This was the most viewed HOW-TO posting on the zx14ninja.com forum. It was made by 1mile14 on 6/2/2007.

I followed these instructions and it worked perfectly. The only thing I would add is that after you pull the flies, be a little careful the first time you crank the throttle on hard <grin>. Hang on TIGHT.

I believe that it is generally accepted that this procedure does not yield as dramatic an increase on 2008 and later machines, and may not be necessary on those machines. Mine is a 2007 and it made a BIG difference.

Here is the post from 1mile14:

I know that is has been discussed and pics have been up. But I just took them out for the 2nd time, and took pics. So here it is, and what to do.

You need:

Allen wrenches
10mm wrench or ratchet / socket
8 inch #2 phillips screw driver
And 1 each ZX14

You will take off the side grills, upper forward tank plastic, and upper intake tube covers, and your seat.

You will then disconnect the rubber hose and 2 electrical connectors that are at the rear of the tank.

Then turn the tank around and sit it back on the bike. The tank is very stable and will not fall, the fuel hose is still connected, and swivals on the bottom.

You will then see the access covers for the intake box. Disconnect the intake temp sensor and take the plates off.

You need to apply straight down force to the screws, which is actually at an angle due to the position of the shaft and flies in relation to the frame. May even have to tighten them a bit to lossen up the lock tite. Some have applied heat from a solder iron. Some others have also let the bike run before starting the removal. But once you get here, all you are worried about is not letting one of these little screws drop into your motor.

And that is it. Put it all back together and go ride.

_________________
"Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death."- Omar Bradly

* Last updated by: bgordon on 2/8/2009 @ 1:27 PM *

I see no reason to not do this. I thought it excessive at first, but after riding the bike, this is how it's meant to be.

* Last updated by: John on 2/8/2009 @ 2:37 PM *

I used this posting when it was on the former site and the whole thing went very well . I am adding these details about my own experience . I have a Weller Soldering gun so I was able to apply heat directly to each screw as I removed them . About 45 seconds each worked for me . The fuel tank will swivel , but be careful not to kink the fuel line . I rested the tank on a sheet of foam to protect the paint-work . I borrowed a #2 JIS screwdriver , but it was a little short to work with . To remove the screws , I used a #2 phillips bit driver on the screws that were easy get at , and a brand new #2 Craftsman LONG screwdriver on all the remaining ones that were partly obscured by the air-box/chassis openning . Tightening each screw a little and then backing it out firmly worked for me . I can`t wait to get my Power Commander & new M10 system dailed in , and let-er rip . Fordman

OK, decided to bite the bullet and go for flies out. The above write up was excellent until I pulled my seat and saw that I have a California bike even though it was purchased in Az. Consequently there are two more vacuum hoses off the back of the gas tank that are color coded and need to be removed.
Any other changes would be nice to hear from California owners out there. Actually I'm begging to hear from some flies out Californians.

Hmmm, so maybe I'm not going to remove flies at all. I know that its smooth and is comfortable like a Barcolounger, and maybe if I want to scare the green nickels out of myself I should just keep it above 4-5000rpms.
What do you think, Hub?

Not sure is anyone is monitoring this thread anymore...I TOO have the apparently California emissions set up on my 2007 ZX14 with two rubber color coded tubes coming off the rear right side of the fuel tank...

I want to remove the flies, but trying to make some sense of the above write up by Hub...is he saying that you can not simply remove the flies from this emissions-modded bike without having to run several other steps?

Thanks if anyone with experience on this one responds!

Drew
Ft lauderdale FL

Drew, you can remove the flies without fooling with the emissions stuff. You'll still get the benefit and maybe even get more of a benefit than the non-cal bikes.

THANKS!!!!

I'm excited to do this one, heading to Lowes for those well nuts and that JIS # 2 driver to get the flies out ;)

Drew

Drew, remember to heat the screw driver tip before removing the screws it'll help ease those things out.

This was an excellent DIY! Lacked a little on details removing the body panels but thats pretty much self explanatory...just wasn't sure if that's what the first three duplicate pictures were supposed to be. Removing the screws from the flies was probably the most stressful part (like surgery) trying not to drop them down the tube! Overall, very quick and easy and I can't wait for the rain to stop so I can go try it out. Thanks for sharing, bgordon!

is it worth doing this

on 06-07's DEFINITELY!

on 08 and up, I'd say wait until warranty is up. Not a big diff. Almost not noticeable but with a good tune, the idle - 3K response is better. That's not sport riding revs but I'm glad I have that bothersome 3K rpm surge smoothed out. Actually almost got me in trouble once or twice doing a right hand turn from a stop light.

The key is to get a proper tune for low revs. Autotune along with the PCV worked for my 08. Never been on a dyno or had a professional tune.

Thanks Rook, you actually just answered the question that I hadn't asked yet.

I just removed the flies from my '09 today. Here is a little tip:

I also have a Weller digital soldering station. I heated it up to 700 degrees, placed the soldering iron right next to the screws for a minute or so, and promptly realized that I wasn't going to get the screw out.

What I did next worked very well. I heated up near the tip of my #2 MAC tools screwdriver with a lighter. Don't heat the tip, but about a half an inch from the tip. After that, the screws came right out.

wow, man- Kneescraper, that is exactly what I did except I used a Burnzomatic propane torch. Heat the sscfredriver shaft for a few minutes until it gets hot enough to vaporize a spot of water on contact.

Set the x in the slots and let it stand for 2 minutes. Turn and they should come out without much effort. Mine did and I was working in an unheated garage in January.

BRAND NEW #2 SCREWDRIVER----get a decent one, no cheapies out of the everything for a dollar bin.

just pulled the flies out and YESSSSSS it goes like it should, love the 1st and 2nd gear wheelies

What will you do with your flies now that they are out (there was actually an entire thread on that back in 08)?