scotch wrote: Congratulations appears to be in order. Shouldn't be any doubt by now that you've found a remarkable 1300. If a Shop Manual comes with the bike ( and I'd be surprised if the P/O didn't have one) then you're pretty much set for reading material for the next few weeks.
You know what they say about opinions ! These are just a few of mine, based on 37 years of owning 1 and having to sort a lot of the bugs out myself, before finding this Forum.
In no particular order, here's my thoughts and I should say that this is not to intimidate or confuse you.
Battery? - With a machine this pristine and mechanically sound you shouldn't need a $200.00+ battery and I'll make this suggestion. Buy the cheapest one that fits. I've been running a Wal-Mart $70.00 battery for about 5 years and it works just fine. You don't need anything more if the bike starts, charges and holds a charge. The Alternator puts out (about) a mere 20 amps. A higher cranking-amp, fully charged battery would certainly provide some surplus electrical storage for your accessories - until they drain the battery. - the alternator is the limiting factor. Keep the electrical load lite by avoiding auxiliary "anything". However, and strictly MY opinion, there's another reason to go "Cheap" on the battery. This is something that's concerned me for a long time, especially when I read of someone putting in something like an "Odyssey" battery. These bikes have a reputation for having the fuel bowls over-flow, creating a Hydraulic-lock in the cylinders. Many have reported bent connecting rods ! Put in a High Cranking Amp battery and this is almost guaranteed. Put in a "cheap" significantly lower capacity battery and you reduce the risk because it may not have the power to rotate the engine past TDC. You shouldn't need anything more then a basic battery for your almost new1300. .........and ALWAYS turn off your fuel tank valve when parked !
Cam-chain tensioner - A MUST DO ! Easy and inexpensive. Two popular methods: Modify the original or buy the ZX-11 one and follow the recommendations.
The "whine"? Given the design of the engine/transmission with it's auxiliary shafts, gears and chains running water-pumps, ignition timing, oil-pumps and that notorious nylon cam-chain tensioning gear.....I wouldn't be concerned. 12,500 miles is just "Nice Broken In". Nothing indicates anything but tender loving care by the P/O. Put some miles on it and get your ear tuned in to the "New Sound". You'll be better able to discern a problem, if and when something sounds different. Mine for example has an audible whine in 2nd gear - always has. 78,000Kilometers and that sound has not changed to any perceivable degree. They will all rattle a bit for the first few minutes until the oil gets up into the head and quiets the lifters and until the engine has warmed-up a bit and the idle smooth's out.
Sea Foam? Good call ! Should be no need for it. You're on track about the "ethanol" fuel.
Liska Gear? Your OEM nylon gear should be in great condition with such low mileage (and the apparent care by the P/O). To be prudent you can certainly remove the cam cover and check this out but YES, have a new cam-cover gasket standing by. All things being equal -The thought of anyone breaking down the top-end of such a pristine low mileage machine simply for the "Academic" sake of replacing this gear is simply sacrilegious and potentially can get someone into deep shit ! "If it ain't Broke - ........"
The gasket itself?: Personally speaking, don't use gasket sealers on this gasket. I had to replace mine about 30 years ago when the OEM gasket wouldn't come off intact. Before installing a new one, I lightly "wet" the cylinder head side with a few drops of clean engine oil. A "non-stick" pre-treatment? To this day everything is dry, it remains on the cam-cover but otherwise comes off the head easily so all I can say is it's worth considering. Tighten the cam-cover bolts to spec. ! If you don't have a good quality 1/4" drive "click" torque wrench; you should consider one. Even torque across the cover will assure things stay dry !
Fork seals? Ya, they're known for leaking ! Nuff said !
Key switches, parking-lights, locks? Probably The First question by panicked "new" owners. Sounds like you already have this figured out. A bit of reading and playing with the two keyed switches will sort this out in your mind. "If nothing works - Check your ass" !
Oil? Oh, Brother; You don't have enough time in the day ! One of the MOST controversial and opinionated topics there can be. Read and ask - Then make your informed choice.
Brakes! Sounds like you're not impressed - like a lot of owners. Replacing them with a quality set of S/S Braided will make a significant difference.
Electrical! Even a pristine machine can have tarnish/oxidization on the male/female connectors. This is a known destroyer of Voltage regulators/alternators. The major connectors are behind the right-side cover. Split and reconnect each several times to help ensure a viable voltage/current path. I expect they'll all look pretty new and shiny, BUT.......
.......and again - Welcome, congratulations and don't be shy !
scotch
Scotch - many thanks for your valuable input and advice, it's really nice to have members who are willing to help a new owner out. So regarding your post, just a couple questions ... I located quickly, and purhcased an APE Manual CCT which looks like it's for the KZ1300 and ZN1300 respectively - but it sounds like no one uses this option? Just modifying the original or using the z1100 one? Is there a reason not to install the APE tensioner - I have had really good luck with APE in the past fixing factory tensioner problems...
The current battery, while not original, seems to work just fine .. starts the bike easily, all instrumentation and lights work, so I will probably leave that for the time being. Maybe keep it on a tender charger??
The oil thing - I realize this is about as open-ended a question as can be asked in the motorcycle community, and were the KZ a "newer" bike, I would use what has worked with me in the past, but I do know that sometimes with older bikes, a certain type or weight of oil can make a difference in those engines. I have some part-syn 10W-40 motorcycle oil currently in the garage I can use ... I've had good luck with Rotella T6 in some newer bikes, so idk, I just figured I would ask what the veteran KZ1300 owners run. However, I do believe the adage of frequent changes using quality oil is the best measure, and I have always adhered to that in the past.
I also couldn't agree more that the thought of starting to disassemble the engine because of the nylon cam gear or other reasons on a low mileage, clean, good running bike sounds unncessary. I would rather just do the appropriate maintenance, and get out and ride the thing for a while. Given that it's a bike that hasn't been ridden much in its years, I think some of the best medicine would be putting some miles on the clock and running good fuel through it. I did notice the oil looks low in the sigh glass (barely reaching the bottom line), so either it wasn't filled up properly by P/O or it is using some oil, which from my reading is common with the KZ.
Based on prior comments, I was able to go on and purchase an APE manual cam chain tensioner (I have installed one on a different bike, so hopefully the process is similar), I also bought the Liska cam gear, some new Dunlop rubbers, a new oil filter, and some brake pads. He said he had changed the oil and filter, and the differential fluid, but it looks pretty dark to me, and I almost couldn't even see any oil in the sight glass window while it's on the center stand.
