What The Hell Am I Doing?

Quick281 · 04-24-2008, 12:50 PM

Welcome to my blog for 2008!

My name is Alex and I am a 23 year old kid who is just getting started in the two wheeled world. I figured a blog be a great way to share my experiences with everyone as I venture out into the world of riding.

Having been a big fan of Mustangs since I turned 14, I am not new to the blood, sweat, and tears that are often invested into the passion of one's dearly beloved machine. I still have my 2001 Mustang GT but after a recent wreck I decided that I best let the car rest until I can graduate from college and begin dumping even more hard earned dollars into it.

A few photos to help summarize the last 6 years devoted to it.

No order in particular, but those 3 pictures seem to sum it up pretty well.

I had always talked about getting a motorcycle but never could scrounge up the funds for one. I had been deeply in love with R6s since 2003 when I first saw one up close in that famous deep blue. I would still love an R6, but now that I have fallen for my own 06 Gixxer 600 it would be hard for me to part with it.

This bike practically walked into my life under its own desire with only 3k miles. Having been wrecked by the previous owner, the bike was in need of some simple repairs and wanted to sell it for under 4 grand. After working out an excellent deal on the bike, she was dropped off in my driveway in the nude. She was promptly placed in the garage and patiently await the flurry of parts that would be ordered.

That was sometime in March and as of now she is almost back to 100%!

Allow me to shut up and post pictures.

First Night at home

After putting her clothes back on.

You can see the scratches on the right side of the bike in the above picture. At this point it is important to note that many parts had already been replaced, leaving only the fairing and the exhaust with any evidence of the crash.

By this time many things had already been done.
New bar end
New right side tail piece
New right side rear set
New windshield
New mirrors
I also took the liberty of removing the passenger pegs too. I think the bike looks a shit ton better and it gave me a logical reason to tell campus skanks that I was unable to give them a ride home. Until I was comfortable on the bike, I didn't want anyone else's life in my hands.

Quick281 · 04-26-2008, 04:31 PM

Alright, time to give this a good update as to all of the things I have been up to in the past week or so.

As is visible from the first pic in this thread, I had my first big maintenance day. Judging from the general abilities of the previous owner I figured it would be wise to change all of the fluids and reset all of the stock suspension components as per the service manual. It gave me a great chance to learn more about the bike as well as know what condition everything was in. Its also a great feeling to get something done yourself, even if at times you just want to throw the whole freaking machine in the trash can.

I decided to drain and flush the coolant because the bike seemed to have a overheating problem, even in the coolest of weather. I figured the culprit had to be somewhere on the right side where the bike was originally wrecked. Sure enough I found the little bastard responsible for all of my problems. A small tab on the radiator inlet was keeping the cap from sitting flush, this allowed the coolant to boil out at a much lower temperature. Once I fixed the tab and added Engine Ice, she keeps the heat down just fine.

Beyond the basic service, I was going to go ahead and throw on the parts that I had ordered. These parts included a new right side fairing, OEM grips, chain guard, various little bolts I needed, and some Woodcraft frame sliders.

Didn't care for the cheap after market grips that the previous owner had installed. This is a pic to illustrate the old versus new. The new is on the left and old crappy grip is on the right.

It was nice to get the new fairing on the right side, it was like making the bike new again. However I decided to ruin this pristine feeling by cutting a 2 inch hole into each side of the bike only 30 minutes later to install my sliders.

I was sort of lucky to have a crappy fairing to practice on. However, the right side is the easiest because it already has a hole in the fairing to access the engine mount bolt. The left side was truly nerve racking because you had to "find" the bolt as you drilled through it, and then try and cut the 2 inch hole. It was easy but damn if I wasn't nervous as hell.

Overall I think everything went really well. Learned a lot about the bike and I truly enjoyed the time spent in the driveway working with tools. It had been a year or two since I had gotten to wrench on anything. I forgot how fun it could be once the problem is solved.

This is her the morning before our first road trip. I thought she looked quite good with her new accessories.

Quick281 · 10-04-2008, 12:11 AM

Well, this thread quickly went silent after my life took an unexpected turn and I found myself in the middle of nowhere Alaska for the summer.

This has been one of the best decisions of my life and has really opened up my life to the number of different things I want to get done before I settle down with a career and start thinking about long term family oriented stuff.

I am looking forward to getting back to Atlanta at the end of this month and I will be back on the bike after a long 4 months away. As of right now I am pretty sure that I will return to Alaska next summer and I am even thinking about taking the bike. That is still several months from now, but I like the idea of a while 2 wheeled adventure.

04-24-2008, 12:50 PM	#1
Quick281 Victim of Blazer Rapage Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Talkeetna, AK Moto: 06 GSXR 600 Posts: 1,707	What The Hell Am I Doing? Welcome to my blog for 2008! My name is Alex and I am a 23 year old kid who is just getting started in the two wheeled world. I figured a blog be a great way to share my experiences with everyone as I venture out into the world of riding. Having been a big fan of Mustangs since I turned 14, I am not new to the blood, sweat, and tears that are often invested into the passion of one's dearly beloved machine. I still have my 2001 Mustang GT but after a recent wreck I decided that I best let the car rest until I can graduate from college and begin dumping even more hard earned dollars into it. A few photos to help summarize the last 6 years devoted to it. No order in particular, but those 3 pictures seem to sum it up pretty well. I had always talked about getting a motorcycle but never could scrounge up the funds for one. I had been deeply in love with R6s since 2003 when I first saw one up close in that famous deep blue. I would still love an R6, but now that I have fallen for my own 06 Gixxer 600 it would be hard for me to part with it. This bike practically walked into my life under its own desire with only 3k miles. Having been wrecked by the previous owner, the bike was in need of some simple repairs and wanted to sell it for under 4 grand. After working out an excellent deal on the bike, she was dropped off in my driveway in the nude. She was promptly placed in the garage and patiently await the flurry of parts that would be ordered. That was sometime in March and as of now she is almost back to 100%! Allow me to shut up and post pictures. First Night at home After putting her clothes back on. You can see the scratches on the right side of the bike in the above picture. At this point it is important to note that many parts had already been replaced, leaving only the fairing and the exhaust with any evidence of the crash. By this time many things had already been done. New bar end New right side tail piece New right side rear set New windshield New mirrors I also took the liberty of removing the passenger pegs too. I think the bike looks a shit ton better and it gave me a logical reason to tell campus skanks that I was unable to give them a ride home. Until I was comfortable on the bike, I didn't want anyone else's life in my hands. __________________ -Alex- Resident TWFix Noob. My 06 GSXR 600 <-- Its Clickable Fools. Last edited by Quick281; 04-26-2008 at 03:23 PM..

04-26-2008, 04:31 PM	#2
Quick281 Victim of Blazer Rapage Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Talkeetna, AK Moto: 06 GSXR 600 Posts: 1,707	Alright, time to give this a good update as to all of the things I have been up to in the past week or so. As is visible from the first pic in this thread, I had my first big maintenance day. Judging from the general abilities of the previous owner I figured it would be wise to change all of the fluids and reset all of the stock suspension components as per the service manual. It gave me a great chance to learn more about the bike as well as know what condition everything was in. Its also a great feeling to get something done yourself, even if at times you just want to throw the whole freaking machine in the trash can. I decided to drain and flush the coolant because the bike seemed to have a overheating problem, even in the coolest of weather. I figured the culprit had to be somewhere on the right side where the bike was originally wrecked. Sure enough I found the little bastard responsible for all of my problems. A small tab on the radiator inlet was keeping the cap from sitting flush, this allowed the coolant to boil out at a much lower temperature. Once I fixed the tab and added Engine Ice, she keeps the heat down just fine. Beyond the basic service, I was going to go ahead and throw on the parts that I had ordered. These parts included a new right side fairing, OEM grips, chain guard, various little bolts I needed, and some Woodcraft frame sliders. Didn't care for the cheap after market grips that the previous owner had installed. This is a pic to illustrate the old versus new. The new is on the left and old crappy grip is on the right. It was nice to get the new fairing on the right side, it was like making the bike new again. However I decided to ruin this pristine feeling by cutting a 2 inch hole into each side of the bike only 30 minutes later to install my sliders. I was sort of lucky to have a crappy fairing to practice on. However, the right side is the easiest because it already has a hole in the fairing to access the engine mount bolt. The left side was truly nerve racking because you had to "find" the bolt as you drilled through it, and then try and cut the 2 inch hole. It was easy but damn if I wasn't nervous as hell. Overall I think everything went really well. Learned a lot about the bike and I truly enjoyed the time spent in the driveway working with tools. It had been a year or two since I had gotten to wrench on anything. I forgot how fun it could be once the problem is solved. This is her the morning before our first road trip. I thought she looked quite good with her new accessories. __________________ -Alex- Resident TWFix Noob. My 06 GSXR 600 <-- Its Clickable Fools. Last edited by Quick281; 04-26-2008 at 09:32 PM..

10-04-2008, 12:11 AM	#3
Quick281 Victim of Blazer Rapage Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Talkeetna, AK Moto: 06 GSXR 600 Posts: 1,707	Well, this thread quickly went silent after my life took an unexpected turn and I found myself in the middle of nowhere Alaska for the summer. This has been one of the best decisions of my life and has really opened up my life to the number of different things I want to get done before I settle down with a career and start thinking about long term family oriented stuff. I am looking forward to getting back to Atlanta at the end of this month and I will be back on the bike after a long 4 months away. As of right now I am pretty sure that I will return to Alaska next summer and I am even thinking about taking the bike. That is still several months from now, but I like the idea of a while 2 wheeled adventure. __________________ -Alex- Resident TWFix Noob. My 06 GSXR 600 <-- Its Clickable Fools.