember hearing anything unusual until I twisted my wrist - then as it accelerated it sounded like it started missing and I lost power with the 'boom'. It happened very quickly, under 5 seconds. I was with my son, who is a new rider, and he said he didn't hear anything wierd.

This situation has me questioning the level of the hearing protection that I use. I have custom molded stereo earbuds like a studio musician would wear. I was listening to music when this happened, and my son was next to me on my VFR. Between the music, wind noise, the VFR sounds, and the lower sound level of the ZX14 due to the custom molded earbuds, I missed any bad sounds that may have preceeded the failure. I can say that I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary until the engine started missing.

I had been cruising at 70 in 6th gear for 2-3 miles. I was in the left lane, my son in the right. We were approaching a car in the right lane, so I was going to speed up so my son had room to move over into the left lane with me. I started around 4,500rpm and accelerated about 3/4 throttle when it happened. I was being responsible with my speed since my son is a new rider and the VFR is much more than he is used to. I didn't want him to try to keep up with me if I took off (like we all know the ZX14 can).

This situation has me questioning the level of the hearing protection that I use. I have custom molded stereo earbuds like a studio musician would wear. I was listening to music when this happened

There you go. I thought I'd believe you somehow. You are also fighting the rubber boot over the engine, the fairing covering the noise, the more noise deadening items peppered all over the bike, so yeah... You had a freak.

My first thought when I looked at that pic was that someone cranked that bearing down too tight. Lugging shudder, feels like knock, boom? Idk???

* Last updated by: Cblast on 7/2/2013 @ 12:26 AM *

CSI 14 Forum!
Just glad you're back on the road and the head ache is over!

Well, I'm not back on the road yet, but the engine is here. Dealer should have it done by Monday I think. :)

Ok bro, back on the road soon, we all hope bro...Romes you putting a turbo on it?

I got my 14 back! It was 5 ½ weeks total, so not bad after all.

Thursday, my dealer called and said the bike was ready to be picked up. I went after work and rode her home. I put 300 miles on over the weekend and she’s running great. Still in the ‘break-in’, but seems normal in the low rpms.
It looks like the dealer got everything right. All the body parts are fit together properly and nothing is loose. Chain tension is good and no leaks. The idle speed seems a bit high to me… it’s around 1,250 and I’d like to see it closer to 1,100.

Kawasaki really came through and did the right thing, and my dealer was great. The only real negative was that Kawasaki’s customer service kept making me feel like they we doing nothing and I was going to miss the whole summer of riding. The last guy I talked to there basically told me to ‘f-off’ in the nice way that customer service people do. They also lied to me (in my opinion). They really caused a lot of my stress in this situation.

So kudos to the folks at Kawasaki that worked behind the scenes and in the field, and kudos to Tom’s Cycle in Indiana, PA for getting it put back together and communicating with me so well. Thanks to all on the forums for your support!

Fuckin A! You must be stoked! I would be! The girl is home safe! Glad to hear it all got sorted out bud!

+1 I'm also very happy for you. Now go ride!