Sooooooo. I'm now the owner of 1989 zxr250! What can I say, I love it. The bike itself is what I'd call poor condition, cracked fairings etc generally just worn so I'll be looking to inject some tlc into it. It looks like it's had a bit of a hard life and I'll have my work cut out for me. I've been trawling the how to's and guides and pulled up some pretty good info. Quick question regarding fixing cracked fairings. What's better, plastic welding with a soldering iron, or a fibreglass kit? Pro's, con's etc. Actually any help/tips for the whole bike would be good! cheers!
Wheres the pix? Start with the easier stuff... Change the oil and oil filter. New fuel filter....if the bike has sat for a long time, drain the fuel and put in new stuff...check fuel lines for cracks/kinks. Check air filter is clean. New spark plugs and check the leads and plug caps ....unscrew the caps off the leads and check theres nice shiny bare wire there. Check the brake pads (I would fit new ones) and clean the rotors with scotchbrite pads. Change the brake fluid. Drain the coolant and flush it out and replace. Drain the fork oil and replace. Take a good look at the tyres and look for the manufacture date on the sidewall and if theres any cracking and crazing....obviously if the tread is worn then they need replacing anyway. Check the chain tension and lube and obviously replace it and both sprockets if worn.
Thanks for the reply and the pointers! I tried uploading a few pics before posting and it just did not work haha running my laptop off my phones connection, it's a little poor lol. It's looking like I will need two new tyres, chain was incredibly slack, brake pads/filters/plugs etc have been ordered. Discs and sprockets looked okay, as did the fork seals but I'm not sure about the fluid.. I'm thinking of rebuilding the calipers also, not sure if it's necessary yet though. Do you have a preference on oils and fluids?
Fork oil change is pretty simple and cheap....buy yourself a tension/torque wrench ....good for fork nuts,caliper bolts and a zillion other things. I didnt rebuild the calipers on my Fizzer....just pressed the pistons in flush ready for the new pads.....after draining out the old fluid and cleaning up the MCs etc. .....if the calipers give me grief then Ill do a rebuild. Put a smear of silicone grease on the back of the new pads to keep the moisture away and stop squeaks....dont get it on the pad material! Oils and fluids ? ......everyone will tell u something different :-\ Just make sure the engine oil is for motorcycles! Heres wat I used in the Fizzer..... Engine : Motul 5100 10w40 Brake : Penrite 525 super Dot 4 Coolant : Nulon Red Longlife Pre mix Forks : Castrol 10w
