My bike was still at the mechanics on friday (13th). i got a call to say my kickstand had broken and the bike got laid on its side. my left side fairing was broken but it got glued back together. and, to top it all off, my machanic said he need the carby needle specs to finish the job properly. it is going better than when i dropped it off but it still has serious idling issues and seems to hollow out when i give it heaps. its like there is a sweet spot in the accelleration and it goes hard when i have the throttle in the right place, but gets "boggy" when i give it too much. anyway, thats my 2 cents for today. happy to get my girl back, but pissed she got dropped and annoyed that she still isnt perfect. If anyone can help me out with needle scecs, or has any other ideas what might cause the "boggy" problem, i would appreciate it. Happy days, and safe riding! Hayden. EDIT: also, when its warmed up, it seems to stick at about 3000rpm when i have stopped, and if i put it in 1st and use the clutch to bring the revs back down, it goes back to idle at about 1000rpm. any ideas? cheers. H
From that last little bit of info i'd be saying that it sounds like the bike is running lean. If it's also a little down on power across the rev range then it's almost definitely running lean. Unfortunately, what your mechanic has done is compensate for worn needles by excessively leaning out the entire rev range. This also means that whilst it might be ok up until 3/4 throttle opening, after that it seriously leans out and is down on power. It's not a good state for the bike to be in as it can result in serious damage to the engine. As for the bike getting dropped whilst at the shop; that's outrageous. How bad is the damage to the bike? Any serious workshop would be properly repairing the fairings to eliminate any visible damage.
He didnt say anything about worn needles at all. i just think the needles are not set up properly yet. he said someone may have drilled out the needle holes to fit bigger needles in, and as he has not worked on a 89fzr250, he said he needs needle specs to properly work out whats going on. the fairings are all back together, but i think i will need new decals as the cracks run through them and they are pretty obvious. i will be taking it back on tuesday with the specs, and if it is not right after he is done with it, i will insert by bike up his exhaust pipe if you know what i mean <!-- s:wink: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt=":wink:" title="Wink" /><!-- s:wink: --> .
I still don’t understand how someone who calls them self a mechanic can let a bike leave the workshop in worse condition than when it arrived. I agree with koma, it’s a bloody outrage!
Dont have my digital camera with me at the moment. when i get it back i will post some pics of the damage. like i said. it will be going back tuesday i think, and they have 24 hrs to make it right. if they screw me around, they are getting serve, as well as a rectally inserted motorcycle. this is me in good mood by the way. i hope they dont give me the $hits. not good threatening bikies.
haha, the kickstand broke, all on its own while the bike was standing at the shop!! that is a great excuse, its is up to the mechanic to have this rectified. if i was you i would not accept the bike in such condition. hope it all goes well tomorrow
I'd be asking to see the kickstand ASAP - to be fair, if the kickstand failed while the bike was sitting there doing nothing (unlikely, but possible), then it's not really his fault. However, if he's unable to produce the kickstand ("oh, I threw it out"), or it's obvious that it hasn't failed (e.g he's just put it down with the kickstand not all the way out, and it's fallen over), then I'd be going to see my laywer ASAP. Hell, I'd probably see a laywer anyway - he's got a duty of care over your bike while it's in his posession, and he should have insurance to cover accidents such as this. Your first consultation with a laywer is usually free, as well. But for new fairings you're looking at several hundred dollars. More if you're including a re-spray, and decals (it depends how roughed up your bike was when you gave it to him - he should only return it to the state it was in when he received it).
the fairings look good on the outside, but are shite on the inside. the kickstand definately broke, as he welded it back together. the bloody bike is still giving me grief. the bike wasnt finished 100% when it left the shop. he still needs needle specs to see if some dick has drilled out my needle holes. its still flooding really bad, and when i go to start it, it just goes brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr at like 500 rpm for 5 or so mins then comes to life. its really getting up me now. the guy who used to own it dicked around with the bike i think.
I can cut a kick stand in half, and weld it back together too, if it means saving my own ass What were the problems with the bike that made you take it to the mechanic? Did you buy it with these issues, or have they developed over time? I'd check the valve clearances, if i were you. Look around the boards, there's a good how-to written up by Dave on how to do it yourself (learn about your bike and save money). The norm is that the intake valves are all over the place and normally way out of spec. As time passes, the valves slowly bed into the engine, which means they won't seal properly. - that means less compression (ie less power), and it can also have other consequences (trouble starting, pre-ignition / detonation, etc). They should be done as part of routine service, but on learner legal bikes (especially gray imports), it often seems to be overlooked. Chances are your bike would need it anyway, so there's no harm in doing it.
the valves have just been done. all valves bar 2 exhaust valves were WAY out. yeah, i bought the bike with issues. a lot of issues. but i bought it looking to after i have fixed it. and i got it for about half what i should have paid. it still runs, but has some serious issues with carbies. the last guy who had it got one or 2 of his mates to try fix it, and they just stuffed it up BIG. carbs are just a F%$#@NG mess. BTW im not really cheesed at the mechanic for the fairing thing. but i will ask about insurance and all that stuff. like i said. my fairings look good, but they really are shite.
he did a full service + all bar 2 valve clearances for $250. ill stick by him for now, coz every other person who goes through him loves his stuff. he is an ex-race mechanic, so he knows what he is doing. will give an update when i have the carbies finished.
