Kawasaki Ninja 300 Forums banner
Cancel

Winter project

7418 Views 330 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  jjmaine, 
J
I pulled the 300 into my shop for the winter to give it all the maintenance and a number of upgrades that I want to try or I think will make the bike much more enjoyable to ride. I’ll make a quick list of what I’m going to do and any tips or suggestions on parts is welcome.

Maintenance: valve check, spark plugs etc. I’ll re-grease my steering stem bearings (already upgraded) and pull the swingarm and grease that and the shock linkage.

Brakes: Stainless brake lines, new front rotor/pads (oem rotor is warped) and new rear pads. I’ll also pull apart both calipers and clean them thoroughly.

Ecu flash and Sprint air filter (I’m keeping the stock exhaust

New seat (the stock seat is not that comfy and jams me into the tank).

Quick shifter: I could honestly do without one but I’ve never had a bike with one and want to try it so why not?

Suspension: Ohlin’s cartridges for the forks and a Gsxr600 rear shock. I already have the gsxr shock on now but I bought a spare that I intend to send to Traxxion Dynamics for a full rebuild and hopefully they can work some magic on the shock valving? I do need to find a way to keep the stock handlebars with the added height of the Ohlins fork caps.
That’s about it, I’ll add pics and updates as I do things but any advice on which parts/brands like brake pads, seat or anything will help.
I’ve got the fairings off so first thing will be the valve check. I’ve ordered new gaskets as my valve cover gasket is dried out and has a few small cracks starting
Fuel tank Automotive fuel system Tire Automotive lighting Wheel
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 3
301 - 320 of 331 Posts
J
2
Got a 30ml Accosato reservoir kit and it fits and looks much better. That brembo reservoir was damn near blocking the speedometer.

Accossato Kit di Montaggio Oil Reservoir 30ml

Accossato Kit di Montaggio Oil Reservoir 30ml
www.bellissimoto.com www.bellissimoto.com

Motor vehicle Automotive tire Vehicle Automotive design Automotive lighting
Motor vehicle Automotive tire Automotive design Vehicle Automotive lighting
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 1
motopreserve
Never seen that site before. They have some nice stuff.

I’m having a hard time understanding how you didn’t pick THIS up????

Accossato Radial Brake Caliper CNC Monoblock 100mm Mount with Titanium Pistons

Accossato Radial Brake Caliper CNC Monoblock 100mm Mount with Titanium Pistons
www.bellissimoto.com www.bellissimoto.com
Reply
Save
Like
J
Being rich and irresponsible with your money are two separate things. 😂

If I was smart I’d have bought a slip-on exhaust, led underglow lights and some rim tape and stopped at that. That way my bike would like shit, sound like shit and still handle like shit.
Reply
Save
Like
J
I have to say, that looks super clean and well sorted. Nicely done, congrats!
Reply
Save
Like
motopreserve
I like your choices better anyway. And I agree, it looks super clean and very, very Italian! :)
Reply
Save
Like
J
Thanks guys! 34 degrees and snowing here, maybe someday I'll get to ride it.
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 1
J
Bike runs like a top! It seems to sound better and have smoother throttle response but it's hard to say exactly since it has been so long since I rode it.

One issue I am seeing is my front brake pads make slight contact when spinning the front wheel on a stand (like they should) except for about a 5-6" section they don't make contact at all. Thinking about it, it must be the rotor right? I took the caliper off and spun the wheel and it looks dead true by eye but I may pick up a cheap dial indicator for $20 to check the runout. Brand new rotor! Also maybe the thickness varies around the circumference?

Has anyone else noticed this with brand new rotor and pads? I've had good luck with these EBC semi-floating rotors before but cannot think of what else would cause it, I don't think my wheel is warped....
Reply
Save
Like
motopreserve
Nice! Glad to hear you finally got a chance to get out of the snow banks and ride!!! :)

Definitely worth having a dial indicator - you’ll use it for a ton of stuff once it’s in the toolbox (in the case of course!).

Worth checking runout. But I’m wondering if the semi-floating nature would allow the rotor to seem a hair off when there is no pressure applied to it? Might be able to test it by marking where you hear no rub, then spin free and hit the brake. Now see if the dead spot has moved or is consistently in the same place?

Just a thought.
Reply
Save
Like
J
Thats a good idea I’ll try that for sure!
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 1
J
That didn’t change anything. I took the wheel off and spun it in my stand and to me it looks straight as an arrow, the rotor and the wheel. I used wood dowels taped right up next to them with a slight gap and the gap never changed. I’m sure there is some variation (thousandths) but not enough to cause an issue.
I did notice that my front axle needed a good tap to remove so I thought maybe my forks were not in line and one was higher than the other. When I unbolted the fork brace/front fender bracket my axle moved through both forks smoothly with no binding. I left the bracket unbolted and torqued the wheel and caliper back on and the problem seems to be gone. Maybe the bracket was tweaking my forks some so I’ll have to make sure to install the wheel before tightening that bracket? Not sure but if it comes back I’ll get a dial indicator and get some actual measurements on the wheel and rotor runout….
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 1
J
Hey Moto, you weren’t kidding about Annitori’s customer service! I emailed them this afternoon for recommended cut times expecting to get a reply sometime on Monday. Less than 30 seconds (SECONDS) Paul emailed me and asked for a picture of my shift linkage setup (to verify it was correct) and a screenshot of my current settings. Gave me a few things to try and mostly he said, ride that thing hard and it should shift like butter lol.

He was right, if you shift 10k rpm and up it's smooth. I normally shift around 7-8k and it goves a little lurch. Even the 300, if you’re shifting at 10k in most gears you’re well past the speed limit lol. I’ve got all summer to play with it and see if I can dial in my settings. Interested to see what settings you land onfor your track bike and how it shifts…
Reply
Save
Like
motopreserve
That’s awesome. I have to buy a new quick shifter because it turns out the PO fried it. Or at least it can’t connect to the app anymore.

I was worried that I would have issues with it set to whatever that wing it had settled on, and also changing to GP shift. So I removed it. But I’ll likely replace it sometime soon.
Reply
Save
Like
J
Yeah it sounds like the previous owner played hell with that bike and left you with a gem. How close are you to going for your first track day?
Reply
Save
Like
motopreserve
Oh, he was a peach! I know the guys at Annitori said that if you plug a tender into the battery with power also going to their unit it can fry the QS. I’m sure you know that already - but just in case.

I am headed to the track one week from yesterday! So pumped. But as with everything regarding this bike…of course it’s slated to rain :)
Reply
Save
Like
J
Awesome, good luck man!

Thanks for the heads up on the tender thats good to know! I use a battery tender but I take the batteries out of all my stuff (motorcycles, lawnmower etc) and rotate them all on a tender off and on all winter.
Reply
Save
Like
motopreserve
I usually have one of the pigtails on the bike for charging during gaps in riding. So for this it’s good to know it shouldn’t have added power.

On their suggestion, I wired up a feed to the QS through a connector that could be removed before charging. This was before I realized it was dried of course :). So it’s ready for the new one when I get it.
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 1
J
2
I guess I should have done my research on quickshifters before I bought mine. I tried 50-70ms on the cut time and 55ms was super smooth as long as you shift above about 9500rpm. Was looking into it and apparently most QS you need to be revving the piss out of your bike for it to shift smooth. There is a company in the UK, Translogic that makes a QS with adaptive shifting (allegedly they make a lot of oem quick shifters for different manufacturers and moto gp) according to your engine rpm and acceleration. Apparently it allows you to quick shift at a mere 3,000rpm and its silky smooth.

We’ll see because I bought one. You know I can’t just leave something alone if I’m not happy with it. 😒. Ordered it on Monday from the UK and it got here on thursday. Same as Carpimoto, how the hell do they ship so fast from overseas?

If anyone has been looking for a QS, let me know (wink wink). I might have a basically new Annitori kit for sale soon. It would be fine for a track only bike or if you routinely shift at 10k. I mostly shift between 7-8000…
Gadget Audio equipment Font Rectangle Eyewear
Hood Automotive lighting Automotive mirror Window Eyewear
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 1
motopreserve
I never even thought about that being an issue for a street only bike. Sorry if I steered you wrong on Annitori.

I may be able to help you out there if you need to unload it :)
Reply
Save
Like
J
No, it wasn't you. I actually bought mine before I knew you even had an Annitori. I was going to get the IRC quickshifter for $329 until I saw Norton Motorsports did a comparison review between it and the Annitori and they said for $229 for the Annitori, they couldn't tell the difference between the two. That was for their track bike though and mine like I said, works great at high rpm. It shifts very smooth at 55ms cut time (I didn't mess with sensitivity) just like you see on the bigger supersport bikes with oem quick shifters. Waaaaaaap, waaaaap, waaap lol. Maybe if I really took the time to test every setting I could get it acceptable for my riding style but hate to was months of the summer fidgeting with it when there was a better solution all along. Plus if I can recoup a few bucks on the Annitori I won't really be out much....

My own fault really, I didn't look into it enough to know that most quick shifters require you to be at very high rpm to work smooth and I just don't ride like that 85% of the time. But now that I was looking forward to having a QS, I needed to (hopefully) find a solution. I never shift below 6k, so if this one is supposedly great down to 3k it should work like a charm. Should.

I thought you might be interested. I'll shoot you a pm shortly.:)
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 1
J
2
Wow what a difference this Translogic made. Can easily quick shift at 6k rpm now. Not quite as smooth as high rpm but def. still a very nice improvement over the Annitori. Quick shifts at high rpm are silky smooth same as Annitori.

I would say if you ride on the street and shift below 9k typically either forgo the QS or get this Translogic. The adaptive shift (or whatever they call it, intellishift) really does work apparently. It is adjustable as well but I think its good to go right out of the box.

My rotor/brake is acting up again. It HAS to be either the rotor or wheel out of round. Nothing else would give the same symptom I don’t think. Caliper and master is bled perfectly and the pads retract as they should when releasing the lever. I am going to get a dial indicator now and find the problem. I think before when I thought it was fixed was because I must had pushed the pads in some when I took the caliper off.

I hope its the rotor because even used front wheels on ebay are pricy but I suspect the wheel is to blame because my last rotor did the same thing and I automatically blamed it. Also this is a floating rotor and I have used these ebc rotors in the past with good luck so it shouldnt be warped from new…. Previous owner had a low speed drop/crash/slide that may have bent the wheel….
Hood Trunk Automotive lighting Electronic device Auto part
Tire Automotive tire Tread Motor vehicle Automotive exhaust
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
301 - 320 of 331 Posts
Kawasaki Ninja 300 Forums
A forum community dedicated to Kawasaki Ninja 300 motorcycle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Ninja 300 General Discussion Ninja 300 Appearance & Modifications Ninja 300 Parts & Accessories New Members Introductions Ninja 300 Issues and Troubleshooting
Top