As the title implies.. I just got my first bike :drool:
It's a 1995 Ninja zx600c. I'm not exactly sure if this is a good beginner bike, but am certainly open for input on that. Anything in particular I should be aware of with this bike as a new rider? From what I understand, power is mostly in the 7500RPM+ range, so if I keep it low it won’t be bad. I'm 6'3" - 160lbs if it matters, and I’ve never ridden. At the price I got it at though, practically free, I'm not going to complain either way. I plan on keeping the bike a year and then upgrading to either a 636 or maybe an R6.
Currently it is not running. She picked up a new bike and hasn’t even moved this one in a year or so. I'm not sure of the mileage as I have not yet picked the bike up (looking for trailer) The person I bought it from told me that the carbs most likely need a good cleaning and it should be good to go. It also has some rust on the exhaust, so I'm going to go ahead and replace it with a Vance & Hines SSR2 full system before it even hits the street. I'll also replace any vacuum lines I can get to, fuel filter if it's on there, and plugs. Timing will also be checked and adjusted as needed. Brake wear, line condition, master cylinder condition, etc will all be checked. I’m not sure how much of a pain it is to check the clutch on a bike, if it’s not too much trouble I’ll inspect the steels and measure the friction plates. Otherwise I’ll just wait and see how it grips when it’s mobile again, and go from there. Anything else I should replace immediately, or at least thoroughly inspect? I was thinking of getting a new chain to be safe, but don’t really know if that will be necessary. I really want to make sure this thing is safe, sounding, and running as well as possible before I take it out.
I've built quite a few cars in my day, both import and domestic, so I'm no slouch in mechanics. However, everything I've built has been fuel injected. This will be my first experience with carbs. Since I will have them off for cleaning, I've ordered rebuilt kits for all 4. At $18 a pop, sounds like a reasonable investment. I also ordered the Clymers repair manual, which should arrive early this week. I was advised by a local shop that Clymers is more cycle geared than Haynes, so that's what I went with. I'm assuming the manual will go over carb R&R as well as rebuilding in depth. Is this a reasonable assumption? I hear the process is time consuming, but relatively easy. Is there anything I need to be particularly careful with?
That's all I've got for now. Sorry for the long post :sorry:
-Matt
It's a 1995 Ninja zx600c. I'm not exactly sure if this is a good beginner bike, but am certainly open for input on that. Anything in particular I should be aware of with this bike as a new rider? From what I understand, power is mostly in the 7500RPM+ range, so if I keep it low it won’t be bad. I'm 6'3" - 160lbs if it matters, and I’ve never ridden. At the price I got it at though, practically free, I'm not going to complain either way. I plan on keeping the bike a year and then upgrading to either a 636 or maybe an R6.
Currently it is not running. She picked up a new bike and hasn’t even moved this one in a year or so. I'm not sure of the mileage as I have not yet picked the bike up (looking for trailer) The person I bought it from told me that the carbs most likely need a good cleaning and it should be good to go. It also has some rust on the exhaust, so I'm going to go ahead and replace it with a Vance & Hines SSR2 full system before it even hits the street. I'll also replace any vacuum lines I can get to, fuel filter if it's on there, and plugs. Timing will also be checked and adjusted as needed. Brake wear, line condition, master cylinder condition, etc will all be checked. I’m not sure how much of a pain it is to check the clutch on a bike, if it’s not too much trouble I’ll inspect the steels and measure the friction plates. Otherwise I’ll just wait and see how it grips when it’s mobile again, and go from there. Anything else I should replace immediately, or at least thoroughly inspect? I was thinking of getting a new chain to be safe, but don’t really know if that will be necessary. I really want to make sure this thing is safe, sounding, and running as well as possible before I take it out.
I've built quite a few cars in my day, both import and domestic, so I'm no slouch in mechanics. However, everything I've built has been fuel injected. This will be my first experience with carbs. Since I will have them off for cleaning, I've ordered rebuilt kits for all 4. At $18 a pop, sounds like a reasonable investment. I also ordered the Clymers repair manual, which should arrive early this week. I was advised by a local shop that Clymers is more cycle geared than Haynes, so that's what I went with. I'm assuming the manual will go over carb R&R as well as rebuilding in depth. Is this a reasonable assumption? I hear the process is time consuming, but relatively easy. Is there anything I need to be particularly careful with?
That's all I've got for now. Sorry for the long post :sorry:
-Matt
