Hey everyone,

So I just got my first bike last Oct. I didn’t want to spend too much so I ended up with a 04 f4i that the previous owner was prepping to be a stunt bike. I picked the bike up for $2000. I have spent these last few months pulling together different parts to get the bike back to street ready. I have decided to do a seat swap for looks. i have the sub frame still trying to pull together the other parts.


I do have a few questions for everyone. The bike has around 19000 miles on it.

What maintenance should I do before this riding season hits full swing?

What type of oil and weight do you recommend?

I am thinking about replacing the grips, any recommendations on brand or type?

What is the best way to get the old grips off the bars?

I feel like my throttle is really touchy the first 1/8th turn. It kind of jumps a little on me. One of the throttle cable casings is dented a little. Should I just replace the push and pull cables or is there something else that could be causing it? Could it be the grip or throttle sleeve?

 

no one?

 

Seeing as though the previous owner was prepping it for a a stunt bike, I would go over that bike with a fine tooth comb. As far as maintenance wise, refer to the owners manual and it will guide you through everything you need to do. In general though, you should be checking fluids, tires, chain, etc.

Also, regarding what oil you use, refer to the other 10,000 threads discussing this. I believe this is being discussed in at least 5 active threads within the past week.

Regarding what oil you use, the first thing you will need to decide is whether to use motorcycle specific or non-specific oil. Some swear by one, and visa versa. Personally I use honda GN4, it takes the guess work out of it and its made by honda, for honda motorcycles....you can't go wrong.
Also slap on a K&n oil filter, they are easy to get on and off because of the nut at the end.

As far as grips, progrip makes some good quality grips. Check them out.

As far as removing the grips, theres a couple different ways, depends on how creative you want to be. Some use an air compressor, some simply squirt some wd40 inside, twist it a couple times, and it should slide off. Make sure that if you do this that it is totally clean before you reapply your new grips. Thats why I use the compressed air method, just make an opening and the pressure will release it as you pull it off.

If the cable casing is dented, for peace of mind sake, replace the cable.

 

How about the easiest way to get the grips off... slide a razor blade down it...

You've got yourself one hell of a ride, I just gone done converting mine from stunt to stockish, fun stuff...

Before: (This is after I removed some stunt stuff)

After:

 

After alot of work I have the bike riding nice. I did everything on the cheap for this season. I just wanted to get it on the road. I plan to repaint the entire bike next winter. I ride basically everyday if it doesn’t rain, sometimes even if it does. This bike gets so much better gas mileage than my Cadillac its hard not to ride it.

So after:
Fuel pressure regulator, battery, new tank(spray painted), front upper fairing, upper fairing stay, k&n air filter, oil change, led tail light, race tail fairing (covers solo seat), white led kit, d3 driven style grips, tank pad, and shock canister wrap.

Future upgrades will include;
I just picked up the cbr954 gold calipers.
rim tape, pink leds, ss brake lines, shorty levers, hid lights, escort 8500 radar with Z4 laser shifter, Go pro camera mount,

 

what happened to the split seat subframe

 

i got the subframe and the fairing but never found seats in the price i wanted to spend. i got the tail fairing for real cheap for the solo seat. not sure if i like it, it makes the tail took real tall. trying it out for now. i have herd that the solo seat is 100 times more comfortable to ride with than the dual seats. I know corbine (sp?) seats are an option with the dual seat but not looking to dump a bunch more money into this bike.