Rear spacer and J's PAIR valve removal kit install

[Furious]

Well, I received my rear spacer from Jaws and my PAIR valve removal kit from J a few weeks ago and I finally got around to doing the install last night.

This was my first attempt at taking the Bird apart, and with a lot more little plastic clips and such than my old F3, I was nervous as hell. In fact, since the bike isn’t all the way back together, I’m still nervous as hell.

I decided to do the spacer first, which did not REQUIRE the removal of the tank, but since I was going to be removing the tank for the PAIR valve removal, I started off with the tank for good measure.

The instructions from JAWS were pretty well done, the only problem I had was getting the king pin out from the top of the shock, which I later realized would have been significantly easier had I loosened the frame bolt above the shock a little. I spent about an hour trying to get that sucker out of there, and my back is killing me today. (Note: getting the king pin out with the tank on probably would have sucked a lot more) Putting it back together knowing what I had to do in reverse, however, was a breeze.

J’s PAIR valve removal kit was significantly scarier, since I was actually pulling hoses and the like off of Bird, but J was very quick to answer a few of my questions to make sure I had installed everything correctly. The quality of the kit is excellent and it cleans up the engine area like nobody’s business.

All in all, the install is going well, just have to get the tank back on, remember what line goes where and get the plastics bolted back up (assuming I can find all the little plastic clips that I kicked all over my garage.

Man I hope I didn’t screw anything up!

Furious

[Furious]

Everything has been put back together with no spare parts, thank God. I fired it up and got it out for a spirited run on the nearby highways and side-streets. Everything seems to be in good working order.

I can definitely feel a difference with the spacer in. The bike feels a bit lighter and easier slaloming my way through city traffic. Every bit worth the effort and the 6 bucks.

I'm pretty sure the PAIR valve removal kit has added at least 30 horsepower to the bike, so I can highly recommend that as well :wink: Seriously, that plus some racing stickers and I'll be well above 200 hp.

In all honesty, the kit worked out great. It got rid of and covered everything it was supposed to and looks damn nice if you're inclinced to prop the tank up on occasion.

Sorry I didn't take any pics of the install, but there wasn't much to shoot that I haven't already seen pics of.

Furious