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Idle Adjustment

9930 Views 27 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  ToNY97
I'm enlisting the help of the N1K Brain Trust.

After 3-5 minutes of warm up (I know I should have waited longer) I wanted to lower the idle rpm. I thought I was gentle enough, but after many attempts to turn clockwise, I can't get the bike to idle at all anymore. It will either not start or start and stall after 5-10 sec. It will rev with throttle fine but just not idle.

Could I have easily disconnected this cable? Does it normally have a left and right end point or does it turn indefinitely?

How many panels do I have to remove to get at the connect point under the bike? It would be a left side panel, cause the dial extends from the right side? What skill level do I need to avoid a tow to a dealer?

I didn't see any tutorials on Youtube.
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Excellent point.
Yes it is.
Maybe Kawi covers price of tow.
Kawi doesn't cover towing and only manufacturers defect.
The selling dealer would handle it but he's 80 miles away.
Any Kawi dealer can take care of warranty claims. Just take it in and tell them it won't idle and leave it at that. Warranty will take car of it, it's not like you just bought an MP3 player that is only covered my defects. If something doesn't work properly they fix it, that's what it's for.
You speak the truth.
I could pay for towing and insist that a nearby dealer make the fix. It could be a battle of semantics.
Even though it's a demo at 1750 miles, it has a full year warranty BUT they could say that the selling dealer should handle it even though it's a hike to get there.

OR
I could get my hands dirty and attempt to do it myself. I may try to remove both seats, side panels and tilt gas tank back. That may be enough to get at the specific area.
Demo or no demo, Kawi will fix it at the closest possible dealer, there is no reason it has to go back to the selling dealer. Kawasaki pays the dealer to work on the bike, it's not like they are working and not getting paid.
Demo or no demo, Kawi will fix it at the closest possible dealer, there is no reason it has to go back to the selling dealer. Kawasaki pays the dealer to work on the bike, it's not like they are working and not getting paid.
Exactly. As long as they're getting paid, they should be doing the work.
At least they're getting paid, don't want an angry tech hacking away at my bike
Exactly. As long as they're getting paid, they should be doing the work.
At least they're getting paid, don't want an angry tech hacking away at my bike
No, they have nothing to get mad about, I used to work in a car dealer as a tech and did tons of stuff like that.
I removed some layers of the onion and couldn't get to the desired spot.
I will pay for towing to take it to Kawi dealer nearby.

You guys are right.

I did learn about fairing screws and tabs and the air box location. It was worth the effort.
It will be easy for me to disconnect the exhaust cables under the seat when I remove the stock cans.
I removed some layers of the onion and couldn't get to the desired spot.
I will pay for towing to take it to Kawi dealer nearby.

You guys are right.

I did learn about fairing screws and tabs and the air box location. It was worth the effort.
It will be easy for me to disconnect the exhaust cables under the seat when I remove the stock cans.
If the dealer is close could you just ride it over, keeping the engine running with the throttle?
Tony, I have to ask this, but please dont fly out here and punch me....You did try turning it back the other way, right?...sorry...again, no need to get the plant ticket.

Also,, the throttle cables can step into play if the idle adjust gets way out of wack. Figure out which cable does the opening, then remove slack until the bike idles...not the hot set up, but it will get you to the shop.
Yeah I tried clockwise and counter clockwise. I may have lacked the proper finesse. I think it's connected, no slack, but maybe not properly attached. No one would ever lose a bet underestimating my mechanical ability.

That would be challenging to keep the throttle open for the whole ride thru urban settings.

I was going to start the full insurance coverage in April which includes towing. They will pay for closest place and you pay extra to go where you prefer.
Tony, that knob has 50,000 turns available. I've never turned mien far enough to disconnect. However, it has a limited range where the adjustments do anything. Soon, if backed out far enough, your relying on the throttle cable for idle speed..hope that makes sense.

Its easy to lengthen the cable enough to temporarily use it for this purpose.

Notice the throttle housing...right where your hand sits. Look at the tow cables. About 4 in away from the grip, you'll see two length adjustors.

I believe its a 10mm wrench. You want the cable closest to you. Use the wrench to break the lock nut loose, then spin the adjust by hand. You'll see it, so you cannot go to far.

Actually, you might could use the other cable to not allow it to close so far...hum....either way shoudl temporarily work. Hauling the bike sucks.

Wish you were closer..we'd have you riding in a few minutes. Obviously, I'd need to personally test the fix..just to make sure you were safe. The test should not last even half the day...

Its ok to get familiar with these adjsutments anyway. You'll occasionally want to adjust how much play the throttle has.
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"you might could"

The only other person who said that phrase is my brother-in-law and he was from the far western part of VA.

Could you share a pic with your finger as a laser pointer?

I'll try it.

OK Sir

After watching this video, you're saying that I don't want the throttle to close tight but leave some slack so that it doesn't quite close all the way which would leave me some idle rpm at all times. I want free play. Temp fix to get me to the shop.

Am I on the right track?

Top cable controls what?
Bottom cable controls what?
Tony, thats exactly where "you might could" comes from..nice catch! LOL

Try thsi drawing. My cables are black, and the adjustor is black. Pics ate TOUGH.

https://www.kawasakiepc.com/SystemS...Model&cGroupID=&CFID=8676926&CFTOKEN=94871557

Look just to the right of where the cable is numbered part number 54012 and you'll see the adjustors I'm talking about. Very visible on the bike, too.

You need a 10mm wrench to loosen the locknut, but the adjustor is adjusted with fingers. Dont even bother tightening it with a wrench. Finger tight is plenty on the locknut. Its easier for future adjustments to leave it not completly sinched down.
Unable to access your link.

I have the throttle set where it almost stays put where ever you place it.
Will test it around the neighborhood but I can see the dangerous aspect of it.

I've heard "might could" but I never saw it written before. I would tease him and use it when speaking to him.
He was from Jewel Valley and went to a one building schoolhouse for K-12.
Places like Jewel Ridge, Pea Patch, Grundy, Richlands. It was like the Waltons because he had Baldwin Mountain named after his family.
Well, dangerous? Not really. Even a throttle stuck wide open is not dangerous. Once you pull the clutch in, the power is finished. Obviously, the fully stuck open throttle might not be great for the engine, but not dangerous unless you freak out.

But, you are on the right track. You'll just eliminate all free play and use the cable as an idle stop..temporarily. For me, safer than trying to strap one of these bikes. There are no good tie down points that wont brush the fairing.
You're right. Good points. I appreciate the advice and info.

One last thing, my brother - in - law's family thought the Beverly Hillbillies was a documentary.
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