Bought my first bike!

Hey everyone, new to this section, but not new to AF. Anyways, I just bought myself a 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 500R, diablo black. Sorry, no pics yet. Its a present to myself for (hopefully) graduating college this year. First bike and first time riding, its a blast by the way.

Anyways, here's my question, I noticed that when I get done riding and I turn everything off and even take the key out, the bike makes an odd, high-pitched whining noise, similar to a fuel pump priming. It sounds like its coming from the front, maybe right under the gas tank, or a little forward of that. It even does it when its been off for awhile. I was leaving a friend's house about a half hour after riding and it started making the noise again. Haven't noticed any affects during riding or anything like that. What is it? And should I be concerned about it? Thanks for the help.

drop your helmet and run. ITS GUNNA BLOW UP!



seriously though. it could be the thermo fans still running or the metal cooling.

Normally sounds from motors cooling are dampened by the bodywork of a car, but you hear them in bikes.

Jeffco will probably know exactly what the noise is. (He bloody well knows everything!)

Congratulations on your purchase. Ride within your abilities and have fun!! Since it's your first bike, I would strongly suggest you take an MSF safety course.

I agree with Aussie that it's probably the cooling fans cycling. Since it's brand new, I would call the dealer and make sure this is normal, especially since you're hearing it well after shutting off the bike.

"the bike makes an odd, high-pitched whining noise, similar to a fuel pump priming"

"it could be ... the metal cooling."

The metal cooling? A high pitched whine? That has not been my experience.

poormilletc. 'leaving a friend's house about a half hour after riding and it started making the noise again."

Do you mean when you started it up?

poormilletc. 'leaving a friend's house about a half hour after riding and it started making the noise again."

Do you mean when you started it up?

No, its still off, just randomly started making the noise again.

And I don't think its the fans cause I know what the fans sound like and they aren't as high-pitched as this. It almost sounds like something is leaking, like letting air out, but it stops and starts again. If something was leaking air, wouldn't it be continuous and something noticeable over time?

Congratulations on your purchase. Ride within your abilities and have fun!! Since it's your first bike, I would strongly suggest you take an MSF safety course.



Yeah, my friend and I are planning on taking the safety course this summer once school is out.

And I know its usually advised not to get a brand new bike when learning to ride, but one of the advantages is having to break in the new motor. I have to keep it under 4K rpm's for the first 500 miles, so this forces me to take back roads and get used to the bike. It also eliminates the temptation to go too fast before I am ready and able. Plus I got a 4-year warranty and a hell of a price on a new bike!

it's just fumes and pressure escaping from the vents in the gas tank lid. my kawi does it too. next time it does it just open the lid and it'll stop.

congrats on the bike, be careful with it.

it's just fumes and pressure escaping from the vents in the gas tank lid. my kawi does it too. next time it does it just open the lid and it'll stop.

congrats on the bike, be careful with it.

That makes sense, I'll definitely try that.

And another thing, my friend (who just bought a new bike too!) heard something called a "hard break-in" for new motors. Apparently, its a controversial topic, but I've never heard about it. Any opinions on it? I only know what I have read on the internet recently. Any of you guys try it? Good, bad, ugly, failure? Just curious I guess.

i say take it easy for the first couple hundred miles, change the oil and filter to get all the metal shavings out, and then ride the bike as you normally would thereafter. just change the oil more frequently for the first few thousand miles until you don't see any metal flakes in the oil drain pan. i wouldn't beat the hell outta the bike right off the bat but i wouldn't pussy foot it either. hard break in makes some good points about getting the piston rings and valve seals to seat properly.

Another thing that helps accelerate break-in is using engine braking. Downshift to stop and use the brakes as little as safely possible. This ensures that the rings get broke in properly, and is easier on the crank and rod bearings. The only reason to avoid a brand new bike for your first is the risk of damaging it. I applaud the fact that your first bike isn't a liter class Uber sportbike, that 500 should serve you well and will go faster than you need to be going at this point. Again congrats, and get us some pics!!

My Honda was apparently already broken in from the dealer. The log book mentioned a little about the break in period but Honda Australia told me it is done prior to shipment.
I have heard that some dealers say don't rev to high during the break in period.
I was advised to use the rev range fully but not to leave it at one rev area for too long, e.g. sit on 3000RPM for 5 minutes.
I actually rev'd mine out to redline a few times and used the full range but was never hard on the throttle. I rolled the throttle on and let it build up to max rev's.

Here's a personal experience. As an apprentice, our company had two Ford Courier utes. One was driven hard from day one and was thrashed by the main driver and the apprentices. The other was driven like an old lady. The thrashed one was always quicker and produced more torque than the other.

I was wondering why the threads had been disjointed lately. Now I know once I checked my ignore list:
I see Fuckin kNow-it All is back so he'll probably tell you the exact opposite and even debate my personal experience just coz he knows better than everyone else.

Blayne, you're full of doo-doo. Your bike didn't come broke in, your story about the work vehicles is a load of crap, and blah, blah, blah....

Oh wait, I'm not the argumentative know-it-all you were talking about...my bad, :cwm27:

Just having a little fun. Seriously, I've had similar experiences myself, break it in like you're going to drive/ride it (especially with 2-stroke engines, although that doesn't apply here). Change the oil frequently in the first 3000k miles, and keep the high-revs to a minimum.

The dealership told my friend and I (we bought the bikes at the same time) to bring them back in at about 600 miles to get the fluids changed...all of them. Does this sound right? Well, maybe not all of them, but he was told that the cost is around $200, mainly for the time it takes, not the parts.

Side note - I wasn't there when the bikes were picked up. I was at work that day. My friend's sister's boyfriend and his freind own bikes, so they rode them to the house for us. Hence, why I don't know the details of this '600 mile' refresher.

Oh, and I called the dealership about the odd noise coming from the bike, and BP2K2Max was correct, its just the gas ventilation. Good call.

I guess thats the same as my 1000k's service where they just check everything and change the fluids. It gets rid of all the crap thats worked loose and the oil used in the first 600miles is sometimes a different oil so as to help the break in period. normally a full mineral oil is used from memory.
Its weird that its not free.

Oh, and I called the dealership about the odd noise coming from the bike, and BP2K2Max was correct, its just the gas ventilation. Good call.

no doubt. at the 600 mile service all they do is tighten the chain, lube it, change the oil and filter and charge you $150. i'd say do it yourself if your able, unless they have to do it for warranty purposes.

Eh, I do know my way around cars, but I don't know shit about bikes yet. Willing to learn, but since its new, I may just let them take care of it for now.

But hopefully I'll have some pics coming this Satuday or Sunday, should stop raining and hopefully not be wet out. I'll keep you posted.

I want to repeat something aussieidiot said. Do not stay at a steady RPM during the break in period. Fluctuate your speed/RPM until after the bike is broke in. The comment on down shifting to use engine braking is a good one also.
Change the oil/filter at 600mi/1500mi/3000mi or every 3 months, whichever comes first.
After 3000mi, change the oil/filter every 3000mi or every 3 months, again, whichever comes first.
The reason 3 months is the limit is because of the condensation that builds up inside the engine case and eventually does not burn off (water and oil: bad). The other reason, which is probably the most important, is the fact of gas getting past the rings. No matter how well built the engine, gas will always get by the rings and into the oil. More so during cold start ups.
Follow the manufacturers recommended services, whether you do it your self, or you have the dealer do it.
It's always best to keep your ride in tip top shape, because if it fails on you, it can cause you pain.
As suggested by others, take the motorcycle safety course also. There is no room for mistakes while your on two wheels.
Good luck.

Thanks for the advice Quick. Yeah, I signed up for the safety course, taking it this summer after school gets out. Its expensive though. Anyways, that leads me to another question. The class requires footwear that covers the ankles with a heel no bigger than 2 inches. Anyways, I wear regular shoes when I ride that are comfortable with thick soles. I don't own boot and I don't want to spend a bunch of money on shoes/boots that I won't wear again after the class. You guys got any cheap suggestions that fit the criteria?

*Oh and sorry for the lack of pics yet. School is kicking my ass right now, but its suppose to be nice this Friday, so hopefully I'll get out there and get some pics before we go riding.

Walmart and K-Mart both sell inexpensive hiking/work boots (probably under $25) that would meet that criteria.

The class requires footwear that covers the ankles with a heel no bigger than 2 inches. Anyways, I wear regular shoes when I ride that are comfortable with thick soles. I don't own boot and I don't want to spend a bunch of money on shoes/boots that I won't wear again after the class. You guys got any cheap suggestions that fit the criteria?


I'd suggest getting boots anyway. In the event of an accident, the more protection you have the better.

And only a 2 inch heel!?!?!?!

I can ride just fine in 6 inch stilettos :runaround:

I can ride just fine in 6 inch stilettos :runaround:

I bet that's what caused your bicycle accident Blayne, your thigh high motorcycle stiletto's got caught in the pedals, didn't they.....:rofl:

Actually it was my g-string (thong) got caught on a dismount and caused me to crash!

As disturbing as that is, I have another question...

So, I went riding last night (sorry no pics, it was dark) and ran out of gas. Last time I filled up, I reset one of the trip-o-meters so I could have a good estimate how many miles I could get before I had to fill up again. Anyways, luckily I was in a subdivision and it started to sputter. So I figured it out and flipped to the reserve tank. Here's the thing, I was only at 135 miles or so and the tank was dry! Went to fill up and only took 2.2 gallons. The booklet and specs online stated I have a 4.8 gallon tank and ~51mpgs. Well, the mpg estimate is correct, but the tank capacity isn't...WTF? Anyone else have a way smaller tank than advertised? That pisses me off, I don't want to have to fill up every 100 miles, that's bullshit.

So, I finally took some pics the other day. It was beautiful out and definitely took advantage of it. Anyways, long overdue pics.

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs035.snc1/3275_95689604497_606444497_2444647_5581404_n.jpg

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs035.snc1/3275_95689614497_606444497_2444648_5719827_n.jpg

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs035.snc1/3275_95689619497_606444497_2444649_1651249_n.jpg

http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs035.snc1/3275_95689624497_606444497_2444650_2475145_n.jpg

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs035.snc1/3275_95689629497_606444497_2444651_4244193_n.jpg

This is a pic of mine and my friend's bike. Its a Ninja ZX-6R, also a 2009. We bought them at the same time...

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs035.snc1/3275_95689864497_606444497_2444652_4686835_n.jpg

As disturbing as that is, I have another question...

So, I went riding last night (sorry no pics, it was dark) and ran out of gas. Last time I filled up, I reset one of the trip-o-meters so I could have a good estimate how many miles I could get before I had to fill up again. Anyways, luckily I was in a subdivision and it started to sputter. So I figured it out and flipped to the reserve tank. Here's the thing, I was only at 135 miles or so and the tank was dry! Went to fill up and only took 2.2 gallons. The booklet and specs online stated I have a 4.8 gallon tank and ~51mpgs. Well, the mpg estimate is correct, but the tank capacity isn't...WTF? Anyone else have a way smaller tank than advertised? That pisses me off, I don't want to have to fill up every 100 miles, that's bullshit.

Ya know, most bikes I've ridden tend to need to go to reserve at around 120-150 miles, regardless of actual tank capacity...

The Maxim holds about 3.5 gal and hits reserve around 100-120 miles, having burned ~2.5 gal...leaving me another 40-50 miles easy to find gas.

Less than half the total capacity and hitting reserve does sound weird though.

It's tricky to actually get a bike full, usually when close to the top there is still another .5 gal or more that could be filled, even more if the cap is centered on the tank and the bike is on the sidestand...which is why Yamaha thoughtfully placed the cap right of center on mine, to make filling easier...

Hah! I never saw the original question.....the answer was correct though...it's tank pressure venting from the check valve.

Hey poor, thanks for the pics. Love the Black! Both your's and your buddies bikes are sharp!

On the fuel issue, I wonder if that could be related to the vent issue? I know that if too much negative pressure builds up in the tank, it can cause a vapor lock effect that may be eliminated when you switch to reserve. I know that many sportbikes have a secondary fuel tank mounted down low (some have the entire fuel tank there, the "tank" per-se is just a cover for the airbox), which may be the reserve and when you switched, the additional weight of the fuel pushed past the vapor lock.


Since it's a new bike, either check the owner's manual or with your dealer to see what the reserve should be. I agree that you're switching way too early and if that's normal, what a PITA!

Thanks Rich, glad you like them.

The manual doesn't give much information on the gas tank. It just gives the reserve capacity and how to 'properly fill up the tank' and stuff like that. But the good news is that I am almost to 500 miles, so almost time for the first fluid change and stuff. So when I go back up to the dealership I will ask them about this problem and I will post the answer when I find it out.

So do you think it would be a good idea to run the reserve dry and see how much it actually holds? This way, when it runs out, I can flip back to the primary tank.

That wouldn't work, because the primary tank just empties into the reserve tank first as you use fuel. If you left it on reserve, you'd be flat out of gas. It's not set up like dual tanks on a truck, where you can choose which tank you're using. On bikes with only a single tank, the petcock had two fuel supply tubes. The primary one is higher in the tank, so when the bike starts to sputter, you switch to the "reserve" side which is right at the bottom of the tank. This gives you notice that you're about out and you can get to a station.

Glad I asked before I tried that, or else I would probably be a pancake on the road by now. But that makes sense. Well, I am finally almost done with all my projects so I have some time to ride, but its suppose to rain here all week, damn the luck. So it will probably be a week or two before I get the fluids changed and stuff, I'll keep everyone posted.

I'm in the same boat with having no riding time. when the weather is nice, I've got chit going on, and when I have free time, the weather is chit.

Actually it was my g-string (thong) got caught on a dismount and caused me to crash!


:eek7: Disturbing is an understatement, thanks Blayne. As you get to know us here Poor, you'll soon realize we're a bunch of sick screwballs, and Blayne is one warped (but hilarious) Aussie!

Oh, I'm definitely used to it, that comment doesn't even come close to some of the sick stuff we have said in the Camaro section. Back in the day, it was the place to be, f-body owner, or not. Its calmed down now as people don't come back anymore. If you are bored, search the camaro section for the 'Banter Threads'. They are 30,000 posts (3 threads of 10,000 posts each) of sick comments and jokes. Its hilarious.

Yeah, the newer "friendlier AF" (read liberal Pansy AF) frowns on that sort of stuff these days. I guess they're afraid some 13 year old googling porn will stumble on some anatomical reference here on AF and his parents will report us for being vulgar. They're trying to be more PC thinking that will increase membership, but I think the opposite is true.

Blayne (Aussieidiot) is a super nice and knowledgable guy, just don't mention the word scooter in his presence.

SCOOTER!

who said scooter........f'n mumble grumble limp wristed moan groan pansy arsed cafe wheel chairs!

^^^That's why I love ya brother^^^^

Funny stuff!!!

Quick update.
I got my first '500 mile' maintenance done yesterday. So now I am 'allowed per manufacturer' to take it to 6K rpm's, which puts me at at 75 mph or so. Needless to say, my friend and I have been tearing it up the last 2 days since its been so nice. I've put 200 miles on the bike since yesterday.
Anyways, the gas tank is still an issue. I went to take it to get serviced the other day and ran out of gas at 97 mile! I was like WTF? Flipped to reserve and filled up ~1.5 gallons. So I asked at the dealership, and they said the only thing they can do it notify Kawasaki and let me know if there is a recall later on.
But went riding today and just put it up at around 120 miles on one tank and it is still half full or so, which is a good sign. But I never know when I need to fill up any more.

Yeah it sounds like the pickup point for the fuel in the tank is way too high somehow...

It still sounds like some sort of vapor lock/negative pressure or other fuel cavitation issue to me, since it's intermittent. When you stop to fill up, are you getting a distinctive "whoosh" sound when you take the filler cap off?

Not that I noticed. But that 'whining' that relieves pressure build-up stops when I open the tank. But that's it.

Hmmm....that's gotta be frustrating. Keep us posted so hopefully when you find the cause of your issue, it may help someone else with the same problem later on.