HOW TO - Replacing Air Filter In A 2009 Kawasaki ZX6R

Replacing Air Filter in a 2009 Kawasaki ZX6R

Disclaimer

*I accept no liability in respect to interpretation of this article, and the reader will be personally responsible for any damages or other liability arising from their personal interpretation of this article*

Preface

To start allow me to say this is the first time I've written a tutorial, so if there is too much or too little information, let me know and I'll be happy to update the article. As for the disclaimer, you work at a law firm for enough years, you learn to C.Y.A. for everything.

This article will cover the steps required in replacing the air filter element in a 2009 Kawasaki ZX6R. These steps may work for the 2010, and 2011 models, but I don't have direct knowledge of those models, so I cannot guarantee it. The purpose of making this tutorial is because I looked online, and on this forum and I didn't find one for the 2009 ZX6R, and it is a slightly different process from the other bikes whose tutorials I did find. While the process may seem similar to most sport bikes, I'll be outlining the particulars for this motorcycle.

For now, this will be a text only tutorial, and I may be uploading a couple of photos for reference. Torque values will also be updated shortly.

Introduction

At first it's going to look like it's impossible to do this, and while it's not the hardest thing on the planet, if at any time you don't feel confident in proceeding with these steps, there is absolutely NO shame in taking your motorocycle to a mechanic to do this for you. That's why they exist.

If you have the Kawasaki service manual for this bike, the steps it provides can be a little misleading, as it gives instructions based on a complete tear down of the motorcycle. So if you're like me, because the book says it, you're going to want to follow it to the letter, and a lot of what it says isn't that necessary.

For the 2009 ZX6R, the recommended replacement interval for the air filter is every 18,000 km or more frequently if you ride a lot in the rain or in very sandy/dusty environments.

Things You'll Need

• 1 4mm Allen key or similar
• 1 5mm Allen key or similar
• 1 10mm hex socket
• 1 Ratchet to use with the socket
• 1 Phillips screwdriver. No 2 is fine
• 2 10mm Swingarm spools (Optional)
• 1 Swingarm stand (Optional)
• 1 Front stand head/fork lift (Optional)
• 1 Syphon hose
• 1 Jerry can
• 1 New air filter
• Wheel chock (Optional)
• Bungee cords or rope
• Several Shop towels
• Gloves
• Location to place the screws while you're working.
• Dress appropriately

Preparation

Wear comfortable fitting clothing. I strongly recommend you wear proper fitting work gloves. Eye protection is not required, but if you have a pair of Uvex glasses you're dying to wear, go ahead and slap them on. Safety shoes are also never out of place.

Work in a well ventilated area that is well lit, away from anything that can produce a spark or flame. If it's a beautiful day outside and you were planning on washing your bike anyway, you can do this right on your driveway. Just make sure you have enough space to move around your bike.

For general safety, it's best to empty the tank. With the syphon hose, syphon the gas in to a jerry can. The Gas tank is curved downward towards the seat so aim your hose in that direction. Leave the tank lid open. Remove your key to avoid it being bent at any time.

While not necessary, if you have Spools on your swingarm, lift the swingarm with the stand. And if you have a front lift handy, go ahead and raise it as well. If you don't have stands, place the bike in first gear and/or use wheel chocks if you have them.

Lay out the area you're going to use to leave your screws. If you're confident enough, you can just place them in a tray. I prefer to position the screws in the orientation the belong on the bike, front to back, on a terry towel.

The Fun Part

Step 1: Remove Side Panels

We start by removing the side panels. These are the black plastic pieces between the tank and the frame. With the 4mm Allen wrentch, unscrew one screw on each side, more or less under the Kawasaki logo.

The panel is "clicked" in below the seat, so pull that out, and then pull out the panel starting from the back. There's velcro under the panel, and it may detach from the panel and not from the velcro on the tank side, so don't be alarmed. Slowly pull out the panel's push pins from the tank.

Step 2: Remove Seat

The seat is attached with two screws beneath it. Using the 4mm Allen wrentch, unscrews these, while keeping your finger under them so they don't fall in to anything.

Lift up and forward to remove the seat

OPTIONAL STEP: Remove Negative Post from the Battery

I didn't do this, but if you want, you can remove the negative post to avoid any electrical surges. Just undo the hex nut and remove the post. Use a clip or a zip-tie to keep the post away from the battery.

Step 3: Tank Removal

To completely remove the tank, you'll need to remove several hoses. For the purposes of
this tutorial, I'll be explaining a method used without fully detaching the tank.

Using the 5mm Allen wrentch, unscrew the two screws between the tank and the steering damper. They're on tighter than hell itself, and you're going to feel like you're about to strip the screw, but just when it seems that's going to happen, it'll give. When you've removed the screws, just flip up the steering damper.

With the 10mm socket, remove a screw that is just behind the tank.

If you have bungee cords, clip one end to one of your passenger peg holders. If you have a rope, tie one end to it.

Slide the tank slightly forward so that the little flap doesn't get in your way. You may want to cover the battery with a towel just in case. This is what I did.

Lift the tank up slowly from the front, using the padding where the screw was as a hing.

When you have the tank at roughly a 45 degree angle, place the rope or bungee cord over the flangs where the side panels were clipped in. You'll probably need to place the tank back down and walk to the other side of the bike. With one hand lift the tank back up and with the other hand clip the bungee cord on the opposite passengar peg holder, or loop the rope in to a knot, or if the rope is long enough, you can loop it through the peg, a frame slider, under the tail, etc.

Step 4: Opening Air Filter Element Cover

The air filter element cover is held by eight phillips screws. There is a hose screwed on at the front, and it isn't absolutely necessary to remove it, but i did, and there's no harm in doing so. Remember to always keep one finger on the screw to avoid it falling. There is one screw right in the middle of the cover inside a hole.

All the screws are easily removed except for the rear most one, which is right underneath the hose that leads to the injectors. You can either push the hose to the side, ever so gently, and remove the screw, or you can remove the injector nozzles all together. These are held by five black screws. Don't take out the silver screws. If you do remove the nozzles, be extremely careful to not damage the O-rings. You don't need to move the nozzles much and they'll be replaced in a minute anyway. Or you can remove the hose itself. I recommend against this as it can produce gas spillage and really isn't necessary.

Step 5: Replacing Air Filter

Lift open the cover and remove the old air filter element, and put the cover back down.

This is a good opportunity to clean the dirt and dust inside your bike and any inside the air filter case.

Insert the new air filter with the fins facing downward.

Place the cover (and the Nozzles if you removed those) and insert the screws with the required (torque).

Step 6: Finishing

Holding on to the tank undo the rope or the bungee cords and lower the tank slowly.
Replace the "hinge" screw behind the tank (torque)
Replace the two screws by the steering damper (torque)
Replace the seat and thighten the two screws beneath it (torque)
Replace the side panels and tighten the screw on each side (torque)

Add some gas to the tank and start your motorcycle.

And congratulations! You've just done your own, and maybe first, air filter change on your ZX6R!

If anyone has any questions at all, feel free to pm me. Thansks for reading, everyone.

Oh yeah...
OPTIONAL STEP 7: Have A Beer