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My first inspection in Maine went like this: Guy walks out of the shop as I park and shut the bike off. “Hey, you here for a sticker?” Yup “Cool, is that a Suzuki Savage?” Yup “Nice bikes, my wife used to have one. Give me your registration and I’ll be right back with your sticker.” Didn’t have me turn it on, much less check anything. Thread content: Rebuilt a pair of front brake calipers for a new-to-me FZ6. They’d clearly never been cleaned in 28k miles and at one point had been hit with some gross blue spray paint.
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# ¿ May 13, 2019 03:01 |
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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 21:28 |
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Dropped it in a soft gravel/sand parking lot because I was rushing to get to a meeting. Scuffed the bar-end and slider and slightly bent both the brake pedal and my just-installed-last-weekend new plate bracket and turn signals. Thankfully it’s an ‘04 FZ6 with 30k miles and plenty of other minor blemishes but I still feel like a dumbass. Takeaway: Don’t rush. Especially don’t rush when maneuvering the bike in the sand when you’re not sitting on it.
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# ¿ Jun 13, 2019 16:07 |
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If you do take the carbs out to clean them, note the sizes of the jets and compare them to what the stock jetting should be. It’s possible that in the last 25 years someone who didn’t know what they’re doing hosed with the carb and put a bunch of wonky sized jets in. My first bike was a Suzuki Savage, and much like you when I first took it out on the highway and opened it up I was surprised that I couldn’t go much faster than 65mph. Turns out a previous owner had used a carb rebuild kit for that carb, but for a non-motorcycle application (jetski maybe? I forget) so the jets were all undersized. I put the correct jets in and it would do 75+ no problem.
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# ¿ Jul 26, 2019 22:15 |
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Don’t most bikes with chrome/mirror finish tanks have a painted top for just that reason? Thinking of the Honda Dream, that special edition Guzzi V7, etc.
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# ¿ Oct 25, 2019 16:58 |
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Compressed air works too. Put a thin piece of wood inside the caliper to catch the piston(s). Don’t pinch your fingers.
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# ¿ Jan 23, 2020 02:48 |
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Idk, here in Maine two weeks ago I was riding to work Mon-Weds, 6 inches of snow on Thursday, and back to riding on Sunday.
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# ¿ Apr 21, 2020 21:41 |
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Supradog posted:It's very fun and also rewarding skill wise. After getting used to uneven ice under varying depth of loose snow cover or uneven glare ice most other surfaces feels like cheating. If you don’t mind, can you run through the rest of your setup? I’m assuming heated grips inside the moose mitts and that that’s a snowmobile helmet, but what else do you wear/use for wintertime and snow riding/commuting?
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# ¿ Sep 23, 2020 18:49 |
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Removed the mouse hotel from my air box, replaced what looks like the original filter that should’ve been changed 15k miles ago, and wired up some heated grips for winter riding. Any tips on preventing rodents from taking up residence in the future? Covering the inlet to the air box with a small piece of wire mesh is the only thing that comes to mind.
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# ¿ Nov 15, 2020 21:58 |
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Or just an enclosed chain like the XV920 and a few other bikes I can’t remember.
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# ¿ Sep 7, 2021 12:43 |
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god drat those look awesome
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# ¿ Apr 22, 2022 03:10 |
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Your local upholsterer will definitely not cost more than an aftermarket seat.
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# ¿ Oct 21, 2022 18:44 |
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Today I put new coil pickups in the Elefant and now it runs on both cylinders. Next up: timing belts/tensioners/idlers and fork seals.
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# ¿ Nov 12, 2022 00:49 |
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The Elefant now has new fork seals, timing belts, timing tensioner/idler bearings, cylinder caps(? whatever those rubber bits behind the cam pulley are called), and the speedo drive is packed with new grease. Now I’m waiting on a new speedo cable.
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# ¿ Nov 27, 2022 23:07 |
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lol this owns. I've been thinking of putting some on my FZ6 because the heated grips don't quite cut it when it's below freezing in the morning.
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# ¿ Nov 28, 2022 04:20 |
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It was 50 degrees (10C) today and poured rain last night washing all the roads clean, so I rode the FZ6 around for a bit then came back to wash it and work on the Elefant. Finally felt like I could take it for a spin around the block so I threw the tank and seat on, fired it up and clicked it into first, where it promptly lurched forward and stalled. Rolled it back into the garage for new clutch fluid/bleed. After that I had to get back to house projects. Next decent day maybe I’ll finally ride the drat thing.
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# ¿ Jan 1, 2023 23:47 |
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It has a Yoyodyne slave on it currently so I don’t think that’s going to be an issue, I think it was just lots of air in the line. Tomorrow looks dry and still warm enough so I’ll find out then!
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# ¿ Jan 2, 2023 00:53 |
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What did you do to your ride today? Rode it! For the first time since buying it in September I rode the Elefant. Took it around the block a few times, then brought it back in to put the bodywork on and take it for a longer ride. What a fun bike! Feels like the big tall heavy beast that it is when you first get on, but once it’s moving it handles fine. Even at parking lot speeds it’s pretty nimble. Can’t wait to try it on some of the local dirt trails this spring. And that engine . I now want a first gen monster or 900ss to go with it. As for remaining work, it doesn’t find neutral easily with the engine running but clicks in fine when shut off. Brakes will need to be done soon, but they’re functional for now. Other than that there’s a broken windscreen and front fender/fork guard to sort out, and other small things like that.
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# ¿ Jan 2, 2023 20:06 |
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You should go ride in the salt and cry about how awful your chain looks by the end of the day. It’s fun.
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# ¿ Mar 12, 2023 20:48 |
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My next winter bike will have a belt or shaft drive. ACF-50 takes care of the rest of the bike just fine.
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# ¿ Mar 13, 2023 21:16 |
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Yeah just buy the DID tool and never look back.
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# ¿ Mar 27, 2023 23:09 |
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Dropped my FZ6, broke some plastics... sigh... They were pretty beat up anyways, but now they're very broken. Superglue will be used while I contemplate whether to spend the time and money finding new ones or just use this as the jumping off point for my new naked STREETFIGHTER As for good things done to bikes, the SV now has fresh caliper piston seals, new pads, braided brake lines and I'll pick up new master cylinder kits from the shop on Tuesday. Yay.
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# ¿ Apr 8, 2023 05:34 |
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Yes definitely grease the lever first, but I am also rebuilding my '02 SV's master cylinder for the same reason. Wouldn't surprise me if the plunger is indeed just sticky after 20 years. E: You can definitely get that circlip out with whatever pliers you have. Just try swearing at it more.
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# ¿ Apr 16, 2023 13:45 |
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Collateral Damage posted:Unless they already hate you, IT doesn't give a poo poo about your service manuals because it's a drop in the ocean compared to the vast amounts of garbage that HR, Legal and Payroll prints. Having responsibility for the print shop, hr services, and payroll departments at my company, can confirm. No one gives a poo poo about your document unless it consumes multiple cases of paper.
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# ¿ May 21, 2023 14:55 |
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Precisely
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# ¿ May 21, 2023 16:16 |
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Slavvy posted:Those appear to be tyres
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# ¿ Sep 22, 2023 23:23 |
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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 21:28 |
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Rode to work today, which was way wetter than anticipated, and cars are still parking in the designated motorcycle area so I had to ride through some mud to park. Then I washed my disgusting filthy bike when I got home. But I rode so it was a good day.
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# ¿ Mar 7, 2024 00:32 |