Any good things to do to my bike while I have it stripped?

[mrudich]

I'm having electrical issues at the moment so I took off all the fairings and the tank and all that good stuff to access the wiring. This is my first time taking it apart to this extent and I probably won't be doing it again for a while as my little ninjette is my only mode of transportation.. (I'm kinda screwed at the moment since I have no vehicle...)
But anyways..
Since I have my bike stripped down and not being ridden, is there anything else I could do to it? maybe some minor upgrades? I just don't want to waste the time that my poor little ninja is bed-ridden.

I already did an oil change and a coolant change. I put a new chain and sprockets on. It also has new tires. And I believe that's about it. Everything else is stock.

Upgrades?
Important maintenance?
It also sat for a while before I got it so maybe there's something I should do to it in relation to that?? I don't know.
Basically anything.

Thanks!!

[misfitsailor]

Change fork oil? Change brake fluid, front and rear? Air cleaner clean? Head bearings and swingarm bearings properly adjusted?

[adouglas]

Good time to get to the valves and the carbs.

Do the valve adjustment if it's about time.

If you've got the money for a full exhaust (totally worth it and there's an AreaP group buy on right now!), then yank the carbs and rejet them. You can do that with them on the bike but it's MUCH MUCH easier if you take them out.

[csmith12]

Motor mount bolts!!!! Check the torque.

[DaBlue1]

Battery Tender Terminal Harness

2357LL Tail Light Bulb- brighter than avg bulb when brake is applied, last longer.

Dielectric grease or Vaseline- for all electrical connections

Upgrade/replace the fuel lines

Lube all pivot points- shifter, pegs, levers etc..

Lube key locks- apply some spray lube on the key, insert and twist, repeat twice

Replace stock horn with a FIAMM Freeway Blasterhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e97Clplscjo

Iridium Spark Plugs

[mrudich]

Assume I know nothing. (since I kinda don't know anything) So sorry if my questions are a little basic..

Originally Posted by misfitsailor

Change fork oil? Change brake fluid, front and rear? Air cleaner clean? Head bearings and swingarm bearings properly adjusted?

Change the fork oil? What to? Is this maintenance or upgrade? I've heard many people talking about changing to a (Heavier??) fork oil? What are the reasons for that?

Brake fluid: Yes I believe I should do that. Are there certain types that are better or worse?

Air cleaner clean? Do you mean air filter? Sorry if I'm just not getting it.. heh.. And I hear a lot about changing to a K&N air filter? yes? no? maybe?

Head bearings and swingarm bearings properly adjusted? I don't know where to start with this... This seems like a quite advanced job? Maybe? Is it difficult?

Originally Posted by adouglas

Good time to get to the valves and the carbs.

Do the valve adjustment if it's about time.

If you've got the money for a full exhaust (totally worth it and there's an AreaP group buy on right now!), then yank the carbs and rejet them. You can do that with them on the bike but it's MUCH MUCH easier if you take them out.

I'm pretty much broke.. hah.. Otherwise I would.

When is the valve adjustment supposed to happen?

And as for the carbs, what would you suggest? I've wanted to clean my carbs for a while now but I've been a little scared to mess them up... I'm pretty new to any all this stuff.. How hard of a job is it?

Originally Posted by csmith12

Motor mount bolts!!!! Check the torque.

Which ones are those? And what torque are they supposed to be at?

Sorry again for my noob-ishness..

[choneofakind]

Clean/lube/regrease/retorque/replace everything you can.

If you've got time (and if the bike needs it) check/adjust the valves, along with servicing the bearings in the swingarm pivots and unitrack linkage/dogbones. It seems time consuming and unnecessary, but the rear suspension will thank you by being smooth and reliable.

Valve check (and adjustment if necessary) and suspension bearing service should be done every 6000 miles. Annoying, I know. Worth it though.

[crazymadbastard]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Clean/lube/regrease/retorque/replace everything you can.

sounds kinda kinky there.

[choneofakind]

When she's naked, you really can't hold back.

[mrudich]

Oh man this is a lot of stuff.. A little overwhelming to a complete noob to be honest..

I don't know where to start??

[DaBlue1]

Originally Posted by mrudich

Oh man this is a lot of stuff.. A little overwhelming to a complete noob to be honest..

I don't know where to start??

You start with the easy stuff first.

[mrudich]

Originally Posted by DaBlue1

You start with the easy stuff first.

Okay. Easy sounds good to me.
What are the easier (but still important) things to do?

[DaBlue1]

Originally Posted by mrudich

Okay. Easy sounds good to me.
What are the easier (but still important) things to do?

Cleaning the air filter- require little more than hot soapy water or a mild degreaser to clean. A light coat of engine oil to re-oil.

Lubing the pivot points and key locks requires a cheap can of spray lube (Dupont multi-use is good)

Installing a battery tender harness just attaches to your battery terminals. Since you are having an electrical issue the dielectric grease should also be part of your fix.

Replacing a light bulb....there's a joke for that one.

Everything else will require additional tools, a service manual and a good deal of patience along with a general knowledge of basic mechanics.

Online Owner's Manual

[alex.s]

make love to a beautiful person on top of it... no?

[mrudich]

Originally Posted by DaBlue1

Cleaning the air filter- require little more than hot soapy water or a mild degreaser to clean. A light coat of engine oil to re-oil.

Lubing the pivot points and key locks requires a cheap can of spray lube (Dupont multi-use is good)

Installing a battery tender harness just attaches to your battery terminals. Since you are having an electrical issue the dielectric grease should also be part of your fix.

Replacing a light bulb....there's a joke for that one.

Everything else will require a additional tools, a service manual and a good deal of patience along with a general knowledge of basic mechanics.

Online Owner's Manual

For the air filter, would you suggest upgrading (K&N??) Or is cleaning enough? And how do I go about cleaning it?

I already have a battery tender harness installed. That was one of the first things I did when I got the bike.

Are the light bulbs that you linked earlier for both pregen and newgen? (I have a pregen)

Thanks!

[Finesse]

I was gonna suggest air filter. You can get a new one from Uni for cheap and it comes 'oiled' or whatever so all you do is just take the old one out and pop the new one in. Mine was black when I took it out so I just got a new one instead of cleaning it.

Brake fluid replacement is another easy one. There is a good link on ninjette wiki somewhere... Let's see ... here!


http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/How_do_...brake_fluid%3F

Use DOT4 fluid. It's cheap and you only need a small amount to replace both.

I dunno if this has been said but clean and lube your chain. You can use WD-40 and a rag to clean it (BE CAREFUL OF YOUR FINGERS AND THE REAR SPROCKET!!!!!!) and chain lube (I use chain clean/lube for dirtbikes).

[DaBlue1]

Originally Posted by mrudich

.....For the air filter, would you suggest upgrading (K&N??) Or is cleaning enough? And how do I go about cleaning it?


Are the light bulbs that you linked earlier for both pregen and newgen? (I have a pregen)

If a K&N filter is within your budget then get one. If your stock air filter is still serviceable then clean it and use. If you don't know when the last time it was replaced, replace it. Kawasaki recommends replacement after 5 cleanings or 12,000 miles and cleaning every 6,000

Yes the light bulbs fit both pre-gens and new gens.

Basic maintenance information is in the Owner's Manual http://www.kawasaki-techinfo.net/sho...2&lang_code=EN

[Desmoluci]

Originally Posted by alex.s

make love to a beautiful person on top of it... no?

Sounds uncomfortable for somebody...

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by Desmoluci

Sounds uncomfortable for somebody...

what is pleasure without pain?

[Desmoluci]

[mrudich]

Originally Posted by Desmoluci

That looks like mostly pain and not much pleasure...

[adouglas]

Before you go any further, read all the DIY info you can here and at ninja250.org.

Do you even have decent tools? Do you have a torque wrench? Do you have a maintenance manual? If you do, have you READ the manual? You'd be surprised at how few actually do.

Are you confident in your ability to take stuff apart, put it back together and have it function properly? This is not a trivial question. A lot of people (myself included) have taken stuff apart and it's never been quite the same afterwards. I'm a lot older and wiser now.

The answer to "how hard can it be?" is often "harder than I thought."

I'm not saying that any of this is particularly difficult, but flailing randomly rarely does any good. If you really, truly don't have any idea what you're doing, don't make it worse by guessing or going off half-cocked.

It's a really good idea to edumacate yourself before you start ripping stuff apart. By that I mean do more than ask "what do I do?" and "which bolt is that?" I mean go do some homework.

No forum response is going to tell you all you need to know. You have to bring some basic knowledge to the party.

[Desmoluci]

Originally Posted by mrudich

That looks like mostly pain and not much pleasure...

[evidens83]

Shim your needles if not already done so.

[alex.s]

lmfao