rattle by start up?

[Pokey]

Mine always rattles if started while leaning on the kickstand, if I start it while on the centerstand it doesn't rattle.

Mine pretty much acts the same, always has from day 1.

[Boomer]

It will eventually.
The tensioner has a seal that is supposed to retain oil inside it under pressure.
Over time the seal weakens and the pressure gets released.
It's not really an issue w.r.t. reliability unless yer in the habit of starting the bike and vrooming straight off rather than letting her warm up for a few seconds or minutes.
If it REALLY worries you then buy a new tensioner and fit it.
Waste of money IMHO.

Being a ratchet type tensioner one day it will go quiet (moves forward a notch) and you will start panic-ing that it DIDN'T do the startup rattle. <LOL>

[Rhino]

~30,000 miles on my 10 and it has rattled on every cold start since new.

[stevewfl]

~30,000 miles on my 10 and it has rattled on every cold start since new.

Don't expect it to stop at 60,000 if its anything like my '10 

[B.D.F.]

Mine doesn't have a seal, just a tight fit between a ground piston and reamed aluminum (aluminium) housing. It looks like this:



The oil will always leak out given more than just a couple of hours no matter what viscosity or type used. The piston is bound to leak but given that the hydraulic fluid is motor oil and the fit is really quite close, it is a slow leak to be sure and more than adequate for the job. The rattle does not hurt anything but it does scare and / or annoy some people.

Brian

It will eventually.
The tensioner has a seal that is supposed to retain oil inside it under pressure.
Over time the seal weakens and the pressure gets released.
It's not really an issue w.r.t. reliability unless yer in the habit of starting the bike and vrooming straight off rather than letting her warm up for a few seconds or minutes.
If it REALLY worries you then buy a new tensioner and fit it.
Waste of money IMHO.

Being a ratchet type tensioner one day it will go quiet (moves forward a notch) and you will start panic-ing that it DIDN'T do the startup rattle. <LOL>

[leisyman]

Ya, I was wondering if 5x40 oil viscosity was too thin when cold and might cause the rattle in my 08.

guess I'll live with it, tho it didn't seem to rattle when I used 15X40 Rotella

maybe my imagination

[Rhino]

Ya, I was wondering if 5x40 oil viscosity was too thin when cold and might cause the rattle in my 08.

guess I'll live with it, tho it didn't seem to rattle when I used 15X40 Rotella

maybe my imagination

Been using 5W40 Rotella for a long time. My last oil change I went with Valvoline 4T 10W40 Motorcycle oil. No change in start up rattle.

[Kazairl]

Mine doesn't have a seal, just a tight fit between a ground piston and reamed  (aluminium) housing. It looks like this:



The oil will always leak out given more than just a couple of hours no matter what viscosity or type used. The piston is bound to leak but given that the hydraulic fluid is motor oil and the fit is really quite close, it is a slow leak to be sure and more than adequate for the job. The rattle does not hurt anything but it does scare and / or annoy some people.

Brian

Looks exactly like the tensioner on my zx14. If it is then there is another solution that automatically adjusts and is also maintenance free.  Its a modified z x 1 2 r tensioner. it is entirely spring loaded, not hydraulic at all. And uses a much finer ratcheting mechanism. After installing it my bike doesn't rattle at all anymore.

 Just a thought.

[B.D.F.]

Funny thing but the part number for the ZX 14 and the C-14 CCTs are different. But they seem to interchange as I am using a ZX 14 mechanical CCT in my C-14. I do not know what the difference is, and I cannot say that they are interchangeable but it would seem that way.

Brian

Looks exactly like the tensioner on my zx14. If it is then there is another solution that automatically adjusts and is also maintenance free.  Its a modified z x 1 2 r tensioner. it is entirely spring loaded, not hydraulic at all. And uses a much finer ratcheting mechanism. After installing it my bike doesn't rattle at all anymore.

 Just a thought.

[B.D.F.]

Well, I said that the oil type and viscosity would not matter but I did not mean that there would be no change. I said it badly the first time and not much better this time- perhaps I can explain.

The oil will leak out of the CCT (cam chain tensioner) no matter what viscosity that oil is, especially when the oil is warm. That said, thicker oil will leak more slowly than thinner oil, especially when it is cold. :-)  So let's say that particular 5W-40 oil takes 12 hours to leak out of the CCT when the engine and oil are fully heated. Using a 15W-40 weight oil will slow that process so that it might take 18 hours to leak down. So the thicker oil will not prevent the start- up rattle but it will push it off to a later time and if you start the bike w/in the longer time period the rattle will not be there with the thicker oil. Also a thicker oil will come up to full pressure more quickly on start up so even if the rattle is there it might be noticeably shorter than when using the thin oil.

So oil type / weight is not a preventative or cure but it very well could change how and when the rattle appears. Still, I would not worry about it and would use any oil you are comfortable with, especially if that oil is w/in or close to the parameters specified by Kawasaki. If thicker oil calms the start- up rattle and you like that, then by all means continue to use that oil just for that reason. (seriously, not sarcastically)

Brian

Ya, I was wondering if 5x40 oil viscosity was too thin when cold and might cause the rattle in my 08.

guess I'll live with it, tho it didn't seem to rattle when I used 15X40 Rotella

maybe my imagination

[fmwhit]

Martin, do you actually own a C14?   

[martin_14]

Martin, do you actually own a C14?   

naah, the cousin of my sister's boyfriend's aunt's friend told me about them. Never ridden one, though 

[VirginiaJim]

You really should ride one, but stay off the black ones...they're the slowest.

[Rhino]

If mine rattled like that all the time I would paint it dark green with bright yellow trim and put some kind of farm implement on the back.

[maxtog]

If mine rattled like that all the time I would paint it dark green with bright yellow trim and put some kind of farm implement on the back.

Or perhaps disable two of the cylinders, paint it chrome, and throw a Harley badge on it?

[C1xRider]

Mine never rattles (well, I never hear it).

I always install my ear plugs, then get on the bike and stand it up straight before starting it.  Then when it lights off, and the Two Bros dual exhaust awakens the neighborhood, it all sounds just right.     

[stevewfl]

Or perhaps disable two of the cylinders, paint it chrome, and throw a Harley badge on it?

Just the badge alone will slow that bish down tremendously

[martin_14]

You really should ride one, but stay off the black ones...they're the slowest.

You're missinformed. Black ones are just polite and care about other people's ego. They let you think that they can't go faster when, in fact, they are just cruising around, not even trying 
About the blackness: I booked the next service for next Thursday and I'm having a serious talk with my wallet about powder coating the rims in black. Oh, that ZG is a contagious pest... 

[VirginiaJim]

You're right about him being a pest.  He is a virus of the first rank when it comes to black bikes.  Don't listen to him or he'll infest you to the point of painting everything black.

[Kazairl]

The zx 14 and the zx12 tensioners  side by side.