Maintaining the fleet | GTAMotorcycle.com

Maintaining the fleet

Brian P

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Having a fleet means there has to be "the white board". Might as well be here.

Street FZR400, 80500 km (original build thread http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?178050-FZR400-winter-overhaul - read the sticky thread about photobucket pics)
Things that are DONE
- Rear tire has a puncture and is half worn, not worth saving. New tires - DONE
- Cush-drive in rear wheel needs inspection/servicing. DONE
- Rides harshly - replace 20w fork oil with 15w and back off the setting of the "emulator" compression damping valve. DONE
- Inspect brakes - OK for now.
Things that still need to be done - Nothing. DONE and test-ridden. Good to go.
Things that need to be ordered - None
Future wish list - Front brake rotors and pads (Pads in stock)

CBR125, 48000 km
Things that are DONE
- Replace fork oil - DONE
- Replace spark plug - DONE
- Steering head bearings - DONE
Things that still need to be done
Nothing. DONE and test-ridden, all good.

Race FZR400
Things that are DONE
- Engine oil and filter change. DONE
- Change fork oil. DONE
- Replace spark plugs and inspect for condition. DONE. Condition of old plugs suggests slightly lean. See additional items below.
- Check valve clearances. DONE - All within spec
- Find cause of coolant (water) disappearing. There is a slow leak somewhere that I can smell but not see.
> Reinstall thermostat and gasket - Did not solve problem (this was partway through last season)
> Replace radiator cap with new but cheap one (MotoRad) from Canadian Tire - Did not solve problem (also partway through last season)
> Drain and flush cooling system. DONE
> Run engine with cooling system filled but radiator cap off to check for evidence of head gasket leakage - DONE and checks out OK, no bubbles.
> Pressure test cooling system with 15 psi compressed air. DONE. Main part of system has no visible leaks but the above-mentioned radiator cap is not holding pressure. It is leaking through the vacuum relief valve.
> Replace radiator cap with a new one from NAPA and redo pressure test. DONE. No more leak at the radiator cap.
> Shorten coolant hose from thermostat housing to filler neck to eliminate a high spot that will trap an air pocket. DONE. Don't even have to burp the cooling system any more - all the air goes to the top.
- At this point I've done everything I can think of with respect to the cooling system, and there's no way to know if the underlying issue is actually fixed until riding the bike on the track next year.
- Check idle mixture settings to address a rough idle when cold - DONE; reset all mixture screws to 4 turns out (stock setting 3.5 turns) - Runs OK
- Change main jets from 87.5 to 90 - DONE
- Fix half-stripped threads for tail section bodywork and replace missing fasteners - DONE
- Install brake pads - DONE
- Re-valve rear shock (inadequate damping) - DONE
Things that still need to be done
Test-ride it. Won't happen until late May.
Things that need to be ordered or bought
- Tires for next year will probably be bought at the Jan bike show. Ordered

ZX10R, 94,611 km
Things that are DONE
- Free up / lubricate secondary throttle mechanism - DONE
- Investigate fast idle kick-up mechanism in throttle bodies - DONE, too much free play, Adjusted. Confirmed OK
- Inspect air filter - Acceptable
- Re-ring the engine to address high oil consumption (DONE - engine taken apart, deglazed cylinders, back together and running, remains to be seen if it fixed the problem but it seems promising)
- Chain and sprockets - DONE - front sprocket was toast, chain checks out OK
- Inspect/lubricate suspension linkage - DONE
- Replace burned headlamp bulb - DONE
- New handgrips - DONE
- Inspect brakes and clean brake calipers, replace brake pads - DONE
- Engine covers (to fix a wallowed-out hole for the starter reduction gear) - DONE
- Fix trim panels below gas tank (both sides are cracked around the bolt hole) - DONE
- Fix tail side panels (cracked around bolt holes) - DONE
- Fix license plate lamp - DONE
- New tires - DONE
Bought and received
- Engine internal parts: Head gasket, piston ring set, valve cover gasket, replace screws for oil pump cover and drive sprocket (stripped one ... bad choice of type of screw head that they used) - DONE and back together
- Front marker light bulbs (1 burned out, to be replaced with LED) - DONE and installed and working
- Headlight bulb - DONE
- Front sprocket - DONE
- Fairing screw right side below mid fairing (stripped head) - Have it ... Lost it :-/
- Brake pads - DONE
- Engine covers - DONE
- License plate lamp - DONE
- Tires - DONE
Things that still need to be done - Nothing - DONE and test-ridden
- Maybe eventually - Fix cracked mounting bracket for front turn signal (Tried - gave up - ignoring, doesn't really cause an issue)
 
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You have a street ZX-10R? I'm kinda surprised, would have figured you would find it more annoying than entertaining. Do you have all 3 street bikes insured at the same time?
 
You have a street ZX-10R? I'm kinda surprised, would have figured you would find it more annoying than entertaining. Do you have all 3 street bikes insured at the same time?

There is an awesome build thread on it from a few years ago where he was making it into a street legal drag bike. Lots of really cool info there.
 
There is an awesome build thread on it from a few years ago where he was making it into a street legal drag bike. Lots of really cool info there.

Huh, apparently checking GTAM fourteen times a day doesn't prevent me from missing things
 
I got something done today. I got two 90 main jets from Winner's Circle in Markham, put them in, buttoned up the carburetors, and installed the fuel tank.

The aforementioned brake pads showed up, but they're for the wrong calipers - the later 4-piston kind. That's what's on my street FZR400, and it's going to need brake pads after next season, so I'll take them, but I still need the correct pads for this bike.
 
I got something done today. I got two 90 main jets from Winner's Circle in Markham, put them in, buttoned up the carburetors, and installed the fuel tank.

The aforementioned brake pads showed up, but they're for the wrong calipers - the later 4-piston kind. That's what's on my street FZR400, and it's going to need brake pads after next season, so I'll take them, but I still need the correct pads for this bike.

So you have worse brakes on your track bike than your street bike? Or is performance similar between the two systems?
 
The race bike has to use parts that were around in 1989 or before. The 4-piston calipers showed up in 1990 on that model. (the street bike actually has a 1992-ish FZR600 front end) There's probably a way to argue that the 4-pot calipers are legal because they showed up on some other model that was built in 1989, but I couldn't be bothered - That generation of 4-piston calipers wasn't an upgrade, anyhow. The "blue dot" calipers (R6) are an upgrade, but those are certainly not vintage legal.
 
I re-did the safety wiring and put the race bike together enough to get it off the hoist - the remaining things, with the exception of the rear shock, don't require using the hoist.

I started working on the cbr125. The buggers routed the main wiring harness underneath the lower triple clamp ... thus requiring the main electrical connectors under the gas tank to be unplugged to get enough slack in the harness to allow the lower triple clamp to be removed ... and this requires lifting the gas tank which requires removing most of the bodywork. And you have to unbolt the radiator and move it down a bit to get to where the wiring passes through. Bigger job than expected. I don't have the tools to get the lower inner race off the steering stem.

With having to remove the forks, might as well change the fork oil. It was dirty.

With the bodywork off, might as well check the spark plug. It's worn out.

Waiting for parts.
 
After the mileage & experience so far, how do you still feel about the no oil filter thing?
 
I did a thread-repair job on the tabs for two screws for the tail bodywork. This seems to have worked pretty well!
- Wrap the threads of a new screw with teflon tape (see plumbing department of hardware store) and use your fingers to make sure the teflon tape is well seated in the threads. This is the "release agent".
- Mix up a couple drops of JB Weld (it doesn't take much). Start the screw in the thread then put a drop of the mixed JB Weld on the threads that are about to disappear into the bolt hole, then turn the screw in until you see that the teflon tape emerging on the other side has some JB Weld on it. Then leave it sit overnight.

The screws came out quite easily this morning (the teflon tape release agent worked well).
 
The 125 is back on its wheels after the steering head bearing job. After taking two hours to diagnose an electrical plug that wasn't plugged in properly - which was the main power wire for the ECU! (Why is the fuel pump not priming? Hmmm, check engine light never comes on, either. Hmmm, ignition coil has power but the ECU doesn't. ???) - it's running again. Tomorrow morning I'll put the fairings back on and hopefully take it for a short test ride.

Edit: Done, but no test ride today. Edit edit: Test ride done!
 
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Swap wheels on car to the ones with winter tires - DONE.
Winterize the street FZR (carbureted) - DONE.
Clean up the workbench and toss out a bunch of surplus and worn out stuff (used race tires, old clothing, empty boxes and other crap) and take a container of used oil to the recycling depot - DONE.
Sweep the floor - up next.
I am running out of excuses to not start taking the ZX10R apart.
 
Swap wheels on car to the ones with winter tires - DONE.
Winterize the street FZR (carbureted) - DONE.
Clean up the workbench and toss out a bunch of surplus and worn out stuff (used race tires, old clothing, empty boxes and other crap) and take a container of used oil to the recycling depot - DONE.
Sweep the floor - up next.
I am running out of excuses to not start taking the ZX10R apart.

judging by the km's on your bike(s)....do you ever sleep? maybe on weekends between races ? lol
I bring my used oil to cdn tire, just a heads up for you, they take old oil and have better hours than the recycle depot? and may be more conveniently located.
 
11 Nov: ZX10R teardown has started. Odometer read 94,611 km as of this morning. I'm hoping to get the engine out tomorrow.

Bodywork off, gas tank off, airbox out, throttle bodies off and cleaned up.

I figured out what was up with the cold-start fast idle not working properly. The lever that connects the secondary throttles to the fast idle cam had some slop in it. There's an adjustment screw, so I adjusted it to take up most of the slack.

Cooling system drained and removed as an assembly. Exhaust system off. Upper engine mount brackets off. Coils unplugged and removed from the engine. Wiring harness along left side of engine unbolted and freed from the engine.

Broken stuff: one of the fairing bolts was seized and the head stripped upon attempting to remove it. The trim panels on both sides between the gas tank and seat are both cracked around the bolt holes.

Reminder: thread the cables for the butterfly in the exhaust system behind the rear brake reservoir.

12 Nov: Front sprocket removed and cleaned up. Front sprocket is pretty worn (30,000 km on it) - needs chain and sprockets. Engine mount bolts removed, and the engine is out.

That engine is a heavy lump. I can't lift it complete. I removed the clutch and clutch basket and stuck the cover back on - that took out just enough weight that I can lift it. Engine is now at the front of the garage and I sprayed it down with WD40 in preparation for a big degreasing job. It can sit overnight like that for the WD to soak in. The clutch has about 25,000 km on it, all with shortened gearing, which is easier on the clutch. It can go back in as-is.

18 Nov: Engine is apart.

Generally it is in good shape. The pistons had clean spots on top and the carbon can almost be wiped off ... indicative of oil getting in. All four cylinders are about the same. Crank bearings look ok. Gearbox looks ok. Cylinder walls are smooth ... I can see the crosshatch (good) but it's too smooth, and I think this is why the piston rings never really sealed properly. Maybe going after the cylinder walls with scotchbrite (seems to be internet consensus) isn't such a bad idea.

19 Nov: Rightly or wrongly, I did something about the cylinder walls. Given the uncertainty (too many different opinions on the internet about what to do with nikasil cylinder walls) I decided to try with the least aggressive option and work up with more aggressive options until I got something that seemed OK. So in order ... Scotchbrite: Useless. The only thing it was good for was removing the carbon stain at the top of the cylinder above where the top compression ring gets to. It wouldn't touch the crosshatching. Emery cloth: Pretty much useless. My good old 3-arm deglazing tool ... did the trick. First I tried spinning it by hand just to get a feel for it, and that revealed that it does indeed scuff up the surface. Then I tried with the electric drill lubricated with WD40 on the cylinder walls (i.e. standard practice) but only for a few strokes - a few seconds. That did something. It's not "factory perfect" (the stock crosshatching is done by machine, there's no chance of being that uniform when doing it by hand) but the cylinder walls look like crosshatching now. Whether that solves the ring sealing and oil consumption ... only time will tell.
 
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2017/18 Winter Whiteboard.

Sell the Hayabusa
Sell the Goldwing
Sell the Ninja (Done)
Sell the old FJR (done)
Buy a new FJR
Buy a new lighter weight adventure bike. (DL650EXP? BMW310GS?)

'69 Triumph TR25W
Restoration from prior owner's hackjob conversion to MX bike
- replace tank - done, anyone need an original BSA polished alloy tank with Monza cap?
- rebuild front end - done - resealed forks, new fork bearings
- brakes - done - added brakelight switch to front lever
- true wheels - done
- replace resr shocks - done
- replace seat - have clone, looking for OE replacement
- replace fenders - still searching for front and rear OE with stays
- AMAL carb rebuilt (done).
- Electrical upgrade (done) 12v neg ground, new rectifier, new battery
- Headlamp changed to LED with integrated signals. Retained Lucas bucket
- Rear turn signals added
- Adjust clutch
- Not happy with carb, decide on PWK swap.
- paint
- replace speedo drive

'82 XV920R Chain Drive
Decision: Restoration to original after 25 years of unmolested use - OR - chop her up into a cool cafe project. Leaning toward the restoration as this is getting to be a rare bike and the cafe's are almost as good when done with XV750s.
- service front end - done - resealed forks, new head bearings
- brakes - done
- replace seat cover - adding custom based on FJR sdtule/comfort
- replace rear fenders - still searching for Euro TR1 rear cowl and fender setup
- change leaky petcocks
- upgrade starter & bendix to XV1100 init - have parts off parts bike
- new Spitfire tires
- Not happy with Hitatchi carbs, decide on BIP mono carb upgrade
- paint
- add center stand (requires restoring dual exhaust)
- restore dual exhaust, resto mod mufflers off FJR
 
24 Nov. I picked up new piston rings and a valve cover gasket at Burlington Cycle.

25 Nov. Pistons with new rings cleaned up and installed, crankshaft installed, con-rod bolts torqued to specs, upper and lower crankcases are bolted back together with all bolts torqued. Crankshaft and pistons move as they should.

I also cleaned up the rear suspension and took it apart with the plan of going back to stock wheelbase, which I was somewhat undecided about given that the bike worked rather well as it was. Well ... change of plans. When I did the dragstrip prep work years ago I wanted to make darn sure the bolts weren't going to come off. Well ... they ain't coming off. So I'm going to do a halfway solution by taking 4 links out of the chain and shortening the wheelbase a bit but not all the way back to stock. This required chopping a piece off the locating bracket for the rear brake caliper (something I've wanted to do for a long time). I also took the ride-height spacers out from above the rear shock and went back to the stock suspension dogbones, cleaned up the rear shock, and took a guess at the amount of preload to take out to get it to the ride height where I want it to be. I am trying to get it to be in a better operating range of the progressive linkage. With the engine out of the bike I can only take a guess at this!
 
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