tomorrow marks the end of my 2nd year of riding motorcycles on the street. yay i've survived so far! i always like looking back and reading or remembering how i thought about things then. hopefully years down the road i'll look back at this and laugh at how silly and stupid i was.

It kind-of amazes me how different i think of motorcycles now vs before i started riding. i never really understood the whole "open road freedom" thing before. "open road? hows it different from being in a car with the windows down?" i would think. "freedom? i'm free to go places in my car!"... hah. when i thought of motorcycling i would think of the skills required for operating a two wheeled vehicle. i would think of how great super sports looked. back then, i don't think i would have ever considered getting an older bike. it used to be "kz1000? you mean that ugly old kawi that kinda looks like a harley?" now it's "kz1000, that beautiful beast of a...

I am very excited for this weekend. I am taking a trip with 2 other Ninja's (500r and ZX6-636) to Waldport, OR. It's a coastal town. We scored a sweet little cabin to stay for one night.

The plan is as follows:

Friday Night
Install my new mods. Wash and polish the bikes. Top on any fluids. General maintainance checks. Take some shots, hang out, go to bed early to get up early.

Saturday
Head out to Aumsville for the Aumsville Corn Festival. ( yeee haw!)



Stay, check out the vendors, eat some free corn on the cob! Maybe do some contest. There are so many corn fields in my small town that we give as much away as possible one day a year. It's worth it. I usually leave with a couple bags full. Yum. Leave, go to my house. Neighbors are having a huge rummage sale, see what I can find... Leave town towards...

Hi,
Has anyone ever ordered / purchased from intobikes.co.uk? how reliable are they?

When I was shopping on craigslist I did come across a few cheap 250's that had new control panels (whatever they're called) installed becuase they had been stolen and returned. It made me scared. I always make sure to lock it up, so if someone tries to roll it away first they'll only go in circles.

Sunday July 16th, 8:30am I decided to attempt and do a rejet rather than playing the dealership about $350 to do one. This was the first time I would be taking the gas tank off, taking the carbs out, do any carb work, and messing with that airbox.

Took off the fairings without issue (done this a few times already). Got the gas tank off without issue.. but it would have been nice if I planned ahead and not put a full tank in the day before.

And than I saw the carbs... jammed between the airbox and the engine.. I couldn't figure out how to get the dang things out with that airbox in the way so I proceeded to look on the internet.. Someone suggested I move the airbox back so I tried that.

Just about taking everything off the rear that I possibly could, I was able to move it back and get the carbs out! Now I drained them and started to take apart the caps(?). Using my specialty JES bits... the stupid screws STILL started to strip! Luckily I got...

Hey guys I'm very new to all of this but I purchased a Jardine Fender Eliminator for my 2011 250r... I don't wanna get into the project and not have the right tools for it.. So basically what kind of tools do I need? and I've been reading about how you have to put lights to light up your license plate... any suggestions of what kind to buy?

oh ya and girl terms please.. I don't have a man in my life to help me with this... lol.

Performance/Comfort:
-120 Pirelli Rosso II front
-140 Pirelli Rosso II rear
-Zero Gravity double bubble windscreen
-Sportisimoto VR Carbon FSE
-Factory Pro Stage 3 jet kit
* 115 main jet
* 40 pilot jet
* clip in 3rd position two washers on top
-K&N Pods (R 0990)
-Block off plate
-EBC HH pads front
-EBC GG pads rear
-EBC clutch springs
-adjustable short clutch lever
-adjustable short brake
-A/L Rear set adjusters
-Pit Bull 14/45 sprockets
-EK 520SRX quadra x-ring chain (gold)
-Woodcraft clip-ons (black)
-Pro Grips 838 Road and Trial Grips
-Race Tech fork springs

Cosmetic:
-Koso RX-2 GP Gauge with custom bracket/voltmeter
-OEM rear cowl
-Flush Mount LED front turn signals
-ZX2-R decals
-GT5 decals
-Brake light modulator
-Keiti Swingarm Spools (red)
-custom...

At a recent trip to the ENT doctor, I was diagnosed with moderate hearing damage to the hearing in my right ear. The doctor believes that the damage may be related to years of riding.

The irony is that I'm wearing earplugs for the first time on my ninjette, for about 6 months before my diagnosis, after riding for a number of years on other bikes without. Apart from protecting my hearing, the difference in my riding is marked. Noise is stressful, and I ride more relaxed. I was really surprised at how much more enjoyable riding is with the earplugs. Here is a study on it if you are interested: Noise Induced Stress. My previous fears of not hearing the road, other traffic, emergency vehicles were without basis - you hear them fine - better with earplugs than you do inside a car without earplugs. The plugs just take the edge off the wind/traffic/exhaust noise. I use the Moldex PuraFit 6800 disposable. Dead cheap at $20 for a box of 200, and they get good reviews. And...