Guys, I have a zx14r with 3300 miles and I noticed that the engine sounds quiete when I start the bike and after a ride the bike's engine sounds noisier, is this normal?

Aloha...Alex!....I'm gonna say...maybe.It could.What oil weight are you running.Probably hot in NV.The new 14R's have an addition of engine insulation inside the case...maybe up top inside the valve cover as well...not sure about that.In there to reduce motor noise.So the big engine does actually create more 'noise'.I haven't noticed any difference with mine...10/40 Dino oil.But it's possible.I wouldn't be worried unless it's a knock or something.Valve noise and engine parts noise is normal with these...to a point.I posted a vid online...'14icbm' is the channel.The vid(s)"short ride"...you can hear the motor pretty well in those...maybe check it out and compare yours.Up top sitting on the bike...the sound is more 'mechanical' with mine...but nothing wrong.

Are you out past the break-in?You 'may' have to have your valves checked?It shouldn't need it yet if you're not anywhere close to the book schedule...but things might be loosening up some...not bad...just normal breaking in.I'm not at 1000 miles yet...close...so I'll be listening as I rack up the miles...any change..I'll let ya know.Mine's 'mechanical'...but not abnormal.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 4/4/2013 @ 11:37 AM *

Like Grn said, as long as its not a knock or ping etc ... you should be fine, these big motors make alot of noise, even the fuel ejectors, mine is noiseier after a ride too, so was my busa that I had for ten years, never a problem...

Yeah I have heard the nick name Kawa-tractor...
I once zoned out and put 87 octane int he tank... Full of course. It made terrible noises if ingot on it due to detonation. I ran it out easy and refilled with 93 as needed.

Hey guys, thank you very much for your answers, in reality the bike does not sound bad at all it just sound different (not knocking or anything weird) if i compare the sound of the engine when I start the bike (after a few minutes it warm up) with the sound of the engine after i come back from a ride i can tell the engine does not sound the same, it sound a little bid louder...maybe because after a ride all the metal in the engine block expands and produce a different sound? ...who knows...i got this bike used with 1800 miles from the Kawasaki dealer, they told me that the previous owner after a few months of having this bike, traded it in for an atv because it was too much bike for him. when the Kawasaki dealer got this bike they did the oil change and few more thing that i cant remember but service things they normally do with all bikes they buy before they put them for sell, so the service manager told me that i should bring the bike back around 4500 miles for the next service. does this make sense to you?

the bike has 3300 miles now and i have been waiting to get 4500 miles to take it to the dealer but when i start noticing the different sound of the engine i got scare because i do not know for sure what type of service the dealer did to the bike at 1800 miles when they got it. anyways the bike runs supper, i noticed the different sound of the engine last week when i removed my helmet (after coming from a ride) when the bike was with the engine running. i normally turn off the engine as soon as i get home and i always have my helmet on when i do that. so I'm thinking that the bike could sound the same way since day one when i got it and probably I was not able to hear it because of the helmet.

Question how high should i push the rpm in each gear knowing the bike has only 3300 miles?

Thanks

I think you nailed the sound deal.Sounds okay the way you explained it.Helmet on...yes...definitely gonna sound different.I wouldn't worry.As for RPM's w/3300 miles...you can go as high as ya like....I wouldn't stay in extended redline...but hitting redline shouldn't cause any problems.I think you can trust this bike and your dealer to have done the right things.IT won't 'limit' till it gets to around 11,500 anyway...so you're okay hitting 11K.Whatever you do...do not redline(or anything close) without a load on the motor...'just to see how she revs'.....I should say..."I wouldn't".

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 4/4/2013 @ 11:33 PM *

The noise will change due to piston slap/design. When the first years came out, they'd break in and the whole engine note would change. It may be the same break in noise you are hearing. In other words, you can't get away with the metal change and heat exchange. Sort of normal.

Redline means you are spinning past peak torque. So you want to shift just short of redline. Redline is for say, if 5th gear down the track slows your mph/et because you could have kept it in 4th gear and kept it in or near redline because of the gear ratio and rpm keeping more a sustained speed. Whereas if you shifted, you lost a touch of speed. You are well broken in to beat crap out of it, stretch the rods you go any high past redline just to rev piss out of it.

Follow your owner's manual for service intervals. Your own service is to lube the chain every 300 miles and check tire pressure.

* Last updated by: Hub on 4/5/2013 @ 6:32 AM *

With 3300 miles you can do what ever you want, but like others have said, you really dont need to hit the red line to get full power on a stock motor, I used to think that it took 4000 miles or more for the rings to totally seat, but with the new engines, the cylinders are coated and the ring are "softer" material, if you will, so the rings are probabaly seated much sooner, Brock thinks maybe even at the factory ? Anyway at 2300 I went to full synthetic

Cool, it is good to know that I haven't done anything wrong because I never get close to the red line, what oil you use? I was thinking on going synthetic but I'm not sure if this will do any better to the bike...what is your opinion on this carabuser?

The rings are anything but softer. They are thinner than years ago. It's the smoother wall finish. More mirror the finish, more tighter the seal. Kawi has their own syn and one must take time to read the owner's manual for some of their questions. The first 600 miles you can pop that stuff in. Home he is going to use his old straight 50w30year old grade and mix it with 50% syn. Last 14 I had walked away with 220psi vs. 228psi in the book. You get caught up on some oil can, your wallet is going to laugh.

Page per taken one from hub's playbook, that engine don't give a hoot what goes in it. The secret is to keep changing it. You feel the shifting go south after a fresh oil change? Time to change. Along with the noise at the engine you have a "feel at the transmission."

I usually change it just to get the gearbox back to that better action-feel. I was on the bike today, thought about a different noise change. This bike makes some unique noises, different intake note than the first gen. And since I was going thru a canyon, I could hear the engine garble inside that stock muffler.

To hear those pops being muffled inside that pipe on lift, it sounds so mean. And I hate the sound of some inline japasneeze engine. Maybe the tri triple is a worse noise. Sounds like a city bus on steroids. But when I heard that first dyno run with stock pipes and that sound?

* Last updated by: Hub on 4/5/2013 @ 6:04 PM *

alohaalex
Rotella t6 synthetic is good stuff, and is fairly cheap and available walmart. I only used Motul becuase I had a gift card to burn at cycle gear. been using T6 for many years on busas before I went to the 14

Hey carabuser the rotella t6 oil comes 5w 40, is that what you use?

Yea 5/40 used it for many miles on my busa, will probably go back to it once the motul is gone ....