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Guess I’ll start logging my progress here. This is a new-to-me 2011 Ninja 250. - Replaced a sketchy weld-fixed right rearset with an oem I found on Kijiji. - Peeled back some sketchy tape that was identified to me on the rear brake line after I posted in the “what bike to buy” thread to find a gouge in the line so I’m playing it safe and ordered a Galfer steel rear hose kit. - Ripped out just about every DIY electrical splice the previous owner made and replaced them with proper connectors. Previous owner was definitely of the mindset that enough duct tape will fix anything. - Started to try and identify why the aftermarket high beam doesn’t come on when I hit the high switch tsbfirst. Comes on the second time though. Maybe dodgy wiring. So far I have the following on order: - Both sprockets - 520-106 x-ring JT chain - Galfer rear brake line kit - Replacement Chinese fairings because I’m vain and they weren’t too pricey - Cheap OEM tail so I can pass safety and get it on the road. Not going to lie, I never really planed for my first bike to turn into a project or semi-money-pit but since I did a bad job of inspecting at purchase here we are. I am pleasantly surprised at how much fun it is to wrench on the bike, and there are plenty of online resources for the 250 so I haven’t found anything above my head yet. I plan to put in some major work and get the bike safetied in a month or so, about the same time my m2 license should take effect. Looking forward to posting updates 
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Jul 12, 2019 02:39
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Oil change on the 250. I’m 40 years old and I’ve literally never changed the oil in any vehicle myself before so this felt good, for something so simple.
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Jul 13, 2019 04:13
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I ripped out the previous owner's lovely DIY HID headlamps and ordered the OEM sockets so I can put regular H7's back in. The high beam never engages correctly first try which is almost certainly going to get me failed for safety when I take it in. The more I go into my electrical the more I think previous owner should be tried at The Hague for crimes against bikes. Good news is there's only so much more electrical to look at. The bad news is that I had to re-do every spliced wire, and even found some cables connected by just twisting together, not even electrical tape'd  That the bike hadn't caught on fire before today is a minor miracle. Also figured out how to remove the remainder of my fairings, counted all missing bolts, screws, and rivets, and ordered them from partzilla. And a generic tub of Ninja 250 fairing screws from eBay for when I inevitably start to lose them myself.
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Jul 14, 2019 01:26
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I removed the PO’s gaudy aftermarket undertail and replaced it with the OEM tail for safety. I might still install a fender eliminator at some point but a more subdued one. Sleek is nice but I’m still a fan of discrete turn indicators and a license plate that isn’t buried by the suspension. Also continue to take account of all the missing hardware/bolts/screws so I can source the proper replacements. I’ll have to start adding photos to my posts before too long, but I always finish when it’s dark out and not really photogenic. Womp womp. Coming up next, probably: sprocket change, and still need to wire in my new turn indicators. E: a few of the screw holes were crossthreaded by the PO. I’m considering drilling them out and tapping them for larger screws. some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 02:07 on Jul 17, 2019 |
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Jul 17, 2019 01:50
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I took out the air filter and REMOVED SIX RANDOM SCREWS AND NUTS RATTLING AROUND IN THE AIRBOX Not even like screws from the bike, just household construction and mechanical screws. What the flipping hell did the PO do to this bike?? I mean the snorkel opens into the storage compartment so I’m praying he just had a bag of random stuff in there that broke because otherwise....
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Jul 18, 2019 00:14
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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester posted:I helped a coworker check the valves on his 848, found sand in the airbox. Like, on the engine-side of the air filter in the airbox. He'd had it for a year or so at that point, put a bunch of miles on it. Mmmmmm, grindy!
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Jul 18, 2019 14:17
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I accidentally tore a wire off my turn signal when it got tangled up in a screw which I didn't notice  But I almost finished the OEM tail reinstallation. Put on the stock lic. plate light. Waiting for my chain so I can do sprockets and chain at the same time. Also ordered a new-used front rim to replace mine since I don't like the look of the bent lip, so I'm thinking of just waiting with everything until it shows up since I want to take the rear off and have a new tire fitted anyway. I'd just take all three rims in, get them to swap the new-ish tire on the front to my new rim, and put a new rear on, then at that point I'd do the chain and sprockets. Trying to think of what will be the least work for me, since I have to take at least one wheel off anyway.
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Jul 21, 2019 00:20
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I really need to inspect my carbs but the thought of disassembling half of the Ninja 250 is putting me off for now. Sounds like a winter project 
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Jul 22, 2019 14:58
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I'm about to swap my sprockets and I can't wait to see what awaits me in the dank pit that is the sprocket guard on this bike that the PO didn't maintain at all.
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Jul 25, 2019 18:47
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Tackled the brake system today. Galfer front and rear stainless hoses. Why? Let me tell you a sto—   Ok so no untimely loss of brakes on the highway, check!Also a full brake fluid change, obviously. I stripped a screw getting into my front master cylinder so I had to dremel a slot to unscrew. Will order a replacement master cylinder top and screws but for now I found a substitute that works, albeit ugly. Pretty pleased with how easy everything was. E: for comedy, I present the “cotter pin” used by the PO 
some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 23:04 on Jul 28, 2019 |
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Jul 28, 2019 20:13
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I unpacked my Chinese aftermarket fairings and bought $200 dollars worth of spray paint and painting supplies. Going to be a productive week ahead 
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Jul 31, 2019 23:47
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Insured it  Only two steps until I can go hit parking lots. Safety and plating.
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Aug 8, 2019 17:58
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I changed the front and rear sprockets ....and I only decided to change the front sprocket after I removed the chain  The engine sprocket nut was torqued to like a trillion foot-tons too. Hopefully I never have to struggle with that again. I didn’t install the new chain since I need to take both wheels off to get the tires replaced and balanced, but after that I should be mostly done with the “overhaul” minus valve adjustment.
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Aug 11, 2019 18:27
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Welp, I hosed up installing my connecting link on new chain. I guess my crappy tool wasn't centered right and it split one of the rivets while I was mushrooming out. I put in the crappy clip link but ordered a replacement. I'll get the guys to rivet it for me when I take the bike in for safety next week. Learning experience though.
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Aug 15, 2019 23:49
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I’m fully on board the “rivet supremacy” bandwagon but I just wanted the chain on the bike instead of on the ground. I don’t actually plan to ride the bike until they replace the link Edit: what a big lie, I’ve been scooting up and down my driveway practicing my clutch. That’s “riding”, right? 
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Aug 16, 2019 00:13
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I painted all my new fairings yesterday. Then today I sanded down the loving $30/can clearcoat and re-applied because I’m an idiot who can’t read directions and has no common sense. If I had thought ahead to the price of paint and what my own time is worth I would have bought these fairings from China already painted for $200 more. Will finally get some pics up when everything cures and I’m not nervous about mounting it back on the bike.
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Aug 19, 2019 01:35
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Mounted painted fairings on my bike. Very underwhelmed. Paint came out good but it’s no pro job and is already scratching in places despite clear coat. gently caress it, I’m living with it. If I ever paint my bike again I’ll just do army green flat rattlecan, that way it’s easy to touch up. ...... and now I have to figure out why my rear brake doesn’t illuminate the tail light. Hopefully I just futzed the connector, but I pre-emptively ordered a new switch just in case, since I have a week until I take it in for safety, and it was really cheap. And dang it, I keep forgetting to take pics.
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Aug 21, 2019 14:21
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I'm having trouble adjusting my chain too. I just can't get it to ride straight. I don't know if my front sprocket is different than the one I had on previously (I went back to JT 14 tooth vs mystery 15 tooth the PO put on the bike), dimensionally, but the chain seems to bend inward and no amount of fiddling seems to get it running in a direct straight line. I'll ask the guys at the shop to do it for me on Thursday since I'm apparently an incapable baby, but it's a little demoralizing.
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Aug 27, 2019 12:47
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Awesome info, thanks. Yeah, this is what I'm fighting with. The adjustment system is just so sloppy :[
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Aug 27, 2019 20:06
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Slavvy posted:The trick with those sorts of adjusters is to get the chain mostly adjusted, then do the axle up like 90% tight, then do the last bit of adjustment, tighten the axle then nip up the adjusters fully.. That way the adjuster nuts end up in tension against the axle and nothing can slacken. If you overtighten you can't just loosen it off and push the axle forward cause you lose tension, gotta start from scratch. Coydog posted:Oh yeah, also maybe check to see if your forks are turned a bit. It's easy to tweak them in a drop, and my ex250 came to me that way. If it rides straight with your hands off the bars but the bars are cockeyed, this is it. It's an easy fix if so. I have to stress that I've owned the 250, my first bike, for only a month and a half now, and it's not registered or safetied so I'm technically not allowed to ride it, thus haven't actually been out on the road with it yet. All my obsessing is coming from watching how-to's on youtube and what I think the definition of "straight" should be. I'm taking it in for it's official safety inspection tomorrow morning so after that I should be able to head to the licensing office to get it plated and out for its maiden voyage at which point I should be in a better place to determine if it's acting how you guys suggest I check. Assuming I'm not too hung up or scared of my first official ride to do so  It's hard to describe what I see the chain doing -- it's one of these: RS--------.__FS where it rides mostly straight but then takes a weird dip toward the inside when it approaches the front sprocket. It's a brand new chain so I don't think it should have a lot of walk, but I'm also not experienced enough to tell if that's the case I'll try one more time to do the adjustment (thanks for the great tip slavvy) tonight but in the end I'll just ask them to double-check the alignment tomorrow regardless of whether I'll be doing it myself for years to come -- it'll either be good or won't, I don't suspect it'll take them hours of labour to fix that for me.
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Aug 28, 2019 12:34
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Razzled posted:stop fuckin with the bike just ride it, if it feels off or does weird things THEN fix it I can't ride it until tomorrow earliest. To date I think almost everything I've done is either safety or in service of getting it road-worthy in Ontario. I replaced the chain because it was rusty. I'd also rather not gently caress up a $90 chain so I'm trying to get it right. The rear sprockets were super worn too so I replaced that. I'm replacing the rear tire because it was comically oversized and worn out I'm replacing the front rim because it has an ugly curb ding that will likely not pass safety I replaced most of the wiring harness because wires were literally held together with hot glue I replaced the under tail because it would never have passed safety I replaced the brake lines because there was a giant gouge in the hose I think the only thing I actually did 'just because' was to get new fairings Brigdh posted:So, my trick for messing with the adjusters is to jam a rag between the chain and the rear sprocket to take up any slack and force the wheel against the adjuster blocks when tightening up the axle. I think I tried to jam a screwdriver in there per some YouTube channel but I was kind of frustrated at that point so I'm not sure I did it right. Will have to try again eventually
some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 16:05 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Aug 28, 2019 16:02
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Needs a current safety before I can get a plate for it :[ Incidentally, tomorrow's "what did you do to your ride today" update should be "plated it" followed by "rode it" 
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Aug 28, 2019 17:02
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Elviscat posted:
All signs point to "kid who loved aftermarket garbage whose concept of splicing wires was 'well they're touching so it's fine'" In other news: Martytoof posted:Needs a current safety before I can get a plate for it :[  My dumb ugly baby passed! I got home with the plates a little late so final tally is: Safetied it, plated it, Mechanic did mention the backfiring but didn't give me any specific suggestions, but also noted the same thing I noticed -- that there's a ticking in the engine that could be CCT or valves. I'll have a valve clearance inspection done "soon" and I will try resetting the CCT one of these weekends, and when I'm bored this winter I'll probably repaint the tank BUUUT right now I am just effin excited to get out and follow this advice: Razzled posted:stop fuckin with the bike just ride it, if it feels off or does weird things THEN fix it !!
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Aug 30, 2019 11:45
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Thanks for the awesome response all!Renaissance Robot posted:I know you were bitching about not being satisfied with the paintjob (did you rattlecan it? Can't remember) but silver is a good look! Your bike looks rad Rattlecan'd it and clear'd it with crappy 1x clear because I wasted the expensive 2K in a failed experiment. Decided to do zero more paint work and focus on getting on the bike instead I'm fixing up my old fairings and I'll rattlecan them as well to have a spare set because -- well, you gotta be doing SOMETHING when you're not riding Coydog posted:Do the valves yourself, they aren't that hard after the first time. Those engines tick like a typewriter when the valves are well in spec, fyi. That's almost certainly what you hear. Interesting. I'm certainly in no danger of doing the valves before I store it for the winter, but at that point my garage is pretty cramped and I imagine it'll be a real pain in the rear end to do. Maybe a spring job, but I'm worried about botching something and then not having a bike until I can doo-dad some new parts. Anyway, I'll start with the CCT when I get a chance since that seems dead simple to reset. some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 14:13 on Aug 30, 2019 |
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Aug 30, 2019 14:11
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Next used bike I buy isn't getting a sniff without a safety certificate in hand. Just my experience with this bike souring things
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Aug 30, 2019 19:37
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What’s the green bike? I LOVE the aesthetic
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Aug 31, 2019 04:35
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Imperador do Brasil posted:It’s actually a dark gold with black frame and wheels. Firebolt XB9R I used to hate the look but I’ve since come around. Other than the weird beady lights I think this is sexy as hell. What did I do today? I fuckin RODE it! The 250 is noisy as poo poo and there’s no way that the backfiring is supposed to be that pronounced, there HAS to be something else going on. Literally every time I roll off the throttle it’s like there’s a 21 cannon salute to my deceleration. I sugru’d my motorrads mount to my helmet today so maybe I can get some video of it tomorrow if the sugru cures enough to hold my GoPro. Anyway I’m fuckin HYPE, this was so much fun. What do I plan to do in the next week? - order a ram phone mount - drill a hole in the cluster cowling to route my 5v USB charger. Have all the electrics done under the hood, just forgot to actually mount the charger
some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 23:48 on Aug 31, 2019 |
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Aug 31, 2019 23:45
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Lol that’s so bad... ok, well I guess I’ll just live with it. Next bike I definitely want quieter.
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Sep 1, 2019 20:57
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I’m going to see if I can just source an OEM pipe. I hate the look but this farting is stupid. At any rate, just riding it now, money investments later
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Sep 1, 2019 22:33
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I wired a 5v USB charger next to my dash but I must have misread the wiring diagram because the charger is only active after I turn the key to run but cuts out as soon as I push the starter. Will have to investigate next week. Mounted my ram x-mount and it’s pretty much everything I was hoping for. Also my sugru dried and it looks like I can mount my GoPro on the bucket so I’ll try to get some video of my can farting. I probably AM making it out to be worse than it is, and honestly I stopped even thinking about it after yesterday’s ride
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Sep 3, 2019 02:13
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Anyone who was curious about my bike's F A R T S https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGlmPKcLP-s I bumped my gopro so angle is poo poo, but this is me going down a slight incline. Farts for days. It's much louder when I'm on the bike, I think my lovely action cam is reducing road noise or something. Trust me it's noticeable  To keep on thread: I ordered a separate fuse box and relay to run a new 12v ignition-operated wiring harness for my 5v USB adapter and possibly the grip warmers down the road. Going to wire everything in so the ignition trips the relay and starts the new circuit. Want this to be neat so I didn't tap into any existing wiring to pull actual power for the devices except relay. And also I loved the X-mount yesterday and today I hate it. It's just mashing my volume buttons unless I contort my phone extreme left or extreme right. Maybe a different phone case would help but right now I'd trade this in for a pop socket style attach point. some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 23:43 on Sep 4, 2019 |
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Sep 4, 2019 23:38
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So just to be clear, that was just going downhill with what I assume is some level of engine braking. During normal riding it’s just when I roll off the throttle. Still annoying but I’ll finish off the season with this and see if I can find a stock pipe this winter. Thanks for putting up with my weird pipe story, I’ll update once I do something about it Jazzzzz posted:I too hate the XGrips - but since you already have the RAM mount, take a look at this Tackform mount. Great grip, doesn't mash your volume/power buttons, still works with the RAM mount ball stuff, doesn't cost $100 like the hondo garage poo poo Ok this is cool, I’ll sleep on it but I really can’t stand seeing my volume superimposed over Waze since my buttons are getting mashed so it may be a no brainer. Thanks!
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Sep 5, 2019 02:44
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Jim Silly-Balls posted:Also, I’m the “remove before flight” tag containing a key that when removed stops all flight. Effective theft deterrent
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Sep 5, 2019 15:01
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*furiously jots down notes*
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Sep 5, 2019 19:50
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I bought a spare gas tank for fifty bucks so I can repair and re-paint the old fairings off my 250 in my spare time and have a full set of easy to swap looks. This one is going to be flat army green so I can just easily re-spray as the pain flecks off or scratches. No plans to stop riding with the silver now. Also started building my relay triggered accessory wiring harness for the 5v USB. Running cables on this bike is kind of a pain in the dick and I’m not sure where I’m going to find room to stick my second fuse box. I’ll have to pull some junk out of the trunk, so to speak.
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Sep 8, 2019 02:56
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My lic plate light is 12v and only hot when bike is started so I’m tapping into that for. Definitely want this off when it should be.
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Sep 8, 2019 16:32
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Going to do a coolant flush this weekend so today I picked up the supplies. Apparently it's a huge time-sink effort if you want to actually do a flush and not just a quick change. Mainly because you have to ride and let the motor cool before you start messing with the cooling system for obvious scalding-prevention reasons. I may change my spark plugs while I'm at it, since I bought replacements a month ago.
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Sep 13, 2019 12:21
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Yep. That sounds way more bearable than the flush. I’m not even sure the bike needs a flush but I don’t trust the PO to have done anything right. I’ll just replace for now and enjoy the month and change I have left to ride. Re: power flush — I’m sure you can power flush but that’s probably way out of my league
some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 01:36 on Sep 14, 2019 |
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Sep 14, 2019 01:31
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Stuck a pair of cheapo wide angle circular rear view mirrors to my regular mirrors so I can see who's on my rear end more clearly, but was feeling kind of blehh so didn't get a chance to try them on the road :[
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Sep 24, 2019 14:15
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I tried to adjust my controls on the ninja 250 and angle them so they’re in line with my hands when I’m riding naturally, but I found I can’t angle my brake any lower because the bottom of my master cylinder hits the .. I don’t know what it’s called .. the rising stem that holds the actual handlebar. I tried to move the master cylinder over closer to the kill switch housing, but there isn’t enough clearance between the body of the master cylinder and kill switch housing to do that.. so I guess I just have to live with my brake being at a weird angle and keep lifting my fingers up when I want to grip the lever. Unfortunate and disappointing.. I hope my next bike lets me set up a little more naturally.
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Oct 6, 2019 00:12
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