jon haney

Sure wish I could give it a try, because I've busted beads that took 50 psi to to re-seat (with soapy water). Do you have this same issue with different brands of wheels/motorcycles? Does a new slick seat fairly easily?

I use a 2x4 under my trailer hitch, with a rubber mat under the rim for protection, and/or more wood for keeping the discs off the concrete. Practically free, and only have to store the 2x4's. Came close to buying the H-F unit a couple times, but I already had the lawn mower tire version (POS), and hardly ever used it. Would have built one that fastens to the garage wall studs, if I hadn't insulated and sheet-rocked.

Me too. Who knew? Too bad I'll never get the pronunciation right.

I find it hard to believe there is a stock '97 R/R still working. Probably won't work for long with the output you're measuring. I would go series as well, but the Yamaha is a good unit, too.

Holy shit! That guy has a pinch-bolt fetish. Who in hell wants to tighten that many?

The stock gaskets back there are pretty thick. Have you tried those?

Yes, but you still won't have much adjustment. That may not matter, if you only ride solo, and can maintain your weight. Small compromise for saving big bucks.

You do know that Race-Tech (and I'm sure several other places) can build the stock shock into a more than adequate performer, right? Probably $400 tops. Been awhile since I've priced anything with them. All I had done was a proper spring and fresh oil. Made a big difference. Should have went for the gold valve.

LOL. Not me.😔 I didn't actually measure (the drop of the bike) when I tried it, so go with what Joe says. When I made a new set of triangular plates, I reduced the dimension between the shock and the dog-bone bolts about 1" from stock. This yielded about a 3 to 3.5" drop at the rear axle. Side stand was still short enough with stock front height (barely).

Yes, it's that easy, but the drop is not very much. After all, it's free. It's fairly easy to make new triangle plates, which I did a long time ago for drag-racing. However, this changed the linkage travel ratio to make the shock slightly "stiffer". Not a good thing for traction on a street tire. I think a "dog-bone" is the better way to go, especially for street-going daily rider.

If that is actual rust on the steel legs, they will need to be replaced.

I read the title of this thread and thought Tim was pimping himself out. LOL

If you think the Bird was hot, You will likely hate all things Kawasaki with water-cooling.

I have had a BT Jr. now for quite a few years. For any new motorcycle battery I have charged, it never took longer than an hour for the green light to come on. You can actually install and ride, but the mfg. will usually recommend you give it a full charge first.

I stand by my original diagnosis. Keep in mind that lack of coolant flow to that mechanism can also cause the same symptoms.

Keep in mind that "fast idle" is the default position for that mechanism. If you could remove the wax, it would idle fast all the time. I agree with Carlos that it's not a great design.

Sounds like the fast idle mechanism isn't releasing once the coolant starts to get warm. There is a plunger, filled with wax, I believe that disengages the fast idle. The wax expands with heat and moves the plunger. I believe it's on the left side of the throttle bodies.

Sigh, as soon as I saw 3 pages of posts, I knew this thread was going to be another Jerry Springer episode, staring Tomek and Oscar, and/or Carlos. Sigh. 😔

Rear brake sucks for sure. The pads are probably original, as well. I recommend changing or light sanding, and check them for any oil or other fluid that would reduce friction.

Thanks, guys. Appreciate the recognition, but I really can't take credit for the (minor) improvements in engine performance. I just paid attention to what others here have posted. 97bbxx, if you do bigger pistons, pay close attention to the "squish area" (piston to head clearance). IIRC, You want about .030". Really bumped the torque on mine. Had to cut .060" off the top of the cylinders to get it there, but that was with Wiseco pistons. Have no idea where the compression ratio ended up, but it ran great on 87 octane for over ten years. This is not piston-to-valve clearance. You'll want more space for that. At least .040", I think.

For cams, you will likely have to send your stock ones to a company that specializes in weld-up and re-grind. Probably at least a $600 endeavor. However, you will also need some good head porting to get much out of a new cam grind. I think someone here once built a kick-ass N/A Bird motor, and said the best flow numbers he could get was no better than a bone stock gen 1 Busa head.

Not sure about shelf life, but most of mine is 5 years old or more and still appears to work.

Haven't priced it in awhile. May have changed.

I'm still going through my Dad's stash. He worked on mowers for over 30 years. Looks like Briggs & stratton has 3 names: Fuel Fit, Fresh-Start, and just plain Fuel Treatment. Lowe's is showing it under the Fresh-Start name, which is blue in color like what I have been using. I believe the red stuff is basically the same thing. Didn't say it was cheap, but you do have to compare the mix ratio with others. Four ounces treats like 20 gallons.

Went 1.5 years on a chipper/shredder. Started on the first pull. To be fair, that was non-ethanol gas.