I did some amateur road racing in Seattle Wa. from 1984 to 1990. The bike shop my bro worked at sponsored us and helped build my Battle of the Twins winning Kawasaki EX500.
When Imoved to Austin, TX in 1991 to attend university, I worked at Quadracycle and built up the mighty Ninja 900. The motor has a big-bore kit, ported head, flat slide carbs, balanced crank and rods, billet clutch basket, undercut tranny, and race pipe. Also PM race wheels and brakes. The result was 120 hp at the rear wheel, and it hit 160 mph at red-line in top gear.
The bike shortly after it was built.
But, after a minor spill the old 84 Ninja sat for 15 years in my garage. I almost ditched it for whatever paltry $$ I could get. But, my twin bro talked me into restoring the bike, putting new life into it. He did all the work, I did all the parts buying off Bike Bandit and Ebay. All total with new tires, used body work, fork rebuild, all new bearings in the rear suspension, Corbin seat, misc nuts/bolts/hardware, and every little orginal plastic trim I could find .....the total came to $2,600. But it was like getting a new bike all over again!
So, the front and rear suspension are removed for cleaning, inspection and perhaps new bearings in the rear linkage.
The swing arm nuts were pretty locked in with corrosion, and took some heat and penetrating oil to break loose.
I also polished and sprayed clear coat on the disk carriers. I may be clear-coating the wheels as well.
I polished the foot peg hangers and repainted the black inlays.
It's kind of a slow process, but low pressure and fun!
I painted the clutch cover with high temp engine paint and applied the new emblem.
Got the ignition cover painted and the new emblem on it too.
Installed the chain and chain guard, and torqued the axle bolts... the rear is ready to go!
This evening I rebuilt the forks with new fork bushings, seals, race-tech goldvalves and specially machined blocks that replace the funky anti-dive system. This weekend I should have the entire front end assembled with the front tire installed. :ricky :ricky
Installed the forks, repaired cracked fender, rebuilt brake cylinder, installed brakes, torqued axle and its ready to rock!
Ok, so I cleaned the Mikuni RS Series Radial Flat Slide installed new pilot jets, main jets and cleaned the float needles. I also put coolant in the bike, cranked the motor over and checked for spark and installed new plugs.
The Mikuni RS Series Carburetors were designed and built in response to the needs of the world's top motorcycle road race and drag race teams. They required carburetors which would satisfy the precise fuel metering demands and high flow volume required by highly modified race engines. And yet, also provide the smooth, controllable throttle response that is needed by any rider pushing his motorcycle to its limits on the race track and under high performance use.
The carburetors need to meter fuel correctly under a wide range of atmospheric conditions and engine tuning modifications while being easily accessible for trackside tuning changes which need to be made quickly.
Designed for in-line four cylinder performance motorcycle applications, the Mikuni RS Series Radial Flat Slide Carburetors offer superior horsepower gains with their maximum flowing smoothbore induction tract and radial flat slide design. An adjustable accelerator pump system helps to provide instant throttle response, particularly in the lower RPM range.
The RS series Carburetors feature a compact design which is 25% lighter than other performance carburetors, offers quick needle jet adjustment, and uses readily available standard Mikuni jets.So, I got the carbs together and mounted on the bike and snapped a pic of the porting job before mounting them.
It took an hour and a half of fiddling with the new Corbin seat to install the brackets and shim them so the seat catch engaged.
The seat looks and feels great, but fits like a Corbin... meaning not perfect, but good enough. Corbin's seat pans have always been kind of wonky.
I should have put sunglasses on the Ninja, because this is the first sun light its seen in 15 years!
CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO OF THE FIRST TIME THE BIKE IS FIRED UP AFTER 15 YEARS! NICE BOXERS TOO!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pmd8FbZXs4&feature=player_embedded
We finally celebrated the arrival of some cooler October temperatures by beating it to Del Rio, Tx from Austin on our Dueling Ninjas!
This 700 mile overnight trip was a big test of DoctorDR's 1984 Ninja superbike that was recently resurrected from 15 years of storage, and the first big road trip for my brothers 2011 Ninja.
Here is our route to Del Rio, we spotted tons of cool bikes, like Moto Guzzis, Triumphs and Adventure bikes making their way to the Harvest Classic.
The weather was perfect for the 900 Ninja, it tends to run hot so it loved the cooler weather as we passed through the Camp Wood area.
The lunch in Rocksprings was good and cheap! The basic no-frills burger is $2.25, this one cost .50 more!
On our return through Rocksprings the burger joint was closed. So, we tried one the "biker friendly" BBQ shacks and they refused to sell us a brisket sandwich only, you had to get a drink and side, $10 - or no deal. Talk about brotherhood.
[img width=900 height=538]https://2img.net/h/i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv210/Buell78753/Road%20MC%20Trips/DelRioNinjaTrip6.jpg[/img]
This furry critter tried to take a bite out of my arm as I was riding. At first I though I hit a bird, but went I stopped an got off my bike he fell off my lap.
He's got a cute face.
Man this old bike has a hell of a motor, It kicks in hard at 7500 RPM and pull strong up to 10,500. The big bore kit, ported heads and smooth bore carbs really get the adrenalin flowing, and its addictive!
We took a break to check out the Stuart Bat Cave at Kickapoo Caverns, not much bat action in the heat of the day, but interesting none the less!
Fun artwork in the hotel we stayed at in Del Rio, nice owner and cool place! We were shocked to see motorcycles everywhere. He told us
how a group of Harleys went accross the border, and on the way back two vans got between the last three riders. Guys popped out of the vans with
guns, and told the three riders to start walking.....and loaded their HDs in the van! Moral of story, dont take pricey HDs to Mexico!
Of course I loved the VW Bus, since I have one!
The next mornings ride was awesome! The section from Del Rio to just below Sonora was beautiful. Excellent 30 mph sweepers and rolling hills.
We were stunned to see such a beautiful river in Texas! We pulled over, removed our helmets and took it all in. We could hear a lot of wildlife in the trees lining the river.
The latest Ninja, next to its genesis. Let me tell you the apple did not roll far from the tree.
Either bike is capable of insane speeds - one in a deliciously raw way, the other in a civilized way.
[img width=900 height=442]https://2img.net/h/i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv210/Buell78753/Road%20MC%20Trips/DelRioNinjaTrip16.jpg[/img]
Ninja's coming and going!
All in all the project was worth all the time and effort. Doing this I learned alot more about the how the 900 Ninja changed sport biking, and how advanced it was for its time. The bike is very well balanced overall, and it still shines today. Its an addicting ride!