HElp To the Noob! With Old New Bike

[lksey]

Yeh HI!

I got a bike from mate, he crashed it ages ago, so after that he didnt really have ridden it, so it was in the garage for almost a year.

So My question is..

COuld U Tell me what do i have to do with it from the begining. it does start up now, i've clean up the carbs, fuel tank(there were a bit of rust), but what else do i have to do with it? what liquids i should use with it.. i now nothing about bikes. ( well i didnt till a about a week ago) but could someone jsut make a list for the beginers of what has to be done and how to maintain it.! or atleast point me in to the direction where i can get a simple list of things..

thanks!

[RearWheel]

Hmmm Bike maintainance is not a big mystry at all keep oil in it check tyre pressures regularly lube the chain and check tention etc.
but you say its been crashed , so whats the damage, has it been checked over by a competant mechanic to see if its safe or not? or at the very least take it through VTNZ if its rideable and have a WOF check done ...they will pickup on anything nasty that needs lookin at ........ So what sort of bike is it and what is the damage you can see? is the frame bent etc... there may be a reason he's had it in the shed for a year and done nothing with it and im not talking about the finance to fix it ........ being an older bike it may not have been worth fixing cos the cost of repairs to make it safe again prob out weigh its worth ...... so if your looking for real help we need real details about the condition of this bike ......cheers

[lksey]

HI. YEh i know about Wof and staff..
but before that i need to tyden it up. it has been crashed but its managable. And ill take care of it later.
at the moment i need to know what is the best oil to use, what kind of antyfreez i should use(and can i mix it with water)
i need to know all the small things which will help me to prepare it for wof.
after that i'll make it FAQ, to help other noobs, i've tryed to find something like that, but unseccesful.
Bike is Kawa ZZR400.. 1991.
cheerz

P.s. What is the best helmet? price and quality.

[surfer]

Your best bet is to get a manual for the bike and work from that. All you need to know about general maintenance will be inside, including how to carry it out. You may be able to download a manual for your bike and model from the intertweeb.

As to the oil to use for it, generally best to use motorcycle oil rather than car oil. For the viscosity/weight ask at your loal bike shop for this information.

Good luck.

[FilthyLuka]

Filter:
talk to Mr. kawasaki

Oil:
Castrol GTX modern 15-40, GTX 20-50 if its old with high k's. Im a castrol fan boy, great oil, works like a charm in motorbikes

Brake fluid:
Motul Dot 5.1

Air Filter:
K and N cleanable filter

Chain/sprockets:
DID are very good in this case

Engine flush:
You can flush out the engine if you feel really adventerous. Drain oil, put in kerosene, crank over engine, drain kerosene. Put more kerosene in, crank over, drain. Keep doing it untill the kerosene comes out clean. DO NOT REV THE ENGINE

Polish up metal bits, use a thing called solvall, put it on, and then polish the living crap out of the metal thing. Comes up real shiny. Polish up all the fairings and stuff

[JMemonic]

Brake fluid:
Motul Dot 5.1


Mostly good advice except this bit, use the dot rated fluid your manual says, for more info This article (http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_brakefluid_1a.shtml) should put you in the picture.