Fall 1994 The Kawasaki Technical Magazine Vol. 7 No. 3

The sensationalVN800 Vulcanis one of threenew modelshighlightingKawasaki’sexciting ’95motorcyclelineup.

NEW PRODUCTS

’95 watercraft: Storm warning!Kawasaki’s new fleet

of watercraft is set to takethe industry by storm!Our commitment to beingthe industry leader is con-firmed with the introductionof not just one, but fournew watercraft for 1995.

At the top of the line upis the awesome new,benchmark-setting, 900ZXi. This new machine ispowered by a 900cc

three-cylinder, two-stroke a new hull, designed forengine-and we all know great maneuverabilityabout Kawasaki’s repu- and stability, combinedtation for incredible 900cc with a new powertrain,engines and two-stroke which is highlighted bytriples! the new 900cc triple-

The 900 ZXi, officially cylinder engine.labeled the JH900-A1, is This smooth engine iscompletely new from all new and does notstem to stern and takes share critical dimensionsKawasaki watercraft to or components with anythe next level of develop- of our other watercraftment. The boat features CONTlNUED ON PAGE 3

ROUTE LIST: o SERVICE o PARTS o SALESP L E A S E R E T U R N T O S E R V I C E L I B R A R Y

by Patrick KellyInstructional Designer/Instructor

Where does one beginin a discussion of newKawasaki motorcycles for1995? There are threecompletely new modelsfor ’95, each one uniqueand exciting ...

The ZX-6RIf you are interested in

the latest high-tech streetweapon, the discussionwould have to begin withthe all-new ZX-6R, a roll-ing showcase for all ofKawasaki’s latest two-wheel technology.

The engine in the newZX600-F1 is all-new andis more compact and muchlighter than its predecessor.And, even more incredible,it is more powerful too!This was accomplishedwith a number of signifi-cant changes, the mostobvious of which is aswitch from driving thecams from the center ofthe crankshaft to drivingthe cams from the right-hand end of the crankshaft.This makes the crankshaftshorter and more rigid,and also allows the intakeand exhaust ports to be asstraight as possible.

Other new enginefeatures include a cylinderthat is canted farther for-ward than before; a steeperdowndraft angle for theintake ports; larger dia-meter valves; revisedcamshaft timing; and anall-new clutch andtransmission.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Inside!n Service tips & more!

’95: Three forthe roadCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The ZX-6R’s chassis isan equal to its state-of-the-art engine. Its rigidaluminum frame, steep24° rake, 87mm trail andshort 55.7in. wheelbaseassure quick, responsivehandling. A conventionalcartridge front fork,adjustable for compres-sion damping, rebounddamping and spring pre-load handles the suspen-sion chores up front whilea Uni-Trak rear suspen-sion, adjustable for com-pression damping, rebounddamping, spring preloadand ride height, handlesthe rear.

No discussion of thenew ZX-6R would be com-plete without mentioningits weight (or lack thereof):The ZX-6R is nearly 40lbslighter than the ZX600-E!

The VN800But maybe your interest:

lean towards the laid-back,bad-to-the-bone cruiserscene. In that case, dis-cussion about Kawasaki’s’95 models would certainlycenter on the all-newVulcan 800. This is thelatest generation of Kawa-saki cruiser and is styledin the classically Americantradition.

Firepower for the newVN800-A1 is provided byan all-new 55° V-twinengine. In keeping with

Sensational new ZX-6R (ABOVE) is 40lbs lighter than theZX600-E. The similarly all-new Vulcan 800 (BELOW) alsobreaks new ground in the high-technology department.

GPz 1100: Sport orientation with all-day riding comfort.

the theme of “simple isbetter,” the engine is fedby a single 36mm CDKcarburetor with an accel-erator pump. The air filtercan be accessed by re-moving just one bolt andthe whole carburetor byremoving just two moreboIts.

The engine does bene-fit from liquid cooling eventhough, at first glance(and maybe second), itappears to be air-cooled.Careful examinationreveals a radiator carefullynestled between the framedowntubes; radiator hosesare hidden too, helpingthe VN retain that classicair-cooled look.

A gear-driven counter-balancer and rubberengine mounts make thismodern V-twin smooth.Single overhead camsopen four valves per cylin-der, making sure that theVN800 goes as well as itshows.

The VN’s chassisfeatures a wide Showafront fork, a unique Uni-Trak rear suspension withI hard-tail look, a 21-inchfront tire and 16-inch reartire. Both wheels arespoked, in keeping withthe classic styling.

The speedometer restson the fuel tank and iscable-driven off of the rearwheel, helping to keep the

front end clean anduncluttered.

The GPz 1100But let’s say that, for

’95, you are interested in apowerful, versatile sport-ing machine at an econo-mical price. Then the newKawasaki GPz 1100would definitely enter theconversation here.

The engine in theZX1100-E1 is based onthe legendary ZX-11engine, with a few changesto smooth out its incrediblepower delivery. It featuresa new cylinder head withsidedraft intake portsmounting smaller CDK36mm carburetors. Cam-shafts with 10° less dura-tion and a new 4-into-2exhaust system completethe engine’s transformation.

The chassis is basedon an economical one-piece, double-cradle steelframe and steel swingarm.A sturdy 41 mm front forkgraces the front end whilea Uni-Trak system with anadjustable rear shock sup-ports the rear. The ridingposition and fairing aresport-oriented but still de-signed for all-day comfort.

So, no matter what kindof street bike sparks yourinterests, Kawasaki’s ’95lineup is sure to give youand your fellow enthusiastssomething to talk about. o

2 l K-Tech News

’95 WatercraftCONTlNUED FROM PAGE 1

engines. With threeKeihin CDK38 carburetors,a completely water-jacketed exhaust systemand many other interes-ting new design features,the new 900 produces awhopping 100 hp. Thepowertrain is completedby an all-new jet pumpwith a three-blade, stain-less steel impeller for amaximum thrust of 732pounds.

The ZXi also featureselectrically adjustabletrim, tachometer, speed-

ometer and fuel gauge,trim indicator and a newtrigger-type throttle.

The new 750 ZXi is the900 ZXi’s little brotherand features the samebasic hull design. It ispowered by a revisedversion of Kawasaki’sdual-carb 750 twin enginewhich produces 85 hp at7000 rpm.

The 750’s jet pumpalso features a stainlesssteel, three-blade impeller.Maximum thrust is agenerous 679 pounds.

Also new for ’95 arerevised versions of twoexisting watercraft: the

JS750 SXi and the STS750.

The JS750 SXi is adual-carb version of thepopular 750SX stand-up.It features a revisedversion of our 750ccengine, similar to the new750 ZXi’s engine. Its jetpump is upgraded, too,with a new stainlesssteel, three-blade impel-ler. The new power-train isgood for 628 pounds ofthrust.

The STS is a higher-performance version ofthe three-seat ST modelintroduced last year. Itfeatures the same engine

as the 750 ZXi, and italso gets a new three-blade, stainless steelimpeller to boost thrustup to 654 pounds.

The STS also getselectrically adjustabletrim, mirrors, tachometer,fuel gauge and a trim indi-cator.

Look for more detailedinformation on these exci-ting new watercraft andtheir powertrains in futureissues of K-Tech News.

-Pa trick Kelly

Highlights of the ’95 personal watercraft line (PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE LEFT): The revolutionary 900 ZXiwill turn heads anywhere it goes! 750 ZXi is the 900’s little brother; JS750 SXi is a dual-carb version of the popular750SX stand-up; STS is a “hot rod” version of the three-seat ST.

The Technical Magazine l 3

Vol. 7 No. 3 l Fall 1994©1994 Kawasaki MotorsCorp., U.S.A. (KMC).All rights reserved.

K-Tech News Staff

PublisherKawasaki Tech Services

Publications ManagerDon Church

Executive EditorGary Herzog

Editor-in-ChiefGregg Thompson

Communications EditorPatrick Kelly

Regional Editors

North and EastFred DeHart

Central and SouthWalter Rainwater

WestJerry Heil

Contributors

Scott Buckley, Randy Davis,Donna Hood, John Porno,David Pyle, Steve Rice,Ray St. John, Kevin Williams

Graphics/Production

Graphic ArtGregg Thompson

PhotographyDave Corey, Don Church,Eric Putter

Copy EditorPat Shibata

ProductionNickless Communications

Published by Kawasaki.All suggestions become the prop-erly of KMC. Sending a servicesuggestion gives Kawasaki per-mission to publish and/or use itwithout further consideration.

Specifications subject to changewithout notice.

4 l K-Tech News

A unique boating education tool ...Kawasaki Motors Corp.,

U.S.A., has given the U.S.Coast Guard a new way tolook at boating education:a full-size cutaway of aKawasaki JET SKI® water-craft that literally givesstudents a look inside amodern PWC.

The project began inearly 1994 when theCoast Guard indicated toKawasaki its educationalinterest in the expandingpersonal watercraftindustry. Responding tothat interest, KMC senttwo of its 750 Super Sportwatercraft to the Florida-based Marine MechanicsInstitute.

For the next four months,about 20 MMI studentsworked to “cut away” keyareas of the watercraft’shull and inner components,allowing for a cross-sec-tional look at the workingsof a personal watercraft.The final product affordsstudents a unique view ofthe engine, pump, gastank, impeller and steeringsystem.

“The personal water-craft population is growingat an excellent pace. Wehope this cutaway willhelp to draw attention tothe importance of gettingpeople out on the watersafely,” said USCG Capt.William Horan.

Horan said the JET SKIwatercraft cutaway will beused for educational dem-onstrations throughout thesouthwestern U.S., andwill be seen by thousands.It will be used to drawattention to the CoastGuard Auxiliary’s newPWC safety course.

Horan presented Kawa-saki with a U.S. CoastGuard certificate of appre-ciation commending the

manufacturer for its con-tinued commitment toboating safety.

Anyone interested inparticipating in a PWC

safety course can call theCoast Guard Auxiliary’sSafe Boating Hotline at(800) 869-SAIL. o

U.S. Coast Guard representatives (including Capt. WilliamHoran, second from right), take delivery of a cutaway 750Super Sport watercraft donated by Kawasaki and MMI.

VICA U.S. Skill OlympicsLast June, the Voca-

tional Industrial Clubs ofAmerica (VICA) held itsU.S. Skill Olympics inKansas City, MO. For thefifth year, Kawasaki parti-cipated in the MotorcycleService Technology Con-test by sponsoring twowork stations: “ShopProcedures,” and “Using aMultimeter.”

J.C. DeLaney of theMotorcycle IndustryCouncil and Steve Ehle ofthe Motorcycle MechanicsInstitute served as co-chairpersons of the tech-nical committee whichcomprised representativesfrom the participatingmanufacturers and theSnap-On Tools Corp.

The skills contest pro-vided students with awritten skills test and ninemeaningful work stationsdesigned to serve as acompetency-based modelfor entry-level techniciansin motorcycle dealerships.There were 34 contestantsthis year, all winners oftheir state contests, com-peting for numerous prizesoffered by the sponsors ofthe contest.

Kawasaki offered asubstantial library of ser-vice and training videosand manuals to the schoolsof the first-, second- andthird-place finishers inboth the secondary andpost-secondary divisions.

-Don Church

VICA medalists (TOPROW. L to R): ThomasNoyes; Post-secondaryDivision winner ChrisHawks; and Chris Hen-drickson. (BOTTOMROW, L to R): MarkSagers; SecondaryDivision winnerAnthony Kaller; andThomas Pickup.

Micro-Kby David PyleParts Publications Specialist

I’ve talked before aboutdecals and whether theycome on painted parts ornot, but just when we hadsome easy rules to follow,we find an exception tothose rules.

Here are the rulesagain; then I’ll give youthe exception.

l Decals do come ap-plied on all motorcyclebody parts. This includesall types-dirt, street anddual purpose.

l Decals are not sup-plied on any ATV, JETSKI® watercraft, generatoror MULE™ utility vehiclereplacement parts. (Thereason is that these vehi-cles tend to use the samebody/hull parts for severalyears. Rather than main-tain a large stock of thesame item, all with differ-ent graphics, KMC and its

dealers can reduce inven-tory costs by keepingdecals separate.)

l Here is the exception:KHI now sells some mid1980s painted body partsfor which decals are nolonger available. The onlyway to tell if you willreceive one of these partsis the color code on theend of the part number. Forexample, if you order P/N36001-5219-B1, it subs toP/N 36001-1190-B11.Since the original colorcode was “B1,” the newP/N color code should bethe same. The extra “1” onthe end of the color codesignifies that the part hasno graphics on it and thatmost likely the decals arenot available.

l For decals that arenot shown on the micro-fiche, see parts bulletinMC 90-01. If they are notmentioned on this bulletin,they are not available. q

When replacing thecoolant in ’89-’94 KX500-Emodels, it is very impor-tant to purge the air out ofthe cylinder head. Inthis cylinder head,there is a high, coolantchamber that wrapsaround the sparkplug hole. Aircan becometrapped

in this chamberand stay there even withthe engine running. Ob-viously, air trapped in acylinder head coolantpassage is not good. Itcan give the bike-andthen you-a headache.

This can easily beprevented by looseningthe bleed bolt at the top ofthe head and letting theair escape. With thecooling system full, loosenthis bleed bolt about 1/2turn, wait for coolant toooze out and then tighten.

Replace the washeron this bolt

every third or fourth time itis torqued to preventleaks.-David Pyle

SERVICE CONTEST

Return of the “Kawasaki Service Contest? Are you ready?The Kawasaki Service

contest is back! We havemade a few changes to thecontest this time around.The first quiz, in this issue,covers motorcycles andATVs. The second quiz, inthe next issue of K-TechNews, will cover MULEsand generators. The thirdand final quiz will coverJET SKI® watercraft.

These changes aredesigned to allow all of ourdealers, regardless ofwhich product lines theycarry, a chance to win anaward. And, for a littleextra incentive, the numberof questions on each quizhas been reduced from100 to 50.

So, get out that pencil,put your thinking cap on,and go for it!

l Deadline for the firstcontest is November 11th.

l The contest is open toany Kawasaki dealershippersonnel.

l The contestant may useany materials and infor-mation available to ans-wer the test questions.

l A service contest will bemailed with each of thenex t two i ssues o fK-Tech News.

l If more than one person

from a dealership wishesto enter the contest, it isthe responsibility of thedealership to copy theanswer sheet for theadditional personnel.Facsimiles of the answersheet will be accepted.

l The test must be mailedby the deadline andreturn postage is theresponsibility of thecontestant.

l Any contestant whoscores 85 percent orhigher will win an awardfor that contest.

l In order to compete forthe grand award, all

three tests must be com-pleted and returned.

l The contestant with thehighest score total forthe three tests will winthe grand award. In caseof a tie, there will be arun-off.

l Winning contestants willbe announced in thenext issue of K-TechNews.

l Send completed tests to:Service Contest No. 1,Kawasaki Motors Corp.,U.S.A., 9950 JeronimoRd., Irvine, CA 92718.

l Good luck to all! q

The Technical Magazine l 5

’94 Xi electric trim helpby Gregg ThompsonProduct support supervisor

We have had lots ofcalls this summer aboutJH750-B2 Xi electric trimsystems sticking in the fulldown position. Somedealers have gone throughthe process of checking allthe electrics in the trim sys-tem before discoveringthat the cable drivemechanism wasphysicallyjammed.

Inalmost

every case we’ve heard ofwhere the trim nozzle hasgotten stuck all the waydown, the cause hasbeen a jammed drivemechanism (slidelever assembly).Apparently, at oneend of its travel, the trimmotor is capable oftorquing the slide leveragainst the shoulder onthe drive screw tightenough that the motorcan’t break it loose in theother direction. This hap-pens when the customercontinues to hold the trimadjust button “down” afterthe mechanism hasreached the end its travel.

If an Xi is brought toyou with the trim stuck inthe down position, the firstthing you should do isapply battery voltage tothe BL/W and G/W wiresgoing from the handlebarswitch to the trim motor.Connecting the batteryleads one way will turn thetrim motor in one directionand reversing the leads

will turn it the other way.If the nozzle does not

move, the problem iseither a bad trim motor orthe slide lever mechanismis jammed; it’s probablythe latter. (If the trim doesmove, see the Summer’94 issue of K-Tech News,Vol. 7 No. 2, for details onthe trim electrical system.)

If the trim mechanismis jammed,Kawasaki has

designed a newcollar, P/N 92143-3751,

to help prevent thisproblem from repeating.Disassemble the slidelever mechanism, make

P/N 92143-3751

sure all the moving partsare well greased, andreassemble it with the newcollar as shown here.Install the collar with therecessed side facing thehead of the drive screw.

Unfortunately this “little”job requires pulling theengine to get at the trimmotor box. The customershould be made aware ofhow this happens. Usually,when the customer is edu-cated about it, the problemdoesn’t return. q

Tips from the field:Faster cable replacement

Kevin Williams, fromWalt’s Kawasaki in LakeHavasu City, Ariz., wroterecently to tell us about acouple of time-savingtools he made for workingon Kawasaki 650 and 750watercraft. These home-made tools make installinga new steering cable gofaster and easier.

Normally, to get awrench on the large brassretaining nut where thesteering cable exits at theback of the hull, you haveto remove the jet pump. Asocket won’t work becauseof the cable sticking outand there’s no room for anopen-end wrench.

Kevin cut some time offthe job by making aspecial socket with a longT-handle. He welded a2ft.-long T-handle to theside of a 27mm socket.This allows the socket toslide over the cable andreach the nut.

Don’t forget!Service Contest No. 1 mustbe postmarked no later than

November 11th.Great awards await!

When the cable is readyfor removal, Kevin’s secondspecial tool comes into thepicture: He has drilled andtapped both ends of a1in.-long piece of 1/4-inch

aluminum rod to threadonto the end of the steer-ing cable. He then threadsthe other end of the newcable into the other end ofthe rod. With the twocables connected like this,the new one gets installedas the old one getsremoved.

The rod needs a 5mmhole with 0.80mm threadpitch at each end. Youcan make your own out of1/4-in. or 5/16-in. rod likeKevin did, or you can justorder P/N 46102-3703from Kawasaki. This is an8x40mm piece of brasshex bar stock with a 5mmthreaded hole all the waythrough it. In other words,it’s a very long 5mm nut.This part is long enough tocut in half and make twotools, and it only costs afew dollars.

Thanks for the goodideas, Kevin.

Your check is in themail. (As always, when weput a dealership tech-nician’s idea into print inK-Tech News, we sendhim or her a $100check.)-Ed.

6 l K-Tech News

Turn ons and turn offs: Xi gauge diagnosticsby Gregg ThompsonProduct Support Supervisor

We’ve had a coupledifferent kinds of failuresin the gauges of the ’94JH750-B2 Xi that havebeen traced to severaldifferent causes. Thefailures include “thegauges don’t turn on atall” and “the gauges areon all the time—even withthe engine off.”

In the “gauges on allthe time” scenario, thegauges run the battery

dead if the customerdoesn’t disconnect them.In these situations, thecause is usually a short(frequently caused bywater) in the tachometeror the LED gauge.

Other causes of thisproblem can be cross-connected or shortedwires in the electrical box.There are several brownwires and several redwires in the electrical box,all with single bulletconnectors. The red wiresare battery positive andthe brown wires are ACsignal wires that tell thegauges to turn on whenthe engine is running. Ifone of the red bulletconnectors accidentallygets connected to a brownbullet connector, theresulting battery voltage

on the brown wires willturn on all the gauges.(Obviously if one of thered wires gets shorted toone of the brown wiresany other way, the resultis the same. This is whatcan happen if water getsin the tachometer.)

There should be novoltage (AC or DC) on thebrown wires when theengine is not running. Ifthe gauges are on whenthey shouldn’t be, checkfor that. If you detect anyvoltage, find the sourceof it and you’ll solveyour problem.

In the “gaugesdon’t turn on at all”scenario, checkthe red wires forbattery voltage, thebrown wires for an ACsignal with the engine run-

ning and the black wiresfor a good ground connec-tion to the electrical boxand the engine. Make surethe black wire from the stopswitch is connected to theblack wire from the igniter... and nowhere else.

The black wire comingfrom the stop switch intothe electrical box is not aground unless the stopbutton is pushed. If theblack ground wire from thegauges is connected tothat wire, the gauges will

not work unlessthe stop button is

pressed whilethe engine isrunning. q

The Technical Magazine l 7

XiR steering nozzle installation: Watch those bushingsby Randy DavisProduct Support Specialist

I t has come to ourattention that some con-fusion exists over theprocedure for assemblingthe steering nozzle on theJH750-D1 XiR. Sometechnicians have beenassembling it with theshoulder on the nylonbushing facing outward(against the head of thepivot bolt). Installed thisway there will be somebinding at the pivot pointand the pivot bolts mayeventually work loose and

fall out or break.Instead, install the

bushings as shown herewith the shoulder on theinside of the steeringnozzle.

Also note that the XiRhas a different pivot boltthan you are used toseeing on Kawasakisteering nozzles: It has aflanged head. The flangeon this bolt really servesno purpose, though, andthe standard pivot bolt(P/N 92001-3701) fromother JET SKI® watercraftsteering nozzles will workjust fine in the XiR. q

NOTE: It is veryimportant to installpivot bolts withLOCTITE Lock N’ Sealor equivalent.

Fast and dirty testing for alcohol in the gasWe have published

information in the pastabout the possible effectsof running gasohol (gas-oline blended with smallamounts of alcohol) in ourmotorcycles and otherproducts. The problem isthat quite often the dealermechanic has no idea ifthere is any alcohol in thecustomer’s gas or not.

No problem. There’s asimple test you can doright in your own kitchento find out ... just kidding:You should do this test ina well-ventilated area,away from any spark orflame; never your kitchen.(Always be cautious whenworking with gasoline!)

The test is based onthe fact that alcohol likesto blend with water andgoes to it readily. In fact, ifyou put water and gasoholtogether in a glass contain-er, you can actually seethe action in the liquid asthe alcohol is drawn out ofthe gasoline into the water.

For the test you need aglass container with a lid.

8 l K-Tech News

A tall, thin container worksbest; a test tube would workfine. Put a small amountof water and a large amount

of the suspect gas into thiscontainer (one part waterand 10 parts gas is good).If your container is at least6in. tall, put 1/2in. of waterin first. Mark the top of thewater with a piece of tape.

Now add 5in. of the gas,making a total of 5-1/2in.of liquid in the container. Ifyou let that sit long enough,any alcohol that’s in thegas will migrate into the

water. The water level willgo up accordingly.

You can speed theprocess by putting the lidon the container andshaking it. If the gas is 10percent alcohol, approxi-mately 1/2in. of the gaswill disappear and thewater level will rise thesame amount.

—Gregg Thompson

New (old) tools for MULESThe MULE™ 500 trans-

mission alignment tool nowlooks a lot different andcosts $100 less. If you orderP/N 57001-1341, you willreceive T57001-1341, and itwill look nothing like the toolpictured in the Service Manual.

This new tool allows you

M U L E 5 0 0 s i m p l y b yremoving the drive-beltcover and drive belt andthen inserting the tool on thepulleys, (This is an old trickfrom our snowmobile days!)

l Meanwhile, if your shophas been around for a while,

T57001-1341 57001-1044

to check engine-to-tram+ you may have a bunch ofmission alignment on the older special tools that are

collecting dust from lack ofuse. If one of them is aVoyager 1300 output-shaftholder (P/N 57001-1044),you may be in luck: You canrecycle this tool into use asa KAF620 (MULE 2500series) flywheel holder. Allyou have to do is enlargethe holes slightly with a rat-tail file, and it will bolt right tothe MULE flywheel. Thisactually holds better andinstalls faster than the P/N57001-1313 tool shown inthe Service Manual.

Now if we could just finda new use for those four-cylinder ring-compressorcontraptions ...—Jerry Heil

Try this new pump intake guide adhesive ...by John PomoProduct Support Specialist

At the factory in Lincoln,Neb., Kawasaki installsthe jet pump intake guideinsert in 750 watercrafthulls using the sameadhesive that keeps therest of the hull together.The fact that this adhesiveis not available to dealershasn’t been a big problemin thepastsince itwas notused toinstall anyreplaceable parts.Now that the intakeguide has been madeavailable as a service part,though, you’re going toneed something to glue itin with.

We have always recom-mended Kawasaki’s HullRepair Kit epoxy putty asan adhesive to use forinstalling one of these

inserts. This material doesthe job quite well—maybea little too well: It cures sohard and adheres so wellthat if the job ever has tobe done a second time onthe same unit ... well, youdon’t want to be theone who gets todo it.

called “HV-350,” is prod-uced by Valco Cincinnatiand is available from Kawa-saki. HV-350 is a urethaneadhesive that stays flexi-ble when it dries. but is a

Justrecently,we have

learnedof an air-dry(one-part)adhesive that webelieve will do the job butwon’t be so difficult toremove. The product,

lot tougherand adheres better

than silicone. (In fact, itmay be a more permanentsubstance to use instead

of silicone for sealingpump housings on othermodels.)

This adhesive shouldbe in stock by the time thisarticle is published, so if

you doa lot of

JET SKI®

watercraftservice work,order someand give it atry.

You canorder a 3.35 oz.

tube of HV-350 using P/N710XX-155 or the sametube plus a Tube-Grip™dispenser using P/N710XX-156. q

Getting a handle on microfiche navigationThis past June, I had

the pleasure of participatingas a judge in the ’94 VICAU.S. Skill Olympics. Thework station I was involvedin was “Shop Procedures,”which was basically pre-paring a repair order/esti-mate using a parts catalogmicrofiche.

While watching the con-testants, I saw some inter-esting problems come tolight—and the answerswere right on the partsmicrofiche.

If you are not familiarwith or are new to Micro-Kparts catalogs, here are afew tips to help you findyour way:

l Parts List Information(Grid A-3). If you have anyquestions about how tolook up a part number, thisgrid will answer them. Italso includes a list of ab-breviations, a key to Spec.codes (Canada, California,etc.) and an explanation ofthe Kawasaki part numberstructure. Reading thisgrid is a must!

l Pictorial Index. Theseindexes, located on thefirst two grids of each row,from Row B down, showpictorially, in condensedform, all of the grids in thatrow. By reviewing thepictorial index, you can

save the time of having tosweep through each rowto find the grid you’relooking for. These indexesare also very helpful if youare not sure where a partis located on a vehicle.

l Grid Index. This listof grids is the biggest timesaver on each microfiche.Found on every parts grid,to the right of the parts list,a simple glance at the gridindex can give you thelocation of the next gridyou need.

For example: You areon grid B-4 looking up thepart number for a basegasket. The next part

number you need is for anair filter element. Go to theindex and find “air cleaner.”The index will direct you togrid B-5. This list is ex-tremely helpful in elimina-ting “wandering” throughthe microfiche and savingtime.

Taking a few minutes tobecome acquainted withthe microfiche now cansave you time when theparts counter becomesbusy.

All the information isthere; it’s up to you to useit.—David Pyle

The Technical Magazine l 9

Zippity doo dah: ZX-6 camshaft installation tipby Scott BuckleyProduct Support Technician

Here’s a tip that couldsave you lots of aggrava-tion when you are doing avalve adjustment or top-end repair on a ZX600-D/E model. If you’ve everpulled your hair out tryingto get the camshafts backin without the exhaustcam jumping time, you willwant to try this ...

First, get the camssitting in the head andtimed correctly, and thecam caps and bolts inplace but not tighteneddown yet. Next, thread along zip-tie under one camcap, over the camchainand under the other camcap; then zip it togethersnugly over the top of bothcaps and the chain. If youdo this correctly, the zip-tie will keep downwardpressure on the chainbetween the camsprockets as the camcaps are tightened down.

When the cam caps aretorqued down, install thecamchain tensioner withthe zip-tie still in place.Now, while pressing downon the middle of the chainwith your thumb, cut thezip-tie and rotate thecrankshaft (forward) with awrench so all the slack istaken up by the tensioner.

And there you are: Thecams are torqued downand still timed properly! q

10 l K-Tech News

KZ1000-Pjumpy tach

According to KawasakiPolice Bike Coordinator,Bill Zito, unsteady or inac-curate tachometers onKZ1000-P models can becaused by uneven ignitionpick-up coil air gaps.

If the pick-up coil plateis installed slightly off-center so that the air gapsare unequal, the tachometerneedle may bounce upand down while the vehicleis ridden at a constantspeed.

If you have this com-plaint from a customer,make sure the pick-up coilair gaps are both the same.A potentially tricky prob-lem could turn out to be asnap to fix.-Steve Rice

A Iittle known fact: KX125/250throttle grip position

Here’s a little-knownfact about the newer style(’92-’95) KX125 andKX250 throttle assem-blies: The tabs or splineson the grip assembly havea small pointer moldedinto them to correspondwith a notch in the rotorthat pulls the cable. Thispointer allows you toeasily realign the grip aftermaintenance so that the

wear on the grip isreturned to its originalposition and feels comfor-table in the rider’s hand.

Always assemble thethrottle with the point onthe grip aligned with thenotch in the cable rotor.

—David Pyle

A hero in the eyes of your customers ...by Donna HoodConsumer ServicesRepresentative

How can you look likea hero in the eyes of yourcustomers?

1 - Give away $100bills with each service; or

2 - Call the KawasakiHot tine for answers toyour customer’s technicalor warranty-related ques-tions. You can be the onewho helps your customersinstead of KMC’s ConsumerServices.

Either no. 1 or no. 2 islikely to send yourcustomers away withsmiles on their faces, but

only one of them is likely toput a smile on your face,too.

For example: If you thinka unit qualifies for a recall,FDM or FAR and can’t findthe information on yourmicrofiche or bulletins, callthe Hot Line for theanswer. If a vehicle doesqualify, you can do therepair immediately withoutauthorization, regardlessof the age and warrantystatus of the unit. Tellingthe customer to callKawasaki to find out cancause delays in handlingthe inquiry.

If you aren’t sure arepair will be covered

under warranty, call theHot Line with details andget an immediate answer.Do not charge thecustomer and then referhim or her to ConsumerServices for possiblereimbursement. This isvery inconvenient for thecustomer and more time-consuming and costly forus.

You are the customer’sdirect source of technicaland warranty information.Do what you can (and usethe Hot Line) to getanswers to questions andsolve problems for yourcustomers without havingto refer them to Consumer

Services. Don’t pass upan opportunity to sendcustomers away from yourstore with their questionsanswered and smiles oneveryones’ faces.

The Hot Line is yourdirect source of technicaland warranty information.Kawasaki ConsumerServices is here as thelast step, when you can’tget information throughnormal means, and isalways ready to help youand your customers whenneeded. But in manycases, with just a simpletoll-free call, you can bethe hero! q

TC-W, TC-WII, TC-W3: Where’s it all headed?A few years ago, we

published a couple ofarticles explaining some ofthe differences between(NMMA) TC-W- and TC-WII-certified marine two-cycle oils. The newer TC-WII certification test wasdesigned to make someimprovements whereweaknesses were per-ceived in some TC-W-certified oils. Not all TC-Woils had these weak-nesses and, as it turnedout, many of the TC-WII-certified oils had their ownweaknesses.

cation. Apparently it isn’tall that easy to design atest that can reliably simu-late any and all real-lifeconditions that could resultin an oil failure: Someweaknesses were dis-covered in some of theTC-W3 oils as well! Backto the drawing board ...

So the marine manu-facturers made somemodifications to the testprocedures and came upwith a “TC-W3” certifi-

The marine manufac-turers have put their headstogether again and furthermodified the test proce-dures for the TC-W3certification. All the oilsthat currently hold the TC-W3 certification will haveto be retested and recerti-fied according to the modi-fied procedures beforeApril 1995.

How does this affect

us? First, you shouldknow that the problemsthat kept cropping up withthe TC-WII and early TC-W3 oils were in outboardengines. The conditionsthat resulted in theseproblems (heavy load andconstant throttle) do notnormally occur in personalwatercraft. However, theTC-W3 certification isgoing to supersede theTC-WII certification whichwill soon be history. Bythe end of 1995, oils willno longer be licensed tobe manufactured with theTC-WII certification; oilswill have to be certifiedTC-W3. Our MarineProduct High PerformanceOil will be reformulated to

pass the (NMMA) TC-W3test by early next year.

However, any oil thathas already been certified“TC-W” can still bemanufactured and soldwith that certification. Asof now, Kawasaki plans tocontinue carrying itsstandard Marine ProductsOil with no change in theformula. It will continue tohave the TC-Wcertification.

This oil has been pro-viding high quality lubrica-tion in our JET SKI® water-craft for many years now.It doesn’t make muchsense at this time to try tofix it (and make it moreexpensive) if it ain’t broke.

—Gregg Thompson

The Technical Magazine l 11

R E G I O N A L N E W S

WEST

The scheduleis revisedby Jerry Heil9950 Jeronimo RoadIrvine, CA 92718(714) 770-0400

This year’s WestRegion training scheduleis changed from previousyears with two separatetraining sessions offered.

The first training ses-sion will begin Nov. 1,1994, and end Dec. 15.The second session willbegin Jan. 30, 1995, andend April 5.

In the last severalyears, very few studentshave attended classesheld around the Christmasholidays or when theselling season kicks intogear in the spring.

To make better use ofyour time as well as ours,no classes will be heldduring those periods. Wewill offer every class duringboth winter training sessions;none will be cancelled dueto low enrollment.

So, call (714) 770-0400,ext. 2452, and ask Lindato sign you up today foryour favorite class. q

12 l K-Tech News

SOUTH & CENTRAL

Increase yourknowledgeby Waiter Rainwater6110 Boat Rock Blvd. S.W.Atlanta, GA 30378(404) 349-2000

Kawasaki TechnicalTraining will resumeshortly. Check out the newtraining schedule as itarrives at your dealershipand sign up for theclasses of you choice.

With some great newproducts for ’95, we willhave plenty of informationto share with you in class.I am looking forward toseeing you there!

The Kawasaki Servicecontest is back again thisyear; the rules are listedelsewhere in this issue ofK-Tech News. You reallycan increase your know-ledge of Kawasaki prod-ucts by participating, andyou have a chance to winsome useful tools as well.

You compete againstno one but yourself in thiscontest. If you score over85 percent, you win! It’sfun, it’s challenging andit’s beneficial.

Good luck! q

NORTH & EAST

Are you readyto win?by Fred DeHart201 Circle Drive N. #107Piscataway, NJ 08854(201) 469-1221

In this Fall ’94 issue ofK-Tech News, we kick offour second annual ServiceContest. Every dealershipmechanic has a chance towin some great awards,so plan on entering!

I have spoken to manytechnicians this summerwho, for some reason, donot see K-Tech regularly.Note that back issues areprinted in their entirety onmicrofiche (available asP/N 99961-5007-01).

Also, some back issuesand additional copies ofthe current issue may beobtained from the Tech-nical Services department.

Technical Trainingclasses will resume inNovember in all regions.Be sure to ask your servicemanager to show you thetraining schedule when itarrives at your dealership.Schedules are mailed outmonthly once the trainingseason begins. q

TrainingScheduleEast RegionOctober31 .........’95 Product Update

November1-3 .......Troubleshooting Electrical Systems8-10 ..... JET SKI® Watercraft11 ......... ’95 Product Update29-30 ...Fuel Systems

December1 .......Precision Measurement and

Diagnostic Tool Usage6-8 .......JET SKI® Watercraft9 ...........’95 Product Update13 ......... Service Department Operations14 ......’95 Product Update15 .........Parts Department Operations19-20 ...Engines21-22 ... Fuel Systems

North RegionNovember14-16 ...JET SKI® Watercraft17 .........’95 Product Update18 ......Generators

Central RegionNovember6 ........ ’95 Product Update7-9 ....... JET SKI® Watercraft12 .........’95 Product Update13-15 ...Engines

South RegionOctober31 .........’95 Product Update

November1-3 .......JET SKI® Watercraft7 ...........’95 Product Update8-10 .....Engines14.........’95 Product Update15-16 ...Troubleshooting Elec. Systems17 .........Service Department Operations28....... ’95 Product Update29-30 ... ATV Service

December1........... Precision Measurement and

Diagnostic Tool Usage19-20 ...MULE Service21-22 ...ATV Service

West RegionNovember1-3 ....... JET SKI® Watercraft7 ...........’95 Product Update8-10 .....Troubleshooting Electricat Systems15 ........Portable Generator Service16 ........ATV Service17 .........Precision Measurement and

Diagnostic Tool Usage18 .....Tune end Service21 ........’95 Product Update30-1 .....MULE Service

December13-15 ...JET SKI® Watercraft