iplante's 2013 Ninja build (Picture heavy)

[iplante]

* Disclaimer: Picture heavy. My partner was playing with her new camera.

Here's what my bike has looked like most of the winter:




I decided to start putting it back together today since I got my fairings and gas tank back from the painter on Wednesday. Here are the newly painted parts.






Before I could do anything, I realized I had lost one of the tank dampers. Meh. So I went to a bike junkyard and found a new (to me) one. Cleaned it a bit and looked like new. I also lost the philips screw that holds the gas cap to the tank, so I picked one of those from one of the bikes there. Then, I put the cap back on the tank. I think I need new screws for it, they're worn through the paint so they stick out. The black against the tank looks amazing! And then I installed the tank.






Since the bike wouldn't start at first, I reinstalled the tail fairing while the battery was on the tender.





Had to stop there to go get ready for dinner reservations. When I came back, the bike started just fine. I let it run for a few minutes.

Tomorrow at the very least I will:
- Reinstall the brake lights and the grab bar;
- Install the Sailor Specialties fender eliminator, my new plate bracket, and my new rear turn signals;
- Oil change, new oil filter, clean oil screen;
- Go for a ride!

Things that will happen very soon, in no particular order:
- Install Kerker exhaust;
- New tires (Pirelli Sport Demons);
- WC clip-ons, R6 throttle tube, new grips, and EX500 clutch perch;
- Clean and lube the chain;
- 15T front sprocket;
- Reinstall the rest of the fairings and ZG double bubble;
- Install clip connectors for the front turn signals;
- 6,000 miles maintenance.

[choneofakind]

Digging that VW orange! Sub'd

Also, I laugh at those tiny little circular intake holes. It's been so long since mine looked like that. Tomorrow, I'll PM you a picture of the big honkin' square openings I cut in mine a while back

[iplante]

What are the pros of opening up the holes? I actually thought about picking another one up to play with when I was at the junk yard, but it slipped my mind at the time.

[iplante]

Also, by 2013 build I didn't mean it's a 2013 Ninja, but it's a Ninja build happening in 2013. Obviously... in case anyone gets confused.

[choneofakind]

Next time you're there, pick up a spare one to cut open and play with. It's the pregen equivalent of removing the snorkel; sounds a little beefier under load, and flows a little more air without disrupting the smoothness of the air.

[iplante]

Cool, will do. I want to get back there pretty soon, that place is sweeeeet. Hundreds of bikes to pick through, there was at least 5 88-07 250s, all crashed obviously. I felt like a kid in a candy store

Oh yeah.. I also stopped by Walmart tonight and picked up some of those saddlebags people are talking about. They seem pretty nice and I needed something cheap to travel to work this summer. We'll see how they work out.

[choneofakind]

I'm interested to see how those fit with your 2-1 exhaust. I'm debating those vs a fancy little tail bag that uses the 4 cargo hooks to anchor to. I'm leaning towards the tail bag because I won't have to balance it to keep it from being cockeyed like the saddle bags. Idk, I'll sit back and watch your experience with those bags.

[iplante]

I'll let you know and take pics Dunno about the balancing.. I was thinking of having the straps go under the seat instead of letting it sit on top. We'll see how it goes. I have a Cortech tail bag, but I need more cargo space for my street shoes, lunch bag, laptop bag, etc.

[iplante]

.

[antiant]

That is really nice. I'm kind of digging the orange too, as it is different.

[iplante]

Thanks Cali! I'm super happy on how the color turned out

[kirk595x]

That orange is awesome I'm considering doing Ktm Orange accents on my Green Machine.

[iplante]

Cool, KTM orange is a bit darker, right?

OK so I didn't get as much done as I wanted to today, but that's ok.

I reinstalled:
- The grab bar, the brake light, the upper cowl, the right side cover (the left side is still in the shop, they forgot to fix one of the pegs)

I installed:
- ZG double bubble;
- Sailor Specialties fender eliminator;
- New plate bracket;
- WPS mini rear turn signals;
- Flush mount front turn signals.
- Molex connectors for the front and back turn signals, and shrink tubing to make everything neat
- Pro Grip tank pad.

Again, picture intensive:

















































Realized today my right mirror is way scratched up from when I laid the bike down. I'm probably gonna order those when seller relists: http://www.ebay.com/itm/390599592972...84.m1423.l2649

Looks much better than the stock fugly mirrors.

I have a couple questions regarding the 6,000 miles maintenance.
- Check: Brake Light Switch <-- how do you check that... just make sure the brake light comes on when you hit the hand or foot brake?
- Check: Fasteners Tightness <-- are those the fairing fasteners?

[choneofakind]

Oh, don't show me pictures that nice. You're making me want to go visit the local body/paint shop...

[iplante]

But you like your stock colors...

I would've left mine, but the upper cowl needed some repairs and a new coat of paint anyway. What color would you like?

I was originally thinking of stickering her up again, at the very least a "ZX-2R" or "250R" sticker on the tail, and Kawasaki/Ninja on the upper cowl, but I think I'm gonna leave it sticker-less.

[choneofakind]

That shade of orange is downright sexy. But I could go for a nice yellow, or even a white with a black chin fairing and green accents.

hmmmm.


Nope. My green and purple is too pretty.

[xSean13]

A lot of people here would looooove that bike/car (UT Vols fans).

I was initially stumped by the title, but soon realized it wasn't a 2013 ninja!
Looking sharp, though.

[iplante]

Haha thanks yeah I figured afterwards the title may get confusing... I'm gonna change it.

(For those who read this after the title is changed, it was "iplante's 2013 Ninja build"

[iplante]

I installed my Woodcraft lowered risers, EX500 clutch perch and R6 throttle tube and it was a pain in the ass I'm not quite done - I still have to adjust the angle of the levers and install the new grips.

I'm running into a problem where the throttle tube is "sticky." I need to figure out what causes that.. It doesn't roll easily, and doesn't snap back into position if I let go either.

I need to get new levers now. The EX500 clutch lever is curled a bit and ugly as **** but it will work for now.

Pics:






Bonus pics of my dog on the bike. He didn't like sitting up there... wouldn't sit still

[choneofakind]

Digging the black bars!!! Looks way better than my silver bars. Much more discrete. I debated getting black. Really wishing I did now...

[kirk595x]

Have you lubed the throttle cable? I like to use a lil Moly grease in the throttle housing on all friction areas. Look at the entire throttle tube for unusual wear. Sometimes it's necessary to sand some areas of the tube for a smooth action.

[crazymadbastard]

very nice work there!
What primer and paint did you use?

[iplante]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Digging the black bars!!! Looks way better than my silver bars. Much more discrete. I debated getting black. Really wishing I did now...

The lowered risers came with silver bars (used) but they were bent so it gave me the opportunity to buy some new ones. I'm loving the black, too, since the color scheme of my bike is black and orange. Silver would've looked weird. It's not too late, you can get them for like shipped on eBay.

Originally Posted by kirk595x

Have you lubed the throttle cable? I like to use a lil Moly grease in the throttle housing on all friction areas. Look at the entire throttle tube for unusual wear. Sometimes it's necessary to sand some areas of the tube for a smooth action.

The problem was the R6 throttle sleeve. I think I would need a shorter throttle cable to use it. I just put back my old throttle sleeve and everything was ok.

Originally Posted by crazymadbastard

very nice work there!
What primer and paint did you use?

Not sure. I sent it in to a shop. I can tell you the color code, that's about it

--------

Progress on the bike:
- I removed the R6 throttle tube and put back my old one. No more sticking. Then I installed my new Pro Grip grips, which was a pain in the ass lol. I'm sad my "Ninja" bar ends won't work with these new bars, but it's alright.

- Oil change... if you've read my post in the "what did you do to your Ninjette today" thread, let's just say it did not go smoothly. One of the previous owners must've over-torqued the oil drain bolt and the inside thread is destroyed. The bolt wouldn't tighten. Plumber's tape and some black goop (not sure what it was, I went to see my bike guy and he put some on saying to try that...) so far are doing the trick. I put it in and let it sit overnight, then put a quart of oil in this morning. Let it sit an hour, no leak. I then filled the oil and went for a 10 miles ride. I'll see if it leaks..

Bike runs great though. I need new levers, that curled clutch lever is super uncomfortable. I'm gonna order adjustable levers from eBay ASAP.



Small o-ring fits me perfectly LOL

[Jono]

Bike looks great!!!

[iplante]

Originally Posted by Jono

Bike looks great!!!

Thanks, Jono

I forgot to say, after I finished changing the oil and putting the bars together, I went to start the bike and no power. I thought battery at first so I put it on the tender for a bit... looked good.

I searched on the n250 wiki and found out it was a blown main fuse . I replaced it with the 30A spare in the fuse box since I didn't have any with me. Picked up a box on my ride.

Wonder what caused the blown fuse.

Other than that I did some plumbing this weekend. I'm sore now from working on the bike and on my sink, haha.

[b.miller123]

If you are going to a bigger throttle tube, you need to check the clearance inside the throttle/killswitch/starter button housing. When I tried on my stock 1998 housing, there wasn't enough room to fit the HRC quick turn (similar to the r6 tube). Yet when I put a new housing from a 2007, it magically fit. The marks on the outside are different, so who knows?

Also, you need to loosen the throttle cables at the carb in order to get the slack you'll need. Most likely, the lack of slack was also causing the tube to bind.

[iplante]

Thanks Brett. Ill try that eventually I wanted to ride yesterday so I went for the quick fix

[b.miller123]

Originally Posted by iplante

Thanks Brett. Ill try that eventually I wanted to ride yesterday so I went for the quick fix

When I did mine, I had to loosen the cables completely (both at the the housing and the carb), then slowly tighten them up so the throttle snaps back quickly, but doesn't bind. Also don't forget to do this with the bars turned all the way to the stop (both left and right). One way (left or right) will bind long before having the bars straight.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by iplante

............Wonder what caused the blown fuse.

Anything that you did during installation that created a short between the + of the battery and ground.

I love your way of organizing parts on plastic bags as much as your choice of color; you should work for Kawasaki, Isabelle !!!

[iplante]

Thanks Hernan. If I didn't do that, I'd probably lose more parts than I already do, and take twice as long to put my bike together.

Dropped the bike at the shop last night. Should get it back in a few days with new tires

Good thing it's supposed to rain all week so I'm not losing riding time.

[iplante]

OK so I got my bike back this morning with new tires. My goal was to go to the shop before the front wheel was back on to install the front fender, but I was too late... so I ****ed around for over half an hour trying to get the bolts on with the wheel in my way... finally got it.

Then I took her for a ride. OMG those tires are awesome! Night and day. Very stable in turns. I'm very pleased with my choice to go with the Pirelli scooter tires.

Pics coming soonish.

[choneofakind]

Hey look! Another happy user of the Diablo Scoots I love mine and can't recommend them enough. No race tire, but definitely a good option for the pregen and a great price.

[b.miller123]

Originally Posted by iplante

OK so I got my bike back this morning with new tires. My goal was to go to the shop before the front wheel was back on to install the front fender, but I was too late... so I ****ed around for over half an hour trying to get the bolts on with the wheel in my way... finally got it.

Then I took her for a ride. OMG those tires are awesome! Night and day. Very stable in turns. I'm very pleased with my choice to go with the Pirelli scooter tires.

Pics coming soonish.

Did you go with the MT75's? They are very soft and sticky. I've heard there were issue with the longevity. I don't know personally because I pulled them off before they were worn.

[choneofakind]

From my experience, the Diablo Scoots are pretty soft and wear pretty quickly, but if I get 4-5,000 miles out of a tire, that's good enough for me. I'd rather have the peace of mind of being on relatively new tires than try to squeeze every last mile out of a set.

No experience here with MT75's.

[iplante]

Brett, I went with Pirelli scooter tires. For the price, I'm not worried about longevity at all

[Ben M]

Wow great work! Love the color! Let's see a good picture with the bike and GTI next to each other!

[iplante]

Originally Posted by Ben M

Wow great work! Love the color! Let's see a good picture with the bike and GTI next to each other!

Thanks! I will once it stops raining... If it ever does

[csmith12]

Link to original page on YouTube.

[choneofakind]

Isabelle, I promised picture of this, finally got around to taking it. Don't mind the bird's nest of wiring crammed down in there.

My intake:

[iplante]

Thanks for the picture, Chris I'll definitely think about doing this mod.

Latest update, also known as "**** **** **** update"

Rewind to last weekend. As you know, I picked up my bike on Saturday morning from the shop with the brand new Pirelli tires. I rode it a bit and they're awesome! I then went to fill my tank for the first time of the season (I had just put a bit of gas in, less than a gallon). After filling the tank, I went or a ride around the lakes. I noticed my turn signal wasn't plugged in properly during the ride so I pulled into a parking lot and put the side stand down to remove the seat and reconnect the turn signal. When I got back on my bike, I noticed fluid dripping down the ground on the left hand side. At first I thought it was coolant, so I went home to take a closer look. I couldn't figure out where it was leaking from, so I decided to take the main fairing out. I took the screws attaching the fairing to the tank and...
...
...
...
**** ME. After being so careful with all my bolts to never encounter this problem, the new set of fairing screws that I purchased on eBay punctured the MOTHER****ING TANK on BOTH SIDES! All bolts were the same length, so I didn't think twice about it.. but they were all 2mm or so too long. ****! My pretty orange tank I didn't notice earlier cause there wasn't enough gas to cause problems.

I drained the tank, and tried some repair putty, no go for now. I don't want to putz around anymore so I just went back to the MC junkyard to look for a temporary tank so I can at least ride around.

Let me tell you, I totally lucked out. I found a 2006-2007 black tank, super clean, in great shape. One small ding that is really not noticeable. It looks pretty good with the orange fairings for now.

I can ride with it this season and decide in the fall if I want to get this one painted orange or if I want to get the other one welded permanently.

Any suggestions on how to handle that punctured tank?

I took the bike for a ride tonight and the tires are awesome. I love the WC lowered risers as well, super comfortable. I want to install my exhaust but I'm gonna wait I think and just ride. I'm having super bad luck every time I touch the bike lately, meh!

Here's a crappy phone cam picture. I'm gonna wash the bike tomorrow, and that new tank needs some polishing as well.



PS: You're allowed to laugh. I'm feeling pretty dumb myself, lol