Project turbo, XN85

[scumdog]

Tinkered with the XN in the gargre while the Harleys sulked, the front brake-light switch was 'iffy' hence the brake-light only worked when it felt like it, not wanting a Liberace experience I thought I'd fix it.

Sooo... I took it apart - or rather it 'self-dintegrated' as I undid the screws holding it in places - result? - one black plastic thingy and a longer black plastic thingy and a copper U-shaped thingy hit the deck and ping-ponged everywhere, GREAT! (if youve been into my gargre you would know what I mean).

Managed to find what seemed to be all the bits and eventually figure out how they went together, sorta like a rubics cube without the colours (workshop manual was useless, all it said about the front brake switch was "Adjust it so that the brake light comes on when the brakes are applied" - no shit Sherlock!

I had to be an upside-down-spectacle-wearing-octopus to even think of putting it back in place - and I had a feeling there should have been a spring involved in the gubbins to make it keep contact.

A bit of spot-light work around the bike and ta-da! - I found a tiny spring in one of the 'compartments' in the left fairing!

So after a shit-load of lip-licking and cursing I had the whole shebang back together, screwed her up snug and wahlar!, it works, it really works!

Next time I'll stick to what I was doing before attempting the above - polishing up the alloy bits and rims, far less complicated.!!!

A Sunday arve well spent, got sore grey fingers and ripped fingernails for my efforts.


(And don't ask about the melted earth strap on the Thunderbird - or the free Corona that wouldn't start, man I know how to live eh!)

[dangerous]

hahaha... tiz why I never atempted it, figgered it can get a wof on the rear brake

[scumdog]

hahaha... tiz why I never atempted it, figgered it can get a wof on the rear brake

Haha, when CB was following me home from your place she just thought the XN was like a Harley - throttle-off and ya slow real quick.

Then she realised I WAS braking and my brake-light didn't work.

EDIT: The one thing I DID notice in the work-shop manual was that my XN is missing the covers for the compartments each side of the tank on rop of the fairing, the one on the left at least is lockable (covers the fuse-box).

Wondering if any 'zuki enthusiast knows if they are unique to Xns or are they the same as Katanas etc?

[Katman]

Definately unique to the XN.

No self respecting Katana would bother with such mundane things as storage compartments.

[dangerous]

EDIT: The one thing I DID notice in the work-shop manual was that my XN is missing the covers for the compartments each side of the tank on rop of the fairing, the one on the left at least is lockable (covers the fuse-box).

Wondering if any 'zuki enthusiast knows if they are unique to Xns or are they the same as Katanas etc?

unique
so... try ya skills at fiberglass!

[scumdog]

unique
so... try ya skills at fiberglass!

Nah, a piece off the side of a black 4-litre oil take-home home pack!!

Original covers have locks on them so you need the key to open them.

[scumdog]

Well, seeing it was a nice afternoon and CB (normajeane) got off work early toda we decided to go for a pootle to KP (Kaka Point) to check out the road to the site of next weekends Pissed Penguin.

So she fired up Sporty and I donned tassles and took the XN ( now with functioning brake-light) and off we headed through Riviera of the South, - about the first time I had ridden the XN since bringing up back from Christchurch.

At first though, the XN seemed reluctant to fire, I tried a few times then turned the key off, I could hear fuel gurgling in the tank, maybe it's getting low on fuel I thought.

Turned the key back on, heard fuel gurgling again so at least the pump was working so I crossed my fingers and hit the button -wah-lah! it ran (why is it spelled viola Hitcher?) so off we went. (no problems starting for the rest of the ride)

A bit of dry and not-so-dry bovine excrement on the road and loose grit on one shaded bend (a warning sign lets you know just before the bend) but otherwise a good ride.

The XN is so nimble compared to the T-Sport - but a bit more 'jiggly' on bumpy surfaces, maybe it's the 'small' front tyre?

It also is a tad low geared, it can almost (apparently) hit the red line in top gear (so I was told)

But on a fun-scale of 1 to 10 it sits at about 9.5 (a set of highway pegs would see it hit 10!

So at KP we had a cheese 'toastie' and a bourbon&coke and watched the surfers for a bit before heading home at a reasonably pace....magic!

I might just take the XN to the Pissed Penguin...

Once again thanks to Dangerous (and a tolerant Rashika) for getting it all together for me

[FJRider]

Definately unique to the XN.

No self respecting Katana would bother with such mundane things as storage compartments.

No need .... there's enough empty space in their riders heads ...

[pete376403]

Turned the key back on, heard fuel gurgling again so at least the pump was working so I crossed my fingers and hit the button -wah-lah! it ran (why is it spelled viola Hitcher?) =:

It's not spelled that way, it is VOILA - and it is french, which is why pronunciation is nothing like spelling (should also have a grave accent above the a)

A viola is a biggish violin.

[T.W.R]

[QUOTE=scumdog;1129858057]
The XN is so nimble compared to the T-Sport - but a bit more 'jiggly' on bumpy surfaces, maybe it's the 'small' front tyre?

[QUOTE]

The new headstock bearings are probably bedded in by now so should be re-tensioned or at least checked

[scumdog]

It's not spelled that way, it is VOILA - and it is french, which is why pronunciation is nothing like spelling (should also have a grave accent above the a)

A viola is a biggish violin.

No shit?

Next thing you'll be telling me shammy is spelt chamois too eh!

Hehehehe...

[scumdog]

Oh, forgot to add in the earlier post - I filled up with petrol at the nearest gas station efter hearing all that gurgling...maybe that's why I had no further problems??

[dangerous]

At first though, the XN seemed reluctant to fire, I tried a few times then turned the key off

One thing with that bike is it was allways a fast starter... When Rashika rode it it did the same thing... Im thinking the kill switch is a bit dodgy, give it a riggle next time and remember flicking the kill switch re sets the ECU for a cold start (key off wont do that, so with any ECU run bike, its reconmended to use the key only to shut down)

[FJRider]

No shit?

Next thing you'll be telling me shammy is spelt chamois too eh!

Hehehehe...

Actually ... if my memory serves ... (at my age it often doesn't) it is pronounced 'Sham-wah' (according to Collins English dictionary too ...)

[scumdog]

One thing with that bike is it was allways a fast starter... When Rashika rode it it did the same thing... Im thinking the kill switch is a bit dodgy, give it a riggle next time and remember flicking the kill switch re sets the ECU for a cold start (key off wont do that, so with any ECU run bike, its reconmended to use the key only to shut down)

Ta for that D - as it was the first time I'd used it since picking it up I thought it may have been stale fuel at first, then when I heard the 'gurgling'' I thought it was purging air from the fuel system, I've a bit to learn about this new-fangled bike..