What Did You Do to Your Ninjette Today ??

[Triple Jim]

Originally Posted by Based12

Snapped a tool trying to loosen the camshaft guard bolts (heating, hammering, cooling, wd40 and even vice grips didn´t work at all, 8mm socket goes upward when applying force, already rounded 3 sockets) and the bit that snapped fell through the paper towel i put on the chain hole and got stuck between the chain and wall, couldn´t fish it with a magnetic finger so i gently pushed it down and it fell, so I´m going to take out the clutch cover and look for it(after buying a third 8mm socket that is)

Bummer. You're not alone with jobs that go wrong though.

[Based12]

Originally Posted by Triple Jim

Bummer. You're not alone with jobs that go wrong though.

I know these things just happen, but luckily I managed to pull it off!

Metal bit is out of the engine and managed to remove camshafts too, now i´m on the look for some tool to measure the installed shims, as they don´t have any measures it seems

[Triple Jim]

You need a decent micrometer.

[cptchaos]

Cleaned the corrosion off the tach motor to circuit board traces and now it is working!

[Bob KellyIII]

I went out to see if by chance I could turn the right carb Airscrew a bit ... something so simple you should be able to do it in your sleep but NOPE I gott'a take the darn fairing off just to get my hand in there.... of all the stupid designs.....
thank you Kawasaki for thinking about the user !
so now it's destined to go into the little shop again for the 3rd time.
other than that I didn't even start it ! that'll teach it a thing or two !
....
Bob..........

[Topaz]

I replaced the forks oil and put .8kg/mm Sonic Springs and SSR preload adjusters. Or at least I'm in the middle of it. I will finish it tomorrow.

I'm surprised and worried that all that holds the springs in place are those little 'Snap Rings'. With the stock handle bars, the fork caps are covered, so if the snap rings fail and the spring comes out, it'll be contained by the handlebar cover. But with clip-on's bars, if the Snap Ring fails, it looks like the fork caps will come right at the rider with a dangerous force. Am I missing something?

[psych0hans]

Originally Posted by Topaz

I replaced the forks oil and put .8kg/mm Sonic Springs and SSR preload adjusters. Or at least I'm in the middle of it. I will finish it tomorrow.

I'm surprised and worried that all that holds the springs in place are those little 'Snap Rings'. With the stock handle bars, the fork caps are covered, so if the snap rings fail and the spring comes out, it'll be contained by the handlebar cover. But with clip-on's bars, if the Snap Ring fails, it looks like the fork caps will come right at the rider with a dangerous force. Am I missing something?

You’re overthinking this. The same design has been in existence for decades and still is. If there was even a minute failure rate to it, it would have been discarded.

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by psych0hans

You’re overthinking this. The same design has been in existence for decades and still is. If there was even a minute failure rate to it, it would have been discarded.

Thanks. I'll sleep better.

[Bob KellyIII]

I took the bike into the shop put it on my home made rear stand took the
back wheel off to change the gearing and stepped on the handle of the stand and the bike dove to the left and fell over AGAIN !!!!
.... this time busting the fairing by the windshield on the right side, busted the already busted but glued turn signal in the right rear, and put a big gouge in the rear fairing by the passengers seat on the right side.
.... the Poor Ninja has suffered more sense I got it than it's entire life so far !
AURGH !!!!!!
....
anyway... first order of the day is to fix the stand I made so it cannot fall over to the right ! DUH!
next gearing, then carb tweak....
Bob....

[CaliGrrl]

Husband adjusted my valve clearances and changed my spark plugs. Next up is carb sync. I made a list of all the maintenance things that are due, especially things that I know I've never done (like lube the cables, the swingarm, etc). Oil change time, too.

Need to figure out how to put the tabs back onto the fairings. A couple of them have broken off.

[Bob KellyIII]

Caligirl.... I have an IDEA about that... putting tabs back in that have broken off.... by using a short piece of ABS pipe that you cut lengthwise and unroll it with the heat gun and press it flat with a heavy book or board with some bricks on it... you should have enough material in the ABS pipe to glue tabs back on using ABS glue for plumbers at the hardware store... a coping saw to cut out the shape ya need and then a piece to back that up and you SHOULD have a good restored tab on the fairing....
I've not tried that yet, so I don't know if it'll work, but I think it should...
Bob......

Edit: got my ABS & PVC cornfuzzed LOL.... so I changed it to what it should be...

[Triple Jim]

ABS pipe is a better idea since that's what the fairings are made of.

[Bob KellyIII]

Duh ! thanks Jim.... I meant ABS but said PVC.... thanks for catching that !
they are NOT the same thing at all....
Bob.....

[CaliGrrl]

ABS pipe as a backing support? I'll look for it, thanks.

[thedrewski86]

I've done a bit of "plastic welding" myself over the years to fix fairings. It works quite well. A soldering iron comes in handy and snipped/used zip-ties make great welding rods.

[Triple Jim]

Originally Posted by thedrewski86

I've done a bit of "plastic welding" myself over the years to fix fairings. It works quite well. A soldering iron comes in handy and snipped/used zip-ties make great welding rods.

In case you can't fine ABS zip-ties, you could use strips cut from ABS sheet or ABS pipe.

[Bob KellyIII]

there ya go ! that'll work !
....
Hay Guys.... the fairing at the windshield on my ninja should ATTACH to the black dash plastic by those 2 screws on the under side shouldn't it ????
Mine doesn't and it's kind 'a floppy because of that....
any suggestions besides a half inch lag bolt,(LOL) to hold the dash cowling to the fairing by the windshield ????
.... there are 2 screws there but they hold nothing.. their just through the black plastic and have rubber coated nuts on them....there is nothing from the fairing for them to attach to ....it's weird !
Bob........

Ninja is ready to test ride again.... later when it is cooler outside !

[dcj13]

Acetone works well for welding ABS.

[Bob KellyIII]

well, it could if you were careful... acetone dissolves ABS it doesn't weld it per say.... you might be able to paint acetone on a piece and fuze 2 pieces together.
but doing that in a controlled manor is going to be kind'a hard
I dunno.... I'm skeptical on that one ! LOL....
Bob......

[thedrewski86]

Originally Posted by Topaz

I replaced the forks oil and put .8kg/mm Sonic Springs and SSR preload adjusters. Or at least I'm in the middle of it. I will finish it tomorrow.

Did you go by the Sonic calculator to decide on the .8kg/mm? I went a little heavy when I got springs for my SV, their calculator had me at .85 and I opted for .9. I wish I had gone heavier still as I almost bottom out every time on my local canyon route.

I ask because I will need springs for this 250 I have coming and I don't want to underestimate my spring rate. I'm around 190lbs with my gear and I'm considering bumping up to .9kg/mm.

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by thedrewski86

Did you go by the Sonic calculator to decide on the .8kg/mm? I went a little heavy when I got springs for my SV, their calculator had me at .85 and I opted for .9. I wish I had gone heavier still as I almost bottom out every time on my local canyon route.

I ask because I will need springs for this 250 I have coming and I don't want to underestimate my spring rate. I'm around 190lbs with my gear and I'm considering bumping up to .9kg/mm.

Yes, pretty much.
Race Tech calculator gave me .76 (whatever is closer).
Sonic calculator gave me .8.
Race Tech calculator is more precise. It asks you your riding level and type of riding.
I'm 155lbs, mid group B track rider.

I just finished the installation. I only did a couple of street rides to test everything. They feel good, much more solid compared to the stock springs I was riding, which according to RaceTech are .65.

I changed to oil to 10w. I may have left too much of preload. I only have 8-9mm of static sag (only weight of the motorcycle). Fork travel is 120mm for the N300.
I also installed a set of SSR preload adjusters. Don't know if I will use them much, but they sure look batter than raw metal fork tubes top end.

My next track day is in a week. Will update with impressions.

[thedrewski86]

Originally Posted by Topaz

Yes, pretty much.
My next track day is in a week. Will update with impressions.

That's awesome, have a good track session! I bet it will be worlds better with the right springs. Are you running emulators or still factory damper rods?

You had to be bottoming out non-stop with the old springs, I'm looking forward to hearing how the new setup works.

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by thedrewski86

That's awesome, have a good track session! I bet it will be worlds better with the right springs. Are you running emulators or still factory damper rods?

You had to be bottoming out non-stop with the old springs, I'm looking forward to hearing how the new setup works.

Stock internals for the moment.

I checked the zip ties on the fork after my street ride and they only went down 80mm so I'm 40mm away from bottoming out. Will check again after the track day, but I doubt I will bottom out those.

[Triple Jim]

Originally Posted by Bob KellyIII

well, it could if you were careful... acetone dissolves ABS it doesn't weld it per say...

That's kinda the definition of solvent welding... it dissolves the base material.

[Bob KellyIII]

well Yah ! one drop too much and you have a puddle to deal with !
I've heard of it but never done it.... so take my comments accordingly !
LOL
Bob......

[JayVapes]

Today I removed the spark plugs and removed the exhaust system

[Artruck]

Today, I replaced the chain and went to 15/43 gears.

[Bob KellyIII]

what did I do to the ninja today ? so far nothing but yesterday I rode it to the store and got 2 gal of milk.... I found an old small duffel bag thing my Father in law had,( A Retired Sherriff ) and bungeed it to the passenger's seat and set off....
got the milk.... and bungeed the hell out of it and set off for home.....
made it with no problems.... so the Ninja can be used for a store run if you got plenty of bungee cords ! LOL....
I also drilled 2 holes in the fairing by the upper windshield because the screws that are in there to hold that gap closed do absolutely nothing.... so I fixed that... double nutted the short bolts and called it good.
the Ninja Did indeed Ride softer by the way... but it is still sprung too hard for my liking
...
Bob.......

[Bob KellyIII]

I put the Ninja on my Home made lever type rear stand out by the car....
sense I moved all the stuff back into the shop again today there wasn't room in the shop any more ! Aurgh !
anyway I noticed that my rear chain is as tight as a banjo string after my last ride.... ( glad I only went about 5 miles!)
so With my Kids help I put it on the rear stand so I can re adjust the chain before I take it out again !....
.... kind'a strange, that when I last adjusted the chain I had 3/4" slack in the chain and everything was good and tight and I rolled the back tire to make sure
that was the adjustment.... but now it's got 1/4" max flex to it ! and that's way too tight ! that SHOULDN'T happen... it should stay put..... I wonder what the cause of that is !?!?!?!
Most of my Bikes I've ran 1" slack in the chains and kept them like that all the time and I haven't had much trouble doing that....
but to me the chain getting tighter signifies rear swing arm bushings !
and that is a can of worms I don't want to get into !....if I can help it ! LOL
...so anyway, I'll adjust the chain after the sun comes up and get it to the 3/4" slack it is supposed to have while being properly aligned with the front wheel..... (again)
....
Bob.....

[Bob KellyIII]

Artruck !
in my view that is not near enough ! I got 16/43 on mine and it is just adequate for cruising at 70mph (8,000 RPM)
bottom end feels normal to me but I don't have to shift at 10mph !
I have to wonder what the powers that be in Kawasaki thought when they did the gearing.... it's not a drag bike ! LOL...
Bob.........

[Triple Jim]

Originally Posted by Bob KellyIII

anyway I noticed that my rear chain is as tight as a banjo string after my last ride.... ( glad I only went about 5 miles!)

That can happen if it has links that are starting to bind.

[Bob KellyIII]

Sounds like time for WD-40 and then chainsaw bar oil !
I haven't lubed it real good yet.... guess I better ! LOL....
......OOOPS !
Bob.......

[Triple Jim]

Originally Posted by Bob KellyIII

Sounds like time for WD-40 and then chainsaw bar oil !
I haven't lubed it real good yet.... guess I better ! LOL....
......OOOPS !
Bob.......

Is it a sealed chain?

[Bob KellyIII]

yes an "O"ring chain Link-less..... original I think
I hit it with WD-40 and it loosened up immediately ( bad sign)
lubed it real good with 30 wt oil because that is all I had and figured it was better than nothing....
I think I will have to replace that chain shortly, I thought it looked like it was in great shape..... evidently looks are deceiving on chains !
......
Bob......

[Triple Jim]

Originally Posted by Bob KellyIII

I hit it with WD-40 and it loosened up immediately ( bad sign)

Yeah, once the rubber seals are leaking as evidenced by the WD-40 getting in easily, it's probably time for a new one.

[Bob KellyIII]

Started the O'l girl up and got her warm, then turned her off and went inside ! Phittttt !
no ambition sux !
Bob.......

[Bob KellyIII]

I forced myself to get out and go for a ride.... wish i'ed had stayed home now ! LOL
the ride went well, the bike ran great and as I was practicing getting my corners right
i started to actually have fun on the bike !
I noticed I wasn't looking far enough ahead, started looking further ahead and the corners were alot easier .... the old adage of looking through the turn, really does apply !
I came to my turn off to head up to the mountain top went about 1000 ft and they had put cones on the road with a big sign that said road closed to public trafic.
I had just been up that road last week and found that confusing as all heck... but...
being a law abiding citizen, I figured I'ed better follow the rules and turn around...
I haden't realised that the road was so steep where I stopped so I let off the front brake to back around and as I did so it got away from me and fell over... so I crushed yet another turnsignal and added a few more scratches to the shinie green fairing...
I managed to get the bike up in the middle of the road and get around to the other side and get the kick stand down... then I got back on it.... I knew it would be hard to start again after dumping the fuel bowls into the intake so I held the throttle wide open and it finally started fireing... then cleaned up and all was normal...
Obviously I wasn't the only other person aggravated by the closure of the road because some 4 wheeler ran over 50% of the marker cones ! LOL
disgruntled and mad at myself I decided to head back home....
I played with my body position and all on that little jaunt and found that if I am actually touching the tank with my crotch I can actually take the weight off my arms and steer it like normal.... I was conscious to bend at the hips today as well not with the back and that did help some.... so all in all it was a learning experience... and more scratches on the ninja ! ...but I did get out and ride the thing !
I am still surprised at the get up and go that that little bike has. I hit 70mph several times on it on the straights but ran into a windy area and slowed down.... as the wind really kicks that little bike around easy.... it's so short coupled that it maneuvers real fast. and that allows the wind to kick you around easy...
but I did enjoy the ride even if I scratched it yet again..... OH well !
....
it's funny that little 250cc bike is as heavy as my Honda 305 dream was back in the 70's
but about 3 times as powerful ! LOL
now I have a mirror to tighten again and a turn signal to replace ( yah, I bought extras!)
......
I'm considering buying those stand off sliders so when I do drop it Again... it'll do less damage.... anyone have a recommendation on them ?
.....
Bob......

[DannoXYZ]

Originally Posted by Bob KellyIII

I'm considering buying those stand off sliders so when I do drop it Again... it'll do less damage.... anyone have a recommendation on them ?
.....
Bob......

Stop dropping your bike, eh?

All those lazy no-cut slider-kits are one-use-only disposable items (Shogun, Yoshimura, Godzilla, etc.). They position the slider bumper through existing hole in side-fairing. However, in order to do this, they mount slider on cantilever-arm that's very weak. On very first 0-mph drop (not to mention 80-mph crash), the arm that holds slider will bend, twist and slider will be shoved sideways into your fairing causing a crack.

A better design would be to have bracket that holds slider bumper be directly underneath it so nothing gets twisted on impact. But I'm not aware of any slider kits that are designed this way.

Best solution is cage: https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=277520

BTW - don't use motor-oil for chain, that oil was designed for pressurised feed system. Without pressure and hydrodynamic wedge, it's not very good as lubrication. Use oil designed for pressure-less drip/splash lubrication system. Those have much more ET/EP - extreme temp & pressure additives that works tonnes better than motor oil.

[Topaz]

I rotated the gear shift linkage 180 degrees to make it work GP shift. I did a short ride around the neighborhood and it worked fine. Is all that it take on the N300 to make it GP shift?
I have to go for a longer ride and then try it on the track.

[Mohawk]

Well it was yesterday, but I had sourced a new rear suspension pivot sleeve, after discovering a lot of slop in the rear wheel. Turns out on my ZZR250 it needs a 62.5mm sleeve, but they only come in 62mm, so I added a 0.5mm shim, so the bushing now rotates onnthe clamped in place sleeve. So should be good for many miles, once my Ohlins is returned from service 👍