kwaka balius zr250 - help build my general knowledge please :)

[jafffa]

hey,
just got a 99 kawasaki balius zr250.
16000 on the clock...

the service manual said it had an 'oil only' service 12000km back in march 2010
and the previous owner said he'd changed the oil again 6 months ago
and only put about 500k's on since then
the next service due was at 18000,
but i decided to give it a service straight away.

my first time working on a bike...
i changed the spark plugs, oil, oil filter, topped up coolant,
checked the back sprocket (good)
checked chain tightness (about 1 inch slack upwards = good?)
cleaned chain with degreaser and applied chain lube liberally before and after 1st ride
i couldn't find the air filter - could anyone give me a hint on how to locate this?
also i was cbf getting under the bike to clean and lube the front sprocket ... is this overly important?
...and is there anything i've missed? the bike is in pretty good nick and i couldn't think of anything else to do.

Everything i've read on the net tells my bike has a detuned zxr250 engine,
which puts out 39.5 hp (29.5 kW) @ 14000 rpm
however my owners manual says it puts out 25.8 hp (19kW) @ 13,000
It is noticeably slower than a cbr250 and aprilia rs125

whats the go? is the internet wrong? or is my bike restricted?
Can it be de-restricted ?

if anyone wants to help me out with any general bike knowledge or comments that would be sweet
otherwise i'll see u out on the road sometime.

cheers,

Adriahn

[Barfridge]

Is yours an Aussie delivered model, or a grey import? They often came in different specs and states of tune for different markets.

Air filter is generally under the tank somewhere, it's generally pretty simple to remove this, check the owners manual, usually just a couple of hoses to detach (and remember to turn the fuel tap off).

At 16,000km I wouldn't worry too much about the front sprocket yet. But if you have time remove the cover and inspect it. You can get some very funky buildups of oil/dirt/grime under there.

[jafffa]

it's aus delivered. vin plate says build date nov 99

[Tincey]

hey mate i also have a balius, awesome little bike and the handling on them is sick. The air filter is under the tank, to remove it take your seat off and undo the big bolt holding the tank on, remove the two fuel lines attached to the on/off tap (keep the tap in on positions) and disconnect the fuel gauge sender and then slowly pull back and up on it (helps to wriggle it around) the front of the tank is attached by a hinge so nothing to unbolt there. Also if you have the plastic cover on either side of your bike you will have to remove these to get the the on/off tap and fuel gauge sender.
hope this helps. and again awesome little bikes!!!

[jafffa]

cheers... sounds like a bit of an effort ... i'll prob just leave it as it is for now ... already runs pretty sweet after the service.
what do u reckon about the power of yours? does your owners manual say 40 horses or 26?

[Tincey]

Not that hard and I would recommend checking it, when I checked mine it was rooted and disitergrated as soon as i touched it. Wouldn't ask me about power man as mine has done 104000 km and the carbs need a clean. How many km do u get out of a tank on urs I get 180km which is well bellow what I have read guessing that my engine is well worn, it also won't go any faster that 140km/h no matter how hard I try hahaha

[Frogger]

the balius has the zxr250 bottem end but the head is slightly different, slightly wider. all the parts are about the same besides the cam's i think. different sizes i think it was the balius that had the bigger ones. from memory the zxr250 when new was making 45hp and the balius was making 37. both the zxr250 and balius were restricted. to unrestrict them u can buy a zxr400 race cdi but its not worth it , parts are to rare to go messing with the bike.

[Joshua Perry]

Hi all, I'm new to riding i only got my bike last week, a 98 ZR250 Balius and i love it I'm hooked. But my tail light, and a few other small things are not working correctly. I have been searching for a service manual for this bike for the past week and i cant find anything. Do any of you know where i could download a copy?