This is a HOW-TO from the zx14ninja.com forum. It was posted by 2000Kat600 on 1/1/2008.
Well, at 10K I comited myself to finally inspect and change the sparks plugs so I bought 4 new ones online and waited (not in a hurry) for its arrival.
I already attempted once before, by the 7.5K homer service and failed miserably, then after reading some pointers here I gave it a try.
1st.- Removing all the necessary plastics. A pain all by itself, but with plenty of time you'll get it done easily. (Keep an eye on the foam separator that divides the coolant fluid reservoir in half externally) Mine fell off upon removing the L side and I had no idea WTF that was,,, it took me forever to figure it out. A clue is inside the side plastic cover but basically separates the coolant fluid reservoir externally at a 45 degree angle or so to prevent hot engine air passing thru by your left leg.
2nd.- Stick coils. They're IN for sure. I'd say impossible to remove by hand alone, use anything that could give you some leverage, carefully and gently, once they give in, they're somewhat easy to pull by hand although requires slight maneuvering off and out the engine.
You may want to displace the air suction hose between 3 and 4 and move it forward and out fo the way until you're done with the entire job.
3rd.- Using the spark plug wrench from the tool kit (It works marvelously) I found much easier to remove #1 from the left side (Always assuming a normal riding position) then #'s 2,3 and 4 on the right side. There's a whatchamacallit crap between 1 and 2 that makes it very hard to deal with from the left side.
4th.- I'd follow the following order to get the most clearance and ease of the job.
- #1 Whole job (Easiest.)
- #4 stick coil out.
- #3 Stick coil out.
- #2 Stick coil out.
- #2 Spark plug change, replace stick coil.
- #3 Spark plug change, replace stick coil.
- #4 Spark plug change, replace stick coil.
- Don't forget to replace the suction hose back that you displaced to allow clearance!!! (Yep! I forgot it AFTER I put all the plastics back!!!)
5th.- Replace all the PIA plastics, ride and enjoy. Don't forget the plastic foams separators.
This is from a rider with pathetic mechanical skills who failed to do the job at the 7.5k homer service,,, but I gotta tell you, it's much easier once you do #1 plug because you see the whole procedure and get familiar with the entire process so you'd be more prepared for more difficult to reach ones like #2 and #3.
As a final note, have you manual open on the appropriate chapter so you can see the appropriate "facing" back of the stick coils, and make sure they click and u push them all the way in.
Good luck, noobies, I hope that this helps.
_________________
-2000 Suzuki Katana 600; 135,000 miles. (First bike, still have.)
-2002 Vulcan 1500 (2nd bike, gone)
-2006 ZX-14 (3rd bike, current, got new on 12/29/2007).
All my posts are for entertainment only, no real occurrences ever implied.
* Last updated by: bgordon on 2/12/2009 @ 2:48 PM *