i have no idea how to lube a clutch cable, i used to have some sort of contraption that let me squirt oil there but i lost it. Now i just take the spray cable lube and just unbolt the cable and try to squirt oil into it and move it upand down while doing it. I cant say it has helped much. my main biff with my bike is that if it rains the3 bike becomes gutless, they say its carb icing, but ive never experienced this in another bike. Any ideas?
In 40+ years of riding I have never lubed the actual cable... Just the barrel end so that it moves freely in the lever and does not flex the cable due to being frozen in place from dirt or crud every time you pull the lever.
Not sure about icing, but I do know that the moisture in the air displaces oxygen and will make the bike run rich due to less O2 being pulled in. Have you pulled a plug after riding it in the rain? Would be sweet to have a first gen with fuel injection. I know its been done...BUT waaay to much work for me.
I spose if I have to I will. Wheres living dangerously? Ive ridden plenty of miles with a pair of vice grips as a clutch lever with a snapped clutch cable
yeah i pulled the plugs, i cant tella nything. But i did replace them with hotter plugs because i was told it helped. It slightly helped. But the bike dies when it rains etc.. Id like kawasaki to bring the fi ninja to the states, that would help :)
I'm looking to pick up a gen 1 250 at the end of the summer as a first bike (and taking msf before that). Should've bought one last year instead of my car! But hey what can you do, and I'm really happy driving my miata. Gonna take the msf in the mean time and snap up some gear on closeouts since I've got time. So if anyone is looking to sell their ninjette at the end of the riding season in Saint Louis, I'll be looking for you!
Enjoy the MSF and happy hunting. I also own a Miata and a Ninja 250. The wee Ninja is one of the closest two-wheeled equivalents of the Miata you'll ever find. Both are called chick vehicles, both are fairly slow in a straight line, both will embarrass machinery costing thousands more with a skilled pilot at the helm. They are under appreciated fun little machines!
Your missing out then. I can tell an Obvious difference between a well lubed cable and one that's dry. Heck, even my wife with less than 1,000 miles of experience can feel the difference.
The biggest difference is obviously on a bike that sits, but even on a bike that I put 120k miles on as a daily rider/only means of transportation I could feel when cable pull would get stiff... or rather, I'd feel the Vastly easier pull once lubed. Ironically, it's something that's taught to people who bother to become Factory Certified mechanics as well (which I am). Also ironic that Kawasaki feels that the clutch cable Should be lubed every 3k miles, and they feel strongly enough about it to put it in the service schedule and provide detailed information about how to do it. I know people who've gone 50 years without visiting a doctor or dentist for any kind of preventative care, most have minimal/no teeth and look/act/feel 20+ years older than they really are. So, sure, you absolutely CAN get by without doing something, but why when preventative care is so quick, cheap and makes such a difference over the long haul? It's certainly NOT the recommended way to go though, sorta like lubing cables. Have fun with your bikes though...
I have several questions about sprockets that I hope someone might be able to address. Like for one, do I need to put anything on to the ends of the studs on the rear sprocket like loc tite before I put the nuts back on? Also are the things that keep falling out of the hub the spacers? And do I need to worry about greasing them when I put them back in? One fell in the salt in my garage and I wiped the salt off but the grease kinda came with it. Also how does the retaining clip on the front sprocket come off? I can't quite figure it out. I tried to line up the teeth so that they fit in the knob but I'm still having no luck. Can I pry it off with a flathead or will that damage it? Thanks.
I always do. Happy cable lubing Factory Certified mechanic. What does than mean anyway? Should it not be 'factory trained mechanic'... And if so did you go to Japan for your training? If you didn't then you shouldn't really use the work "Factory" should you? I hope you framed your piece of paper. I only ask because I hear people say "Certified Harley Mechanic" all the time and HD says there is no such thing as a certified Harly Davidson Mechanic.
Why does it seem like my chain adjuster bolts are too short? Is there a designated left and right adjuster? They seem to be the same length. So do the bolts. So why is it that they barely reach the swingarm even though they are almost all the way in and me wheel is about as far back as it can possibly go?
I hope I am not bothering you folk too much but I have another problem. I may have pressed my master link plate too tight. It seems to kink coming off the sprocket which I've heard is bad. Thing is, the plates on the master are visibly wider than the plates on the other links So how do I know for sure? Am I being paranoid? Also how can I tell when I'm done peening the rivets without calipers? I'd be grateful for any help. Thanks.
You can't. You shouldn't have attempted that job without the proper tools. Go to hardware store or similar and buy yourself a pair of cheapy calipers.