ninjette.org - View Single Post

Burphel · August 19th, 2016, 08:46 PM

Background:

Hi all, new member. I've been riding and doing my own maintenance stuff for about 8 years now and track days for 3. Earlier this summer, I decided it was time to do the racing thing. But I also decided that the SV650 I'd been riding was just a bit more bike than I needed and wanted. First off, I'm not that damn fast anyway. Second, I work as a travel nurse and a lighter, more compact bike would make logistics far easier. Also, I'm essentially an independent contractor, so lower-energy crashes are a substantial bonus. I've done a pair of track days on rental Ninjas from Premium Rush and had a blast, so I'm not completely jumping in blind going to the new platform.

After doing some posts, I found a guy on a local forum who was interested in a trade. He kinda flips insurance totaled bikes as a hobby, but had finished up a Ninja 300 only to find that his Bill of Sale on the frame wasn't notarized and the State wouldn't let him get it titled/registered without it. So, he's got a near-mint Ninjette that would require a fair amount of work to get on the street.

At the same time, he'd also just picked up an SV for commuting/touring the same year/color as my track bike. So the idea of getting a track bike that's almost the same as his street bike tickled him. My SV had been involved in some high-velocity gardening, so we settled on an even trade.

So, here she is: a new-to-me and dang near new to the world 2013 non-ABS Ninja 300.

My plan to start with is to put the old adage that says "suspension first" to the test. I'm a big guy, so trying to do track stuff on stock suspension would be miserable anyway. My original plan was to do springs/emulators and a double-clicker shock. But I've since seen a deal on SBTG for Ohlins NIX cartridges and rear for not much more than I'd expected to pay. So I may go that route. Next up will be SS brake lines and new pads/rotor. Somewhere before my first trackday, a new set of tires will be in order. It's wearing IRC RoadWinners right now. Exhaust/Filter/Tuner/Dyno will wait a few months.

But first, I figure I need to get all the plastic and unnecessary parts off and eBay as much of it as I can. I figure while I'm working on the bike, I'll probably run with a belly pan and number plate and not bother with bodywork until I'm closer to having things sorted out.

My goal for now is to have the suspension and tires on and the bodywork off, and coolant flushed for a track day in September. The local kart track has a practice/race in October, and I'd like to have the brakes and safety wiring done for that. Then over the winter work on fine tuning, intake/exhaust, and bodywork. And ready for semi-serious racing with OMRRA/WMRRA in the spring.

August 19th, 2016, 08:46 PM	#1
Burphel ninjette.org member Name: Brian Location: NW USA Join Date: Aug 2016 Motorcycle(s): Triumph Bonneville, Ninja 300 Posts: 204	Build Thread: Ninja 300 Race Bike Background: Hi all, new member. I've been riding and doing my own maintenance stuff for about 8 years now and track days for 3. Earlier this summer, I decided it was time to do the racing thing. But I also decided that the SV650 I'd been riding was just a bit more bike than I needed and wanted. First off, I'm not that damn fast anyway. Second, I work as a travel nurse and a lighter, more compact bike would make logistics far easier. Also, I'm essentially an independent contractor, so lower-energy crashes are a substantial bonus. I've done a pair of track days on rental Ninjas from Premium Rush and had a blast, so I'm not completely jumping in blind going to the new platform. After doing some posts, I found a guy on a local forum who was interested in a trade. He kinda flips insurance totaled bikes as a hobby, but had finished up a Ninja 300 only to find that his Bill of Sale on the frame wasn't notarized and the State wouldn't let him get it titled/registered without it. So, he's got a near-mint Ninjette that would require a fair amount of work to get on the street. At the same time, he'd also just picked up an SV for commuting/touring the same year/color as my track bike. So the idea of getting a track bike that's almost the same as his street bike tickled him. My SV had been involved in some high-velocity gardening, so we settled on an even trade. So, here she is: a new-to-me and dang near new to the world 2013 non-ABS Ninja 300. My plan to start with is to put the old adage that says "suspension first" to the test. I'm a big guy, so trying to do track stuff on stock suspension would be miserable anyway. My original plan was to do springs/emulators and a double-clicker shock. But I've since seen a deal on SBTG for Ohlins NIX cartridges and rear for not much more than I'd expected to pay. So I may go that route. Next up will be SS brake lines and new pads/rotor. Somewhere before my first trackday, a new set of tires will be in order. It's wearing IRC RoadWinners right now. Exhaust/Filter/Tuner/Dyno will wait a few months. But first, I figure I need to get all the plastic and unnecessary parts off and eBay as much of it as I can. I figure while I'm working on the bike, I'll probably run with a belly pan and number plate and not bother with bodywork until I'm closer to having things sorted out. My goal for now is to have the suspension and tires on and the bodywork off, and coolant flushed for a track day in September. The local kart track has a practice/race in October, and I'd like to have the brakes and safety wiring done for that. Then over the winter work on fine tuning, intake/exhaust, and bodywork. And ready for semi-serious racing with OMRRA/WMRRA in the spring.