I just bought an 89 Zilla about two weeks ago. I take it out for the first ride and notice the handlebars are not straight, when I sat on it at the previous owners house I think I would have noticed this. When the wheels are straight the bars are not and vice versa. Also the gas tank appears to have a leak, but I can't find it. The tank is about half full of gas and when I ride some leaks, and there is dripping on the floor when it is stored. The kick starter is difficult (but I knew about this), now the the kick started is loose, it swings out when I turn. The quad looks great (plastics, powdercoated frame & swingarm, FMF pipe, tires like new, clean all around). I am starting to think I got hustled buying this thing. With the stage 2 port, pipe, tires and Wiseco piston it should feel amazing. However it has big time vibration in the bars (Renthal) and doesn't really feel as fast as my banshee. Am I just panicking early, or should I be concerned? HELP!

 

I'm not the be-all-end-all authourity on Zillas, but I have owned several. Did you check to see if the tie rod tab on the steering stem is straight when the bars are straight? If it is, then the tie rods need to be adjusted. If not, well... you know. When the tank leaks, is it on the top or the bottom? If it is up top (from sloshing around), check the gasket under the gas cap and the vent line itself. It may be dry rotted and/or cracked. If it's coming from below the tank, check around the fuel petcock. They have an oval-shaped rubber gasket that can go bad over time. I can't remember if you can disassemble the kick starter like a Honduh, but if you can, look into replacing the o-ring if it has one. The vibration should be a concern if it is as severe as you say, though. 500s don't really vibrate more than any other quad if everything is OK, but when they begin to shake a lot, it's usually a sign of bad things. The most common source for strong vibration is when the crank bearings begin to bounce in the cases. That's an expensive fix if that happens. Another possibility is if the counter balancer weight shears its key. If the key gets sheared, the weight is free to rotate on the shaft, throwing the timing out of whack. That's a fairly easy fix, though. The key is located behind the drive gear on the clutch side. Hope this helps.

 

Are you sure it is gas and not coolant? The mechanical seal in the water pump was always a problem on the Zillas. I used to have to replace mine once a year.