HELP!!! starting problems with zxr400 im a new rider too!

[pjunderwood]

hi can anyone help me out here.

ive got a 91 kawasaki zxr400 that ive not long had. im a complete spanner when it comes to bikes and ive only just discovered where i put the oil! (i think!) and too late too i reckon. i had been riding for about 10 mins and while parking up the bike sort of spluttered forward abit. i pulled in the clutch and switched off.

then it wouldnt start. the oil light comes up, and having pushed it home it wont engage any gears only neutral (dont ask why i was trying!) ive looked at the little window at the side of the engine showing the oil level its a lot lower than i thought it was,

what im desperate to know is....

WILL IT START AGAIN IF I TOP THE OIL UP?

HAVE I DAMAGED SOME PART OF THE ENGINE?

COULD IT BE A SPARK PLUG POSSIBLY AT FAULT?

please help as i said im a spanner! okay im a human being but you get the idea!

Thanks
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Patrick

[Sephiroth]

Petrol?

[pjunderwood]

nope i wish it was just that, i filled her up the other day!
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Patrick

[pjunderwood]

nope i wish it was just that, i filled her up the other day!
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Patrick

[_Will_]

did u use the right type of oil?
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Past -Honda qr50 | 2004 Peugeot Tkr s 50| | 1996 Yamaha XJ600s Diversion|

[Mark_petty]

It may not be oil related as on my bike my oil light appears before u start up and then when it fires up it goes away.

Welcome btw

Very nice bike, hope u get it sorted
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[Rides: Suzuki GSF600sx]
[CBT: Passed] [Theory: Passed] [DAS: Passed]

[feef]

what di you mean "won't start"

does the starter and engine turn over, or is it just a "click"?
Do the warning lights come on (like they should) when you turn the ignition on?
is the kill-switch okay?
is the side-stand switch okay?

no offence, but if you don't even know where to put the oil, then do you think you have a reasonable chance of diagnosing a fault?

a
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Mudskipper wrote: feef, that is such a beautiful post that it gave me a lady tingle
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[_Will_]

Does the light come on with no noise whatsoever from any other part of the bike, if so its probably something to do with the starter relay, also sidestands generally wont let you start unless in neutral.
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Past -Honda qr50 | 2004 Peugeot Tkr s 50| | 1996 Yamaha XJ600s Diversion|

[pjunderwood]

hi thanks for everyone who gave their advice i appreciate it. ive decided although the oil was low, that wasnt the problem. the warning lights would come on, and even if you applied the choke nothing happened but a funny clicking noise came on. which sounds like the battery in that case, i left the bike well alone till the following morning and guess what it started!

anyway the bike is now with my local garage for a service, new battery and what not, its in good hands so hopefully itll be all good.

again thanks to everyone who took the time to offer advice.

Cheers, Patrick
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Patrick

[Whosthedaddy]

The level of oil should only be read when the engine is cold

The clicking noise sounds like the starter motor working, maybe the battery was poor. If you kept trying to start it, could you have flooded the carbs and exhausted the battery further, hence why it started the following day?

It may be a rec / reg problem in the long run
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Current : MSX 125 Past : CBR 900RR Monkeybike : c50 LAC : ZXR750 H2 : FZR600 : ZX7R P3 : YW100 : TRX850: Trophy 900 T309 : GSXR 600 L0: Monkeybike : XJ6S Whosthedaddy

[pjunderwood]

But im getting there but that's a good point. Thanks for bringing that to light. Never the less i'll soon find out what the whole problem is.

Im very lucky because my garage happens to be just one minute's ride away from me and is like the 'Pimp My Ride' / 'West Coast Customs' garage of the bike world!

So its in good hands!

Cheers mate.
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Patrick

[feef]

[pjunderwood]

just a quick update, in case it annoys anyone have an un resolved post! heres how the problem was fixed!

my battery was not charging properly and it was done to the regulator/rectifier thingy! had new sparkplugs, oil change etc it runs sweet!

cheers eveybody!
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Patrick

[Yoshi]

Nice bike, like mine but darker shade of red but get rid of the plastic bit which holds the number plate, indicators, plate light, reflector etc.

I just done it and it looks 100 times better, just the number plate attached to the back and indicators attached to that. Upload pics soon, and show u how if you want.
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Present: GS650 Katana - Getting ready for summer touring!
Past: TS50, RS50, ZXR400, LT80, TS250

[mashed]

just to point out you should reed the oil level when the bike is vertical not on the stand

[pjunderwood]

mashed- thanks for the tip bro

yoshi- yep me thinks you're right! definitely will get rid of the rear numberplate assembly etc, so yeah if u can upload some photos of yours that would be awesome, thanks bud

btw ive got some big ass stone chips on my front end, im in two minds as to whether respray the whole front fairing piece as its been faded by the sun in places (bikes 15 years old mind you) or see if i can use a touch up stick or something. my garage told me kawasaki could supply such a thing (apart from the obvious halfords) but it'll only look like bright red blobs on a lighter shade of red! any suggestions would be most welcome, cheers!
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Patrick

[mashed]

how about an undertray

https://www.hcracetech.co.uk/images/ila/15095_574811i.jpg?115

at £20 inc painting you cant go wrong
have a look at www.hcracetech.co.uk

[pjunderwood]

mashed! thanks dude! the undertray is definitely an option, i checked out the website and they do a lot of neat stuff, like the hugger mudguard for the zxr, i definitely wana get a colour coded one of them too!

you da man!
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Patrick