Leaving again!

[Jono]

@choneofakind Probably keep it as a spare. I'll look for a set of gears!



I went for a great ride yesterday in the 64 degree weather. Put on about 120ish miles with no issues. So far, so good. Lets hope it stays that way. I don't know when I'll be able to ride next, looks like it's going to be COLD for a while now.

[Roark]

Originally Posted by Jono

@choneofakind Probably keep it as a spare. I'll look for a set of gears!



I went for a great ride yesterday in the 64 degree weather. Put on about 120ish miles with no issues. So far, so good. Lets hope it stays that way. I don't know when I'll be able to ride next, looks like it's going to be COLD for a while now.

Where are your favorite places to ride? I don't recognize that stretch of road..

[Jono]

Originally Posted by Roark

Where are your favorite places to ride? I don't recognize that stretch of road..

Yeah that stretch of road is actually a dead end. It's at MIR. Stopped to switch bikes and piss. Haha.

I like to ride basically everywhere outside of the city. Really like taking the backroads out to Shelby Forest. There are a lot of roads out there that I need to discover. And now that the SV is back up and running I can do that when warmer temps arrive. The KLX's range is just a bit too short to feel comfortable doing so.

If you are ever in town I'll show you some cool roads!

[choneofakind]

It's currently 0 with a stiff 20+ sustained wind here. That picture is making me a little jealous. She's got a nice backside

[Roark]

You know, I actually do think I recognize that stretch.. A friend of mine and I go to the Midnight Madness and drag racing events at MIR. Coincidentally, he has an 02 Ninjette! We'll definitely have to ride in the coming months..

[Jono]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

It's currently 0 with a stiff 20+ sustained wind here. That picture is making me a little jealous. She's got a nice backside

No thanks! It's now in the 30's and we are under a winter storm warning for tonight/tomorrow. You know the saying, "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes." It's kinda like that here in Memphis. Just wait a day and it'll be a different season. Haha.

Yeah, shes not too shabby.

Originally Posted by Roark

You know, I actually do think I recognize that stretch.. A friend of mine and I go to the Midnight Madness and drag racing events at MIR. Coincidentally, he has an 02 Ninjette! We'll definitely have to ride in the coming months..

Nice! Y'all should make a pass on a test n tune night. See who is quicker.

[Jono]

After 2 weeks of crappy weather, I finally got to ride the SV again. It was a brisk 47 degrees but I had to ride. Still no problems!

[Finesse]

Yay!!! You're making me want to ride mine!!

[Roark]

Loving this weather, huh??

[Jono]

Originally Posted by Roark

Loving this weather, huh??

It's getting there! I like it to be at least near the 50's in the morning if I ride to work. Oh, and dry.

[Roark]

Originally Posted by Jono

It's getting there! I like it to be at least near the 50's in the morning if I ride to work. Oh, and dry.

Oh yeah... I was in Memphis this past weekend for my mom's birthday, and man o man, was the weather perfect. Sunday was like 67F and sunny!! Man, it was perfect. I rode nearly 120 miles that day!!

[Jono]

@Roark Oh it sure was! Went for a similar distance ride with a friend.

[Jono]

Ordered TechSpec Snake Skin Tank Pads and Woodcraft Frame sliders today.

[Jono]

Sliders and tanks grips installed!




I think I may dip the wheels black. Should look good.

[Finesse]

@Jono don't do that!!! you can buy used OEM black ones. that's what I ended up doing. a fair price is around $80 for each rim in good condition and it will save you hassle plus it will look a lot better. and you can sell your silver ones or keep them around in case anything happens. black will look better but they made it from the factory so I would go with that before I changed the color myself. plastidip won't hold up well especially when it comes time to change the tire (read - wont hold up at all and will definitely start peeling off) and paint will chip. I'm really happy with my OEM ones. big improvement from silver to black and only work was swapping the tire.

[Jono]

@Finesse That'll be the end goal if I like the looks of the black wheels. 2 cans of plasti dip is a cheap way to see if it's actually worth the $200. I would actually like to get a new front rim because it does have a small dent on one side of the rim. Was like that when I bought it. Tire holds air and is well balanced but it's still always in the back of my mind. All 03+ rims will work, correct?

[Finesse]

it's definitely worth it. black will look a lot better, I think it pretty much always does for wheels.

all 03+ that are not ABS. I have a 2006 on the front and a 2008 non ABS on the rear, both fit with 0 issues and came with good bearings but if they dont come with good bearings you gotta get a set from allballs racing. HINT do NOT type in what you think that company's website would be. just google it. trust me on that

[Jono]

@Finesse Oh right, forgot some later models had the ABS option.

Thanks for the heads up on the balls! I'm a fan of black wheels too. Easier to keep clean, or should I say, Easier to leave dirty.

[Finesse]

haha yeah! your bike would also probably look great with white wheels. I'm planning on painting my moped wheels white but they're a LOT easier to clean.

[Jono]

I could rock white wheels, but I don't have the time to keep them clean.

[Finesse]

cant go wrong with black wheels

[jkv45]

Because there's significant shipping costs involved in purchasing and re-selling wheels, I would consider having yours powder coated instead. That will usually be about $100 each or there about. Be careful of shops charging half that, there's usually a reason they are so cheap.

You do need to replace the bearings if you have the wheels coated. When done properly, a quality powder coating job will be even more durable than the OEM coating (which is paint).

I recently coated a set of FZ-09 wheels in matte black. Customer didn't care for the OEM color he called "Blurple" (blue/purple).



I may be able to find you a good local coater if you decide to go that route.


Jay
www.apexcustomcoating.com

[Jono]

Yeah, powder coat would probably be best, but I'm gonna first dip them to see how they look in black.

[Jono]

I got tired of wiping away leaking fork oil after every ride so I replaced my seals. I waited this long mainly because I wanted to make sure the new engine is going to stay running strong before I put more money into this bike.

When I bought the bike in Sept. I was told that the fork seals where replaced but the day I rode the bike home I noticed they already had a slow leak. It wasn't that bad so I just dealt with it.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago. Ordered OEM Fork seals, dust covers, 15W oil, and other stuff. Took the forks apart and found out the top bushing was bad. Or so I thought.




The service manual said that the bushings are worn if "the grey teflon coating has rubbed off to reveal the copper surface." But then when the new top bushings arrived they were copper. WTF?!



I just decided to put it all back together hoping everything wouldn't leak. And so far so good! Fork seals are staying dry and the front end feels much better with the proper level and 15W oil.

My guess why the old fork seals were leaking was becuase they were a cheap brand. They where K&S brand and looked to be pretty new so I believe that the guy I bought the bike from did change the seals but unfortunately he bought from a crappy aftermarket brand.

I went the OEM route because I KNOW they would seal. It's worth spending a little more money for fork seals that you know will work.

[Finesse]

the teflon surface is on the inside of the outer bushing, and on the outside of the inner bushing. you want to check the OUTER side of the bushing that fits in the little groove, and the INNER side of the bushing that simply slides in the fork underneath the fork seal.

if your fork seals were leaking after being replaced, it wasn't done right. it's a very precise job to do, and without having the right tools it's almost guaranteed not to work.

what tools did you end up using for the job?

[Jono]

Originally Posted by Finesse

the teflon surface is on the inside of the outer bushing, and on the outside of the inner bushing. you want to check the OUTER side of the bushing that fits in the little groove, and the INNER side of the bushing that simply slides in the fork underneath the fork seal.

if your fork seals were leaking after being replaced, it wasn't done right. it's a very precise job to do, and without having the right tools it's almost guaranteed not to work.

what tools did you end up using for the job?

I mean, I used the new top bushing I bought. And the bottom one should be fine. They were leaking when I bought the bike because the dude who replace the fork seals before I bought the bike used a ****** brand. Comparing the seals to the OEM ones revealed this. They were somewhat similar but had a different design and the rubber felt harder on the leaky ones.

The work I did fixed everything. Use OEM fork seals people.

All I used was a pvc pipe and 2x4 to hammer in the new seals. Worked great! No need to buy a $40+ fork seal driver.

[Finesse]

awesome. glad it worked! post more pics of you out riding that thing! anything else planned? do a radial mc!

[Jono]

Originally Posted by Finesse

awesome. glad it worked! post more pics of you out riding that thing! anything else planned? do a radial mc!

My plans just involve riding it!!! Improved braking would be nice but I'd rather start putting my money towards a bike with better suspension and brakes from the factory. Is the radial master cylinder swap cheap and easy? Haven't done any research on braking improvements to this bike.

[sharky nrk]

Originally Posted by Jono

My plans just involve riding it!!! Improved braking would be nice but I'd rather start putting my money towards a bike with better suspension and brakes from the factory. Is the radial master cylinder swap cheap and easy? Haven't done any research on braking improvements to this bike.

The hardest part will be bleeding the system. The swap it pretty dang easy. But personally I would take a look at steel lines/ pads/ and a bleed long before swapping the costlier hard parts.

[Finesse]

the radial mc is the best mod besides heated grips I've done to mine. it's super easy. just make sure your brake lines aren't kinked or catching when you re-route them and the connector for the brake light switch won't be the same size, but I just took the pins out and stuck them right on so my light works. it makes a MASSIVE difference in braking performance without having to change the calipers, rotors, pads, or lines. it'll run you around $100. I recommend the stock R1 06+ brembo. its the cheapest stock brembo radial and there are plenty of them used on ebay.

[sharky nrk]

Originally Posted by Finesse

the radial mc is the best mod besides heated grips I've done to mine

not arguing that a nice radial m/c is not a good mod, but the best, top end m/c will still feel like absolute poop with a poor bleed/old fluid/junk pads

[Finesse]

not arguing that a nice radial m/c is not a good mod, but the best, top end m/c will still feel like absolute poop with a poor bleed/old fluid/junk pads

agreed!

[Jono]

And it's gone. I think I sold it to a good home.

Will I regret this decision? Idk, maybe. But my Street Triple and KLX sure know how to make me smile.