New Forks - 32,752

I got my bike back yesterday and cruised home. The very last think I need to do for it is change the front brake pads and fluid. Once that's all done I'll probably total up all my expenses until now and see how much money I put into it. The new forks seem good. They are more stiff than previously at the same settings which is probably a good thing. I'll need to test it out more and play around with the spring preload and dampening. More to come!

Shop

I took my bike to the shop today to have the forks rebuilt. I hope they do a good job!

First Ride of the Season - 32,652

I rode to Willoughby and back for 14 miles. What a difference the rear shock makes! I had gotten used to putting pressure on the pegs when I anticipated a bump to minimize the impact. I still found myself doing it without needing to. The bike rides so much smoother now it's like brand new! I scheduled to have the forks redone hopefully in the next week or so. That should make it even better!

Wow my writing sucks after taking a few months off!

Almost Done with the Repairs! - 32,638

Maintanance Log Entry:
Oil Change (minus the filter) - Amsoil Synthetic 10W30
Antifreeze Change
Rear Shock Absorber Rebuilt
New Rear Tire - Dunlop Roadsmart 190/50-17
New Rear Brakepads/fluid (Front ones come after the fork rebuild) - EBC Sintered HH
Greased Fittings
Oiled Chain

Winter Repairs - Rear End

I started working on my winter repairs this week. I know it's a long time coming and I should have done a few things sooner (like taking the battery out,) but better late than never.

First things first, I took the battery out. I also ordered a trickle charger to keep it charged the rest of the winter. Next I took the seat and rear fairings off (one on each side) in order to gain access to the fuel tank bolts. After pondering for a while on how to get the fuel out, I decided that I needed to get a hose. Here ends the first day of repairs.

On the second day I stopped by home depot on the way home from work and bought two clear hoses--one for the fuel and another for the brake/clutch lines. Unfortunately when I got home the hose for the brake lines was too small. The fuel line was the right size so I got back to work. I turned the fuel off, removed the top hose, and put on the hose I bought. Then when I turned the fuel back on, the gas went into my gas can. Success! It took about half an hour to drain the fuel. When that finished I turned the fuel back off again and proceeded. Well there was still one more hose connected to the fuel tank, so I took that one off too.

Bad idea. The remaining fuel in the tank spilled all over the garage floor. I realized my mistake as soon as I saw gas coming out of the hose. The tank has a hose from the tank itself to the on/off switch that I don't need to remove in order to take the tank off.

Now that that was settled, I removed the 4 bolts holding the tank on and took it off. The fuel in the gas can was nice and clear (no crud in it like I half expected) so I emptied it into my car. I havn't got a chance to look for rust yet, but I'll make sure the tank is clean before putting it back on.

The third day I decided to get the old shock (or steel bar) off to make sure it matched my newly aquired one. I was looking at the service manual, looking at the bike, looking at the service manual, and I could not figure out how to get the shock off. Finally it dawned on me that I have the manual for the D model ZX11 instead of the C model. After throwing the book back in the car I decided the best course of action was to take off the rear tire and get at the shock from behind. A few hours later I had the entire back end of my bike tore off (minus the frame and wires) and finally had access to the shock. I got it off fairly easily and took all the parts back inside.

So now I'm looking for a dealer that will rebuild the shock I bought off ebay. I found one in Akron that will do it for about $150. If they do a good job I'll probably take my forks down there to have them rebuilt too.

I plan on getting the entire back end finished before I start working on the front end. That includes the new shock, new tire, frozen caliper piston, new brake pads, and fixing 5th gear. I'm also thinking of getting a new chain (this chain looks a little rusted) but I'll probably do that after I get everything else fixed and back together. I'm keeping a running total of the cost of repairs as well which I'll post when everything is said and done.