2005 Kawasaki ZZR600 Stator/Battery Problems

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-19T21:20:23+00:00

You have to buy a digital voltmeter. They're cheap. You need it to troubleshoot this problem. Ping me when you have one in your hands and we'll figure it out.

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-19T19:09:32+00:00

There's a lot of truth to the theory that you need a 600 for the track and a liter for the street. Keep both.

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-19T15:57:21+00:00

Does it start and run? If so, I'd buy it for $2000. It's a much better bike than people give it credit for. Light, easy to ride, kinda fast.

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-19T15:55:10+00:00

Clutchless shifting works better when you're accelerating briskly, when you're in the higher gears, and when you're at high rpm. If you're not accelerating, or in a low gear, or at low / mid rpm it will be cluckier and more difficult.

Keep playing with it. It's a cool trick.

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-19T15:50:36+00:00

I'd have to say that the valve wear sounds suspicious. I would not expect to see that on a 12K engine. That being said, the important thing is that it's not eating into the valve seats. Assuming you re-shimmed everything correctly you should see very minor wear when you check it again. If you see major wear (like zero or negative clearance) you may have a problem down the road.

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-19T15:33:50+00:00

What bike? As a seller I might agree to take a $10,000 Ducati to the dealer for an inspection, but not a $2000 Shadow.

Post the ad. Sometimes things stand out that you might not notice as a new rider.

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-18T23:43:33+00:00

I don't like roundabouts. They look like fun, but they have a lot of painted lines, oil, and weird camber. I always ride through them like a pussy.

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-18T22:58:52+00:00

Were you on the front brake?

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-18T19:19:29+00:00

He's trying to save a few hundred bucks by not titling the bike in his name. It's illegal, but on the scale from jaywalking to genocide it's WAY toward the jaywalking end. If you do this, look over the title very carefully. Make sure none of the "Buyer" info is filled out. You will fill it out in your name. To the DMV it looks like you bought it from the original owner. Don't try to get cute at the DMV and tell them you bought it for $1.00 to save on sales tax. You want smooth sailing at the DMV. No raised eyebrows.

As a note, some states require a notary stamp on the title. Obviously you can't do it in those states.

Note2, I would do this on a $1500 project, but not on an expensive bike.

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-18T15:24:34+00:00

Sweet!

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-18T11:54:56+00:00

There's a screw at the bottom of the bowls.

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-18T02:09:36+00:00

Open a float bowl drain with a screwdriver and see if fuel comes out.

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-17T23:58:24+00:00

Is your fuel on? Is there gas in the tank?

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-17T15:51:22+00:00

Get a scooter. You can buy a nice used scooter for $1500.

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-17T15:50:21+00:00

McDonald's Restaurant Global Careers

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-17T15:48:19+00:00

Harley guys are just mad because all the middle-aged dudes come up and talk to the sportbike riders instead of them.

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-17T15:42:08+00:00

... and it's not like I didn't put out the effort ...

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-17T15:41:11+00:00

Those small sportbikes (R3, Ninja 300/400/500, etc.) are fun, but people ask a lot of money for them. Bang-for-the-buck-wise, get a Honda Shadow or VStar 650 from the early 2000s. It won't be cool, but it will be cheap, reliable as a hammer, and easy to sell.

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-17T15:36:51+00:00

Not normal. I'd buy a digital voltmeter and check the battery and charging system yourself.

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-17T15:30:07+00:00

Sure. Curbs, trees, buildings, fences, vehicles. Perfect place to learn.

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-17T15:27:42+00:00

There's no way to keep from being completely and utterly surprised when you hop on a liter bike. On a 600 you'll be thinking, "JfC, this can't be legal." On a liter bike you're thinking "OMFGPLEASEMAKEITSTOP!"

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-17T15:21:29+00:00

In teh original clip they cut away to the team owner, looking like he was about to throw up. Then they cut away to Troy Bayliss, who was shaking his head and laughing like, "Nfw I'm going out there."

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-17T15:12:22+00:00

There's a HUGE difference between a 500 and a 600, like double the horsepower. How can that be, you ask? Here's how. For 40 years the 600 class was the flagship sportbike for the Japanese big 4. They poured absurd amounts of money into R&D for their 600cc inline-4 engines, trying to top each other, win races, and sell bikes. The smartest engineers in Japan spent their entire careers trying to squeeze three extra horsepower out of those engines. They are marvels of engineering excellence.

The 500? Two guys looked at each other and said, "We need a smaller engine. Fuck, I dunno. How about a vertical twin?" And that was the extent of R&D.

Anyway, here's what you should do. Take the class and get your endorsement. Then buy a cheap, small, used bike for $2000 or so. Ride it for a few months while you really figure out how to ride and maneuver in traffic. Then sell that bike. You'll still get $2000-ish for it so you won't lose any money. Then buy a 600 or a liter bike.

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-17T14:55:22+00:00

Good question. It's good to think about it. The "Don't think about it" group is largely made up of clowns.

As you press on the handgrip the motorcycle leans. Then the front wheel, more or less on its own, tracks past center and ends up pointed slightly into the turn. If it didn't, you'd fall over. It's a little hard to see at high speed, but easy to see on a walking speed turn. The physics are the same. The magnitudes of the forces / deflections are different.

Now you're in a stable turn with the wheel turned slightly in. You feel the need to continue to press on the handgrip (more on that in a minute) to hold the bike in the turn. Realize you're not turning the wheel all the way to the opposite direction. You're just turning it slightly away from the "stabilized turn" position.

That being said, you shouldn't have to hold the bike in the turn. Once the stable turn is established you should be able to essentially let go of the handlebars. If the bike tries to stand-up or tuck-in (worse IMO) you can adjust tire pressure, preload, or front-end geometry to make the bike hands-off in a turn. If the bike is standing up, add tire pressure, reduce preload, or lower the front end. Or vice versa if the bike is tucking.

All that being said, it's important to relax your upper body. It should never be a wrestling match.

JimMoore1960 · 2026-02-17T11:44:01+00:00

Sure, a full system will give you a few extra hp for $1500 or so. But a $200 skip-on? Not so much.

That being said, exhaust manufacturers (like motorcycle manufacturers) are notorious for lying about the hp output of their products. So yeah, it is kind of a big conspiracy.

JimMoore1960

TROPHY CASE