Welcome new 9x0 owners! Things you need to know about your new bike...

[gouralnik]

Hello everyone! I have owned a 2004 950 since last Nov here in Australia and I have to say that I learned heaps through this forum. May I say that I literally spent hours reading the HOW and this forum trying to add new info to already existing "manuals" - it's always in the little details and hints when I find myself stuck when actually working on the bike.
I'm due to do my first oil change, install 2nd fan kit, somehow mount the deflector shroud on the second fan etc. More importantly I need to learn how to dismount front and rear tire and how to change the rubber. What are the best tools to get the tires off the rims? Do you get the tires rebalanced each time you change them?

[Alejo]

Originally Posted by Geek

You do have the drain plug in the bottom of the motor right?

of course, mine has one

[folknride]

Another thread that can rust! Every so often, shoot some WD 40 or the like and give the adjuster a few turns back and forth. It's a weird design, and if it rusts it will break when you try to fix it - then it's nasty and expensive to fix. (ask me how I know this)

[Qwik]

Good stuff Edward.

[Bonova]

Great thread-thanks guys! Always some new stuff to learn (for me alot of stuff to learn!)
Removed thet screw inside the filler cap on my right tank......just in case
Done a lot of reading on the HOW site and here already, but a lot to still learn...will be watching with interest.

[mcmann]

The stock OEM battery is factory activated and may not last very long if it sits idle in a warehouse or dealership. It is a good idea to add a volt meter to monitor the battery and the regulator. Lower priced after market batteries may not last longer than 2 or 3 years . . . depending on how long they sit between rides. You may want to relocate the voltage regulator in a cooler location (it will last longer).

There are many digital meters in the market . . . . or, if you are cheap like me . . . you can use a 2" volt meter for an outboard (make a panel out of plastic to mount.

[Nytro]

Originally Posted by Geek

MUD GUARD CUTTING SWINGARM: Take a look at your plastic mudguard that protects your rear shock from debris from the rear tire.
See how it lightly brushes (some bike yes, some bikes no) against the swingarm on the sides? Over the next 25,000 miles that will actually grind a hole in your swingarm. Pull the mudguard off and trim 1/4" off of each side so that there is NO contact with the swingarm (remember to account for suspension compression.. so trim it further up than you think)

I have an aversion to cutting things for some reason. Maybe something about the permanence of it. So unless I absolutely have to I try to avoid it. I used a couple of washers behind the bolt to space the mud guard away from the swingarm. So far so good...

[gefr]

This plastic mud guard tends to brake because of the heat it lives in, close to the exhaust. So every 3-4 years it will be renewed.

[Geek]

Since we're on the topic.. here's a photo of my mudflap with the spacer behind it for reference

[mike.l]

Originally Posted by folknride

Another thread that can rust! Every so often, shoot some WD 40 or the like and give the adjuster a few turns back and forth. It's a weird design, and if it rusts it will break when you try to fix it - then it's nasty and expensive to fix. (ask me how I know this)

Try as I might, i'll cannot turn the screw even having left it overnight with WD 40 soaking in. Me thinks next I should give it a whack with an impact driver. Is this a good idea?

[ultrachrome]

Originally Posted by Geek

To follow up on what Brent said (despite him using Honda red instead of KTM orange )...

This is normally what your oil filter will look like during an oil change:



If your oil filter has waves in it, it is a sign that your water pump needs rebuilding (meaning the seal around the shaft that drives the water pump impeller is leaking and allowing coolant into your oil). The earlier bikes had a different seal and shaft that wore more quickly.. the new bikes have better materials. The new materials do fit in every 950/990 so if you have to replace them, make sure you get the new stuff!
Old seal: brown. New seal: grey
Old shafts: silver New shafts: dark grey/black

There are people with 50,000 miles on their original water pump seal. Some guys were unlucky with earlier bikes and have had them fail in under 10,000 miles.

This is the way your oil filter will look if it has been contaminated with coolant:



...and here is why you need to fix the problem ASAP: Water will cause the oil filter to collapse and starve the engine for oil!


IF you find your filter Wavy but have no choice but to keep riding, REMOVE THE FILTER all together. You are better off not filtering the oil while you get back to civilization than risking a filter collapse and starving the engine for oil

I don't have the energy.. someone want to step up and explain the various tips to make changing the oil easier? ... and to explain why the fuel tanks won't go back on the bike afterward?

My SMT has a sight glass for oil level. Will a coolant leak be evident by oil color?

[adiablolex]

Originally Posted by ultrachrome

My SMT has a sight glass for oil level. Will a coolant leak be evident by oil color?

it would be milky looking

[slidewayes]

On the rear mudguard .I have found that a little heat (map gas or even the kitchen stove) and you can mold it away from the swing arm and back from that new tire. They are cheep to about $10- $15

[Braindead]

If you run out of gas it means that the left fuel tank is empty (where the fuel pump is located), but there is probably fuel still in the right tank. You can lean the bike over to the left side and transfer fuel from the right tank to the left. This can be done while straddling the bike, I have gone several additional miles using this technique. i always made it to a gas station within a few miles, so I'm not sure just how much fuel can still be "trapped" in the right tank, or how far some people have traveled using this method. Perhaps others can chime in and we will all learn more.

This is a great thread Geek, I have learned a lot.

I'm going to start a related one that deals with trail/roadside troubleshooting, so more experience can be shared.

[Hobbes950]

Just for 990s, correct?