Finally home from college!!! That means I get to ride and work on my bike...I've been looking forward to winter break since...well since school started back up. I have a bunch of things that have been awaiting my return to get put on my bike. Well first thing is first...tomorrow Im gunna take it out and do what Ive been waiting for :). Then to get started on the projects for over the break. First will probably be the removel of the snorkel since ive yet to do this:cool:...then of course shim the needles. Next would be the installation of the competition werks fender elimination kit that ive been dying to put on. Then using my pitbull rear stand and vortex swing arm spools to do an oil change :). Then some more riding. Then putting on my new rear cowl cover so complete the clean rear end look. Last week I ordered a set of clear aero flush turn signals with a "carbon fiber" base. Gunna paint the base black...only reason I didnt buy it in black is cause they only had it in amber and I reallllyyyy wanted the clear. Then of course install those bad boys. And then last but not least...polish the lip of the rims (courtesy of kkim's dyi:thumbup:) Then lots more riding and enjoying the warm florida weather before returning to cold jersey for school :(. Cant wait to wake up tomorrow and get started!!

Yeah... what's with life getting in the way of riding and modding the bike. I have the same problem with work.:p

Sounds like an ambitious break. How long before you need to go back? where is home and college? I'd pull the snorkel, shim the needles and then ride for the rest of the break! :D Keep us updated on your projects and if you get stuck, you know where we are.

GL... ahh, youth... it's so wasted on the young. ;)

Yeah... what's with life getting in the way of riding and modding the bike. I have the same problem with work.:p

Sounds like an ambitious break. How long before you need to go back? where is home and college? I'd pull the snorkel, shim the needles and then ride for the rest of the break! :D Keep us updated on your projects and if you get stuck, you know where we are.

GL... ahh, youth... it's so wasted on the young. ;)

Hmm I think its like Jan. 20th I go back or something? I dunno my head is still spinning from finals and my plane was soooo delayed today...damn crazy snow storms...not that youd know about that haha. Home is Boca Raton Florida...about 30 min north of Ft. Lauderdale...and college is at Rutgers University in Jersey...and when i say I'll do all these things its more like ill ride my bike and wash it and think about doing it...and then just decide to ride some more haha....naa but gettin all the hardware I need for my projects at the Depot tomorrow...and of course riding the ninjette over there :D...hopefully lots of pics to come!

Hmm I think its like Jan. 20th I go back or something? I dunno my head is still spinning from finals and my plane was soooo delayed today...damn crazy snow storms...not that youd know about that haha. Home is Boca Raton Florida...about 30 min north of Ft. Lauderdale...and college is at Rutgers University in Jersey...and when i say I'll do all these things its more like ill ride my bike and wash it and think about doing it...and then just decide to ride some more haha....naa but gettin all the hardware I need for my projects at the Depot tomorrow...and of course riding the ninjette over there :D...hopefully lots of pics to come!
smart man to do the snorkel and washers first.:thumbup: You'll love how easy the bike is to ride after that, you won't want to stop for the rest of the break. :ride:

GL!!!

Ok so I was just wondering something. I got aero turn signals for my bike ...and they require drilling two small holes into the fairing to put them in :(. Not really too thrilled about this but I like the way they look. But my dad brought up a good question...with drilling these holes...may I eventually get hairline cracks in the fender due to the vibration of the bike...or am I safe? The instructions for the installation say not to even drill...to use the skinny blade of a scissor and poke it in and twist...I dunno what difference this will make...but wanna get some feedback before I start doing this...whenever that will be.


And Phase 1 of Winter Break Completed...went out for a ride this morning and felt great! :D

Ok so I was just wondering something. I got aero turn signals for my bike ...and they require drilling two small holes into the fairing to put them in :(. Not really too thrilled about this but I like the way they look. But my dad brought up a good question...with drilling these holes...may I eventually get hairline cracks in the fender due to the vibration of the bike...or am I safe? The instructions for the installation say not to even drill...to use the skinny blade of a scissor and poke it in and twist...I dunno what difference this will make...but wanna get some feedback before I start doing this...whenever that will be.


And Phase 1 of Winter Break Completed...went out for a ride this morning and felt great! :D

Were they cautioning against drilling into fiberglass body work, perhaps? Our bikes are abs plastic. I won't say it's okay, but I have read of others that have mounted rear signals in their stock rear panels and haven't complained. Perhaps someone that has drilled holes can actually help you out.


Great job on step 1... frankly, I'm surprised you got past that and are on step 2. :D

Well as we all know...that first never is completed...I've already found 4 reasons to take my bike out in the past 4 houts since I've been up...gunna be a good break :). Just got back from getting all the stuff ill need for the fender elimination,oil change and polishing the rims. I've read various threads about the kind of oil to use...I picked up the shell rotella t synthetic 5w-40 which I understand to be good but I was reading the back and it said a lot of stuff for diesle engines...I did buy the right one right? Haha
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Well as we all know...that first never is completed...I've already found 4 reasons to take my bike out in the past 4 houts since I've been up...gunna be a good break :). Just got back from getting all the stuff ill need for the fender elimination,oil change and polishing the rims. I've read various threads about the kind of oil to use...I picked up the shell rotella t synthetic 5w-40 which I understand to be good but I was reading the back and it said a lot of stuff for diesle engines...I did buy the right one right? Haha
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Rotella 5w-40, yeah, that's the right stuff, but how many miles do you have on your bike? I wouldn't recommend a full synth oil until you acquire some miles and are done w/ break in.

you get the shims done already?

Bout to break 1000 miles on the bike...so I figured I was pretty safe with the synth. Right? Didn't do the shims yet...after lunch gunna take off the snorkel and see if I even need to shim...bike runs great stock without it...never had any problems other people have said they have had but we'll see once the snorkel comes off. Will let ya guys know how it goes
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Bout to break 1000 miles on the bike...so I figured I was pretty safe with the synth. Right? Didn't do the shims yet...after lunch gunna take off the snorkel and see if I even need to shim...bike runs great stock without it...never had any problems other people have said they have had but we'll see once the snorkel comes off. Will let ya guys know how it goes
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You should be fine at 1K miles for the synth.

After you remove the snorkel, see if the bike has a hard time maintaining a smooth throttle setting in 6th doing about 50-60. Mine had a bad hiccup around there even with one shim. My bike was set up really bad from the factory. :(

So done for the day...only cause the sun went down :(. Installed the Comp. Werks fender eliminator and removed the snorkel. And I must say wow...just removing the snorkel the bike sounds soooo nice. Didn't get to ride it after the snorkel was removed cause then I hada do the fender removal. Bike isnt exactly 100% put back together yet cause ran into some issues while doing the fender. Droping washers and bolts into little crevaces and things of that nature. Used the pitbull rear stand today...just cause I wanted to play with it cause its new...and what a fine piece of metal I must say, deff worth the money. Ill have the before and after pics up tomorrow. Cant wait to get it back together and hop on for a ride...supposed to be 82 degrees:D Great riding weather :thumbup:

Got the bike all put back together today. Looks great without the fender and sounds amazing without the snorkel. Put about 40 miles on it to see if it needed to be shimmed. Idle was fine...started right up with no choke and after putting my gear on it was all ready to ride. Power felt a little flat between 3500 and 5000 but after that it felt great and above 7000 it felt like it had more punch...though that coulda just been the increased intake whoosh playing tricks on my mind :rolleyes:. So i dont think im gunna shim...atleast not until I get my full exhaust but thats not for a while. Tonights the first night of presents for Hanukkah :israel: and I think my rear seat cowl is in the large kawasaki box my girlfriend got sent to my house :D

So i got the seat cowl like I thought I would. Put it on anddddd....

disappointed :(. The seat is secure and its not going anywhere but it has an extremely large gap between the seat cover and the rest of the bike...


As you can see from the pictures the gap is so big I can stick my finger underneath the seat cover without even trying. Im really hoping Kawasaki would not make a piece with horrible fitment like this...so Im really hoping I screwed something up. Can someone please help meee

Something doesn't seem right. The cowl doesn't sit exactly flush on ours, but there's no more than a 1/4" gap, and probably closer to an 1/8" gap. Can't fit a finger in there, or even half a finger in there. Check the rubber bumpers and make sure you put them on with the correct orientation.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_geC920GCq38/SQoZGtO11eI/AAAAAAAABo8/dtBNeO4z-3U/s640/DSC04758-1.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_geC920GCq38/SQoZD-rk2bI/AAAAAAAABok/GMQVSHh5Ldw/s640/DSC04755-1.JPG

Something doesn't seem right. The cowl doesn't sit exactly flush on ours, but there's no more than a 1/4" gap, and probably closer to an 1/8" gap. Can't fit a finger in there, or even half a finger in there. Check the rubber bumpers and make sure you put them on with the correct orientation.

I dunno, I might be changing my mind. Here's another pic of ours. It looks wider in this pic than it just did to me in the garage, and I couldn't fit a finger. But it doesn't look too dissimilar from yours. :idunno:

http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/photos/355777528_wMziZ-L-1.jpg

Well I think I follwed the instructions and I don't see another way of putting the bumpers on. Ill take a pic at half time of the giants game and post it
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Well I think I follwed the instructions and I don't see another way of putting the bumpers on. Ill take a pic at half time of the giants game and post it
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What is meant by putting the bumpers on wrong is putting the fronts on the back and vice-versa. The gap on the seat cowl drastically varies and it seems the quality assurance from Kawi on them... Is kind of weak sauce :D Some people have bent the mounts for them to get them to fit more flush. I'm thinking one side can be shimmed down with washers? I'll have to double-check

Just checked...the larger rubbers are towards the front on the metal bracket and the smaller ones are in the back. Pretty sure this is the way they are supposed to be. Comparing mine to kkims it seems to be the same size gap. I dunno I guess I was hoping for a fitment as good as the seat. I dunno if bending the metal bracket will make a difference. It seems more the large rubbers are too tall?

just double checked mine and it's large in the front, small in the back.

There are ways that you could make it fit better, but why obsess? I bet before you got yours and looked at other bikes, you never noticed this. :D

Why obsess...come on is that even a question haha. I dunno I may try to make it fit better...ill leave it for a couple days and see if it still bothers me.
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Well went to a motorsports dealership today to pick up a riding jacket since its gettin a little nippy here (72 degrees:rolleyes:) and everyone is having huge holiday sales. So got my jacket and some anti-corrosive spray to spray on my engine, and other metal parts on my bike since I live pretty close to the ocean. Also picked up a Vortex 15 tooth front sprocket...on sale for 8 buckss!!! Ive wanted to try this...and for 8 bucks if I dont like it I can always switch back...no biggie. Started talkin to one of the guys there about my new rear seat cowl(didnt get it from there) and they said something def. didnt sound right and to bring it in (didnt ride my bike over). So ill probably bring it by in the next couple days to have them check it out. The gap didnt annoy me that much today, but when I washed and waxed my bike a lotttt of water got underneath it and I didnt even point the hose directly at the cowl and wasnt using high pressure. I dunno we'll see.

Probably be puttin on the 15 tooth sprocket in the next couple days...Ill post how I feel about it...hopefully I'll get a useful first gear :thumbup:

So i think I need to shim :rolleyes:. Took my bike out this morning just for a quick little ride around the block before breakfast...great way to wake up. It was a little cooler than its been here in south Florida...about 68 I would say? Started the bike up...the idle was horibble...barley getting over 1000 and it bogged out twice. Eventually it warmed up and I was able to go. Yet whenever I jumped on the throttle below 6000 rpm the bike felt dead and in a couple instances felt like it may even stall :(. Yet above 6000 the bike came alive and ripped pretty hard...well hard for a 250 (which is fine by me). So it feels like it needs to be shimmed but if its running lean below 6000 and fine above 6000, wouldnt shimming make it fine under 6000 and rich above?

So i think I need to shim :rolleyes:. Took my bike out this morning just for a quick little ride around the block before breakfast...great way to wake up. It was a little cooler than its been here in south Florida...about 68 I would say? Started the bike up...the idle was horibble...barley getting over 1000 and it bogged out twice. Eventually it warmed up and I was able to go. Yet whenever I jumped on the throttle below 6000 rpm the bike felt dead and in a couple instances felt like it may even stall :(. Yet above 6000 the bike came alive and ripped pretty hard...well hard for a 250 (which is fine by me). So it feels like it needs to be shimmed but if its running lean below 6000 and fine above 6000, wouldnt shimming make it fine under 6000 and rich above?

I shimmed and was running 2 washers under each needle. Bike was running fine so I decided to pull the snorkel to get a little more top end power. After doing so I experienced about the same problem that you are now (but I was riding in high 30 - low 40 degree weather), so I just put the snorkel back in. To me, it sounds like if you'd like to keep the snorkel out shimming would help you.

I now open the stage to Master Kelly..

Also, lots to cool projects you have planned this winter!

So i think I need to shim :rolleyes:. Took my bike out this morning just for a quick little ride around the block before breakfast...great way to wake up. It was a little cooler than its been here in south Florida...about 68 I would say? Started the bike up...the idle was horibble...barley getting over 1000 and it bogged out twice. Eventually it warmed up and I was able to go. Yet whenever I jumped on the throttle below 6000 rpm the bike felt dead and in a couple instances felt like it may even stall :(. Yet above 6000 the bike came alive and ripped pretty hard...well hard for a 250 (which is fine by me). So it feels like it needs to be shimmed but if its running lean below 6000 and fine above 6000, wouldnt shimming make it fine under 6000 and rich above? try a shim or 2.. doesn't cost anything but time and a few cents for the washers. If it works, you've solved your problem. If not, it's completely reversible. :) It does sound like you do need a washer or two, though.

I shimmed and was running 2 washers under each needle. Bike was running fine so I decided to pull the snorkel to get a little more top end power. After doing so I experienced about the same problem that you are now (but I was riding in high 30 - low 40 degree weather), so I just put the snorkel back in. To me, it sounds like if you'd like to keep the snorkel out shimming would help you.

you know what your cure is... add another washer. :)

you know what your cure is... add another washer. :)

Yeah but i just didnt have the time back then and now I dont have the bike. I'm almost positive I'll be getting an aftermarket exhaust this summer, so i'll wait til then to do carb tuning/jetting.

M-Oorb, In reference to your question about drilling ABS Plastic, the best advice I can give you is this: I have a lot of experience with fiberglass, having owned several fiberglass cars and boats. ABS Plastic has a lot of the same characteristics. My advice would be to go ahead and drill. Go to your hardware store and get a nylon fender washer--thats a washer with a hole the size you are drilling but with lots of body. After you drill your hole, either Super Glue the washer to the inside of the fairing or hold it in place with Silicone Caulk. Use a smaller washer for the acessory you mount to preserve aesthetics. By making this "sandwich" you can be assured that cracking from vibration will not happen. I would use the silicone caulk on both ends and be easy on the torque. Twenty Four hours later, I would snug things up--again, you don`t need to tighten things a lot.

M-Oorb, In reference to your question about drilling ABS Plastic, the best advice I can give you is this: I have a lot of experience with fiberglass, having owned several fiberglass cars and boats. ABS Plastic has a lot of the same characteristics. My advice would be to go ahead and drill. Go to your hardware store and get a nylon fender washer--thats a washer with a hole the size you are drilling but with lots of body. After you drill your hole, either Super Glue the washer to the inside of the fairing or hold it in place with Silicone Caulk. Use a smaller washer for the acessory you mount to preserve aesthetics. By making this "sandwich" you can be assured that cracking from vibration will not happen. I would use the silicone caulk on both ends and be easy on the torque. Twenty Four hours later, I would snug things up--again, you don`t need to tighten things a lot.

Another keen tidbit is masking tape! I don't drill painted surfaces, powder-coated surfaces, plastic, fiberglass, etc. without really adhering a piece of masking take over it first! It keeps everything 'put' so it seems.After you drill just peel the tape off and you usually have a very clean hole (something tells me that is going to get taken out of context :D )

Another keen tidbit is masking tape! I don't drill painted surfaces, powder-coated surfaces, plastic, fiberglass, etc. without really adhering a piece of masking take over it first! It keeps everything 'put' so it seems.After you drill just peel the tape off and you usually have a very clean hole (something tells me that is going to get taken out of context :D )

:tape2:

:tape2:

:heh: I'm not going to drill your mouth kkim! :D

:heh: I'm not going to drill your mouth kkim! :D

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Whoa whoa whoaaaa guys lets keep this a little clean why dont we.Alex and Vex...thanks for the help...put all my fears aside. I dunno if I wanna put this new turn signal in though:(. It seems kinda long...I dunno I'll post up some pics tomorrow so maybe I can get some feedback...but if I do do it(haha thats kinda funny...I said dodo) Ill def. use your guys advice. And to the hardware store we go tomorrow for some washersss. Thanks for all the help guys...thats why this forum kicks some serious ass:thumbup:

So im off to go get washers to finally shim the needles on my carb. I think ive done enough research on the subject to finally try to do this. But before I do this I wanna post an issue ive been having on my bike. When the bike starts it idles at about 1300 rpm. After some stop and go traffic...like light to light...once I stop at a light my idle will be about 2300 to 2500 rpm. Yet when I drive a further distance without stopping...say 10 min...and I do stop at another light idle will return to about 1500. Now I know our bikes are supposed to idle at about 1300 rpm and that 1500 is ok but that 2300 is way high. Now some background as I do not know what is relevant with this high idle. Bike has 1002 miles on it. Had a kawi dealer do the 600 mile service and haven't done oil change since. Only engine mod is a snorkel removal...as I said I haven't shimmed yet. I do mostly stop and go traffic and don't really go on the highways like 95 or the turnpike(if you know the roads here in south florida...the blue hairs are crazy drivers as it is...at highway speeds they are nuts.). Um nothing else seems wrong with the engine other then it being practically dead below 5000rpm...thats why im shimming. Dont really remember the idle being like this before I removed the snorkel...it may have been. And also when its a lot of stop and go and the idle is higher...I do not hear the fan coming on(as this is what I thought it originally was...that the extra power needed to power my fan raised the idle...like having the ac on in a car). I hope when I come back from Home Depot with some washers someone can help me out :(. Sorry for the long post...thanks for the help guys!

Yeah, that 2300-2500 idle is way too high. When it does that, if you sit and blip the throttle, does it come back down to the normal 1300-1500?

It may be related to the snorkel removal, but I had no such issues when I removed mine. Your idle should return to your preset idle rpm once the bike is fully warmed up.

I would recommend you proceed with the shimming and see if the extra washers makes a difference with your idling instability. Sorry, do you have any exhaust mods at this point? Trying to help you determine how many washers to start with.

Good luck Matt! Shoot me a PM if you have any questions - I plan to be around this afternoon :)

Matt - is your choke completely off when the idle is going higher than you'd like?

Kkim...no exhaust mods...think im gunna start with 1 washer on each and see how that goes. When I blip the throttle it doesnt go back down to where its supposed to be :(. And Alex...the choke is all the way off :(

And thanks kim I will! I was looking for various stuff at home depot for other stuff and no one in that store knew where anything was I was getting so frustrated...just wanted to get home and shim! And for some reason I thought the packaging on the washers would state sizes...I was looking for .025 with an 1/8 in hole...read on kf that those were the right ones...and all I got were numbers. So just to be sure I bought one package of #6 and one of #8...anyone wanna tell me which are the right ones before I start :). Hoping shimming will alleviate my high idle problem and not make it worse...could it make it worse?

Just to let you know, I started off with one, but when I then removed the snorkel, the bike ran lean and I had to add another. To save time, I'd recommend you start off with 2 washers. If it's too much, you'll have to take one out, but that will be the same amount of work if you added one first and needed still another one.

With regard to the washers, use the ones which the hole in the washer is just big enough so the needle will go through.

I doubt your idle problem will get worse. I feel the "stuck" idle is being caused by the slightly lean condition the snorkel removal brought about.

Thanks to Noche Caliente who found out I was using the wrong sized washers for the job...went to radio shack to pick up the right ones. Just in case anyone needs any reference if they are going to shim and havent yet...the washer size needed is #4. So im gunna shim now and hopefully the idle goes away....

To be continued...

So with my fairings off I noticed that my coolant level was a little low...just a the L line. This is probably the kawi dealers fault because the first day I had it, it had fallen over in my garage due to the dealership installing the kickstand wrong!! So im thinking some coolant came out on the fall and when I took it back they never filled it back up(haven't been back to THAT dealership since). So is it ok to mix different brands of coolant...cause I know with some fluids you cant. Thanks!

If it is reading low when the bike is sitting level, you can add some distilled water to bring it up between the H & L lines.

So I dont need to add a mixture? Just distilled water is fine? Any added benefit to adding the coolant mixture?

It's already a mixture of distilled water and coolant. You don't add straight coolant into any cooling system (unless it has been pre-diluted, and some places are selling it this way now as they realize they can make a profit on that 50 cents worth of distilled water). For such a tiny amount as you're talking about (to bring something a little below the L line in the overflow reservoir up a little bit), you're not changing the ratio of coolant to distilled water in the least.

Thanks for the help...I'll head out now to pick some up...I wont be done shimming till the end of the day at the rate this is going :rolleyes:

Shim it now... you can always add the distilled water later.

So finished shimming. All the hard work is done...and my luck is I lose something :(. Dropped one of the clamps that holds one of the smaller lines in place. Looked in every nook and crany and all around the bike...its run away. So now on my way to home depot to pick up another and get this tank back on to test it out. Biggest pain in the whole process(minus the missing clamp) was getting those needles out without touching the diaphram...good thing I was so good at operation as a kid
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for the little clamps that you lost, you can use small tie wraps. you'll need to cut the wraps every time you want to take the hose off, though.

those clamps are easy to lose and easily fall off the end of the hose... I try to remember to push it way up the hose, once I take the hose off, so I don't lose them.

start the bike up... does it warm up easier?

SCORE!! Bike all done...well kinda...plastics are still off. Added one washer under each needle(Kkim I know you told me to do 2...we'll get to that soon) That whole process wasn't hard at all and I'm very proud of myself for accomplishing it as this is really the first time I screwed around with the engine of anything...except for my little Goped :). Went to home depot and Advanced Auto Parts...neither had the clamp I had lost but what I did buy was those screw clamps you use for stainless steel lines...got one small enough and works great. Started the bike right up...idle was great from the get go. Rev'ed the throttle hard...as this is where my problem was(Would kinda stick at 2500 and feel like it was gunna bog out). Rev'ed all the way up!!!:D. Slight hesitation though...so 2 washers was probably the right way to go...Kkim was right. Though because I was 20 that I knew everything...guess not though :rolleyes:. Took the bike out around the block...didnt wanna take it out on the street cause all the plastics were still off...and boy did those washers help. Bike runs great and that idle problem...pshhh what idle problem. Thanks to everyone for helpin me out:thumbup:

While I was shimming today also did some other stuff. Sprayed my "carbon fiber" turn signals gloss black(3 coats) plus 2 coats of clear to protect.(P.S. Kkim...I think I remember you saying I can spray the bulbs silver so the whole lens would look clear but they would still light up amber...am I correct?) While I had all the plastic off sprayed down all the metal on my bike with anti-corrosive spray to protect it from the salty south florida air. Didn't get a chance to get that distilled water because Kkim practically yelled at me to finish my shimming :rolleyes:. And that was about it for the day. Tomorrow I'll put that second washer back on, install the new turn signals and then pick up some distilled water to top off my coolant. Overall a very good day.


Again thanks to everyone who helped me out:thumbup:

lol... didn't yell at ya... just was emphasizing that shimming was so much more important at this point than topping off the coolant. If you still have the plastics off, you may want to consider putting the second washer in there, then test ride. :)

It's not about being right about the number of washers as each bike differs. I was just offering a starting point on how many to use.

FWIW, you can still ride the bike w/o the bottom fairings on. Your turn signals won't work, but you can use hand signals to substitute. I always test run my bike before I go through putting the plastics back on.


Yep, that was me about spraying the bulbs silver... good memory. ;)

Im def gunna put the 2nd washer on tomorrow...just wanted to relax by the pool today with a beer and soak up some sun :dancecool:

Just realized I never posted any pics of my bike before break and where I am at now...So without further to do I present El Toro Verde!!

Got the name cause my bike is green and my bull sticker on the gas tank. Got the sticker in Spain when I visited this summer and everyyoneee there had one on their bike or scooter...so I decided to import it over :).

Mods so far are limited to a fender removal, shimmed, snorkal removal, bull sticker, brake modulator, and seat cowl cover. By the end of the break I wanna polish my rims and add my black sorta flush turn signals.

so, did you put in the second washer? :)