Hi,

My name is Santiago. I currently own an 09 Ninja 250r. My first motorcycle which I started riding late 2010. I have already gone through a couple mechanics in my area that resulted in a full engine rebuild and a host of other issues, so I have decided that I would figure out how to do things myself. I currently have a front right leaky fork and have decided to jump into this forum so I can use its resources for repairing that as well as any other future issues.

I hope to one day own this motorcycle:
http://www.crs-motorcycles.com/en/portfolio/duu/

thats about it.

Ambitious. Welcome aboard!

Welcome, Santiago from San Diego! Making your own repairs involves discipline, knowledge and skill. You will find it satisfying and practical when you are not at the mercy of the shops. There are plenty of us here who do all of our own work and can help you!

Welcome :)
But I'm curious on what a couple mechanics could screw up so bad that a 3year old bike would already have needed a rebuild?

A bad oil change. The mechanic left out the O-ring on the oil cap and somehow managed to disconnect the oil sensor from the instrument cluster while changeing healight bulb. I did not notice because I got back on in a hurry to get from San Diego to LA. it was my own fault to not have checked everything before I left the shop. Needless to say, the oil found its way out during my ride and I felt a demon come to life between my legs. The engine shut down, did not respond to the key, throttle or start (before i realized what had happened) and I didnt have enough time to make it to the ride side of the road because i was decelerating so quickly. I got stuck on the center divide and when I got off the bike I noticed a wet reflective sheen on the rear tire and underside of the seat. The shop agreed that the mistake was theirs and rebuilt my engine. Since then, i have only taken my bike in for a new chain&sprockets + alignment. Ive done my own oil changes and brakes on my own and I hope to add the front fork to that list as well.

Hello and welcome.

Welcome and Hello!

Welcome, my friend.

Welcome! These 250s are some of the easiest engines to work on, just take your time and you can do any repairs you need

Welcome! Wow rotten luck. Good luck with your repairs.

That DUU is off da hook!

Welcome aboard.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=62&pictureid=1195

..........The mechanic left out the O-ring on the oil cap and somehow managed to disconnect the oil sensor from the instrument cluster while changeing healight bulb..........

How clumsy a poor devil can be? :( :( :(

Welcome to Ninjette.org, Santiago !!! :grouphug:

Welcome!

howdy

Welcome! You've come to the right place :)

Welcome, Santiago!

Back before I knew better, San Diego House of Motorcycles on El Cajon Blvd suggested a rivet master link for the chain that I provided and asked them to install. They installed one from a completely different chain. Lubrication failed and it chewed up my new sprockets. Things have never been the same since as I have had problems with every subsequent chain I have installed since (extreme sprocket wear and rollers failing/cracking/falling off). :(

Stark Cycles on Miramar Road KNEW of my problems with SD HoM, was very critical of them, promised to do everything right, ...aaaaand promptly screwed up another new chain:

At the first clean/lube, I noticed that an O ring was broken and hanging out of the chain, only held on because it was barely pinched between two links. The reason why was because they had removed a few extra links before installing but accidentally forced the hollow shaft out of the center while pressing out a pin. There was no room on one side for the O-ring (plate directly against plate) and too much room on the other (couldn't seal). This time I had purchased a chain with a matching rivet link in the first place but that ended up being a problem because replacement master links were not available from the manufacturer. Gah!

Luckily, I don't have to warn you about the dealer that did my valve service because they went out of business the next day.

All I can say is: Watch out for "professionals" in San Diego! No offense, RaceTech Electric. You guys are probably awesome :thumbup:

hi