[929_adam]

does that road trip include fighterfest?!


whats that weird blue thing on the front there?

 

[chaos6]

Unfortunately I won't be making it to FF this year. I'm hoping for next year though. I highly doubt I'd be able to convince the woman that PA is on the way to San Diego from Chicago...might be worth a try though.

As far as the blue thingy goes, I'm very sensitive about it. I'm trying to find a treatment for that particular malady, but in the meantime it's just so out there and obvious that people only point and laugh. sniff. sniff.

...Actually, I will be addressing the "fairing issue" soonish. I had removed the sides (blue thingies) to get the gas tank off of my last Z, and I thought it looked pretty wicked with just the center (black thingy). It had a much narrower profile, almost wasp-like. The only issue is that the side fairings are also the supports for the headlight. I'll need to solve that in order to get rid of them.

If all else fails (i.e. removal of the sides doesn't look bad-ass enough), then I'll probably wait until after riding season to install either a set of buell lightning headlights or some other suitable light setup. We'll see.

BTW...where are you in MA?

 

[VT420]

you could probably convince her that oklahoma is between chicago and sandy eggo

looking pretty solid so far...

-Jeff

 

[chaos6]

Thanks bro. I'm hoping to drop racetech springs and emulators in tomorrow, as well as modding the airbox...and weather permitting PAINTING THE FRIGGIN SIDE COVERS THAT I'VE BEEN WANTING TO PAINT FOR THE LAST THREE RAINY, HUMID, USELESS FOR PAINTING DAYS...

ahem...sorry about that. I'd just really like to get the paint handled

I am actually planning to stop over in Oklahoma. Somewhere near the western border of the state. Is there some sort of FighterFest West going on?

 

[VT420]

shit i don't know.. but i'm stationed at Altus AFB and have a Z750 and a spare room.. and since you're mil you could get on base so i'll offer the room

-jeff

 

[chaos6]

Today was a productive day...

It started with me getting up early to prep the bike for installing the new racetech fork springs and emulators. My buddy ended up running late, so I decided to see what else I could get done while I waited.

Front end and tank off, strung up to the rafters...

With the gas tank off, I had easy access to the airfilter, so I opened it up. The stock opening was only about a third of what it is in the pic.

With the swingarm swap coming up I needed to spin the regulator/rectifier around, so while it was off I buffed out a bit of whitish corrosion, primed and painted it (and the gas tank/seat mounting bar doo-dad)(and some points on the frame).

The goodies...

The goodies installed...

Everything went together fairly smoothly (for someone who had no prior experience with suspension setup). The instructions were pretty straightforward and clear (and even had pretty illustrations), and the difference in front end feel was VERY noticeable. Even more so once I removed the handlebar spacers the previous owner had installed.

I also took some time to snap a few pics of what I want to do with the "blue thing" on the front. I could use some feedback on how it looks...

What do you guys (and girls) think? It deals with the overly large fairing while still giving some protection from wind while on the highway. I like the way it slims down the bike. I'd probably need to chop down the fairing support frame and build a bracket for the headlight. Opinions?

 

[CraZKenE13]

I say either run the whole fairing or ditch it completely, running 1/2 just looks broken.
FYI, I have 3/4 of one of these in my garage for part-out, if you need anything let me know.

 

[chaos6]

It's been a couple of days since I last posted, and I'm about to leave on my trip out west, so I figured I'd post a quick update.

I painted the side covers, but I haven't taken any pics because I'm not happy with the way they've turned out. Three of the four pieces developed a nasty ripple/orange peel and I have yet to fix it (the day it happened was beautiful, and I decided that I wasn't wasting more of it in the garage). I cleaned and degreased prior to priming with plastic primer, but I think that I may have had some crap on my fingers that got on the surface while I was moving them around. Or maybe I coated them too heavily in certain spots. Once I get back I'll be scuffing them back down to the plastic, cleaning them like I have OCD, and then rubber gloving it while I'm painting them again. Have any of you guys had the same issues while painting plastics? How did you deal with it?

Beyond that the only work I've gotten done was to design and weld up a baggage rack with the help of a buddy of mine. I know, I know...baggage racks aren't very streetfighter...but until I can get a week's worth of gear to miracle itself to my destination, I'm going to have to suck it up. Besides, the thing is pretty badass for a rack. It's bombproof and I think it can double as a BBQ grill. :shocker: I'll post pics once I'm back.

I also picked up the spacers for my swingarm swap (another thing I wanted to do prior to heading west), and found the bearings I need to use my stock front wheel on a 636 front fork. Loads to do once I'm back. I'll check in from time to time while I'm on the road, so I welcome any and all input/info/opinions (as usual).

 

[chaos6]

Alright...
I just got back from my abbreviated (yet still badass) roadtrip, and I figured I'd update with pics.

The night before I left I finally got off my ass and swapped out my stock rear shock for one from a 2006 Ninja 636. Once I got the bike hung from the ceiling it turned out to be a pretty straight forward deal (except for one really friggin annoying nut that had me wanting to take a sledgehammer to it).

The stock crap...

The void left by the removal of the stock crap...

The delightful new crap, in place and ready for a test ride...

I can't say how happy I was that I did the swap before the trip. We ended up spending some time in and around Eureka Springs, Arkansas. If you ever get the chance to take a bike out that way, I'd highly recommend that you do. It seemed like every single road out there was made for motorcycles. They had these things that went up and down all the time...oh what are they called...we don't have them here in Illinois...Oh. That's right. They called them "hills" or something. Anyways...these "hills" also came with an equally wonderful phenomena that the locals refered to as "turns". Fucking badass riding.

Needless to say, the improved suspension front (racetech) and back made all the hills and twisties far more enjoyable. Next up...636 swingarm swap. Okay, that's not quite true. Next up is far to much work on the house...but as soon as I can find the time...swingarm swap.

 

[Kaos]

Sweet. I'd like to do something with the suspension on the 250. I'm too fat..err, I mean buff, for the stock crap.
I think with your headlight fairing, if you take the sides off you should try to move the whole lot in close to the forks to try and lose that nasty ass gap.
Looks 100% better without those sides on though.

As to the fucked up paint, there's a few differnet causes man. Did you use a gun or spray can? If it was gun it can be incorrect needle size, incorrect viscosity, not enough time between coats...universally between gun & can is temperature. If the part is too hot, then it'll flash off before it gets a chance to flow properly.
Best thing to do is to stick it in the shade and paint it....

 

[Bob138]

I'd pull the whole front apart and see if you can mock up that front fairing (minus the sides) mounted closer to the forks. Then fab up some flat triangles to cover the side gaps and it might look good.

Bob

 

[chaos6]

Thanks for the input guys. I was thinking about getting a second fairing bracket so that I could play around with a couple of ideas. I want to weld up a bracket that the headlight will mount directly to, and then have that mounted via clamps (or something) to the fork legs. I think that could probably pull the whole assembly back about 3-5 inches.

The other option (and one that I will fall back on without hesitation), is to find a set of buell lightning headlights and flyscreen and mount those up. I'm pretty sure it would look slick, but I wanted to try to modify the stock plastics first.

 

[chaos6]

Alright....
I just got my new drivetrain from Supersprox. This would have normally made me happy, but after waiting for the friggin parts to be in stock for five months (many irritating snags during those months) they managed to send me the wrong front sprocket.

Sigh.

I guess it's not a huge deal. I need to wait to install the parts until I finish the bathroom remodel anyways. Maybe I'll store the parts in the bathroom to help motivate me. Of course if not having a functional bathroom doesn't get me to finish the remodel, then I highly doubt having my new sprocket and chain sitting there will. (Things are actually moving along nicely, but it's still slow going.)

I figure that the swingarm and drivetrain will be a one shot project that'll probably either happen late in August or during the winter when I can't ride.

I'll post pics of the parts soon. They're going to look slick on the bike.

 

[chaos6]

Alright...I thinks that I can safely say that riding season is over here in Chicago, and therefore it's time to start doing the real work that I've been waiting on. I just couldn't bring myself to lose precious riding days after having been away from the bike for so long.

Anyways, quick recap of what I want to accomplished over the next month or so:

- swingarm swap, '06 ninja 636
- rear wheel and brake swap, '06 ninja 636
- Supersprox drivetrain, new front, +2 on the rear sprocket, and new chain
- remove airbox and install k&n pod filters
- remove fairing, install new headlights (to reduce the amount of hazing I receive from other forum members
- further shorten exhaust
- remove sidecover and airbox mounting tabs
- complete front end swap, '06 ninja 636
- maybe paint, we'll see how finances look

I've been looking forward to doing this work for a long time and to finally have the chance to start is exciting as fuck. Stand-by for updates.

 

[chaos6]

The doing of work begins: side covers, tank, seat, and exhaust removed

Removed airbox: Almost got it out without having to chop it up...then I realized that there was no point to doing it the hard way. I mean, who needs the stock airbox off of any bike let alone an '05 Z750s? That's right. Nobody.

Getting ready to string her up...damn that dude is sexy.

Strung up, front sprocket nut removed, and rear wheel off: This was easier than I expected. I've been hearing horror stories about how hard it is to break the front sprocket nut loose. Tried twice with buddy standing on rear brake (still spun the rear wheel), once with an air wrench (no luck), then moved right to a polymer handled pickaxe through the rear wheel, over the swingarm, and a 5 foot piece of pipe on a breaker bar...that worked like a charm. From the "pop" that came when it broke free I thought I had broken my socket.

New rear wheel with +2 Supersprox installed.

Swingarm removed...

Went about test fitting the 636 swingarm with the spacers I had made, and found out that I needed to make some adjustments. Should have the new spacer/nut back from the shop by the end of the week. Plus I'm having him make me a socket for the super-special kawasaki swingarm nut that will allow me to torque it all back together to spec. Need to order and mount new front and rear rubber, plus the pod filters off of ebay. Once I have the spacers and tires here, I'll be ready for reassembly.

Trying to decide if I'm going to start grinding off the side cover mounting tabs now, or wait until I finish the front end swap. We'll see. Hope to have more progress by the weekend.

Thoughts?

 

[Gixerman]

Great work so far mate the bikes coming along real nicely, good call on losing the stock airbox cos those massive plastic side panels are definitely not the bikes best feature.
I'm looking forward to seeing the 636 S/A swap finished, I nearly bought one off ebay last week but my luggage is already full up with the exhaust, rearsets and engine covers i bought:LolLolLolLol:
Keep up the great work and I look forward to seeing the you and your bike in the warmer weather

 

[chaos6]

I. Love. Craigslist. I mean, where else can I find real estate, people offering there "talents", and motorcycles all in the same place? Walmart? I think not.

Latest find: Ignore the yellow mark in the first pic. It's the flash.

$20 for an acerbis...I'm not sure if it's perfect for the bike yet, but for $20 I can use it as an ashtray and still have it be a worthwhile purchase.

Tomorrow I might begin grinding off the side panel mounting tabs, but if not it'll definitely be on Friday. Today my buddy picked up the spacer that I had machined and we're set to test fit the swingarm on Friday as well. Spent some time today just staring at the whole thing trying to decide how to cleanly run the wiring. I need to stare more...it'll come to me.

Quick question for anyone out there...maybe two quick ones.

1) Anybody have a favorite method of refinishing brake calipers? Favorite spray paint? Technique?

2) With re-powdercoating the frame possibly out of the budget, is it possible to get a durable, long lasting finish out of rattle can products? If so, any input/techniques would be appreciated.

Thanks all.

 

[chaos6]

Got lucky today with fairly nice weather, so working in the garage for the afternoon wasn't too bad.

Took the time to test fit the spacers I had made for the swingarm and check the line up between the front and rear sprockets. Everything seems to be just about perfect, although I did discover that I'm going to need to play with the rearsets so that the rear brake cylinder clears the swingarm.

Test fit: Pretty friggin stoked to see it all back together after seeing it like this.

Also ground down/off the side cover mounting tabs...aaaaannnnd...the tail section mounting tabs that I DIDN'T want ground off. FML. I need to pay closer attention whilst playing with power tools. Hopefully rewelding the two tabs isn't too painful.

Pre grind:

Post grind:

Cleaned up the frame a bit after the grinding and shot it with a quick coat of primer. I'll be rewelding the tail mounting tabs sometime this week with the help of my buddy Desmond (a lot of his help), and cleaning up the remaining welds on the frame before I recoat the back half it.

That's all I've got for now...hopefully more soonish.

 

[Bad Kaw]

Good stuff...drive on.
-KR

 

[VT420]

since you used that version of the swingarm, you should run underseat exhaust too

looking good so far....