What Did You Do to Your Ninjette Today ??

[JohnnyBravo]

+1

[cuong-nutz]

[csmith12]

Today is coolant, oil and chain cleaning day for me. Of course at the same time I will be checking for loose bolts and other problems. Next stop, brakes.... and I have some concerns in this area but will save that for tomorrow.

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Today is coolant, oil and chain cleaning day for me. Of course at the same time I will be checking for loose bolts and other problems. Next stop, brakes.... and I have some concerns in this area but will save that for tomorrow.

That reminds me, I need to replace my original rear brake pads.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by cuong-nutz

That reminds me, I need to replace my original rear brake pads.

Gir-r-done!

[ForceofWill]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Today is coolant, oil and chain cleaning day for me. Of course at the same time I will be checking for loose bolts and other problems. Next stop, brakes.... and I have some concerns in this area but will save that for tomorrow.

Just put a new chain on one of the bikes, do you leave that crazy thick wax on or clean it all off and use your own lube? It's covered in that crap.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by ForceofWill

Just put a new chain on one of the bikes, do you leave that crazy thick wax on or clean it all off and use your own lube? It's covered in that crap.

I clean off the "sling" after the first ride (after the chain gets hot) as well as wipe all "excess" off the chain itself. I hate cleaning the buildup around the front sprocket as much as I hate changing tires manually. The only other part worse is cleaning a rear shock.

[JohnnyBravo]

It's about to be getting to new chain time round these parts too

[csmith12]

I know my bike(s) are far from perfect, but nothing says "I don't care about my safety than a dirty, unkempt bike." Soooo many times I have caught loose bolts, undone fasteners and such while simply wiping off wheels, engine and forks. Just do it and have a peek under at your oil drain bolt since you have your knees bent.

ps... You want extra "attention" at track day tech, show up with a dirty bike.

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBravo

It's about to be getting to new chain time round these parts too

Oh man the chain too lol

[JohnnyBravo]

Originally Posted by cuong-nutz

Oh man the chain too lol

Mine is pretty much dead from the looks of it

[cuong-nutz]

I have rear brakes again. Lost the peg a long time ago and also replaced the rear brake pads. I had an issue with the slide pin being siezed. Now the only issue I have now is the rear brake pressure switch is not activating the rear brake light. Fuggggggggg.



Does @csmith12 approve?

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by cuong-nutz

I have rear brakes again. Lost the peg a long time ago and also replaced the rear brake pads. I had an issue with the slide pin being siezed. Now the only issue I have now is the rear brake pressure switch is not activating the rear brake light. Fuggggggggg.



Does @csmith12 approve?

No, your oil sight glass is terrible. lol

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by csmith12

No, your oil sight glass is terrible. lol

It's been rainy here lol

[BDfromBC]

Changed out my clutch springs a week and a half ago, and over tightened the bolt, causing the gasket to pinch,(so tight it sheared the bolt lol)

So today I got my new bolt and clutch cover gasket. Installed it and cleaned up the mess.
When I finished that, I threw on some new HH sintered pads up front... My front pads were TOAST!

Now to go do a little riding since I've been off the horse since the oil leak began!

[mgentz]

@Ghostt Cue up the caliper post....

[LittleRedNinjette]

[BDfromBC]

Originally Posted by mgentz

@Ghost. Cue up the caliper post....

No doubt I thought that was coming before anyone else

But I did do some caliper maintenence.. not as thorough as he may, but I did what needed to be done... My bike is one year old

[cbinker]

ordered headers!

[Ghostt]

Originally Posted by mgentz

@Ghostt Cue up the caliper post....

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.

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Have a great day and stay safe,

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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.

[Ghostt]

Originally Posted by BDfromBC

Changed out my clutch springs a week and a half ago, and over tightened the bolt, causing the gasket to pinch,(so tight it sheared the bolt lol)

So today I got my new bolt and clutch cover gasket. Installed it and cleaned up the mess.
When I finished that, I threw on some new HH sintered pads up front... My front pads were TOAST!

Now to go do a little riding since I've been off the horse since the oil leak began!

Which brand of springs did you decide on? And how did you like them?

[BDfromBC]

Originally Posted by Ghostt

Which brand of springs did you decide on? And how did you like them?

I went with EBC as the brand. Honestly, a lot less change in feel then I expected on the 300, with its 3 springs... On the 250 I felt a night and day difference doing the same change (4 springs) last year.

I could sense some slight slippage in high rpm @ lower gears, it did remedy that for certain

I'd say on the 250 your lever gets about 15-18% stiffer, on the 300 it gets about 8-10% stiffer, hopefully that gives a little insight or review on these springs

[choneofakind]

...Did you hear that? that was the joke flying over ghost's head!


Thanks for being such a huge help here, Scott. Just giving you a rough time.

[tgold]

Ordered a 13 tooth sprocket for the racebike as the track configuration for the next round has a significantly shorter main straight. Top speed will be around 7.5mph slower than with my 14/46 gearing.
Took the caliper apart and polished the pistons to a mirror finish. Yes Ghostt, I replaced the seals

Bought a programmable ignition, but I decided to wait to install till I can schedule some dyno time before trying it out.

Looking at installing an FZR400 axle as well. Same diameter as the 250 Ninja but a little longer and it's hollow. If it works then I can make my own Pitbull style trailer restraint.

[Ghostt]

@BDfromBC I recommend changing them out to the Barnett springs for a ZX600, it's a common upgrade for the EX500.

@choneofakind no worries, it's all in good fun.

[mgentz]

I actually like his write up...

[JohnnyBravo]

It's way better than mine

[Ghostt]

Thank you both, it's comprised of my many, many years working on bikes.

Calipers are one of the most overlooked items on a bike, I'd rank it up there with valve adjustment.

Another thing is that while it's written for bikes, it also works for cages as well.

As we all know the front does almost all of the stopping, in the case of the Ninjette all you have is one disk, one caliper, this is why I stress the importance of doing the caliper maintenance.

It's easley enough done, and free most of the time if you don't require parts. If you do require parts, it because you took time to look at them carefully, something that wouldn't happen of you just pop the new pads in.

I fully understand the need to get it up and running ASAP, but doing the maintenance only takes a few minutes.

Considering the alternative, ER, hospital, lost time at work, damaged bike, etc... Or even worse, it's really a No-brainer.

IMHO.

[JohnnyBravo]

^+111111111


Cleaning a chain that looks like a model t that's been left out in a field since the civil war

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBravo

^+111111111


Cleaning a chain that looks like a model t that's been left out in a field since the civil war

All this rain doesn't help with my chain either.

[JohnnyBravo]

Originally Posted by cuong-nutz

All this rain doesn't help with my chain either.

Did y'all get flooded good like my family in CenTex? Their cows were swimming laps

Eh gonna have to replace it before the track... It's beat like a red headed stepchild

[Dave Wolfe]

Pulled the snorkel and took 'er for a spin. Louder, hurt power in lower half of rev range, but now pulls all the way to redline instead of falling off past 11k or so. Should be nice on the track but for the street id prefer the snorkel in place.

Raised the idle speed ~100 rpm a few days ago and engine braking was hugely reduced! Just what I wanted, the engine braking was driving me crazy on the track. Cant wait till my next track day.

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBravo

Did y'all get flooded good like my family in CenTex? Their cows were swimming laps

Eh gonna have to replace it before the track... It's beat like a red headed stepchild

It wasn't as bad here but I have decided it wasn't worth the work to ride on a rainy day especially with all the knuckleheads on the road.

[JohnnyBravo]

Originally Posted by cuong-nutz

It wasn't as bad here but I have decided it wasn't worth the work to ride on a rainy day especially with all the knuckleheads on the road.

I don't ride in the rain unless I have too

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by Dave Wolfe

Pulled the snorkel and took 'er for a spin. Louder, hurt power in lower half of rev range, but now pulls all the way to redline instead of falling off past 11k or so. Should be nice on the track but for the street id prefer the snorkel in place.

Try shimming the needles up with 1 or 2 SAE #4 washers and playing with the idle mix screws as needed. That will add fuel in the mid-throttle range and take care of that lower RPM lag/midrange hesitation.

From the factory, they're jetted less rich than optimum with the needle height and idle mix screw setting so they can be deemed acceptable by the EPA, but then the top end WOT has a bigger jet than needed to protect the engine at high RPM and big loads. A little playing with the jetting goes a long way.

[Dave Wolfe]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Try shimming the needles up with 1 or 2 SAE #4 washers and playing with the idle mix screws as needed.

I did all that when I got the bike last year. Made a dramatic difference to the lower rev range. A de-snorkled bike on stock jetting would be horrible.

Im gonna leave jets as-is for now. It carburates cleanly at low revs still, just down on power a bit. No worse than a stock bike Id say.

[sp3ak]

Installed an LED brake light bulb (from superbrightleds.com) and a modulator (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1). Pleased so far as I've tested in in the warehouse, will see how it does out on the street.

I decided on the LED bulb as I was reading most of the modulators work better with them as the LED can keep up better with the pulsing. This modulator does 4 fast and then 4 slower flashes before staying solid (no configurations available, hence the lower cost). I'm looking forward to using it to get people to back off my bumper a bit. I don't know if it's just me but people seem to like to ride up on me a lot. I know my speedo is off by about 8%-10% as I've verified it with GPS (got the info from the 250wiki) but jeez lay off!

Enjoy working on your Ninja's today, here in NC it's a great day to ride!

[SLOWn60]

Rolled over 10k km last night. I predict a valve check is on the agenda this weekend!

[Chicagobob]

Black Sharpie to the rescue. PO's yellow rim tape is hidden!

[sp3ak]

@Chicagobob - I was checking out your build thread, looks really great!


I took my first run on the highway today. Merged in with traffic no problem and cruised at about 70mph. Just had to go down one exit but I felt like it was very smooth and that I had plenty of power.