Hey all,

Haven't posted much here in my time with my 98 900RR. This summer it started running rough (again), so i said **** it and put it in the garage for a while. Few weeks later I found a great deal on a 2009 Kawasaki Concours 14 with 4700 miles, so I jumped on it. Since I bought the C14 I kinda forgot about the ole 900.

I hopped on the 900 one day to move it around the garage and just really really wanted to ride it. It felt like a feather compared to the C14. I decided I would make it my winter project and finally got a start on it today.

I really wanted to get it started and running just so I would know that it is still working, but the battery is dead and I have no charger. I tried push starting it a few times and it turned over and wanted to start but would not. I am gonna go get some jumper cables or a trickle charger later and try again tomorrow to start it.


Now to my ideas for the build. My inspiration is the 'Bladerod'. http://ic2.pbase.com/g4/95/185295/2/...9.YEunMfXm.jpg

That being said, I do not want to be identical to the Bladerod.

My plans are to lower the rear slightly and put dirtbike handle bars on. I would like to go with a single large Headlamp up front. I am on the fence about going with a Single Side Swing-arm swap. I would like to relocate the starter button and choke. A digital readout speedometer.

Along with the above, I will need to clean (possible rebuild?) the carbs. I think I need new seals for the airbox. I would like to do any other maintenance that should be done while I have the whole thing apart.

I am making this thread as a build thread, but also because I am not mechanically inclined at all and forsee alot questions coming up.

If anyone has any advise for me it would be greatly appreciated.

Hopefully I can get her started tomorrow and then I will know where to go from there.


Andrew

 

woo hoo! i'm glad to see you wanting to get a 900 running again. so, what skills do you have as far as fabrication? i assume you're wanting a bobber style seat since you chose the bladerod. that will require some welding. as far as dirty bars and what not, what are your plans for the front end? do you want to swap it at all and get some USDs? SSSAs are cool as hell - but i've seen some 900rrs plus a lot of older fighters with newer double sided swingarms on them, and they look great too.

the biggest thing about builds is finishing and having a plan so you don't have to re-do stuff over and over again. lets see some pics!

once your started, it's easy to get going, though. i hope those carbs aren't too bad


can't wait to see where you go with this!

 

I have little skills with fabrication, but the last thing on my agenda is the bobber seat. I want to the dirty conversion with a single aztec8 7" headlight and now front plastic at all. I need to get a new more compact speedo. Hiding all my wires will happen.

I first want to see if she will turn on, and with the battery dead I am waiting till tomorrow night to jump it. I want to make sure that it will turn on before i get into tearing the tank off and getting at the airbox and carbs. I remember from cleaning the carbs and changing spark plugs last year that the airbox seals were sketchy at best.

In the long run, I want to get new brake lines, and i saw a rear resevor delete somewhere that seems cool looking. I just want to take the project one step at a time. If I can get everything done that I want by next winter, I would like to paint the frame, rims, and engine all black.

I got a long ways to go, and only have time to work on the weekends, so it will probably be a slow moving project. But if I can get it running tomorrow I should be able to get a good start this weekend with the ole lady at work.

 

Well the good news is she started up right up after jumping the battery. The bad news is she sounds like a ATV. Not sure how to better explain it. In my eyes, (which have very little knowledge of engines) it is not running on all cylinders. It is weird because it started doing that this summer after I let her sit for a week. I am thinking that maybe some bad gas clogged the carbs.

Regardless, I will be taking the tank off this weekend and getting at the carbs and try to get them cleaned. I changed the spark plugs when I did my last oil change at the most 1500 miles ago. Granted that was spring of 2011.

Should I just clean the carbs or is it in my better interest to rebuild them?

After I get her running smoothly, my first step will be to sort out the mess of wires. Would it be in my best interest to do wires in the front and rear at same time? Or would it be better to wait on the rear until I bob it out?

 

i'd say you're not running on all cylinders as well. if you're going to be running a short un-restrictive exhaust, you'll probably want a bigger jet in there in order to have correct fueling - so i'd take the carbs apart and really clean them, put them back together, and make sure the bike runs on all 4 again. then i'd figure out a jet kit. i just think you should get it running on all 4 again before you dump money on a jet kit.

figure out what kind of bar you want

figure out which risers you'll use with the bar you want, and if they'll be easy to mount on your triple.

after you get everything, you want to measure a bunch of times and make sure you have the exact spot on the triple that you need for holes for the risers. then you'll drill. after that you can figure out how much longer your brake lines need to be. (places like galfer offer a great service. you can call them and say "i need a 900rr kit, + 5 inches" and they'll mail you your bike's kit with the correct fittings - just 5 inches longer). it certainly depends on the bar you choose. you may also need a longer clutch cable, throttle cables, and wiring depending...

as well, since the bike is apart, start to figure out what you're going to do with the wiring. don't be afraid to lengthen/shorten wires and move things around a bit so you have a clean and tucked harness. always solder and shrink wrap. since your "end" goal is to bob it out, you'll want to think about where you're going to movie the R/R and relays. i'd do just the front now so that you don't get over-whelmed. but that doesn't mean you need to wait until you bob it out to do the back wiring. i'd just work on your front harness first. there will be a lot of different stuff going on with that, and doing one at a time is the way to go


the rear reservoir delete is the easiest thing to do. all you do is buy some tygon 2075 or 2375 tubing. and you're done. the tubing is your new reservoir. i did it on my fighter, you can look on my build page for it

 

I just ordered the Clymer manual for the 900. That should be in early next week. So no carb work for me this weekend. I think I am going to take my calipers and clean the **** out of them. I might get somewhat of a start on the wiring, but i don't think I will be able to do much without headlight, blinkers, and speedo. I will try to get some pictures taken this weekend to show what I am working with.

 

ya, it is hard to do anything without having the parts you're going to use. don't worry though, it'll all come together

 

Looks good and that bladerod is a great template! Awesome bike. When you figure out what you're doing with the front harness, let me know because I'm at a loss with mine. Can't figure out a way to clean my front end up.