Skiddz

This is *MY* method and it has served me well. I'm sure everyone has they're own ways, but this method has worked for me and many buddies I've done top-ends for. Jet the thing how you'd ride it and fill it up with the same pre-mix ratio you'd normally use. Fire it up and let it warm up. Let it run for about 15 mins, blipping the throttle on occasion to keep plugs from fouling. Shut it down and let it cool completely. Do the above again. Fire it up and take it for a 20 minute spin, using no more than 1/3 throttle and running it up and down through the gears. Let it cool completely. Do as above, but this time to 1/2 throttle. Let it cool completely. Take one more spin with occasional bursts to WOT. Do not cruise at one throttle setting. Varying the throttle will seat the rings better.. Let it cool, check plugs for proper jetting then go ride. I usually take it easy on the 1st tank or two. By the 3rd tank, I'm back to normal. Again, this method works for me and my last engine ran for 6 hard seasons at Glamis before I grenaded it this past October. I'll certianly be doing the same with the new motor when my full rebuild is complete. One more note. Anyone running forged pistons (I.e Wiesco, Vitos etc..) make sure you give the engine enough time to warm up before you ride.. I've seen a lot of cold-siezes due do the expansion differences in the pistons and the jugs. 5 more mins warm-up, could save you $500..

BFCW (Big Fuggin' Crescent Wrench) and a propane torch. You might need someone to stand on the back brakes for ya too.

Yep. I took about 1/4" off mine with a cutting wheel on my dremel and cleaned it up with a small file *before* I tapped the hole.

had to do this after I looped mine climbing a hill. I didn't have any specs to go on, so I went with trial and error. Once I had the top and front of the frame cleaned off, (i.e. tank, steering stem etc removed) I used an angle grinder to grind the top weld off the gusset. I used my Hi-Lift jack and some 2x4s to push the loop back into position *after* I'd heated each side up good with my torch. Once it cooled down, I slid my steering stem into the bottom mount and slipped the upper bearings arounds the stem and checked the gap and the alignment of the bearings to the point where they bolt onto the loop. The bearings should rest right on their "perch" with no forcing or bending of the steering stem. Once I had the stem where I though it should go, I lightly snugged up the bolts and put the radiator back on. At least I tried to. The upper mount didn't line up so I had to peel everything off and bend the loop a little more and try again. It took me several tries to get the stem angle and the radiator mounts to line up. Once it was back where it belonged, I welded the gusset back in and added some 3/8" square stock to the back side of the gusset for some additional strength. I did have to do a couple small tweaks to the side cover mounting ears once the body plastic was back on, but all in all, it wasn't a hard fix. Just a bit time consuming.

Actually, that tube is there to try and take care of some of the sonic imbalances inherent in that engine. It has to do with sonic waves coming back up the intake and disrupting the smooth flow of air/fuel into the cylinder. I don't recall all the specifics, but somewhere on the net is an in-depth paper on the hows and whys of the tube and why "boost bottles" are for all intents and purposes, worthless as performance addons.

Sounds like the freeplay on your cable is too little and the clutch isn't totally disengaging. Easy adjustment. Up at your clutch perch, loosen up the lock ring on the cable adjuster and unscrew it all the way. Screw in the adjuster all the way until it bottoms. Clutch lever should be very sloppy now and will only pull the clutch arm (down on top of the case, left side, under the carbs) part way. Pull the clutch lever in until you JUST start to feel the cable pull. Look at the front of the perch between the perch and the end of the lever. (Where the cable attaches to the lever) See that gap? That's what you wanna adjust. Release the clutch lever. Back the adjuster out until that gap is about the width of a nickel when you take up the "slack" with the lever. Finger tighten the lock ring and check the action of the clutch arm when you pull/release the clutch lever. If everything looks ok, fully tighten the lock ring, fire the bike up (put it in neutral in case something isn't right!) pull in the clutch and put it in gear. Shouldn't roll at all.. If you can, try a couple hard launches and hard acceleration through the gears to make sure the clutch is fully engaged. If it slips, you can try to add a little more freeplay at the clutch lever. Too much freeplay won't disengage the clutch fully, too little will not allow it to engage freely. If your freeplay is too little even when the adjuster is all the way in, or you run out of adjuter screw length before the freeplay is correct, you may need to pull off the clutch cover, loosen the locknut and turn the center screw in or out to get more freeplay. (I forgot which way is which) Good luck!

No need to use a razor blade to get shoe funk off the pipes. Acetone, Laquer Thinner or MEK (Metyl Ethyl Ketone) will do the trick. Just make sure you wear gloves and do it in a well ventilated area. You *MAY* need a plastic paint scraper to get off the chunks as they soften up. Once the gunk is gone, grab some Mothers Metal Restorer and a soft rag and buff 'em out. To remove bluing, a product called BluBeGone will do the trick with a little elbow grease.

Curing powedercoat in your kitchen oven isn't the best of ideas. The fumes emitted are toxic and will need to be vented somewhere. In addition, doing this in a gas oven is potential for an explosion, fire or both. I certainly wouldn't want to be eating anything that came out of that oven after you cooked off your parts.. Not until it'd gone through several self-cleaning cycles and then a good scrubbing... I've cured small parts with a couple 1500W halogen work lamps and an "oven" made out of 3/8" ply lined with foil lined rigid insulation. Took a couple hours, but worked well.

I don't powdercoat, but I do polish aluminum and steel parts.

I did the thumb to twist conversion years ago 'cuz my poor ol' thumb was dyin' on those long rides.. I have to admit, the change was a bit tough to get the proverbial handle on. I never ended up on my back, but did have a couple instances where I'd inadvertantly grab a fistful of throttle when I didn't want to. It's been probably 10 years since I did the change and now I wouldn't go back to the thumb throttle.

Quick in the field float level check. Get the 'shee on level ground. Take a piece of clear hose (I use the overfloow hose that runs between the frame and the swingarm pivot) and connect it to the overflow nipple on the carb bowl. Hold the hose vertically next to the carb and crack the drain screw. Fuel will flow into the hose and stop (assuming your float needle is doing it's job) at some point. The point at which it stops is the same point as the fuel level in the bowl. It should be just above (1-2mm) the "seam" between the bowl and carb body. If it's not, you'll need to adjust the float level one way or the other.

Haven't seen 'em yet, but I opted for the Quicksand +2+1 units. Gary @ Quicksand is a helluva nice guy and had been *very* helpful in solving some of my other issues as well.. I like the fact the arms are fully adjustable - and the price is pretty good too.

Got the frame back from the welding shop today. They did a nice job with it and I snapped a couple pix of it on the tailgate of my truck before I dropped it off at the powdercoater. Battery in the dig-cam took a crap on me as I was sucking the latest pix off the flash card. As soon as it's recharged, I'll post pics here: http://www.net-cetera.com/banshee

Screw the balance point. Just drag your cooler rack through the sand. You can wheelie at 4 as well as 40.

I got the kit this past Tuesday. The frame was at the powdercoater getting sandblasted and I didn't get it back until Thursday. Once I did, I used the included jig and bolted the conversion piece in place. Fit like it was made for it. hehe Both the frame and the conversion are at the welding shop. I'm having the frame checked for cracks and doing some additional welding on suspension mounts and gussets to beef it up a bit more. I was expecting the frame back today, but after talking to the shop earlier, they said they hadn't even started on it yet. As soon as I get it back, I'll post pics of the conversion. My new A-arms might be here by then too.. And to answer your previous question, shipping was about $6 to So CA.