v00d00child

I get 2.188" across the shock section where the two oval tabs are welded on.

My 900 shock has the spring removed--the trusty harbor freight calipers got the cylinder diameter at 1.960".

It really wakes the bike up, but be prepared for a significant mileage reduction. Mine went from a best of 42 to around 32. May be due to the way I rode after the kit install. Dunno if it increased peak numbers, but it did reduce/eliminate the dreaded flat spot, and slid the torque curve to the left.

Can't remember--XX's are Mikuni's, right??? If so, check this site: http://vmaxoutlaw.com/tech/dyno-mikuni.htm

Having just bought a house, if we don't do this order soon, I'm gonna wind up blowing the money on drapes or some other fluffy puffy crap. Save me from this fate--let's do this order!

Thx for the info/help everyone. Put the batt on a 2 amp charge, this morning (after being off the charger), she's at 12.3V. Seems to crank OK now, but still no fire. Sure wish that darned air cleaner were in a better location, like the old CBR1000's. I hate pulling the tank just to shoot starting fluid. More as it (hopefully) develops...

Gas: yes. Car running: yes. Carb ('97). FWIW, she didn't start then (had to push her back). Got her started once or twice before they loaded her for the move, but cranked very slowly, but seemed to run OK on a very short jaunt. I figure I've definitely boiled the sulfate off the plates, but wondering if I damaged the ignition system. thx chad

I moved to CO from TX in Sept, and thinking they'd force me to empty the tank before they'd load my bike, I decided to take my 97 out one last time. Problem was, she was already low, and I wound up running out of gas. Like an idiot, I wound up running the battery down trying to restart her. I walked back to my house, jumped in my car, drove to the bike, and tried to jumpstart her, to no avail. Of course, now the battery appears to be shot, and when hooked up to a charger, she turns over fine, but never catches. Have I blown the black box or something? TIA chad

Had the same problem with a different brand. Dennis Kirk had a product called "Chamber Seal" that was an ultra-expanding polymer tape. You just put a small band around the end of the header, and slip the pipe on. Engine heat causes it to expand to up to 10x (IIRC) it's static size. It was around 8 bucks before shipping. If DK has it, it's got to be everywhere.

Joe- I just moved to Denver last week and called Fay Myers for a K&N filter--they wanted over *$100*. Called performance cycle, $55. What the heck is up with FM? Always heard good things about them. chad

SwampNut- I'm in for a 16.8, haven't had my name in the hat before though. thx

Hokie- you've got PM

I was never a fan of satellite radio, if for no other reason than it's ANOTHER monthly bill. While househunting in Denver, CO this past week though, I gotta agree--it's incredible. The rental car I had was just FULL of great music. Then I noticed a funky antenna thing on the roof--turns out it had an XM receiver. Over 100 stations. Down side: after checking at BestBuy, it'll be 250+ just for the hardware to run it in the car, plus installation on top of that. :sad: My .02 chad

Pace- Thanks for the info. Yep, Lockheed. This will be the first time I've worked in a bldg with windows. Kinda stoked. I'm wanting to keep the drive to work around 30 mins or so. Think I'll be flying out to house hunt the week after Labor day. Thx again. chad

Pace- If you don't mind, I'd like to pick your brain about the Conifer area. Being a lifetime flatlander, I have no idea of what to expect in the area. I miraculously sold my house in KS in 2 days, so I'm hoping to buy some thing in CO, and like the looks of the Conifer area. My concerns, though: 1. How treacherous is driving in Winter? Lots of snow? Are roads cleared sufficiently/frequently? Is a 4x4 considered a necessity in your opinion? 2. Wawa supply--looks like pretty much everything is well water--is the water quality decent, or is the 5000 water purification setup in order? 3. Conveniences: I'm assuming all necessities require a trip to Littleton/Denver--true? Not that big of a deal, as I'll be working just outside the loop in Deer Creek Canyon. Anywho, I would greatly appreciate any info/advice. Maybe see you riding sometime! thx chad

So, I'm moving to Colorado in the next few weeks. Rejetted my 97 this past spring with a Dynojet stage I kit, used the larger mains per the instructions. My bike is pretty stock, except for a pair of Yosh slipons. Can anyone at 5K+ ft above sea level tell me how they've jetted? I know I'll have to install the smaller mains, but is the middle land position on the needles pretty safe? TIA chad

Keith- I completely understand about the laziness/not wanting to strip things apart thing. Did mine in January. It was that, or do laundry... As for mileage, can't say it's an apples-to-apples comparison, because I whack the throttle like a madman now, due to the increase in power/torque. Anywho, my best with the stock config, stock pipes was 43 mpg, but usually about 38. So far, my best with the stage I kit (went with the larger mains, 3rd land from top on needles), and 2 bros slipons is 34 on a long trip, but usually 29-32 on day outings. I'm moving to Denver next month, so I'm gonna hafta rejet again, but seriously thinking about going back to stock needles, as (hopefully), most of my riding will be LOOOONG weekend rides thru the mountains, and don't wanna be pulling over for gas every 120 miles. The kit really did change the personality of the bike though. Even with the decreased mileage, I'd still do it again. cheers chad

have ALWAYS had good dealings with swmototires.com, but recently beat their deal on Pilot Roads at Chaparral motorsports. (119 shipped for a rear).

Keith- For the cost of a carb sync tool (40 bucks for the cheap one I bought), a bucket of parts cleaning fluid, and required o-rings, you could do it yourself on a Sat. afternoon. I'd rebuilt the carbs on my FJ a year ago to get my feet wet, and found it was mostly fear of the dark. Thanks to the help here, the carbs on the XX went pretty smoothly. You'll love what the jet kit does for the power. Wish I could say the same for the mileage, though. good luck either way.

Bill- My 97 had a stock header with a crunched #2 pipe, so I bought a factory 99 header, and had it ceramic coated in/out. Before I dropped it off, I did the "hanger check"--both sets were open, no baffles.

Ditto on the Ron Ayers--bought a new upper for my 97 last summer--think it was 320-340ish shipped, when local stealership wanted 400.

SWmototire is just too good for me NOT to post in their favor. The owner is very nice, very responsive, and the prices speak for themselves. Usually at my door in 3 working days. Sets are usually same price as dealer cost for a rear, at least around here. :cheers:

We just got a Cycle Gear store here in CowTown (FW TX) on the West side. Didn't know they were a national chain. Went in earlier this week, looked like quality gear, decent (if not great, considering no shipping) prices, and best of all, tire mounts/balances for **$20!!** The bastards at the Yamaha dealership 100 yards away told me it would be **$105** to mount a front tire on ride-in. WTFO??? Sadly, I was happy to only pay 56 for mounting at the Kawi dealership next door to them. Looks like I won't have that problem anymore.

So I finally get my new Tsubaki Sigma chain today. Surfed around to about as many sites as I could find for the best chain, and Tsubaki seemed to get the most/highest kudos, and the 530 Sigma was the king kong of chains. Anywho, the lubrication instructions on the back say "blah blah blah...but it is necessary to keep the external parts lubricated with a moisture displacement lubricant. This will keep the chain clean and corrosion free and the o-rings pliable." BUT WAIT--there's more. Under "Cleaning", "blah blah blah...rotate rear wheel...yadda yadda...spray a stream of moisture displacement lubricant using the aerosol only on one side of the chain..." If I'm being too vague here, WD-40 = Water Displacer (something 40). Personally, I'd crap twice and die if I was told I could only use WD-40 on my chain instead of chain wax or PJ1, but I never expected this from the chain mfr.

oops--forgot. If you wanna take a look at the powerbronze, www.pbase.com/v00d00child