Thread lurker finally joined

[BlueBacon]

I was gonna wait till my bike is pretty again, but it's gonna be Christmas by the time I get plastics back on my bike so here's my 'newbie' post!
TL;DR--I've been creeping here since 2017 and finally signed up cuz the .ORG is full of flipping awesome riders.

I did the rider course in 2015 and bought an '86 Ninja 1000R off Ebay for $1,800. Old bike spent more time getting fixed than on the road...sold and bought a Honda F4i in 2016. That bike was great around town, but felt so small on the interstate after being on the gigantic '86 rocket...I had some OT money and so I started looking around just to see what was out there...and boy did I fall in love at first sight.

Mid-2017 I bought and trailered home a 2003 Limited Edition from a guy with two of them in Alabama, USA (maybe he's on the .org??) for $6,000.
She only had 15,000 or so miles and came with an extra set of side fairings. Bone stock except for braided brake/clutch lines, integrated tail light, and supposedly the ECU was flashed to remove the rev limiters. Dude even did the "hump mod" already.

I spent 3 mins feathering the clutch with my butt clenched and grinning ear-to-ear as I sheepishly pulled out of the parking lot for a test ride...never even went above 2nd gear. Came back, signed the papers and I been hooked ever since!

 

[Bumblebee]

Welcome after all this time....."going to be pretty" looks pretty already, I like the color.

The good thing about you joining after lurking so long is you already know all the nuances of the site and it's members.

 

[TallTom]

I was gonna wait till my bike is pretty again, but it's gonna be Christmas by the time I get plastics back on my bike so here's my 'newbie' post!
TL;DR--I've been creeping here since 2017 and finally signed up cuz the .ORG is full of flipping awesome riders.

I did the rider course in 2015 and bought an '86 Ninja 1000R off Ebay for $1,800. Old bike spent more time getting fixed than on the road...sold and bought a Honda F4i in 2016. That bike was great around town, but felt so small on the interstate after being on the gigantic '86 rocket...I had some OT money and so I started looking around just to see what was out there...and boy did I fall in love at first sight.

Mid-2017 I bought and trailered home a 2003 Limited Edition from a guy with two of them in Alabama, USA (maybe he's on the .org??) for $6,000.
She only had 15,000 or so miles and came with an extra set of side fairings. Bone stock except for braided brake/clutch lines, integrated tail light, and supposedly the ECU was flashed to remove the rev limiters. Dude even did the "hump mod" already.
View attachment 1626046View attachment 1626047
I spent 3 mins feathering the clutch with my butt clenched and grinning ear-to-ear as I sheepishly pulled out of the parking lot for a test ride...never even went above 2nd gear. Came back, signed the papers and I been hooked ever since!

That's my old bike. She was cherry. Behind the scenes that deal was changed a bit. MSF was supposed to sell plastics for extra. But that aside you got a great bike. I still have her twin. I'm glad you are enjoying her.

Welcome aboard.

 

[BlueBacon]

Between then and now I've done a few upgrades to "Samus" (yes, from Metroid), but nothing wild.

KN air filter, FLO reusable oil filter, HH brake pads, Galfer wave rotors, TracKing clutch plates, Carpenter clutch lock ring, Zero Gravity double bubble, Corbin front saddle, and just slapped on Michelin Road 5 tires to replace the 10,000+ mile Avon Storm 3D's that were on there. @pashnit wasn't lying when he said Avon's were good, mine still had tread!

No center stand? No problem! Harley belongs to pops...Electraglide torn apart for powder coating.

2019: Radiator had a few holes (no leaks, miraculously) so I replaced it with a black Ebay special. While it was off, I wire wheeled the 16yr old exhaust and painted it over with high-heat black spray paint.
Filled her up with Engine Ice and popped on a Schnitz high pressure cap (thoughts?).

 

[BlueBacon]

That's my old bike. She was cherry. Behind the scenes that deal was changed a bit. MSF was supposed to sell plastics for extra. But that aside you got a great bike. I still have her twin. I'm glad you are enjoying her.

Welcome aboard.

A-HA!! I've been guessing it was you @TallTom !
Unless she gets totaled beyond repair, I'm never letting this baby go...sadly, I have dumped her once.

Came around a corner too fast on a busted old road and got tossed into the sand at 15 MPH. Broke the windshield and right fairing...scratched up the nose and right exhaust can.

I made the cheap-bastid mistake of buying a Chinese plastic kit, but kept the anniversary orange theme.

New plastics are BRIGHT compared to the original, but still have the metallic "flake" in them and looks pretty damn good in person. Fitment sucked though...

 

[TallTom]

The radiator is a bit of a weak link on these. Gravel etc gets kicked up at high speeds and hence they are vulnerable as you see. They make grates that go over them that help a lot there.

Did you go through a clutch or just decide on that change?

Glad those Avon's held up to the reputation. These bikes eats tires. Avon's seem to last the longest. I just put Pirelli Angels on mine. More grippy. Hope to get the miles from them.

By now you know they are attention getting. That Copper just Pops in the sun.
Good to see the girl. She will do you proud!

 

[TallTom]

A-HA!! I've been guessing it was you @TallTom !
Unless she gets totaled beyond repair, I'm never letting this baby go...sadly, I have dumped her once. View attachment 1626053Came around a corner too fast on a busted old road and got tossed into the sand at 15 MPH. Broke the windshield and right fairing...scratched up the nose and right exhaust can.

I made the cheap-bastid mistake of buying a Chinese plastic kit, but kept the anniversary orange theme.
View attachment 1626054View attachment 1626055
New plastics are BRIGHT compared to the original, but still have the metallic "flake" in them and looks pretty damn good in person. Fitment sucked though...

Dude you had extra plastics. LOL. It was for that reason you had them. In case you had a mishap like this.

These bikes are a bit top heavy in slower speed settings. You have to learn her.

 

[BigBSBusa]

Welcome! Glad you signed up. Definitely one of the most unique methods of raising the bike. And nice to see previous owners see their bikes again post sale.

 

[BlueBacon]

I put the new plastics on in March 2020 and immediately took off the side panels after I noticed the belly pan was warping. I bought new heat shielding, but haven't had a free minute to put it on and dress her up!

Fitment issues were like a lot like this...(front turn signal pods)

Had to add grommets/washers/longer screws...cut down posts that were too long or in the way...file out fairing bolt holes...curse, sweat, and pray while putting on almost all the pieces because they had almost 0 tolerance during install...the whole process sucked.
Should have just poked around on here for a nose cone and called it a day! Never even looked at the "for sale" section of the .org until last month lesson learned

 

[TallTom]

Inside tip for you. They have OEM plastics available but no longer made from Suzuki. But each part has a part number and they are in the spare parts world. The Copper like all bikes had spares cranked out by the factory. Obviously the Copper is a limited color so less consumers. But fewer parts were cranked out. Find a good source for OEM plastics and acquire when you can. You will never be able to match it by a repaint. Many have tried. That's the world you live in with that color. It was unique and they don't make anymore.

 

[TallTom]

.

 

[BlueBacon]

The radiator is a bit of a weak link on these. Gravel etc gets kicked up at high speeds and hence they are vulnerable as you see. They make grates that go over them that help a lot there.

Did you go through a clutch or just decide on that change?

Glad those Avon's held up to the reputation. These bikes eats tires. Avon's seem to last the longest. I just put Pirelli Angels on mine. More grippy. Hope to get the miles from them.

By now you know they are attention getting. That Copper just Pops in the sun.
Good to see the girl. She will do you proud!

I couldn't find any for Gen 1 so I ended up making one out of small hole 'chicken wire'. Should have added an extra fan and pulled off the PAIR while I was under there though!
Clutch was fine, but I wanted to do something while I was waiting on the radiator to get shipped in from Japan. I found out about the clutch mod and figured if I was taking the plates out anyway, why not pop in some new ones? Still have the originals in a can with oil. Oh, and I did put on a clutch slave(?) brace!

Anniversary color is just too good...'Samus' will be orange forever, just a brighter shade for now

Dude you had extra plastics. LOL. It was for that reason you had them. In case you had a mishap like this.

These bikes are a bit top heavy in slower speed settings. You have to learn her.

Yep, I'm kicking myself for being a cheap

I saw 1 nose cone for $400 vs a whole kit for the same price.
I should have just gotten on here and asked around...I think you or another member even sent one to Haley246!

 

[TallTom]

I couldn't find any for Gen 1 so I ended up making one out of small hole 'chicken wire'. Should have added an extra fan and pulled off the PAIR while I was under there though!
Clutch was fine, but I wanted to do something while I was waiting on the radiator to get shipped in from Japan. I found out about the clutch mod and figured if I was taking the plates out anyway, why not pop in some new ones? Still have the originals in a can with oil. Oh, and I did put on a clutch slave(?) brace!

Anniversary color is just too good...'Samus' will be orange forever, just a brighter shade for now




Yep, I'm kicking myself for being a cheapView attachment 1626058 I saw 1 nose cone for $400 vs a whole kit for the same price.
I should have just gotten on here and asked around...I think you or another member even sent one to Haley246!

View attachment 1626058

You have a Muzzy fan upgrade. I don't think you will need a 2nd fan. I found that helped a lot for traffic hold ups.

I wanted that bike sold as a stock unmolested bike. But yes taking off the pair of recommend. And you can do a free sucker mod when you do. You may get some popping at decel if you remove it.

 

[BlueBacon]

You have a Muzzy fan upgrade. I don't think you will need a 2nd fan. I found that helped a lot for traffic hold ups.

I wanted that bike sold as a stock unmolested bike. But yes taking off the pair of recommend. And you can do a free sucker mod when you do. You may get some popping at decel if you remove it.

Ah, forgot about the Muzzy...she keeps cool majority of the time, but if I'm standing still for 15 mins the needle climbs up. Might be because of the high-pressure cap or just stupid humid FL...IDK.
Haven't looked at the 'sucker' mod. I thought about doing the PAIR removal, but ended up not taking the time since I still use the stock cans.

I will probably be removing the HIDs and going back to regular bulbs...while they are bright, I've had an issue the past year with the low beam not turning on every so often. Replaced the ballast once, but still won't turn on 15% of the time. Was thinking of LEDs from Gixerhp, but I read that fitting the back of that giant heatsink will require a custom bracket...

Last night I had a weird issue with the battery not having enough juice to turn over the engine. Replaced the battery in March 2020 and rode to work without an issue...went to leave 12hrs later: lights & dash came on, fuel pump primes, and then a slow-bogged attempt of the starter. Trickle charged her for 3hrs and fired right up...any thoughts?

 

[rubbersidedown]

I had a few favorite colors over the years but talked about yours (the '03) since the day it came out. It was my 'puter wallpaper for years.
For Gen I fav color hands down.
For Gen II...also orange. There is something about Blk & Org.



I had the chance at both (1 locally) which is super rare for my part of the world. Ended up with another rare color that time,the Canadian Gold Edition. Tough to get plastics for aswell. Previous owner scratched the side plastic up...I paid hundreds and hundreds for 1 side piece. Lucky there was an OEM left. Have China plastic for it still to this day. There are one or offshore makers that actually do pretty good copies. The other 98% are chit as you know. 5 Busa's later I have the color/powerplant combo I want. (all black/red Kanji's)
I will be flamed by my Org brothers but...HID's lose 'em. I like my head lites to work 24/7,365 I'm just fussy that way. I know,working non-issue headlites....I'm such a demanding bastid.

2 quite serious questions for you my @BlueBacon Brother:
1. Do you really eat your bacon "blue rare"

.......
and 2, whats got you so upset that you are telling yer radiator to fug off.

Rubb.

 

[TallTom]

The needle will climb a bit but I never saw her go over the 3/4 mark. In the worst of conditions. The Muzzy will move the air. I live in the same climate as you.

Battery. Yeah this is a bit of a common occurrence. If you stay with lead acid don't go cheap. Get a high grade high CCA rating. A cheap battery last maybe 2 years even with a tender.

I made the move to LIon. Totally solved that issue and are shockingly better technology. Cranks faster than they ever did.

I like the HIDs but yes the ballast fail. There are good online replacements. I'll look where I bought the last one. Again don't go cheap. Cuz there is some cheap ass ballast sold! You will pop them like popcorn. You noticed I mounted them to try and keep the airflow on them. Those bulbs cost power to get that bright. I love the HID upgrade. But the new LEDs are going to be the future.

 

[Hayabusa Wannabe]

Perform the service manual tests of the stator, rectifier and shorts/"leakage current". Got multimeter?

A battery that has sunk below around 10.5 volts likely has internal damage and will let you down even after any required repairs. Since it is new feel free to have it load tested particularly with someone you trust. I say that because people at the auto parts store are suspect when they merely know to press a button and cannot tell how long they loaded it or provide feedback on the condition, even when I know it is working less than optimally.

I do not know anything about HID lights but wonder if it requires peak voltage at all times, possibly to preserve the bulbs and not drive them under-voltage. Thus the condition of your charging system over this past year could have caused the glitches, notwithstanding failures that the guys above point out.

We never know if one electrical condition caused the other or vice versa until diligent troubleshooting is performed.

 

[BlueBacon]

The needle will climb a bit but I never saw her go over the 3/4 mark. In the worst of conditions. The Muzzy will move the air. I live in the same climate as you.

Battery. Yeah this is a bit of a common occurrence. If you stay with lead acid don't go cheap. Get a high grade high CCA rating. A cheap battery last maybe 2 years even with a tender.

I made the move to LIon. Totally solved that issue and are shockingly better technology. Cranks faster than they ever did.

I like the HIDs but yes the ballast fail. There are good online replacements. I'll look where I bought the last one. Again don't go cheap. Cuz there is some cheap ass ballast sold! You will pop them like popcorn. You noticed I mounted them to try and keep the airflow on them. Those bulbs cost power to get that bright. I love the HID upgrade. But the new LEDs are going to be the future.

Cheap ballasts are aplenty for sure! I used cheapos in my first car and definitely popped more than the price of 1 good one...ballast I bought this time was from the same company you installed, but the ballast was WAY thicker. Kept it mounted on the air tube.

I had a LIon in my F4i, which never died so ought to just fork out the money and go back to it. I bought a mid-tier acid battery this time around and haven't had an issue until last night. No clue CCA rating off the top of my head, but it won't be anything to write home about.

Perform the service manual tests of the stator, rectifier and shorts/"leakage current". Got multimeter?

A battery that has sunk below around 10.5 volts likely has internal damage and will let you down even after any required repairs. Since it is new feel free to have it load tested particularly with someone you trust. I say that because people at the auto parts store are suspect when they merely know to press a button and cannot tell how long they loaded it or provide feedback on the condition, even when I know it is working less than optimally.

I do not know anything about HID lights but wonder if it requires peak voltage at all times, possibly to preserve the bulbs and not drive them under-voltage. Thus the condition of your charging system over this past year could have caused the glitches, notwithstanding failures that the guys above point out.

We never know if one electrical condition caused the other or vice versa until diligent troubleshooting is performed.

I haven't checked any of that yet, but I was looking at other folks here that had stator issues and replaced it with Ricks(?) Hot Shot. I'll definitely upgrade to that If I do have to replace the parts!
I rode the bike to the store and back before going to work that day (3 separate starts) with no issues. Bike sat outside in the evening dew for 12 hrs and lit up, just not enough juice to move the motor. Slow charged her for 3hrs and fired up in 2 seconds. As a non-electrical note, it does have 20w50 in the case right now if that makes any lick of difference.

I had a few favorite colors over the years but talked about yours (the '03) since the day it came out. It was my 'puter wallpaper for years.
For Gen I fav color hands down.
For Gen II...also orange. There is something about Blk & Org.

View attachment 1626060

I had the chance at both (1 locally) which is super rare for my part of the world. Ended up with another rare color that time,the Canadian Gold Edition. Tough to get plastics for aswell. Previous owner scratched the side plastic up...I paid hundreds and hundreds for 1 side piece. Lucky there was an OEM left. Have China plastic for it still to this day. There are one or offshore makers that actually do pretty good copies. The other 98% are chit as you know. 5 Busa's later I have the color/powerplant combo I want. (all black/red Kanji's)
I will be flamed by my Org brothers but...HID's lose 'em. I like my head lites to work 24/7,365 I'm just fussy that way. I know,working non-issue headlites....I'm such a demanding bastid.

2 quite serious questions for you my @BlueBacon Brother:
1. Do you really eat your bacon "blue rare" View attachment 1626061 .......
and 2, whats got you so upset that you are telling yer radiator to fug off. View attachment 1626062
View attachment 1626063

Rubb.

@rubbersidedown your posts never cease to crack a smile! And that Canadian gold is so pretty for Gen II.
1. I was a small city cop for 5 years and used this name as a gamertag for a couple apps. "Blue" cuz cops are usually represented by blue..."Bacon" for the same reason I lack self-respect, LOL
2. The 4 pinky-sized craters in the cooling fins...and the couple hours it took in the 'harsh' FL winter to get to it and pull it off!

 

[Bumblebee]

I always have used Yuasa batteries with good luck...haven't made the switch over to LiPo batteries yet and probably won't as we have a real variety of weather around here and heard LiPo batteries don't like that.

 

[rubbersidedown]

@BlueBacon :
Do the crims still use the derogatory term "bacon" ? I thought that was like a 1960's thing? The "Gangsta" element around here (Western Canada) seem to go with "5-Oh" or "The Po-Po". Guess it varies eh?
Enjoy yer orange (jealous)

...and thanks for your service doing a thank-less job,these days especially. All the krap going on...I couldn't/wouldn't do it. I actually had to call them yesterday. A friends Mom phoned me very frantic (she's 78 yrs old) after being rear ended by one of the gangsta's in my 'hood. He told her he didn't have insurance...which is illegal here...and that if she waited he would go to a bank machine and get her some money for damages to her car.What a punk. I was "on scene" in less than 3 minutes, got in his face,asked for a drivers licence and proof of insurance. He played the "language barrier" card... so I said, "Just give me a minute,gotta make a qwik call".... "Hello,911?"

Cops,fireman,ambulance for Mom...and,perps vehicle gets a tow and impound. It was awesome.
Sorry,back to yer thread.
Rubb.