GSX600 Tweaks, Improvements and General Suggestions

[Miyamoto]

Hile' Fellow BikeSlingers,
Okay. So I've got this newish bike ('01 KatanaBanana) that I can't even ride yet as its still 'Chicago Warm' Out.
There4, I figured that in the interim, I'll do my best to enhance it...functionally and aesthetically...so that it'll be poifect when the time comes to do tha ridin' thang.
I've got a slip-on pipe, chrome tank pad, locks, fender eliminator kit, Wheel and hyperglow 'neons' all ordered/bought (For the record; No, I'm not a bling fanatic, but I don't need to get side-swiped in the late evening by grandma with the coke bottle glasses on her way to fill her prescription meds at Walgreens, either. Besides, glowing vehicles are so 'Tron-esque' dontchaknow!)
I don't plan on jetting the bike, but I'll probably change to some high performance synthetic oil and tweak the suspension a bit. Y'know...stuff like that. But I was wondering if there were any cool seats out there to make the bike look 'racier'.
Any and all comments, good and bad, are welcome.
Thanks in advance and perchance we may parlance

[amcquinn86]

Proper gear if you don't have it.
Frame sliders.

[Miyamoto]

Gear, I got a lot of.
Frame sliders, I have none.
Don't you have to do some major mods on the fairing to get those installed?

[Trapper]

I got no idea, but fifteen posts in a day, wow, good job. Welcome aboard, you're already a regular.

[Samsonskeg]

i too have the same problem, the weather is cold!




i have a blue 01 katana!

[87gsxrnut]

1. Rebuild your forks. While you are at it, get some different springs in there and set it up for your weight and riding style. Check for pitting and rust near the area where the slider enters the fork seal. Your bike is new enough it most likely doesn't have pitting and rust, but I have been surprised over the years at what I have found. While the forks are out, you might as well pull the triples out and regrease the bearings too.

2. Ditch that weak-*** stock shock and get an aftermarket fully-adjustable unit if it doesn't have one already. If it does have one, check the spring rate and get a new spring if the rate is too soft or too stiff for the weight of the bike and your weight/riding style etc. Also have it recharged w/nitrogen and new oil put in it.

3. Bleed all of your brake lines w/new DOT 4 fluid. Check brake pad wear indicators while you are at it. If they are really close to, or beyond the indicators, replace them. Check your lines for any deep gouges or other nicks, chips out of the rubber etc. If anything looks real suspicious, replace them w/steel braided lines. Inspect the rotors as well.

4. Pull your rear wheel off. Check the bearings. Do the same with the front. If the bearings are out of whack (not unusual for the rear) then put a new set in. If they are ok, regrease the non-sealed bearing(s) and reinstall.

5. Inspect the chain. Check for binding, excessive wear, worn out or missing O/X-rings. If it is real bad, replace the chain along with BOTH sprockets.

6. (This really should be #1) Check your tires. Not only to see if there is enough tread, uneven wear etc., but the date codes on the sides. If the date codes are more than two years old, I would replace them. Make sure you use some good STEEL valve stem covers. Not that lighted squidly BS.

7. Go through every bolt on that bike to ensure that they are torqued down correctly. Check the header bolts too.

8. Check your valves and do a valve adjustment if necessary. Also check the cam chain, to make sure that the chain isn't becoming too loose. These are notorious for having the cam-chain tensioners become weak in short order.

9. While you have the valve cover off, check the cams for abnormal wear as well.

10. Check, lube and adjust your throttle/clutch cables.

11. Synchronize your carbs. Install a fuel filter if it doesn't already have one. Use a METAL filter, not a plastic one.

12. Take notes and mark down the mileage.

BONUS: Check for leaks. Always check for leaks.

Now worry about how your bike looks.

- Nut

FYI: I don't think that neon lights have any practical safety value.

[Miyamoto]

Originally Posted by trappercase

I got no idea, but fifteen posts in a day, wow, good job. Welcome aboard, you're already a regular.

Am I being followed???

[Miyamoto]

Originally Posted by 87gsxrnut

1. Rebuild your forks. While you are at it, get some different springs in there and set it up for your weight and riding style. Check for pitting and rust near the area where the slider enters the fork seal. Your bike is new enough it most likely doesn't have pitting and rust, but I have been surprised over the years at what I have found. While the forks are out, you might as well pull the triples out and regrease the bearings too.

2. Ditch that weak-*** stock shock and get an aftermarket fully-adjustable unit if it doesn't have one already. If it does have one, check the spring rate and get a new spring if the rate is too soft or too stiff for the weight of the bike and your weight/riding style etc. Also have it recharged w/nitrogen and new oil put in it.

3. Bleed all of your brake lines w/new DOT 4 fluid. Check brake pad wear indicators while you are at it. If they are really close to, or beyond the indicators, replace them. Check your lines for any deep gouges or other nicks, chips out of the rubber etc. If anything looks real suspicious, replace them w/steel braided lines. Inspect the rotors as well.

4. Pull your rear wheel off. Check the bearings. Do the same with the front. If the bearings are out of whack (not unusual for the rear) then put a new set in. If they are ok, regrease the non-sealed bearing(s) and reinstall.

5. Inspect the chain. Check for binding, excessive wear, worn out or missing O/X-rings. If it is real bad, replace the chain along with BOTH sprockets.

6. (This really should be #1) Check your tires. Not only to see if there is enough tread, uneven wear etc., but the date codes on the sides. If the date codes are more than two years old, I would replace them. Make sure you use some good STEEL valve stem covers. Not that lighted squidly BS.

7. Go through every bolt on that bike to ensure that they are torqued down correctly. Check the header bolts too.

8. Check your valves and do a valve adjustment if necessary. Also check the cam chain, to make sure that the chain isn't becoming too loose. These are notorious for having the cam-chain tensioners become weak in short order.

9. While you have the valve cover off, check the cams for abnormal wear as well.

10. Check, lube and adjust your throttle/clutch cables.

11. Synchronize your carbs. Install a fuel filter if it doesn't already have one. Use a METAL filter, not a plastic one.

12. Take notes and mark down the mileage.

BONUS: Check for leaks. Always check for leaks.

Now worry about how your bike looks.

- Nut

FYI: I don't think that neon lights have any practical safety value.

....You forgot to add A partridge in a pear tree
Kiddin'.
I appreciate the advice though, I really do.
I'll check out the things I can and pay someone to check out the ones I can't.
Um...thanks again.

- Kernel?

Oh, PS
I respectfully disagree with your appraisal of Neons, sir.
Granted they're more of an aesthetic add-on (aesthetics being a matter of opinion, mind you), but they do GREATLY increase the visibility of your vehicle.
You may not have noticed, but people tend not to run directly into things they ought not be running into, if said things are visible. Unless they're trying to run into them in the first place.
I like to be noticed as much as the next person, but I'm not what you'd call "Tres Gauche" and its amazing how many horror stories I've heard that started with the words "I just didn't see 'im...".

So you could consider it an awkward attempt at pre-emptive protection eh?

[themeatmanlandry]

. . . or you could consider my friend's husband. He's a cop. He was executing a traffic stop on I-240 in Memphis, when a drunk ran smooth into his patrol car.

THe drunk was distracted by the lights and drove straight into the squad car. That said . . .

No everyone slams into the pretty lights, but some do. Likewise, just because you have lights doesn't mean folks'll see you any better.

What do I know . . . my bike's all black and barely has any shine to it! To top it off, I ride in all black. I figure if I'm invisible, what difference does it make either way?

[Miyamoto]

You riding in all black?
How positively goth
Object fixation is very common for the inebriated. That's why people aren't supposed to drive drunk. You get tickets and even jail time for those.
What you don't get ticketed for is driving with bad-eyesight, Attention Deficit Disorder, being unobservant or simple case of the 'dumbass'.
If they see you, they can at least attempt to avoid colliding with you....
Remember what the great Kenjutsu master and world's greatest Katana weilder once wrote in the book of 5 rings...."Don't swerve into the pretty bright lights, you Otaku, you..."

[finch20th]

listen to nut he will steer you in the right direction...

[themeatmanlandry]

Originally Posted by Miyamoto

What you don't get ticketed for is driving with bad-eyesight, Attention Deficit Disorder, being unobservant or simple case of the 'dumbass'.

Believe it or not, in TN you can be ticketed for all of those things. Except being a dumbass. I think that's optional . . . like turn signals!