Wednesday, June 25, 2008

More about the Maintenance

The front tire I had installed has made my cornering feel more stable. I didn't realize that the tire was that bad since it didn't look that bad. I guess bike tires are a little more sensitive then car tires. I can't tell a difference in the braking from the new rear pads but I'm glad I know they aren't going to fail on me since they were getting close to metal on metal. The 15 tooth front sprocket has made the bike feel smoother. I can't really tell a difference in acceleration. I'm sure there is a slight loss in acceleration but the smoothness and lower RPMs while cruising is well worth the loss.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Readying for the trip...

I'm now up to about 1500 miles on the little Ninja. I like the bike's handling, find it a bit underpowered, and I'm enjoying the gas mileage. Basically it's exactly what I was expecting.

I've been tweaking with tire pressure a bit, and I've been pushing it a bit more in preparation for the big ride. I had it up to 10,500 RPMs in sixth gear yesterday, so I think we can consider the bike totally broken in. Time to do a little maintenance early and ensure all my gear is prepped.

I'm borrowing a tank bag from a friend to help with storage, and I bought a new backpack with a CamelBak holder about two weeks ago. I intend to pick up a sheepskin seat cover for comfort and a Laminar Lip for the windshield. The sprocket still needs to go on, and I'm looking for some summer gloves as well as gel grips, gel soles for my boots, and a CrampBuster for the throttle. It's all coming together slowly as I prioritize what I need and how much time/money I have to prepare.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Getting the bike ready

I took the bike back to the shop to figure out what the oil leak was. It turns out they put too much oil in the bike when they did the maintaince last time. I left the bike and had them put on a 15 tooth front sprocket to lower cruising RPMs, new front tire and rear pads. Everything is almost done and I'll finally get to ride the bike again.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

The Oil Spots Part II

I can't find where the oil spots are coming from and no I haven't taken the bike back to the shop. I've only rode it about 300 miles since the spots started to appear. It only seems to leak when the bike is running and for about 10 mins after. The oil likes to drip down onto the exhaust which leave a nice smell. The oil level in the sight glass is still showing that the bike has the proper amount of oil. Hopefully this Saturday will allow me enough time to head over to the bike shop and see if they can take a look at it.