Surging Bike

[NinjaZX9R]

ive got an 03 Ninja ZX9 and i was going down the highway at 100-110 km/hr and the bike was surging a little bit. i got a little worse by the end of the trip but not too much. anyone know what the problem could be?

[The_AirHawk]

Fueling problem - float height not set properly on one or more carbs.

Possible vacuum leak - carb boot(s) not properly seated or tightened.

Carb synchronisation problem.

Missing airbox, and poorly re-jetted "tune job" with K&N filter pods.

Missing/hacked-up stock exhaust, and no re-jetting/poor re-jetting "tune" job with slapdash aftermarket cans.

Rear sprocket not centered properly, and is therefore "eccentric" rather than "concentric" to the rear wheel, causing a peculiar surging feel.

Could be other things as well.

NOTE: IIRC, the '03 was still carb'd - but a poorly-tuned Power Commander will give much the same results.

[NinjaZX9R]

Originally Posted by The_AirHawk

Fueling problem - float height not set properly on one or more carbs.

Possible vacuum leak - carb boot(s) not properly seated or tightened.

Carb synchronisation problem.

Missing airbox, and poorly re-jetted "tune job" with K&N filter pods.

Missing/hacked-up stock exhaust, and no re-jetting/poor re-jetting "tune" job with slapdash aftermarket cans.

Rear sprocket not centered properly, and is therefore "eccentric" rather than "concentric" to the rear wheel, causing a peculiar surging feel.

Could be other things as well.

NOTE: IIRC, the '03 was still carb'd - but a poorly-tuned Power Commander will give much the same results.

where would i find the proper float height and is it somewhat easy to do?

i do have an aftermarket exhaust that was on the bike when i bought it. how would i get a proper tune job. or i guess where could i get it done?

[newagetwotone]

Either you need to take your bike to a dealer and have them remap it or by a Power commander.

[seruzawa]

Was the bike running okay for a while and then suddenly started surging? Sounds like it. Might be that you simply got some bad gas. Put new gas in it and see what happens.

Or there might be some crud in a carb. There are little screws that you can pull from the bottom of the carbs to drain them. Catch the gas in a glass and look for crud in it. You should also look for any broken or loose hoses that go to the carbs.

You may need to clean the carbs which will require pulling them. you'll need a manual for that.

[sarnali2]

All of the above. Do check your chain and sprockets though, they can cause all kinds of weirdness when worn out. How many miles on the bike?

[NinjaZX9R]

how much does a normal remap cost usually?

ya it was running alright until i filled up before my trip.

there are 33000 km on it. need to lube the chain as soon as i get to the city to buy some. any recomends on chain lube?

[The_AirHawk]

Originally Posted by NinjaZX9R

how much does a normal remap cost usually?

How much ya' got?

ya it was running alright until i filled up before my trip.

Sounds like bad petrol.

there are 33000 km on it. need to lube the chain as soon as i get to the city to buy some. any recomends on chain lube?

Yeah - your favourite.

So long as it don't fling-off, it's good. I like the Honda "ProLube", and this dry-film-lube stuff you can get at Lowe's - can't 'member the name of it right now; I'll have to look at the can sometime.

[pushrod]

Originally Posted by The_AirHawk

So long as it don't fling-off, it's good. I like the Honda "ProLube", and this dry-film-lube stuff you can get at Lowe's - can't 'member the name of it right now; I'll have to look at the can sometime.

Here 'tis:

Amazon.com: DuPont Performance Silicone Lubricant 10oz Aerosol: Sports & Outdoors

They have repackaged it into a 'performance' can. Supposedly it's a little bit thicker, and it is also supposed to do a better job cleaning out old crap. The 'old stuff' was in a blue can.

One can will last forever, apparently. I've been using one can on a regular basis, and I've still plenty left. I've had that can for at least two years.

It works great on fork sliders, too! Rids them of 'stiction' in a big way!

And, when used at breakfast time, I have found that the yolks almost never break and the bacon doesn't curl up.

Amazing stuff, I tell ya!

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by pushrod

Here 'tis:

Amazon.com: DuPont Performance Silicone Lubricant 10oz Aerosol: Sports & Outdoors

They have repackaged it into a 'performance' can. Supposedly it's a little bit thicker, and it is also supposed to do a better job cleaning out old crap. The 'old stuff' was in a blue can.

One can will last forever, apparently. I've been using one can on a regular basis, and I've still plenty left. I've had that can for at least two years.

It works great on fork sliders, too! Rids them of 'stiction' in a big way!

And, when used at breakfast time, I have found that the yolks almost never break and the bacon doesn't curl up.

Amazing stuff, I tell ya!

Spray WD-40 will clean off the gunk pretty well.