ninjette.org - View Single Post - Hi, new to motorcycles, please forgive my ignorance

claires-dad · June 7th, 2020, 01:12 AM

Hi, I'm Steve from the Boston MA area. I always wanted to learn how to ride, so I'm scheduled for a class in a couple of weeks and I've picked up a 2001 250r to play with. It hadn't been running for a few years when I bought it, so I'm trying to fix it enough to be safe and reliable.

I started taking parts off to try to get things going. The carbs are on their way back from ducatiman. I've installed a new battery and replaced the broken handlebars and throttle cables. I'm waiting for new brake lines, choke cable, clutch cable, and horn to arrive. I put in new spark plugs, and will replace the oil/oil filter/coolant when I can pick up new fluids. I'll put in new brake fluid when I replace the brake hoses, and probably brake pads too at the same time.

I've got the fairings off now, and I'll see if I can repair cracks and replace missing chunks well enough to mount the turn signals. I probably won't get too carried away with how they look, as long as they're solid enough while I'm learning how to ride.

One question for now - with the fairings removed, everything looks pretty dirty. The bike has a little over 14K miles, so I don't expect it to look like new, but I was wondering if there's a good way to clean off the parts that are normally out of sight. I have some Maxima BioWash around, but I didn't want to spray the bike with a hose if that's a bad idea (especially the wiring connectors). I'd appreciate any suggestions on how to clean it up, or with anything else I should check/replace. Thanks!

June 7th, 2020, 01:12 AM	#1
claires-dad ninjette.org newbie Name: Steve Location: Boston MA Join Date: May 2020 Motorcycle(s): 2001 250r Posts: 9	Hi, new to motorcycles, please forgive my ignorance Hi, I'm Steve from the Boston MA area. I always wanted to learn how to ride, so I'm scheduled for a class in a couple of weeks and I've picked up a 2001 250r to play with. It hadn't been running for a few years when I bought it, so I'm trying to fix it enough to be safe and reliable. I started taking parts off to try to get things going. The carbs are on their way back from ducatiman. I've installed a new battery and replaced the broken handlebars and throttle cables. I'm waiting for new brake lines, choke cable, clutch cable, and horn to arrive. I put in new spark plugs, and will replace the oil/oil filter/coolant when I can pick up new fluids. I'll put in new brake fluid when I replace the brake hoses, and probably brake pads too at the same time. I've got the fairings off now, and I'll see if I can repair cracks and replace missing chunks well enough to mount the turn signals. I probably won't get too carried away with how they look, as long as they're solid enough while I'm learning how to ride. One question for now - with the fairings removed, everything looks pretty dirty. The bike has a little over 14K miles, so I don't expect it to look like new, but I was wondering if there's a good way to clean off the parts that are normally out of sight. I have some Maxima BioWash around, but I didn't want to spray the bike with a hose if that's a bad idea (especially the wiring connectors). I'd appreciate any suggestions on how to clean it up, or with anything else I should check/replace. Thanks!