Bikeless *sniffle, pout*
 

....for a week or two anyway.

Took lil bike to the Doctor's (a friend who does all the more major work on her) yesterday. He's going to work on the carbs, try to isolate a small oil leak (replace a bunch of gaskets in the process), give her an oil change AND try to locate a new anti-freeze drip that just popped up. :no:

In the meantime, we've got spectacular weather expected all week, but since it'll take a week for the gaskets to get there, it'll be at least that long before I'm riding again.

*sigh*

Oh well.... she'll *knock on wood* be good as new when I get her back, so it's worth it.

I been bikeless since the wrecks, so I feel your pain. I am waiting desperately for my rearsets, that's all I need to get back up and running again.

So you have an oil leak and now a coolant leak? I'm not trying to be negative, but I hope its not a warped or cracked head. Hopefully it is just a gasket or loose bolt. Sucks to be down for a week. At least she'll should be back in shape in no time.

:no: And your weather is probably pretty nice already, too, isn't it?

Nah, they don't seem to be related. He thinks the oil leak is the valve cover gasket I believe, so he's going ahead and ordering that gasket set and just replacing them all while he's in there.

The antifreeze leak LOOKS like it might just be a little crack in the reservoir, based on where/how it's dripping.

BUT, if he gets in there and it's something major, we'll just button it up and get rid of it. Not worth dumping major money into, IMO.

Yeah, it has been. It's cold today though, been kinda snowing this morning.

I want to get the bike up to the gap though. So Chewy can earn his dragon sticker.

Don't worry baby. She will be back safe and sound soon. She is in good hands at Dr. Jimmy's.

Better to wait a week and ride in great shape, than push your luck with some marginal parts.

That's why you should keep an old bike in the garage. So you should never be bikeless. Plus, they (some of them) have character.

Thanks for the nice weather Neebs... so sorry your baby isn't running well. I know ALL about cracked reservoirs, the 998s have a chronic issue with blowing the seams on the water tanks. I've replaced three so far :td:

I vote that you get a Haynes manual and learn that bike - not to start working on it NOW, but read it and learn it.

Oh we've got the Haynes and the factory service manual. Really though, that bike hasn't been problematic. And it'll PROBABLY only be around for another year anyway.

Update
 

Good news....

Spoke to the bike Doctor yesterday mornin'. Everything sounds like it's fine - he said all of my gaskets were in bad shape (dry, brittle), but we don't think they'd ever been replaced, so he's already got them all on order. But he said he does believe that's the reason behind the little oil leak, and doesn't see anything else that could be causing it.

Carbs are a mess; there's some valve he said is ALL gunked up, so he's got that torn apart and is working on cleaning everything out (which should reduce or eliminate that 'hiccup' she's got in first gear).

So it'll be a few more days (he thinks he had ordered the wrong spark plug gaskets, so he had to reorder those), but it sounds like she'll be coming home with a clean bill of health. If she does, then the next project is getting her some new skinz, and making her pretty.

sweet! I get mine back in... 148 or so days

You need a little ticker for your sig!! :D

well as soon as I nail down a specific date i'd planned on it... but I'm still trying to figure out when I wanna be home... I'm think'n I'll start my mid tour a little earlier than I'd originally planned (1Sep)... so probably like 24Aug... gives me a little more time before Indy to get my bike ready and shit straight.

Spark plug gaskets??? Did he order the radiator bearings as well? :lol:

:gtfo: Look, this was a super technical person talking to a WAYYYYYY non technical person. I never claimed to know thing one about working on my own bike-- that's what I have Chris and Jimmy for. :lol:

There was some gasket he was saying he thought he ordered wrong, and it was in the same sentence as spark plugs... WTF do I know? :dvrofl:

tell him you need also wanna upgrade from halogen headlight fluid to HID... he'll hook ya up

:dvrofl: I love that one... headlight fluid... nice... :lol:

Spark plug tube seals are what she is refering to.


However, we may have to look into the muffler bearings while we have it apart :dthumb:

I thought if you went with that you had to get flush mount fluid :skep:

:lmao: Neebs, I'm so glad your baby is getting the attention she deserves!!

:dvrofl:

What's this antifreeze stuff? I have that on my car... its right next to the windshield washer fluid... :D

:gtfo: :lol:

I think he's poking fun because his bike doesn't require any. :lol:

I kinda figured it was something like that. :lol:

:neeb:

Nee, I will say high when I am over there tomorrow.

"high" :dvrofl: Was that a Freudian slip?


HOPEFULLY she'll be back up and running for this weekend... the Orlando guys are invading this weekend, and we're supposed to ride Sunday.

Get her back? Didja ride?

Nope. The rest of the parts hadn't come in from Ron Ayers yet. HOWEVER, a friend loaned me his Busa for the ride, so I didn't have to miss it. :D

Busa? What did you think?

Strangely, I enjoyed the hell out of it. It's a big, beefy bike, but it's like riding a Cadillac... SO comfy and smooth. I have to admit, I was intimidated at first, just because it's (obviously) the biggest displacement bike I've ever ridden (other than the Mean Streak I demo'd last year), but I actually had a LOT of fun with it.

I posted up quite a bit about it on my ride blog. :D

Nice. Was your blog super wordy? Cuz I probly didn't read it if it was. :sorry:

:lol: Yup, sure as hell was. (I used to do quite a bit of writing... consumer reviews, articles, etc... so it's my nature to be a bit wordy :lol: :sorry:)

Ok, the Busa in short: big, wide, heavy and super comfortable. My initial reaction was "Why the hell do people slam and stretch these bikes!" because for as big as it is, it handles really, really nicely. At no point did I feel like I had to manhandle it or really TRY to make it do anything (even though it's got 80 lbs on my lil ZX6R).

The instrument cluster is like a freakin CAR: really well laid out, easy to read and lots of information. It has a freakin clock :lol: (look, I don't even have a fuel light or gauge, so this was a big deal to me :lol: ).

What's dangerous about a bike of this size (displacement I mean) is that it's REALLY quiet and the power is so smooth that it's easy to haul ass without FEELING it. 110 on the freeway felt more like 70 or 75. You've got so much wind protection that you're not getting beat up at all, and the bike doesn't sound or feel like it's working hard, so speed is deceiving.

I dunno that I'd want it for a daily rider, just cus it IS so big, but when we start looking for a sport tourer, something comfy we can slap some hard bags on? Yeah, it's on the list, definitely.

Good information. I also do not have a fuel light or gauge. When she sputters I know I'm about out. :lol:

:lol: Yeah my fuel gauge is opening the tank and looking in... can I see gas? Cool. Can't see it? Guess I'd better fill up (that, and I go by my trip odometer).

I have a Clock, a fuel light, a seperate odomoter that keeps track of miles traveled since the fuel light came on, an instant MPG and an average MPG guage. :wink:

does it come with a bj too...

Does that come with dual front, and side impact airbags, too? :lol:

orgasm, yes... not so much bj though

I think you could fit a front airbag in there... not so much on the sides though :lol:

And the most ridiculous front fairing available on any modern motorcycle.

But damn is it nice for blockin the wind.

I'm actually anxious to get this in some wind on the highway. With a double bubble, I don't think you'd hardly have to tuck.

I am not bikeless anymore, hoorah!

:tt: Yeah rub it in my face.....


Still bikeless.... hopefully will get her back early next week.

And she will be better then ever :rockwoot:

I have 2 bikes, sittin in the garage, begging to be ridden...

and then snow outside... :fu2:

Yeah, I have one in the garage and one at the dealership waiting to be picked up and im still stuck in this hell hole!

thank you, glad to see im not the only one who can appreciate these beasts while not riding one regularly! :dthumb:

Yeah I enjoyed it a lot. Might be ridin it again this weekend, too... :D

That's one benefit of it I can't argue with.

I got 134 days!:tt:

Shit...with a DB you could stand up on the seat and still be straight.