04 ZX6R + a Paranoid Rider = someone help...

Z

Zangief

Well-known member
Hello fellow riders,
About a month ago I purchased a 2004 ZX6R. The bike was/is in great condition and am very happy but I want to do some things on my own just for piece of mind. I swapped out the oil and filter and also replaced the stock air filter with a K&N filter. I also topped up the coolant and have been adjusting/lubing/cleaning the chain as recommended by the manual.

Been riding it around for a bit and noticed that the brake fluid resevoir for the front break is completely empty? At least I can't see any fluid up there. I think I need to replace it and bleed the brakes but am unsure how to do this? So much conflicting info out there I want to buy a Mityvac but I am not even sure which one to buy? Also, I've noticed that the chain, instead of being in the direct center of the sprocket, favors the right side and leaves some space on the left.

I'm also confused with the manual because it says I need an oil change every 12,000 kms, vs. what I've been hearing here which is a change every 3-4000 km.

Thoughts?
 
Simple. If you don't have the technical expertise to take care of these things, take the bike to a mechanic who does.

Most people change the engine oil quite a bit more frequently than the manual recommends.
 
I WANT the expertise though, I don't wanna run to a mechanic everytime something goes wrong or it needs to go for routine maintanence. The only thing I want to take the bike to a mechanic for if I don't have the appropriate tools.
 
More than happy ro help out here. Pm me and we can work something out
 
Congrats on being curious about your ride. More people should be. Expect to make an investment of time and money. Proper tools cost money. Hopefully you have a good work space. Otherwise, you will also need to invest time to understand how to complete work. Anyone can fix a bike. It's not rocket science. Cheers!
 
Thanks for all the support. I have a pretty decent work space (2 car garage) and my dad use to work at ford and be a carpenter so he has a lot of tools and basic knowledge on vehicles and how to fix most little problems.

My biggest problems right now are that I have no clue where to buy a mityvac and no idea why the chain is favoraving the right side of the sprocket and leaving space on the left?
 
you got hosed on the K&N filter.

It proves much less filtering and on those bikes specifically, it makes LESS power than the OEM paper filter.
 
Zangief said:
My biggest problems right now are that I have no clue where to buy a mityvac and no idea why the chain is favoraving the right side of the sprocket and leaving space on the left?
Click to expand...

I think you can buy mityvac on Amazon. You can buy a vacuum pump for bleeding brakes in Princess Auto (for about $45+tax), but you don't need it. You can bleed them without any of it. The pump only speeds it up.

As for the chain/sprocket, it can be an angled wheel, a missing spacer on the wheel, or a number of other reasons.
 
^^^+1 regarding K&N. Total rubbish that Parts Source and others love to sell for a high profit while promising increased performance to people who don't know any better.

OEM is a much better way to go, and costs generally a lot less, if you are driving continually in a really dirty environment ie. off road, go with UNI foam filters.

Make sure you put the right spec brake fluid in the reservoir for your bike (OEM if in doubt) and bleed your brakes well to get any air bubbles out. There are a million youtube videos on how to do so.
 
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