My clutch seems to have a bit of a 'notch' in it. Occasionally when I pull it in it feels like it catches on something and kind of clicks. Does this have anything to do with the slipper clutch and has anyone else noticed it?

Ive noticed that on all the ones Ive sat on... -Frank

My clutch seems to have a bit of a 'notch' in it. Occasionally when I pull it in it feels like it catches on something and kind of clicks. Does this have anything to do with the slipper clutch and has anyone else noticed it? Yes, it's the slipper clutch. It's more noticeable when downshifting at higher rpm without matching revs. When I first noticed it, I experimented with different methods of downshifting until I could make it repeat. It put my mind at ease, as I first thought "Oh no! It's the dreaded bad transmission that all the mags were talking about on the pre-production bikes." Thankfully, it was a feature, not a flaw.

When the slipper clutch is working it widens the clutch pack and this can give the clutch extra free play at the lever. It is all perfectly normal.

I have yet to see any of the things you guys are experiencing, in fact this is one nice gear box. Up shifts are smooth as glass, just need to know how to modulate the throttle, I don't use the clutch for upshifts. I do use it for backshifting though and no problems there either. I did take the slop out of the throttle cable whenI got my bike, adjusted all the controls first thing off. I can't ride a bike strait from the box, I don't know who the things are set up for, but it is un-comfortable the way the clutch lever and front brake control are parallel to the roadway. And you darn near have to lift you foot off the left perch to upshift. No none of this for me, pull her over and get the adjustments out of the way. JB

I have yet to see any of the things you guys are experiencing, in fact this is one nice gear box. Up shifts are smooth as glass, just need to know how to modulate the throttle, I don't use the clutch for upshifts. I do use it for backshifting though and no problems there either. I did take the slop out of the throttle cable whenI got my bike, adjusted all the controls first thing off. I can't ride a bike strait from the box, I don't know who the things are set up for, but it is un-comfortable the way the clutch lever and front brake control are parallel to the roadway. And you darn near have to lift you foot off the left perch to upshift. No none of this for me, pull her over and get the adjustments out of the way. I'm 100% with you on those immediate (before the 1st ride) changes to the controls on a new bike, JB! When I got my new ZX-10R a few weeks ago, I didn't even ride the bike away from the dealership when I bought it, instead electing to drive down in my truck, pick up the bike, and cart it home to be worked on in the garage for an entire evening. A big part of that pre-ride work was to optimize every single aspect of the bike (suspension settings for "rider sag" for my weight, damping, etc.), and also included the all-important setup of all the rider control adjustments and positioning, as you'd mentioned. It's a bit amazing sometimes to see the way that the controls come setup (or lack thereof, really) from the factory, when the bikes show up on the showroom floors. As you mentioned JB, the "need to fix" list included the following: 1. Throttle freeplay WAY too much - (I usually adjust it this to as close to zero as possible, but to the point that no RPM increase is seen when the steering in swung from lock-to-lock over the full range, tested while idling in the garage). 2. Clutch and front brake levers positioned on the bars such that their angle was too close to horizontal (forcing an un-natural "elbows down" riding position on the rider). - (I loosen the pinch bolts on the clutch/brake assys, then sit on the bike in a normal riding position, outstretch my brake and clutch controlling fingers into a natural position, and then rotate the levers on the bar until they match the exact same plane as my forearm/hand/outstreched fingers) 3. The shift lever positioned way too HIGH. As JB mentioned, unless I was wearing really thick-soled hiking boots (or such), I would nearly have to lift my foot up off the peg to get high enough to make full range of travel in the upshift direction. 4. Clutch freeplay was a bit excessive, at least by my normal bike setup standards. I normally like about 2-3mm of freeplay, as measured between the clutch perch, and the surface of the lever at the location where the cable enters it. Getting all those settings right to my personalized needs, followed by some time spent taking out spring preload on the shock and forks (for my 170lb. weight) to get the "rider sag" correct, and optimizing the damping settings, were all part of the setup process that I did before my ZX-10R wheels made their first revolution with me aboard. The time spent with my new bike in this setup/"bonding" session, was definitely good time .... and time well spent in allowing me to get the full potential from the package. Gary J

I found a lot of these things needing to be “fixed” as well. I also noticed something the other night that I found on my ZRX at delivery. The coolant level in the reservoir tank was WAY low. I believe that this is from the air working it way out of the system but never the less it’s low and something I would look for after your first few rides. Kyle P.S. any hint on suspension setups for fat asses like my self? :)

I found a lot of these things needing to be “fixed” as well. I also noticed something the other night that I found on my ZRX at delivery. The coolant level in the reservoir tank was WAY low. I believe that this is from the air working it way out of the system but never the less it’s low and something I would look for after your first few rides. :roll: :roll: I had the same problem with the coolant in my 10r, and my dealer had to add a few more litres within 100 miles of riding :shock: ....he said it was an air pocket :o .....700 miles later and its fine now BTW :wink:

I have yet to see any of the things you guys are experiencing, in fact this is one nice gear box. Up shifts are smooth as glass, just need to know how to modulate the throttle, I don't use the clutch for upshifts. I do use it for backshifting though and no problems there either. I did take the slop out of the throttle cable whenI got my bike, adjusted all the controls first thing off. I can't ride a bike strait from the box, I don't know who the things are set up for, but it is un-comfortable the way the clutch lever and front brake control are parallel to the roadway. And you darn near have to lift you foot off the left perch to upshift. No none of this for me, pull her over and get the adjustments out of the way. Getting all those settings right to my personalized needs, followed by some time spent taking out spring preload on the shock and forks (for my 170lb. weight) to get the "rider sag" correct, and optimizing the damping settings, were all part of the setup process that I did before my ZX-10R wheels made their first revolution with me aboard. The time spent with my new bike in this setup/"bonding" session, was definitely good time .... and time well spent in allowing me to get the full potential from the package. Gary J Gary Seeing as how the 10 has top out springs both front & rear is the sag settings any diff than other bikes?? meaning could referance #'s like 32-35mmF & 30-32mmR be OK for laden sag #'s ?? BD

Seeing as how the 10 has top out springs both front & rear is the sag settings any diff than other bikes?? meaning could referance #'s like 32-35mmF & 30-32mmR be OK for laden sag #'s ?? OK, Big Daddy, let me share what I can, on my personal approach (FWIW) to the basic suspension setup on sportbikes, and the ZX-10R in particular. These are only my views, and what I've found to work for my street/track riding, and not intended in any way to be "the gospel". There's many perspectives on suspension setup around, and each person should, by all means, do what works best for them. Regarding the "rider sag" numbers you mentioned in your post, actually they're not quite a match to the numbers that I typically setup most sportbikes. I typically shoot for about 30-33% of "total travel" for that bike, as the target measured "rider sag" in the front forks, and about 25-30% of total travel for the resultant "rider sag" dimension in the rear suspension. That normally translates into target "rider sag" dimensions somewhere around the numbers listed below. For a starting point, this is what I've setup on my ZX-10R, and found to work exceedingly well when I had it out at speed on Laguna Seca's race circuit, last week. ---------------------------------------------- '04 ZX-10R: "Rider Sag" (measured with rider in full gear, seated on bike, as compared to fully "topped out" dimension .... measured when suspension is forcibly pulled up on ...... to include top-out spring compression travel dimension) - Front Forks: 36-38mm - Rear Suspension: 26-30mm ------------------------------------------------ You'll notice that I mentioned the need for actually "pulling up on" the suspension on the ZX-10R, to get an accurate full extension measurement (rather than just lifting the bike to get the appropriate wheel off the ground, as is all that's needed on non "top-out spring" equipped suspension bikes. This is important, for if this is not done, the real "rider sag" dimension will be underestimated by at least a couple millimeters. I've got some chassis setup changes that I'm working on doing to my stock suspended ZX-10R too at this point, but will need to wait until I get back to the track next Monday (April 19th), to evaluate whether they're going in the right direction (for calming down the hard-on-the-gas "nervousness") .... before I publicize them to anyone else. I only want to share changes that have already proven to provide real world positive results, to keep from leading any other ZX-10R owners in the wrong direction. Gary J

One other thing, I did forget to mention that I aslo had the add coolant to the catch tank too and my front brake fluid was a little low as well. Oh well, welcom eto the world of mass production. Other than that she is a blast to ride so far, still bringingher up to the tasks slowly. Enjoy, JB

Gary I'm not real clear about this statement so if you would please tell me the diff between me using my Pitbull standard front stand to lift the front end so the tire is off the ground and suspension is extended and your idea of being fully extended. It may be very simple but at the moment i'm not seeing it....sorry. BD ____________________________________________________________ You'll notice that I mentioned the need for actually "pulling up on" the suspension on the ZX-10R, to get an accurate full extension measurement (rather than just lifting the bike to get the appropriate wheel off the ground, as is all that's needed on non "top-out spring" equipped suspension bikes. This is important, for if this is not done, the real "rider sag" dimension will be underestimated by at least a couple millimeters. ____________________________________________________________

It sounds to me that he is saying lift from the bottom triple clamp streering stem as opposed to the bottom fork legs. Having the front end weightless and not having the any weight on it to fully extend the forks. Is this enough to get a good visual from? Peace, JB

Gary I'm not real clear about this statement so if you would please tell me the diff between me using my Pitbull standard front stand to lift the front end so the tire is off the ground and suspension is extended and your idea of being fully extended. It may be very simple but at the moment i'm not seeing it....sorry. Not a problem Big Daddy ...... let me see if I can clarify this situation of "top out springs" for you, with regards to checking the "rider sag" dimension ...... as it's derived by referencing to true full travel. The typical method of checking "rider sag" on the front forks of a bike that does NOT have these "top out springs" in the mechanism, is to do the following: 1. Place a zip-tie around the shiny portion of one of the fork tubes 2. Have the rider sit on the bike in a normal riding positin, in full ridng gear, while someone else stablizes the bike from falling over. 3. Have a 3rd person slide the zip-tie up until it's resting in contact with the black rubber dust seal on the fork tube .... to serve as a travel indicator marker. 4. Have the rider get off the bike carefully (to not upset the zip-tie position), and then leverage the bike (using the sidestand, frame lifting point, or two guys lifting on the handlebars) so that the front tire is just off the ground ..... to extend the suspension fully. 5. Measure the distance from the top edge of the tie-wrap, to the bottom surface of the black rubber dust seal. This distance is the "rider sag". --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now for a bike that IS equipped with a "top out spring" mechanism (like the ZX-6R and ZX-10R), at the time the front wheel is hanging in the air, the suspension is not truly at "full mechanical extension", as the top out spring is not being overcome completely by the sheer weight of the wheel/forks. In order to get the actual full extension of the forks for the measuring of "rider sag" (based on referencing the zip-tie position, on a bike like the ZX-10R with top out springs ....... one has to do the following added process in step 5 from above. - While the wheel is suspended off the ground, put some downward pressure on the bottom edge of the front wheel, to try to extend the forks even futher than they are resting at that moment. This added extension pressure of trying to pull the forks even further apart, will overcome the tension of the top out springs, and typically result in the forks extending an additonal number of millimeters of travel. At the time that the forks are being forcibly extended this added amount (against the top out spring force), the distance from the top of the zip-tie and the black rubber dust seal should be measured. This distance, is the TRUE "rider sag", and should be targeted for the 35-38mm that I'd previously mentioned in my other post. The process is the same for the rear suspension "rider sag" measurement, with regards to the need to push downward on the rear wheel (and/or pull upward on the rear subframe) while holding the wheel from moving up with it, to get the shock to extend the added amount, working against it's internal top out spring. This is needed to get the fully extended dimension, as the weight of the wheel/swingarm alone will not fully overcome the resistive force of the top out spring inside the shock. For the rear suspension sag measuring, this dimesnion is done from the "center of rear axle, to a reference point on the tail section, that is perpendicular to the plane of the ground" The span between these two points is measured with the rider sitting on the bike in full gear (same process as with the forks, with holder and measurer assisting), and then subtracted from the measuring of the span between those same two points while this forced suspension extension process (to overcome the top out spring tension) is being done. Sorry for the long-windedness ....... but hopefully I've described it in sufficient detail such that even those inexperienced with the process can successfully do this "rider sag" measurement/setup process to get their ZX-10R's handling the best they can be. Gary J

Hey Gary J...is this you? http://www.rbookshop.com/sports/m/Motorcycle_Racing/Sportbiking_The_Real_World_The_Advanced_Riders_Handbook__1556308353.htm ________ Free fuck tubes (http://www.fucktube.com/)

Hey Gary J...is this you? http://www.rbookshop.com/sports/m/Motorcycle_Racing/Sportbiking_The_Real_World_The_Advanced_Riders_Handbook__1556308353.htm Yes, Afterburner ...... you've I.D.'d me correctly. :) I'm the guy that authored the two small paperback books ("SPORTBIKING: The Real World") on sportbike riding techniques and sportbike suspension setup, FWIW. Gary J (Jaehne)

no wonder he has a lot to say and says it well. :wink:

Gary thanks for the time to explain and as i suspected it was the added pressure pulling down in order to overcome the top out spring resistance. Do you recall some 98 AFM races (F40 i thinks)?? BD