Unfaithful ninja Posted January 1, 2012 Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 Hi folks - happy new year! - first post on this forum, but i've been a long time reader of PB - since i first got involved with bikes and my first Kwak AR50 some 22 years ago! anyway - I currently have a 2003 ZX6R-B1H - ive owned it since it was 6months old and although in the past couple of years it hasn't seen a lot of action as I have been a bit "off" motorcycling (shame on me). Anyway, a couple of good rides at the tail end of summer 2011 has given me the bug again. I was toying with changing the bike in the new year, but I think I'm going to keep hold if it a bikt longer - it's in MINT condition and only 10k miles so i do still like it. I'm going to do some tinkering over the winter to make sure it is at it's best for springtime. My plans include oil and filter (it gets this twice a year anyway) coolant flush and possible replacement of hoses air filter clean (i changed it two years ago along with the plugs) general clean and re-grease of moving parts - levers, gear selector etc clean throttle action and oil the cables change to APE manual cam-chain tensioner to try and quieten the kawasaki engine just a little! I'm also considering a power commander but i'm not 100% sure why i fancy this - i guess you just read about them all the time. I'd like to balance the throttle bodies but am hesitant to invest in the vacuum guages needed. I'm not sure about the rear suspension - i'll give it a clean but what else can I do to ensure that the linkages are working as well as they can? - it has a grease nipple on the swingarm pivot but I'm not sure what grade of grease to use in this? anything else I can do to ensure it is "at it's best" - what else do people here do with their bikes over the "off season" (yeah, i know, some of you will ride all year...) Thanks in advance for any help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unfaithful ninja Posted January 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 hi - thanks for the reply - brake calipers are a good idea - they've never been cleaned, although I did have the brake fluid replaced last april. I've always wanted to put braided hoses on it also so perhaps this would be a good piece of work to do. re. the rear shock, ive certainly never used the grease nipple - although it may have been topped up from a dealer service, but that would be a long time ago! I'm not sure I have the necessary stands to allow me to remove the shock - i guess I'd either have to invest in some sort of centre stand or hoist the back of the bike up to the rafters? how else could it be done? fork oil - i have replaced it in an old RD125 many years ago! - this thing has USD forks - does it complicate things? - fork oil is something I would like to change, but not sure if I would run out of talent mid-way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unfaithful ninja Posted January 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 thanks again - I do have paddock stands - hadn't considered trying to hoist it up with axle stands though. looking at ABBA stands on ebay - not cheap are they! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cibbersicks Posted January 1, 2012 Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 you can get the bike up on a paddock stand, if you have one, then support the bike on car axle stands at the footpegs, if you have some. Else, you'll be wanting to invest in the glory that is an ABBA stand >>> http://www.abbastands.co.uk/ they make life alot easier I'm not sure about replacing fork oil in the USD forks...someone else on here will have more knowledge (like you, i've only ever done it with very basic forks) Excellent, but only if you've got fixed footpegs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unfaithful ninja Posted January 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 good thinking - i don't Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorenzo Posted January 1, 2012 Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 Balanced throttle bodies are a thing of beauty, they make such a difference to the whole feel of a bike. Try to hook up with a local forummer who has a set and see if you can have a balancing session round there. It'll be well worth the effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BudgetBoy Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 Your fork oil is 10W Air gap of 101mm in each leg Your Engine oil is 10W/40 You want 3.6lrs if changing filter as well. You want 2.4 ltrs of coolant Clean your chain and adjust slack. You want a 25-30mm free play. Grease up your rear linkage while off the road it will help.As Alpinestar says clean up the brakes as described, you will notice the difference. Change Brake fluid as he said as well. Only a few quid and well worth it. When doing the bike start from the front and work backwards.. Wheel out clean,inspect tyre, valve,bearings Calipers off, clean,bleed Forks, replace oil & seals Head stock, regrease You get the idea. If it takes you a few days dont worry just take your time to get it right.Come the new season your bike will be transformed. When you have it all back together take it for a ride (5 mins).You will be able to see if everythings ok. Then go back in the shed and clean your chain with Kerosene and a tooth brush. Again take your time. Once done (Top,bottom,sides) dry off with a rag. DONT attempt to start bike as you will lose fingers. When you have done the squirt lube on the inside of the chain so the force when riding pushed the lube into the links. Hope that helps anyhow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unfaithful ninja Posted January 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 that does help - thank you. speaking of chain / sprockets though - I was wondering if that might be a good DIY job - i'd buy a correct chainbreaker / joiner and the kit for new sprockets and chain - what do you think? - easy enough if I take my time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorenzo Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 Doddle to swap a chain, and if you can only get a decent chain joiner then it's not a problem about the breaking bit: I use a £15 anglegrinder from B&Q. Just grind the tops off 2 rivets (on the same link, obviously), then use a punch to dink it out. You could just chop the whole thing off but it's probably easier just doing the tops of rivets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccubed Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 All good advice. Especially the take your time part. Nothing is more relaxing than the tinkering you are contemplating. The contemplating is also good. We all have stressfull memories of having to fix bikes and cars to get to work in the morning. We then start doing it with no pressure, then the joy begins. If you are near Somerset I have a vaccume guage set. - Thats another thing, the growing collection of loverly tools is somewhat addictive. Again no reason whatsoever. The chain riviter is particularly pointless as it must be cheaper to get the dealer to do it. But oh boy what a piece of kit!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BudgetBoy Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 that does help - thank you. speaking of chain / sprockets though - I was wondering if that might be a good DIY job - i'd buy a correct chainbreaker / joiner and the kit for new sprockets and chain - what do you think? - easy enough if I take my time? Yes it is easy enough but i have the proper tool to do it with.You could also do it Lorenzos way if you wish.. Your chain is a 108 links in length Front Sprocket is 15 tooth Rear is 40 tooth If you do decide to do it just take your time and think it through first before you do it.Understanding the job in hand before you start will help. i would also say do a bit of research on the job you intend to do as this may help you.And if you still get stuck be sure to ask on here as someone will help out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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