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[Cobra88]

Hi Guys

1st Service done today.

also went to stowmarkey & got my suspension twiddled by Darren at MCT to suit my weight

booked in for proper suspension setup in 2 weeks (respring both ends) possibly but rear for sure as spring is too soft for me (84kg fat bastard)

loving it so far.
Regards
Rick

D3d Tail tidy.
Short black Pazzos.
Oxfords new LED rear indicators.
Venhill brakelines in kawasaki green.
Akrapovic Carbon can without noise valve.
lots of Akrapovic carbon on order
Homemade rad guard (B&Q)
HID LOw Beam only
8 LED sidelight bulbs to match HID colour

[Chrisblack10r]

my god thats shiney lol

lovely

the back is too soft??

im heavier and it has me out of my seat dude 

[dan.46]

can we have more pics of the home made rad guard please 

oh, bike looks mint by the way 

[Cobra88]

Hi Chris

After a long chat with a few suspension gurus it seems that the 09 model and all the changes that "kawasaki didn't change"
the 08 i rode felt like it had no suspension at all so no idea WTF Kawasaki have "not done"

anyone with an 08 model i suggest you book a test ride on the 09 model and feel the difference as you will notice quite a few changes even though they say it's unchanged
much better on/off throttle transition at low speeds  and far more supple rear suspension
pretty sure there is more midrange too but may have imagined that.

have ended up with 1kg/mm front springs and (can't remember the numbers) rear spring

for me the forks want to be 0.95kg/mm ideally
and rear spring approximately the same.

the std setup from kawasaki was poop for me.

my current preference is

front preload all the way out then back in 2mm (1 ring)
1 click less Compression damping.

Rear Preload 2 full turns more preload
1/4 turn more rebound

now i can stay in the seat on bumpy backroads
and not feel scared every time i turn into a bumpy corner

Regards
Rick


I'll take some pics of the radguard tomorrow

[roy]

nice pics mate 

[fido]

 

But why oh why did Kawasaki change the side panels to silver on the '09

[Cobra88]

Hi Fido

No idea mate but the Akra carbon ones should be here soon 

Regards
Rick

[Cobra88]

Ok here is the B&Q homemade radguard

you need from B&Q

500mm x 500mm anodised Alu (small mesh) grille sheet (they do silver or gold and stainless steel) don't use the st steel as it may be too heavy and resonate to easily!
2 x 1m lengths of black plastic 7mm "U" section (third pic) can be found in rack near to the grille section usually!
a roll of 8mm draught excluder sponge tape (usually on the end of one of the exterior door isles at B&Q)

I cut the grille to 331 x 331 mm! (but please measure your own rad at least 3 times before you cut!) the grille as they may vary
the grille needs to follow the curve of the radiator and be a reasonably tight fit as it stays in place by the springiness of the metal

Cut the grille with a sharp pair of scissors (get a responsible Adult to do this for you)

you then cut the plastic "U" section with 45 degree mitres to make a frame to cover the sharp edges (quite hard to push onto the edge of the grille!)

trial fit the grille and make sure it fits properly then remove it and apply the draught excluder tape onto the rear of the black frame. (stops it resonating and damaging rad)
you might struggle to get the grille up past the horn which i removed while i was fitting but it will go past it if your carefull.

Hope this helps guys

Regards
Rick

[fido]

 

Good job mate......Looks good +BHP

[roy]

good thanks for sharing 

[redbullkid]

Nice lookin' bike........  cheers for the write up on the gaurd, might have a go at that.   

[tony83]

But why oh why did Kawasaki change the side panels to silver on the '09

+1 and the silver forks 
should have black fork legs like the white bike

[fido]

H

anyone with an 08 model i suggest you book a test ride on the 09 model and feel the difference as you will notice quite a few changes even though they say it's unchanged
much better on/off throttle transition at low speeds  and far more supple rear suspension
pretty sure there is more midrange too but may have imagined that.

I think the throttle response is down to how the bike is 'set up' at the dealer.

The black'08 I bought back in October last year was spot on with instant and smooth throttle responce even at low speeds.....The green '08 I got to replace it (from a different dealer) in July after the off seems a bit jerky compared to it.

Its going in for the 4000 mile service this Saturday at the dealer I got the 1st one from and have asked them to check it out.

[Cobra88]

Hi Fido

i think it might just be a slightly different ECU program which you might be able to get updated by your kawasaki dealer
no idea if kawa can update their ecus via a service tool like Suzuki /Ducati etc can.

maybe it's just luck of the draw but glad mine has the smoothness anyway 

Regards
Rick

[fido]

Cheers bud.

Will see how it feels after the service is done