$640 of red raging high performance asian anger...
 

Or...

A Ninjette for ONSSP.

We've been talking about getting her a lil' Ninja for a while and after riding on the back of the Shadow, she's gotten really into it... So yesterday, I was doing my daily Statewidelist.com search (searches craigslists for the entire state) and came across a 1997 with a leaky radiator, 11.5k on the clock, otherwise working... for $700.

Called and emailed the guy all day, and finally heard back from him around 6pm... Waiting for ONSSP to get home, hit the bank, and drove 1.25 hours to go look at it.

The kid seemed nice enough, honest, and it was obvious that this thing had a history of neglect... So I derf'ed him down to $640 and rode it home.

The good:
Runs like a clock
Fairings in great shape (no cracks)
All lights/gauges/switches/etc work
Clean tank
Good rubber
$640

The bad:
Pretty sure the maintenance schedule on this thing was - add one gallon of chain lube every 11,499 miles, store uncovered outside, and beat the everliving fuck out of it as often as possible...

Brakes are incredibly stiff and are pretty much on/off switches, suspension is ridiculously soft... like I can push down on it with one hand and bottom out the rear soft... looking through the sight glass, the oil resembles a mixture of semen, molasses, and rancid elephant piss... leaky radiator (though, I'm not entirely sure at this point - MAY be the the overflow or a hose)... a couple small tears in the seat... Bars were loose, probably not the original bolts (or just halfassed tightened)... chain might be salvagable, but I'm probably just going to replace it anyway...

I certainly didn't need another project, but the price was right so I struck while the iron was hot... took a pic last night, but forgot the fucking camera at home, so pics will be up tonight...

My goal is to get the thing torn down, all fluids flushed/replaced over the weekend... Next week - chain, rebuild the brakes, and sort out the radiator issue... then apparently we (I) are painting this thing pink...

Good find

Nice.

250 or 500?

What year?

250... 1997... looks just like this:
http://images1.americanlisted.com/nl...ow_9379327.jpg

And here's a picture of me riding it home...
http://iphonetoolbox.com/wp-content/...cus-bear-f.jpg

check out www.searchtempest.com searches all the C/L if you want it to.

:lol

Fuck that. Statewidelist is way better for me... Florida is fucking enormous and SWL breaks it down by which CL it searched from... So I can just look at Daytona, CFL, Orlando, Spacecoast, and Tampa without having to plug in 100 zips and shit...

So... I remember shit from the late 80's or early 90's... late night informercial shit... it restored plastic/vinyl/etc... you remember the informercial - guy pulls a 50 year old car out of the junkyard, wipes the shit across the dash and the plastic is as good as new...

Anything like that really exist? I wouldn't expect a miracle, but all the plastic surrouding the controls on this thing are bleached from the sun and look like absolute dogshit. Something to clean them up a bit would be nice... I've found a few options online, but wonder if anyone has any first hand experience with anything...

Yeah, but the problem with that is that you lose the markings for what all the shit does... I mean, it doesn't take a 100k mile motorcycle veteran to figure them out, but for ONSSP just starting out I'd like everything to be as obvious as possible.

That makes sense.

I was thinking about the plastic surrounding the guages, not the controls.

No, those are remarkably unfucked... well not totally at least...

check it out, i'm lookin all over teh country for a bike

just put in mileage range. not every zip

Ok... did a search... I kinda like it... SWL will win for certain things just because of it's simplicity (single frame)... though this certainly has serious benefits...

Thanks I appreciate that. :gofurslf:


I use search tempest too, its how I found the KLR up near canada

Cheeseburger, meet monitor. :lol

That was my favorite part of the whole thread...

Mine too. :lol

Peekchurrs...
 

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...o/P1000784.jpg
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...o/P1000782.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...o/P1000783.jpg
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...o/P1000785.jpg

So the handlebars were loose... tightened them down... a-ok... noticed a fork seal's prolly blown out... no biggie...

I'll tell you what, I'm sorta diggin this little bike thing... First bike I've ever owned that I could literally pick up the ass end and move it easier than jockeying it into a small space... I mean, I *can* do it with the Tiller, but fuck that...

:lol:

And Ninja 250's are fun as fuck - you'll want one yourself after riding it around for a bit.

I like the 500 better, only because you can actually keep up in traffic without having your hands buzzed off

Paint it to make them look nice, then use model paint and a toothpick to fill in the letters.

What is that big white blob in the front of your garage?

Now pics of ONSSP on it!

Fuck that.......those sprays just make it shine, they don't make it black again.

Turtle Wax Black Chrome, or Mother's Back-To-Black Trim Restorer, are way better.

The Derf bit and the bear had me dying. Everytime someone quotes that damn bear picture I laugh again. :lol:

Man speaks the troof. I like Mother's stuff.

Absolutely... Riding it home made me wish I never sold my 500 Ninja.

Probably what I'm going to have to do, but that's going to be a PITA and I'm sure to fuck it up.

That's part of one of my many ongoing projects... it's part of ONSSP's Halloween costume, which will be done this weekend...

Once I get this thing sorted out, we'll certainly get some parking lot action going, w/ pics.

Yeah, I hear that shit wears off and fades pretty quickly though... Prolly just going to have to paint it...

Everytime I ride a super small bike I wish I never sold my 500 either


Is she dressing as a giant blob of cum?

Yep, I'm seriously considering looking for another one...

And yes, giant blob of cum sorta... lol

Note to self: STOP LOOKING AT CL FOR 500'S

:didntdo:

Resistance is futile...

I remember the first 500 I saw on CL.......I went out to see it, and the dipshit was running it with no air filter, in a dusty rural area. Said it "increased power"

Yeah, but what was he wearing?

:lol:

JC

Your snatch? redflip

Seriously I don't remember, but given that he lived in the so-called "inland empire" desert area (read: mostly young white guys with jacked-up Tacomas and rather unsophisticated lifestyles who can't afford to live by the beach, and claim they wouldn't want to anyway), he probably wore a black T with either a Fox or Tap Out logo, and a Von Dutch trucker cap.

Uh-oh.

Somebody didn't get their G.Q. on time this month...:tremble:

JC

:rofl:

:lol:

:yawn:

Nice score for the price. A little project time and she'll be a solid runner.

Wow that looks like a solid score. probably make a little coin on it later when she wants something bigger.

as far as the plastic restoration, go to a car show if you can find one. they have stuff. otherwise isn't there a product like ever black or something like that?

Nope. Mothers is the bomb-digity. I did the Miata's bumpers in the stuff and all the black on my Mini when I had it. That mini was surrounded in black rubber - it's almost like they expect them to be owned by women that play bumper cars more than driver them... oh wait....

Nice find!

Looks like it's in pretty good shape.

Its amazing how people let bikes get in such disrepair. How hard is it to change the oil and check the fluids?

More effort than it takes to press buttons on a Playstation paddle which is beyond many of the younger folks these days...

What are you like 90 years old all of a sudden? Cut it out with the "these kids these days..." crap. :lol:

Pretty hard when you dont have any tools or a place where youre allowed to work on vehicles.

Some kid told me I had a nice watch the other day but couldn't figure out how I could possibly tell time using it (it's analog). Blah

Get off my lawn!

:lol:
Basic oil changes and chain cleaning take nothing more than a cheap Walmart tool kit and a driveway or parking lot.

The only digital watches I see these days are Sunntos worn by people who hike/climb a lot. Everyone else wears analog. Too big for their wrists, I might add. But not surprising, given the current "rims too big for your car" trend.

The flip side are those who don't even wear a watch because they have a pocket watch (i.e. cell phone) at all times.

Hey, he immediately got the Lily Tomlin reference I made to a pic of my daughter sitting in an oversized chair. Therefore, he must be old (just like me, since I made the reference). :)

:D

Hey OSP, stopped at Wally world today. I had suddenly noticed how faded my Jeep bumpers and fenders are looking after only a few months here.

anyway I picked up turtle wax trim restorer. easy as hell to use. wipe on with applicator, (almost the consistency of water) then wait a few minutes and wipe off.

I can't say how long it will last but it definitely made things look 100% better.
supposed to be good for 3 months.
they had Mother's (or meguiar's) back to black as well.

Haha, do you think he walked 15 miles to school, uphill both ways, through 2 feet of snow too?? :lol:

No friends or family members with a screwdriver and wrench? Any car parts store has loaner tools too, and you can do it in their parking lot.

Big faced watches are in.

You forget where I live - that's entirely possible here :nee:

Ok... So I changed the oil... ugly. It already runs better...

I tore apart the front brakes... ditto on the ugly... Whole bunch of nasty shit in there... ordered a rebuild kit, stainless line, and new pads... should be here for the rebuild next weekend.

I took a pic of the inside of the caliper and all the nasty gunk in there...

Still looking for a cheap o-ring chain... everywhere I look they seem more expensive than what I'm looking for... AND when I do find the right price, they're all out of stock. Normally I wouldn't skimp here, but it's a fucking 25hp bike... pretty sure any 520 chain would be more than adequate. In fact, the one that's on there would probably work if cleaned up, but I think I'd be best served just replacing it rather than fucking around trying to clean up the old neglected chain...

Yeh, you will be plenty fine on any 520 chain

https://www.denniskirk.com/did/520-s...rd/1196982.sku

https://www.denniskirk.com/parts-unl...rd/1121482.sku

https://www.denniskirk.com/ek/520-sr...rd/1119490.sku

https://www.denniskirk.com/sport-bik....removeWontFit

Gunk in the brakes as in "holy hell I don't know how it's possible it was stopping" or "yuck that is just dirty"?

Or as in "Why the hell did I ride this home?" :lol:

I've seen o-ring chains for those prices... unfortunately, I can't seem to find them now...

Somewhere in between... It looked sorta like you the last few drops of milk in the bowl after eating a mixture of shredded wheat and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I'll post the pic tonight if I remember...

Yeah, that's where I was going next :lol:

Good visual :lol:

Fuck, keep forgetting to upload that pic...

Rebuilt the brakes this weekend... still waiting for the brake line to be mailed...

Ordered 500R clutch lever/perch for adjustability and got a $1 bid out on a ZRX1100 front brake lever (adjustible) right now... ONSSP's hands are small and she was having trouble during the MSF course reaching the controls...

Oh... and I found a 500R on Craigslist... SMOKIN' deal... must... resist... the... urge...

Fuck it, just do it.

Waiting for word from the boss to see if I'm allowed... :tremble:

It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission... :lol:

You're obviously not married to a spanish woman...

Request denied.

Three bikes in the garage... two that are torn apart... don't need to be spending more money OR another project, just need to fix the fucking Tiller... I hate when she's right like that... but that's why I love her! :lol:

I dated a Columbian chick for a while, does that count? :D

D2 Moto

http://www.d2moto.com/casearch.aspx?...Term=ninja+250

$40 or less for chain and $5 for brake pads....

Seriously, she wont let you spend a grand???? :panic:

I'm thinking about an EX500 as a street bike for next year. Turning my VF500F into a track bike. Just waiting for the week before christmas through new years to pounce on a good steal when people need that Christmas money.... :lol:

Thanks broseph, long time no see... I remembered your post from a while back about that place... already got a chain from them and some turn signals... I actually got SS pads off eBay for it...

It's less about the money and more about the project list... No need to add to that list with yet another thing I can't possibly get to...

I gotta look there for a klr chain

He posted up a discount promo in the thread that still works... You can search for it on here...