ZX-14 Spark Plugs and Air Filter.

Today was a bright and sunny day, so what did I do? I spent most of the day in the garage working on my ZX-14, getting ready for the trip to Oregon.
The first project was to take off the plastic body panels around the engine. With a nearly naked bike it was time to pull the spark plugs. It wasn't a real difficult job, but I was wishing I had a very small handed helper. The in-line 4 cylinder engine used a stick coil instead of regular spark plug boots and wires. It was a tight squeeze trying to reach between the top of the engine and the frame. There is JUST enough room to pull the coils out of the holes and get the Kawasaki tool kit spark plug wrench in the holes.

Panels off...

Three spark plugs come out from the right side of the engine. It's tight!

One comes out from the left side.

Here are 3 of the 4 stick coils.

The color of the plugs that came out was pretty good. The gap had widened a bit though.

After torquing the plugs, a little dielectric grease around the sealing area of the stick coils to ensure easy removal in another 30,000 miles and help seal out and dirt or moisture.

While I had everything apart, I replaced the air filter too. I had it out a week ago and knocked the bugs and grasshopper parts off of it, but I had to wait for the replacement to get here. I was looking inside the dirty side of the air box. I could see all kinds of bugs and stuff in there. I put a clean bag in the little Oreck vacuum and slipped on the small hose. It took a while but I got all the crap out. I cut open the bag to see just how much stuff was in there!!!

All the air enters through the hole in the front center of the fairing, and runs down 2 plastic tubes into the air box...

All that's left to do before I head out for Oregon is clean and lube the chain, check the air pressure and change the oil.

A Nice Day for a Ride and a Little Excitement!!!

I wanted to get a little ride in today before the weekend comes and the road is full of tourists. I plotted out a 175 mile loop north up to Lake Superior.

I left home and headed west on County Road (CR) M. I gassed up in Cable and turned north on hwy 63. Just south of Drummond, I caught Forest road (FR) 35, north bound. FR 35 is a great twisty road. It's too bad it's posted 45 MPH, but I've been startled by Deer crossing the road a couple of times on it, so I guess it's best to hold it down a bit!

At the north end of FR 35 I turned onto CR H, and followed that to CR E. I took CR E north to US 2. Along E, there were big fields of Alfalfa. The air smelled like sweet summer perfume!

When I crossed over US 2, CR E became Ino(eye-know) Road, or FR 236. It's another awesome road through the north woods. It also is posted 45MPH, but it's do-able faster.

At CR C, I turned north towards Cornucopia. In Corny, I stopped for a quick bottle of apple juice, and I was back on my way. I pulled into the wayside on the east edge of town. The little park looks out onto Lake Superior.

Out of Cornucopia, I went east on hwy 13. I followed that to Bayfield. Bayfield is a small tourist town that has ferry boat service out to Madeline Island. The area is also a big destination for sea kayakers.

Hwy 13 runs through Washburn and Ashland. The Chequamegon Bay was all red from recent storms and rain.

I took 13 out of Ashland down to Mellen, and CR GG towards Clam Lake. GG is yet another north woods gem! From Clam Lake I turned onto CR M and headed for home. I did stop at the dam at the start of the Namekagon River. It's possible to canoe or kayak all the way to the Gulf of Mexico from here. The Namekagon flows into the St. Croix, which flows into the Mississippi.

Headed towards the Gulf.....

So, where was the excitement? I walked into the house to find Nancy mopping up a huge flood. The washing machine that we bought in January after we moved in, decided to overfill and spill all over the floor. I helped her get the water up and dry the floor. I thought everything was good until I went downstairs! There was water in about a quarter of the basement!!!

The Whirlpool repair people will be here next Friday!
It's got to be better tonight!

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A Picture or Four for George.

Here you go George, it's the mystery cat, Orangie... He's usually NEVER seen by strangers. You got lucky when you caught even a glimpse of him. He doesn't like his picture taken and is giving me the Evil Eye! He was a true feral cat that started hanging around our home when we lived in Prescott, WI. It took years for him to trust us enough to let us pet him. It's only been the last 2 years that I've even dared to pick him up without the fear of loosing a finger. I'm still trying to get him to be OK with me rubbing his belly... he's getting there, but only for a minute or so.
He had super bad frost bite on his ears about 3 years ago and that's when he started to live inside full time. Now, I don't think he'd go out if I left the door open. He sees wildlife in the back yard, growls at it and backs away from the patio door. He's turned into a real cuddler at night, and will spend hours in my lap if I sit there and let him.

Here he his with frost bite!!!! FYI, he's all better now as you can see in the above pictures. And here's one Nancy took... Me on the left and George on the right.

So Long, George!

After staying up way too late last night and talking about all things motorcycle, everyone was up by 6:30 this morning. Nancy fixed a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, melon, oranges, and toast. She made coffee, but we were so busy gabbing, that no one drank any!
Too soon it was time and George way on his way west. Just before he left, a Fox walked into the back yard looking for food. George went out to his bike and got his camera. I'm sure he'll post a picture later tonight, but here's a couple from the other day.
I got a picture of his new rear tire. I've seen snow tires with less tread! These things are chunky.
George packed his camera and was ready to leave. He rolled out of the garage, we said our good byes and he was off! So long George, ride safe!

A Fellow Blogger comes to Visit!

(posted after midnight) This was Friday..... I've been tracking the progress of George F as he makes his way from New Jersey to Alaska. I'd seen on his blog, Riding the USA, that he was going to be stopping in Cameron, WI to put tires on his Yamaha Super Tenere. I followed his progress on his blog. He has a SPOT tracking device and a map on his blog, so it shows his current location. When he was about and hour and a half out from Scramblers Cycle in Cameron, I left home and headed that way.
I pulled into the parking lot to find a guy standing in the lot taking pictures of all the old motorcycles scattered around. I pulled up next to him and said, "you must be George". I think he recognized the green Ninja, because he sad, "you must be Erik". With the introductions out of the way, I got off the bike and we went inside the shop and watched Kevin, the shop owner, mount up a set of Heidenau tires on George's bike.
Kevin, the owner of Scrambler Cycle, on the left..... and George, on the right.

After talking to George for a while about his bike and his plans, I invited him to ride the 90 miles up to my place for the evening. He accepted the offer, and after settling up with Kevin, we headed north. We made a quick stop for gas and made it to my place around dinner time. After meeting Nancy and the cats, the 3 of us went out for a typical "Friday night fish fry". We ate at the Sawmill Saloon in Seeley, WI. It's about 12 miles down the road. I, of course, forgot to bring my camera to get a group picture or even a food picture. I know Nancy got a picture of the 2 of us looking a highway maps. I'm sure George will post pictures on his blog. After diner, we went back home and spent the rest of the night sharing riding stories. I'm up too late and I think George is probably blogging now, or will be in the morning. I'll get a picture of the 2 or 3 of us in the morning!

Zx-14 New Chain, Sprockets and Tires... Part 2.

I finished everything up today, and the bike is ready to ride!
I got the rear tire mounted without a problem. John, plenty of lube is the key! I didn't have to wrestle it or fight it at all. It went on for me just like the guy at the cycle show. It wasn't all easy though The rear tire didn't want to balance without 1.25 ounces of weight. I tried turning the rim inside the tire 90 degrees each time. Some positions were worse yet, almost 2 ounces off. I chose the position that required the least weight.
The chain went on with no problems. The tool I bought worked just like it should. After lubing up the master link and slipping the O-rings on it, I pressed the master link side plate on. I switched the tool parts from press to rivet and pressed on the exposed mater link pins to give them a mushroomed head. Both the directions for the tool and the chain said that the chain would now be as solid and dependable as a factory riveted link.
The rest of the re-assembly was just the reverse of yesterday. I did take the tank cover off so I could check the air filter. Just like the last time, 15,000 miles ago, the filter was filthy. I ordered a new one.

Here's a few pictures of the new nickel silver chain/sprocket set.

My wore out Michelin PilotRoad2 tires with 11,548 miles on them. Rear tread wear indicator. Cupped front. The front was starting to cup and the rear had quite a flat spot in the center. It looked like it was starting to wear funny, almost like it was cupping like the front tire.
There's now 29,653 miles on the Ninja.