140 80 17 tires

[verboten1]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBravo

Lord honey I met an old lady whose car stalled on the curve of a track out in her driveway, bout durn Killed her; she is now a vegetable

I'm not sure I believe you live in NC. I'm pretty sure that should have been

"Bout durn kilt"


I apologize if I'm wrong.

[JohnnyBravo]

Originally Posted by verboten1

I'm not sure I believe you live in NC. I'm pretty sure that should have been

"Bout durn kilt"


I apologize if I'm wrong.

I type better than I speak sometimes

You can usually tell if I proof read my posts or quick post... Auto correct tries too

[verboten1]

Ok, good deal. I spend lots of time in the southeast , mostly riding, but I'm told I fit In well. I wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy there


Mostly Huntsville lately, so I may be thinking a bit more south


*edit*
Sorry for the fat finger on the helpful post .

[JohnnyBravo]

Haha yep.. There plenty of good riding around here, twists and turns everywhere! Nope you aren't crazy, but I could be

[verboten1]

This year I will have just over 3 weeks of riding in NC,SC,TN, and GA. I love it. I wish I got paid more so I could work less and vacation more!

[JohnnyBravo]

I have lived in all of them except Tennessee, I have family up in the hills there though... Nice riding all around!

I know folks that make all sorts of money and work everyday, only do much vacation a person can stand

[verboten1]

Don't forget my 9 days in Colorado...and 6 days exploring Michigan with my son. I've done OK for vacation this year

We have a running joke at work, if I work 3 weeks in a row (spring, summer fall), I get a 9 day vacation.

Of course, I work pretty much every day during the winter, but I don't care, I usually can't ride!

[Ralgha]

Originally Posted by snot

Move to the mountains.... No pipes, no trains, just planes.

I know what can happen and don't want to be close to the trains. The chemicals can mix when a derailment occures.

Yeah, but they concentrate the chemtrails more in the mountains to keep all the backwoods under control. Just can't win anywhere.

[JohnnyBravo]

Originally Posted by Ralgha

Yeah, but they concentrate the chemtrails more in the mountains to keep all the backwoods under control. Just can't win anywhere.

I don't like that stuff either, but meh we are all dying anyway

[JohnnyBravo]

Originally Posted by verboten1

Don't forget my 9 days in Colorado...and 6 days exploring Michigan with my son. I've done OK for vacation this year

We have a running joke at work, if I work 3 weeks in a row (spring, summer fall), I get a 9 day vacation.

Of course, I work pretty much every day during the winter, but I don't care, I usually can't ride!

Ain't nothing wrong with a vacation!!! I'm gonna have to study on traveling with a dog

[allanoue]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBravo

Ain't nothing wrong with a vacation!!! I'm gonna have to study on traveling with a dog

If you have the money lots of hotels will take dogs for an extra deposit and extra charge, otherwise you will need to do the camering rout.

[JohnnyBravo]

Originally Posted by allanoue

If you have the money lots of hotels will take dogs for an extra deposit and extra charge, otherwise you will need to do the camering rout.

I like camping, Romeo doesn't like tents... He wants to go out and chase all the animals all night

[allanoue]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBravo

I like camping, Romeo doesn't like tents... He wants to go out and chase all the animals all night

Well, school him not to.

[csmith12]

The tire was shipped, you should have it on Sat.

[JohnnyBravo]

Originally Posted by allanoue

Well, school him not to.

Eh I trained him how to sit (sometimes) I think he trains me more than I train him

[ZeroGravity360]

Originally Posted by csmith12

The tire was shipped, you should have it on Sat.

<3 words cannot express my gratitude Chris

[InvisiBill]

Originally Posted by snot

This is why I won't live near train tracks... The chemicals they carry can kill you if a train derails, or keep you pinned in your home until the plume clears...
Trains are no joke when they derail.
But that's why I went into my field

There was a railroad running through my parents' property (converted to a rail trail a few years ago). I was able to sell flattened pennies to kids at school for a quarter, so I'd say it comes out pretty even in the end.

[Ralgha]

Originally Posted by csmith12

The tire was shipped, you should have it on Sat.

I trust you made it to and from the post office with no adverse events?

[csmith12]

I did, thanks for your concern. 100% uneventful.

I called the post office to make sure (2.5 blocks away from incident) and waited until lunch today for the crazies to pass through. I assume that the train wreck has made the news in most areas by now, they always do make but just a blip on the radar of news in case you missed it. As of right now, no chemical leaks from any of the tankers. Let's hope the cleanup goes well or my little unprepared town will be in shambles again.

[LittleRedNinjette]

~30 freight trains run past my back yard day. Or that's the estimated average.
The most annoying part is the crossing is right by the house, next door basically. The damn train horn... About blows out my eardrums...

[csmith12]

Amanda, you really have some kinda sucky bike shop choices in your area. The HD shop might be worthy for short but most likely will be pricey at the same time. You really, really, really need to find a trusted friend that can help you with maintenance items until you're fully ready to go at it on your own.

Looks like you're like me, you're looking at a 1h drive/ride/haul to get service. :\ If you feel any discomfort when having the tire changed near you, stop and get it changed on Sun. at Putnam. The STT guys will take care of it, no problem.

[ZeroGravity360]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Amanda, you really have some kinda sucky bike shop choices in your area. The HD shop might be worthy for short but most likely will be pricey at the same time. You really, really, really need to find a trusted friend that can help you with maintenance items until you're fully ready to go at it on your own.

Looks like you're like me, you're looking at a 1h drive/ride/haul to get service. :\ If you feel any discomfort when having the tire changed near you, stop and get it changed on Sun. at Putnam. The STT guys will take care of it, no problem.

Yeah :-/ not really much around here. The tire is supposed to be here tomorrow. If it gets here early I will try the shop off 3rd street, if not looks like imma be making a trip to Putnam

[allanoue]

go to Putnam

[ZeroGravity360]

Anyone have advice on how to cover up the scratches on my rims? I dont want them to start rusting.

Also, I just replaced my front brakes but never touched anything but the pistons... I had to push them in all the way, What else needs to be done? do I HAVE to bleed them? or can I be okay with just replacing them. (I had someone help me that knew that he was doing)

[Triple Jim]

Your rims are aluminum, which won't rust. I'd think that any decent black touch-up paint would make them look better.

Pushing in the pistons is required to make room for the thick new pads. You don't have to bleed the system as long as you didn't loosen the hydraulic fittings, but you may have to pump the lever a few times to get the pistons up against the pads, and the pads up against the disk.

Also, check your brake fluid reservoir. Sometimes they get over full when the caliper pistons are pushed back in.

[ZeroGravity360]

Originally Posted by Triple Jim

Your rims are aluminum, which won't rust. I'd think that any decent black touch-up paint would make them look better.

Pushing in the pistons is required to make room for the thick new pads. You don't have to bleed the system as long as you didn't loosen the hydraulic fittings, but you may have to pump the lever a few times to get the pistons up against the pads, and the pads up against the disk.

Also, check your brake fluid reservoir. Sometimes they get over full when the caliper pistons are pushed back in.

do I just put it on a stand and unscrew the top right? I know if you spill any it strips your paint, how do you make sure none drops when you open it?

[adouglas]

Keep a LOT of paper towels on hand, and a squirt bottle of water. Cover the whole area around and below the master cylinder with towels to catch spills.

Brake fluid will damage your paint, but not instantly. Just wipe up any spills that touch your paint quickly and spray the area down with the water, then wipe up the excess. DO NOT get water into the reservoir. Be lavish with the towels.

Heads up: It will be very hard to push the pistons into the caliper.

It's cool that you want to learn how to maintain your bike! PS: I highly recommend buying the factory maintenance manual. Worth every penny. Or, hunt around and you may find one you can download. Personally I prefer paper because the shop environment is not kind to electronics.

[RacinNinja]

Rotor should be sanded or bead blasted so the new pads can bed in, then cleaned with Brakleen.

[Triple Jim]

Originally Posted by adouglas

Personally I prefer paper because the shop environment is not kind to electronics.

On the other hand, you can print the appropriate pages of a PDF file and take them to the shop, then not worry about getting them greasy because you can throw them away when you're done.

Blasting and/or sanding the disk is a nice idea, but not mandatory. I've done it once or twice in my life, but usually don't, and don't have any negative side effects that I can notice. I do like to do a few serious stops after replacing them so I know how they're going to behave, and to get the new pads familiar with the disk surface.

[InvisiBill]

Originally Posted by ZeroGravity360

Also, I just replaced my front brakes but never touched anything but the pistons... I had to push them in all the way, What else needs to be done? do I HAVE to bleed them? or can I be okay with just replacing them. (I had someone help me that knew that he was doing)

Did you clean the pistons before pushing them back in? As you use up the brake pads, more of the side of the piston is exposed and gets road crud on it. If you push it back in without cleaning it, it can interfere with the seals. It's best if you disassemble the whole caliper and clean it thoroughly (which also ensures that you're servicing related parts like replacing old fluid), but you should at least be making sure the sides of the pistons are scrubbed clean.

Ghostt has posted a writeup of the caliper cleaning process if you want to search for it.

[csmith12]

Looks like a Mon. delivery

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by adouglas

Keep a LOT of paper towels on hand, and a squirt bottle of water. Cover the whole area around and below the master cylinder with towels to catch spills.

Brake fluid will damage your paint, but not instantly. Just wipe up any spills that touch your paint quickly and spray the area down with the water, then wipe up the excess. DO NOT get water into the reservoir. Be lavish with the towels.

Heads up: It will be very hard to push the pistons into the caliper.

It's cool that you want to learn how to maintain your bike! PS: I highly recommend buying the factory maintenance manual. Worth every penny. Or, hunt around and you may find one you can download.Personally I prefer paper because the shop environment is not kind to electronics.

A G-clamp works well for that, use the old pad to ensure both pistons are pushed back at the same time (you don't want one pushed back & the other popping out)

Print the pages you need for the job at hand

Originally Posted by ZeroGravity360

...

I may have an electronic copy somewhere, pm if you want one

[Ghostt]

I recommend that every time you change your pads, you service the calipers, he's my write-up to help you out. It should fix your initial problem, and keep your calipers in top working order.

For those of you whom are scratching their heads, here you go,*


Front Caliper Service (also rear as well)

Many folks have posted here with a Varity of front brake problems.

*Many of which are attributable to the lack of proper maintenance.

*Here’s how you can always have a brake like when your bike was new.

A short list of the problems and the causes.

Soft lever or lever goes to the bar.

The usual cause is the pistons are pushed too far back into the caliper by a flexing a warped, coned, disc.

*Using up too much piston travel before the disc is pinched.

Juddering in sync with wheel rotation.

The disc is worn, and its thickness varies. *This causes the caliper to “sink” into the thin part and when the thick part comes around, it gets wedged into a smaller space causing a tightening of the brake. Then the tight spot passes through and it like the brake is released. Then repeat, repeat.

Cupped, coned, or warped disc.

Unfortunately this is a common problem with EX’s the cause is the disc is stretched in the center due to being rigidly bolted to the wheel. *The huge force of braking is transmitted to the wheel through the webbed center of the disc which gets stretched and becomes larger than the space it occupies in the center of the disc. This causes the center to push to the side trying to find room for itself.

*Resulting is a cone shaped disc.

Soft lever 2

The caliper has pistons only on one side, so as the pads wear the caliper must shift sideways apply even pressure on both sides of the disc.

*To allow this the caliper floats on two pins. *If these pins get dry (no grease) dirty or bent. The caliper won’t center itself and bends the disc to wherever it is.

This take up lever travel and when released pushes the pistons further back than necessary.

*If not fixed will eventually destroy the disc (warp it).


Ok how to prevent all of the above.

When new pad time comes around, resist the temptation to just pop in new one and go.

*Every time you must do these things.

Remove caliper disassemble and clean it.

Clean and re grease the sliding pins.

Polish the caliper pistons to remove dirt. If you just push the pistons back into the caliper leaks will result. Or binding.

Tools required:
12 mm socket
8mm open end wrench
3” or bigger C clamp
a supply of new bake fluid.
wire brush and or steel wool.

Remove the caliper from the fork leg but leave the brake line on.

Remove the old pads and the mounting frame (the sliding pins)

Remove the cover from the Master Cylinder on the Handel bar.

Attach the C clamp to one of the pistons but don’t squeeze it. *Pump the lever on the bar slowly to push out the other piston almost all the way. *Put the C clamp on that piston and push out the other one.

Remove both pistons by hand.

Remove all the rubber part from the caliper, the seals are in the grooves in the caliper and dull pointed thingy will get them out easy.

Disconnect the caliper from the brake line.

Soak all the rubber parts in new clean brake fluid * ONLY!!!!! * Rub them with you fingers till as clean as new.

The caliper can be cleaned with a wire brush or even a Moto tool for the internal grooves, NOW’s the time to paint it if you wish.

Polish the pistons till they are smooth and shinny. They are chrome plated. If any of the plating is chipped or damaged below the dust cap groove. *Replace it.

The master cylinder is the subject of another write up and we’ll assume it in good working order here.

If you suspect your disc is bad, your bets bet is to replace it with an after market one fro EBC or Galpher.

*Don’t remove the disc unless you intend to replace it. *It will assume a new shape if it is * stressed and will not be flat again. You can try to check its condition by placing a straight edge across the face of the pad swept area looking for any distortion.

Re assembly

Take the nice clean rubber seals and install them into the caliper then the Dust covers.
Wet all the rubber with new clean brake fluid and partially fill the caliper with new fluid.

Push the pistons though the dust seals and into the caliper body until the dust covers snap into the grooves.

Fill the MC with new fluid and pump the lever while holding the Line above the MC till clean fluid flows.

Connect the line to the caliper while holding it above the MC.

Pump the lever with the bleeder valve open till fluid flow from the bleeder.

*Hold the caliper so that the bleeder is the highest point.

Close the bleeder and pump more fluid into the caliper but don’t push the pistons all the way out.

Then squeeze the pistons all the way back in and install the new pads.

Re grease the slider pins and assemble the dust seals and re mount the caliper on the forks but leave the bolts loose.

Now clamp the caliper to the disc with the brake lever.

Look at the space between the fork lugs and the caliper, clamp and release a few times as you tighten the bolts by hand. It one lug touches much before the other the odds are you mounting bracket is bent. You can straighten it.

*After you get it the best you can. Some shim washers made from alum can stock can be fitted to the loose side.*

** *What we are doing here is trying to minimize the bedd in time and gets the best pad life.


Ok with everything tight you should be through, Notice we don’t need to bleed the brakes, but if you screwed up in any of the above steps, you might do that here.

Be careful to Bedd in the new pads gently.

*Too much pressure too soon will burn the pad material as only a small area will be gripping at first. You also won’t have full braking power till the pads are fully familiar with the disc

I also recommend flush and fill with new brake fluid, also I'd go with 5.1DOT.

No matter what kind of brake fluid you choose, always periodically flush and fill with new fluid.

This is the one I use



https://m.motul.com/ca/en-us/product...-1-brake-fluid



Also inspect the brake lines, replace is needed, http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Stainle..._lines_upgrade

Venhill Introduction
Greetings everyone!

I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to Venhill...

Venhill manufactures some of the highest quality brake lines and cables you can get. We've been in business since 1971 and currently offer a full range of brake lines for the Ninja 250, first and second generations.

Our website, venhillusa.com, is setup to take orders for any year Ninja 250 as well as many other bikes. You can pick your bike and then customize your kits as you wish. We offer many different colors of hose as well as different finishes and materials for hardware. All of these options can be selected during the purchase process, so you'll be sure to get exactly what you want. You can even add length to hoses if needed.

To get an idea of our reputation, have a look at our eBay feedback.

If you have any questions or comments about Venhill products or brake lines or cables in general, please share them. I'm happy to be a resource for general information about brake lines and cables as well. Technical questions are welcome!

Please take a look at our website and let us know what you think. We just recently did a complete makeover and are interested in feedback. (venhillusa.com)

Have a great day and stay safe,

Chris
Venhill USA

For the detail oriented out there, some interesting things you might want to know about Venhill and our products:

Our factory is ISO 9001-2000 approved, which basically means we have the ability to consistently produce quality products. To qualify for ISO approval your factory and quality control mechanisms are evaluated as to whether your "good" products happen by chance, or if they are a result of good quality control.

All of our hoses are built to DOT/TUV spec and have been certified as such. We submitted hoses to the TUV (German DOT) for testing and only by passing are we allowed to use the TUV symbol on our hoses. Every hose we sell is built to these specifications, even if it is for track or offroad use only. It just makes for a higher quality product.

All of our hoses are hydraulically crimped, not hand crimped, and leak/pressure tested in a water bath. Yes, we immerse every hose we build in a water bath and pressurize it to check for leaks and to verify integrity of the crimps.

Venhill's hose core is authentic DuPont Teflon which is more expensive than generic "PTFE" but is stronger with a smoother inner bore. This is surrounded by 96 strands of braided marine grade stainless wire. 96 strands is more dense than some other braided line brands and the marine grade alloy is a stronger metal, which reduces expansion, the reason rubber hoses feel "spongy". Finally, we coat the braid with a UV-resistant PVC, extruded on during manufacture. This protects the hose as well as body and paint work.

Our hose design uses free-floating swivels, which allow you to loosely install everything before the hoses are tightened into place. This ensures the hose is not forced into a twist or kink when the banjo bolts are tightened. If you're worried about leaks, don't be. Our swivels work on the same premise as every threaded connection on a car or truck.

As you can see, we're sort of obsessed with quality and safety. We look at it this way: If we're asking you to put our brake lines on your bike, you're trusting us with the integrity of your brakes. That's a serious concept and we refuse to compromise when it comes to the integrity of your brakes.

I have these stainless steel lines on my Ninjette, and so far, some good, I recommend getting the stainless steel banjo bolts, I noticed my chrome ones have started to rust slightly, a good excuse for me to upgrade to titanium

On my 91 EX500 I have Spiegler, in orange to match that bike.

So you have made the decision that your OEM rubber lines need to be changed.

So why choose Spiegler Brake Lines?

A: Strength

That’s the short answer. But it doesn’t tell the whole story.

Spiegler Brake Lines strength comes from our innovation and research, materials and construction, knowledge and experience, service and support.

At Spiegler, we believe that the more you know about what we put into our products, the better you’ll be able to answer that question yourself.


That’s the short version; now let’s cover this topic more in depth.

Most OEM manufacturer recommend that you replace your rubber brake lines every 2 to 3 years. Why do the OEM’s recommend this? Over time OEM rubber lines deteriorate rapidly due to expansion and UV damage. This leads to increased braking distances and possible failure.

At Spiegler, our brake lines are made of only the finest materials available.

Outside casings are made of tightly woven stainless steel braiding that exceeds our competitors
The inside is made with DuPont’s PTFE-Teflon which eliminates expansion and adds durability
Crimp sleeves are made from stainless steel; competitors are using mostly carbon steel
Unique patented adjustable banjo fittings eliminate line twist during installation.
30% weight savings in comparison to other stainless steel braided brake lines
DOT approved
Lifetime warranty
117 color combinations possible which allows customers to personalize their bikes
We can build your lines to any specifications for custom applications
All brake line kits come ready for install

For more information on why you should choose Spiegler Brake Lines, you can view the following pages for a more detailed look into Spiegler brake lines.

When it comes to safety items like brakes, when in doubt, throw them out, it's your safety in your hands, and is cheaper than a visit to the ER.

Buy quality pads,I personally recommend EBC brand either the HH, or the Extreme HH.

EBC full floating rotor, replace the OEM rubber line with a stainless steel braided brake line, cheaper than replacing them with OEM.

On my 500 I have Spiegler line

http://www.spieglerusa.com/brakes/cy...line-kits.html

On my Ninja 250 i went with Venhill

http://www.venhillusa.com/products.html

With all that, it will stop on a dime, and leave you nine cents in change.

look here http://ebcbrakes.com/products/motorcycle/

And also read this, http://www.ex-500.com/wiki/index.php...otors_and_Pads

That should answer any questions you might have.

[ZeroGravity360]

Sorry guys. I am dyslexic and that is a lot to read and understand. I already pushed them in, and a lot ofcrud got scrapped off while I pushed them in? I mean not q log, but there was a few black pieces that got scraped off? What am I suppose to do if I already pushed them in? I haven't been able to test them because of the constant rain here... But I did ave someone who know what he was doing help me. I asked him after I read this, and he told me mine didn't need to be cleaned. ??? Idk... Its really hardto tell when everyone owns a different bike or used to doing Maintnece on a car instead.

[Triple Jim]

If the brake drags, making the bike hard to push around the garage when you're not squeezing the lever, then you need to go back and clean things up so the pistons move freely. If not, you should be OK until the next time you change the pads.

I'm all for proper maintenance, but keep in mind that you can get a decent used caliper delivered to your house for 20 or 30 bucks. You could even pick up a spare, get it in excellent condition as time permits, and have it ready to swap whenever it's needed.

[snot]

Take this for what it is...
If you don't have time to do things properly or read all the proper ways of doing things, then don't do it at all. Half fast can cause more damage on parts and cost more down the line.
Until you are willing to do things right with the correct tools, pay a garage (one that only works on bikes, all bikes not just cruisers) to do the work.

Damaging your calipers and an improper brake job can cost you big. When you notice "crud scrapping off" you should of stopped. That is not a normal condtion of the caliper.

[snot]

How do you maintain your car? Brakes, tires, oil changes?

[Snake]

Proper maintenance of your bike is very important since your life could literally depend on it.

[ZeroGravity360]

Originally Posted by snot

Take this for what it is...
If you don't have time to do things properly or read all the proper ways of doing things, then don't do it at all. Half fast can cause more damage on parts and cost more down the line.
Until you are willing to do things right with the correct tools, pay a garage (one that only works on bikes, all bikes not just cruisers) to do the work.

Damaging your calipers and an improper brake job can cost you big. When you notice "crud scrapping off" you should of stopped. That is not a normal condtion of the caliper.

I understand your way of telling people things is a bit harsh, but I just said I had someone who knew what he was doing help me. If you read above, I swear ghost or someone literally says that you may need to scrub them to get "street crud" off of them. Maybe you should not jumping to conclusions. And please speak a little nicer to people.

[JohnnyBravo]

Neither the road, nor cars will speak nicely when they are pointing out your faults; to the real world