Zach’s Garage

Air compressor

This thing is too much fun.

Plugs

Spark plugs arrived today. I’m planning on changing them out when I do the valves. Gapped to .065mm using my fancy pants feeler gauges. Part number is CR8HSA.

Secure your wall!

A ladder fell off the wall above my bike and onto it yesterday. Luckily the only damage was a broken high beam switch (I had a spare anyway from when I installed the new left switchpod) and a tiny nearly unnoticable dent on the tank. (It was a wooden ladder) So the moral of the story is: don’t hang heavy stuff on the wall over your bike.

A clean bike is a happy bike

Feeler gauges

Picked up the feeler gauges for the valve adjustment today. Didn’t want to spend ~$45 for the Kawasaki tool, so I got a Craftsman set for around $6. It has 25 blades, so it’ll be useful for gapping spark plugs as well. Part number is 40804.

Mini update

I’ll be adjusting my valves within a couple weeks, so expect a writeup. I’m going to attempt to take pictures along the way, but I always wind up focusing too much and forget about the camera while trying to remember which bolt goes where. We’ll see. Just need to get a couple more tools/parts then I’m ready to go.

EX500 Fork Springs

When it comes to fork springs, normally you’d get a set sprung for your weight from Race Tech or Sonic. The problem is, even their softest set are far too firm for my weight. A nice middle ground are the Ninja 500 fork springs. Got the pair for around $65 from Ron Ayers. It’s a pretty straightforward swap, once you deal with those spring clips. They’re about an inch shorter than the stock springs, so some spacers are needed. I noticed a little less nose dive under braking, and more feel for the road as well. Easily worth the relatively low price.

How I pulled my wheels

Without a motorcycle lift, removing both your wheels is a little tricky. Here’s how I did it. First, I put the bike on the centerstand. This allowed me to remove the rear wheel. Next, I needed to get the front wheel off the ground. I used a jack under the engine with some scrap wood to raise it a few inches. Removed the wheel, then lowered the forks onto a prybar on top of a jackstand. Finally, I suspended the front brake caliper with a shoelace around the mirror, and put that on a jackstand as well. Not the prettiest method, but it worked for me.

Digital Voltmeter

On a motorcycle, keeping an eye on the voltage is never a bad idea. Even though I don’t run any electrical accessories, it’s nice to see how much juice my battery has at all times. Got this little guy from digitalmeter.com. Took off the upper fairing, and used some wire tap-ins to connect to the wires for the instrument lighting, since they turn on with the ignition. (Red/blue(+) and red/black(-), by the way). Secured the voltmeter with puffy double sided tape, and used heat shrink tubing the clean up the wiring.

Stainles Steel Braided Brake Line (Front)

Galfer stainless steel braided brake line. They sell the rear as well, but I didn’t think it was worth it at around $50 each. The idea is, the stock rubber hoses expand when fluid is pushed throgh them, thus wasting some of your braking energy. These won’t expand at all. I got a hand operated vacuum pump to pull the old brake fluid out through the bleeder valve, and also to pull fresh fluid through afterwards. Getting all the air out of the lines is a little tricky, especially for me since the hose on my pump didn’t fit as snugly as I’d like.

I’d say the difference is noticable, with much more linear action when using the front brake lever. You have more feel for what you are doing and it has more of an overall “bite”.

Reflective Rim Tape

One of my favorite mods, for visibility at night time. Got this stuff on eBay, it comes in four sections for each wheel, just give the wheel a good cleaning and apply. Can’t see it at all during the day, since it’s black like the wheel, but lights up really well when light hits it at night (camera flash in the following pictures, otherwise it would be a car’s headlights).

ProGrip 719 Gel Grips

This was an interesting one. Gel grips are most commonly installed to reduce vibrations felt through the handlebars. The stock grips are hard rubber, these are much softer. To remove the old ones, I simply cut them off since I knew I wasn’t going to use them again. Installation is a bit different. Basically, you have to get the grip and the handlebar really really slick, I used soapy water. It takes a while, but you slowly work it on until it’s in place. One side is slightly larger than the other (I think it was the left), so make sure the correct one is going on each side. They have the added benefit of not looking quite so 80’s.

Edit: it’s actually the throttle side that is larger. Thanks Payne.

Ninja 500 Rear Shock

Did this one a while back, when I first started doing some two-up riding. The stock shock is merely passable when on the bike by myself (~165lbs), however, with a passenger I was bottoming out the rear far too often. I got the shock on eBay for around $35. It’s considerably firmer than the stock unit, and has preload adjustability. Not bad for a cheap upgrade. Installation is pretty simple, put the bike on centerstand, prop up the rear wheel (I used a prybar), unbolt one bolt, and the shock pulls right out. Here’s a picture from eBay.

Fuel filter

Here’s a more recent mod. In stock form, the bike has a tiny (tiny!) fuel filter right before the carbs, built into the fuel line. This has only been added by Kawasaki in recent years, before that it didn’t have one at all. Got this one from Ninja250.org. Simply removed the stock fuel line, got some new 1/4″ line, cut to size, and added an aftermarket fuel filter. I think it’s actually meant for a lawnmower, but as long as it’s gravity fed it’s all good. The hose clamps probably aren’t needed as the fuel line is really snug as-is, but better safe than sorry. This mod has the added benefit of being able to see fuel flow, a nice troubleshooting tool.

Tires

Probably the most important modification on the Ninja 250. The stock tires (Dunlop K630) are lacking in pretty much every regard. I dont think they were decent back in 1988 when Kawasaki started using them. One of the most popular replacement tires is the Pirelli Sport Demon. I ordered a set online and dropped them off at the local shop with my loose wheels to save money, just had the shop mount and balance them. Feels like a different bike. (In a very good way) Here’s a before and after: