finally on vacation.

[jch364]

just started my vacation today... im so glad!!! need a break... spent the day pulling the back wheel off the busa and changing the rear sprocket front sprocket and put a new ek 3d chain on it. plus put new cush drives on as well. I was nervous about doing the chain cause i have never done it before but it was no problem. even got it riveted correctly. probably could have taken one more link out but thats ok. getting the front sprocket off was extremely difficult but i did finally get it off. Spent a lot of time de -greasing the underside and around the front sprocket and clutch area. Lot of crap built up. Tomorrow gonna change out the break and clutch fluids and then lower the nose just a bit... its a little to high. replace the plugs and adjust the head light and then it will all be done...
Then Monday I think Im going to the dragon for the rest of the week so if anyone is going to be down that way look for me. would love to hook up.

 

[RX1Jim]

Good Luck on your trip, have a great time! Vacations are a wonderful thing. Ride safe, never let your gaurd down, especially while on vacation.

 

[dadofthree]

Hollar at Doug King Tim Nunnley or Gary Laughter

 

[jch364]

Im getting ready to leave for the dragon. All packed up. just gotta suit up, gas up and go. I took the bike out for a test run after all the work i did.
1 cush drives
2 chain
3 both sprockets
4 headlight adjustment
5 tire pressure check
6 plugs changed

I didnt crash into a ditch so i think it all went well. I know changing a chain for most everyone is prob. no big deal but it was wigging me out a bit cause i have never done it and i was concerned about the rivet but had a friend look at it and he gave me thumbs up. Anyway ill have pics and video from my gopro and i will try to post it when i get back after friday but im prob gonna need help on that one. In any case everyone enjoy the week. Enjoy the ride. Enjoy your life.!!!!

SO SAY WE ALL!!!!!

 

[jch364]

Well i got back from the dragon on friday. All in all it was an incredible week. I swear it was the coolest temps i have ever seen down there and the most baron. no one around i mean if there were 20 bikes at the store it was a lot. i had the dragon to myself almost all the time. it was fan freaking tastic. i bet i put 600 miles on the dragon. God i was so sore..lol... Nothing much happened but i did have an odd thing happen to me. As i was gripping and ripping it I noticed on Tuesday i think it was, that i had some vibration in the front brakes when i grabbed them hard. never had that before so i thought that since i had just changed out the fluid it must have gotten on the pads and i didnt clean it off good enough. well. i kept going and then on Wednesday i was getting after it and then when i came out of a turn all of a sudden i heard this god awful screeching metal on metal screaming noise that i knew was from the front end. i pulled over and checked and thought maybe i picked up a tree branch under the fender or maybe a rock lodged in the brake or anything else but what i was determined to deny that it really was. i tried to ride a little further and the noise kept coming back then i had to admit to myself what it was. It was my front bearings going out. well i took a chance since i was in the middle of the dragon and rode it a harley speed all the way to wheelers to get it fixed. took mr wheeler about 30 seconds to confirm what i knew it must be. he said he was surprised it didnt just lock up on me.. said i was really lucky... anyway he pulled the wheel and the bearings started falling out.lol guess they were done. he replaced it and all was well. the only problem that remained was that in the process of the bearings going out.... remember the vibration i mentioned. well turns out that while the bearings were going out the wheel would turn side to side without actually giving me any feed back that this was happening and each time i hit the brakes the rotors were kinked against the pads and so the end result was a set of warped rotors.
I mean all in all I feel blessed and lucky. those bearings could have gone out and locked up and caused a terrible crash on the highway at 80mph or in a hard turn at the dragon or anyplace in between. There is no good place for that to happen ever. so i was spared a terrible crash and injury and all i have bad to deal with is the expense of new rotors and bearings. all in all i feel so very lucky....
i took a ton of video ... most boring but i do have video of when the noise started. it was very loud. maybe i can figure out how to load it up or something.
other than that i had a great ride and chased a local guy on an r6 and kept up pretty good. didnt do to bad for a flat lander.lol
love that place man its addictive.

 

[ky busa]

sounds like a great vacation

 

[semi]

glad you had a great time and only ended up with a little cash being spent and no hard parts or gear on the pavement! thankfully, you were near a top notch mechanic that could get you back on the road

 

[jch364]

so a good question now is what is a good quality rotor to get?

 

[Highlander]

How many miles are on your bike, and is this the first set? The thought of that happening while on a trip is not good! Glad it turned out well for you.

 

[jch364]

I just hit 50k on it right when i left. the bearings have i think like 20k on them. i dont think that is a lot.

 

[RX1Jim]

Glad you had a good safe trip with lots of great memories. Sounds like the bearing problem did not cost you too much time.