Sunday, July 1, 2018

GSX-S1000 July 1 Update

Found me a local taco stand that has great breakfast burritos.  I've been taking turns taking each bike there but the GSX-S1000 was the first to make the trip.



Little ride out before a rain storm.  Temps were low thanks to the weather so it was nice to get a semi comfortable ride in this time of the year.



I also picked up a radiator guard from a guy on the GSX-S1000 board.  Before.



After..now the radiator is protected from rocks and things thrown by the tire and it looks much better too. Radiators are expensive, so this is cheap insurance.



He also had for sale a Factory Service Manual.  This is the same thing they guys at the dealership use for troubleshooting and repairing bikes.  These are nice to have on hand when you do your own work.



It fits into the bookshelf nicely next to the FSM for the FJR.

DRZ July 1 2018 Update

It's been a while since I posted an update on the DRZ.  So, looks like since the last update I got the Acerbis fuel tank fixed.  The right petcock would leak out of and around the dial and since it's kind of old and the petcock is cheap on amazon I ordered a new one.  Oops, I didn't realize that the right and left side petcocks are different.




So since I ended up with a left side petcock, I kept it and ordered up a right side one.  Now I've replaced both so we are good as new.



I also added a new fuel tank vent hose with one way valve.




She was also way past due on a new battery so I ordered up a Yuasa YT8B-BS battery. Cranks very well now.



So now I started in on the starting woes. She'd start but would only run on choke and then would just suddenly die as if someone shut it off. I went through all manner of checking things that were all good. I pulled the carb and cleaned it again even though I'd just done so and no good. Pulled the carb again and cleaned again more carefully this time and put it back together and she runs. Whatever.

I took MJ and Jakob out for our first tour of Barnwell Mountain. It got super hot super fast. We had a hard time finding the easy stuff so I'll have to go back and explore on my own later. Jakob ended up with a flat tire and while I messed with his bike (before we discoverd the tire) I managed to overheat the DRZ. I'll have to keep moving, shut it off when not riding, or add a radiator fan at some point. I rode MJ's bike back to the truck and came back to retrieve all three bikes while MJ and Jakob had a spitting contest.



I've discovered a local taco shack that has excellent breakfast burritos. I'd been over previously on the GSX-S1000 but wanted to take a few of the unpaved roads between here and there on the DRZ. What a fantastic ride. I did discover that I really need to balance the wheels if I'm going to do any pavement speeds at all. I've since done this for the front but still need to pull the rear and do it.

Found the local farmer's shooting range.







I also managed to secure me a very nice Giant Loop Great Basin bag for the DRZ for when I start needing to camp off of it. This will hold a lot of gear and keep it wet should something bad happen during a river crossing.

Saturday, April 28, 2018

G2 Throttle Tamer for the GSX-S1000

Now that I've corrected the throttle snatch with the TPS adjustment it required one more modification to get the throttle fixed completely.  It's very super duper sensitive.  So much so that just riding over pumps causes the throttle to move enough to rev up and down.

Enter the G2 Throttle Tamer.



I have one of these on the FJR and it helped a lot. I fitted it on Friday and on Saturday I took a nice 150 mile ride to the Two Wheeled Texans Pie Run and didn't even think about the throttle at all the entire ride. Throttle is smooth and controllable. I'm loving this bike more and more each time I ride it.

Thursday, April 26, 2018

600 mile break in service for the GSX-S1000

Weather has been terrible lately not allowing a lot of time to ride a motorcycle with zero weather protection so the tried and true FJR has been pulling duty lately.  Finally the weather is nice, I have time off and the Texas bluebonnets are in full bloom.  Time to ride out and hit the bluebonnet loop near Ennis Texas.  I need approximately 70 miles to hit the 600 mark in order to get the bike ready for it's 600 mile break in service so off I go.

Stopped to take pictures with the bluebonnets as that's the whole reason to take this trip.  Blue bike with blue flowers, love it.





I rolled into the garage to see this.  Nothing like some exact numbers to satisfy the old OCD.  600 mile maintenance will be done with exactly 600 miles on the clock.




Time to pull it apart and start doing the work of checks and maintenance. All the usual stuff but I pulled it apart to check the throttle position sensor. There's speculation that it being out of alignment is the cause of the snatchy throttle. Found mine as set by the factory to be in the low position. I adjusted it to the middle and a later test ride confirmed it to be much better.

All torn apart at the moment.



Got it all back together and been ripping around town. Nice to no longer have to worry about keeping the RPM's under an imaginary limit. The bike is fun and running well.

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

More modifications for the GSX-S1000

I've had a few updates to the bike over the last few weeks so this is a catch up post on those.

First, I finally installed the front turn signals. They are different from the rear turn signals but I think the scheme works out and you can't really see both of them together so there's no real contrast. These disappear when off much better than the stock ones and blend into the lines of the bike better, especially given the odd placement of them above and next to the headlight. I had to wait a bit to install these because I forgot the adapters for them.



I had to do some modifications to the spacers that were on the bike and cut them down to get everything to fit nice and snug and straight, but it worked out well.





Next up, it was time for a little protection for the bike. I intended to get some sliders and save on shipping costs at the Motorcycle Show in Dallas but they didn't have any there. Luckily T-Rex Racing is right here in Dallas and by my work and they gave me a nice show discount off a set of sliders, and I still saved on shipping by swinging by on my way home from work. These are some sweet sliders. I opted to not have the lettering colored in as it made the whole area of the bike too busy. I'd honstly prefer if they just offered them with no bike logo on them but that's not an option.





Then, I picked up a set of used Evotech axle sliders from a member of the GSX-S1000 forum.



And the member was nice enough to toss in this tank protector with GSX-S1000 logo on it, so I installed that as well.



Also I had this box come in.



Got it all installed and flashed. Feels better, not great, but better. Need them to figure out fuel cut and then it'll be great. Also, now I'm set if I need to be dyno tuned in the future should I decide to go with a full system exhaust.

GSX-S1000 Modifications

An updated list of mods for the 2016 Suzuki GSX-S1000


Fender Eliminator
Non-Adjustable Rizoma PT409B-410B
Turn Signals
Front Rizoma Action Signals
Rear Rizoma Blue Graffio Signals
Sliders
Frame T-Rex Racing Frame Sliders
Front Axle Evotech Axle Sliders
Rear Axle Evotech Axle Sliders
ECU Flasher
On Bike FTECU Data-Link ECU Flashing Kit
Throttle Tube
Street Tamer Throttle Tube G2 40-4F-136_gsxs

Sunday, January 28, 2018

New undertail for GSX-S1000

FINALLY!!!! This arrived in the mail. I'm so happy!




So, not entirely what I'd expected. I'd ordered four of the blue ones, but I was contacted and told they only had two in stock and they were discontinued and couldn't get any more. I opted to swap for the clear/black ones instead. There was a misunderstanding in that he thought I meant swap the two I couldn't get for the action model, when I'd meant to swap all four. But the more I thought about it the more I like this setup. They don't have to match front to back and those blue ones are sweet, and will be on display in the back while the odd location of the signals up front will allow them to kind of disappear. I also got one of the last non-adjustable Rizoma undertails, which is what I wanted as the adjustable one sticks out a lot further.

Boxed up so nice, they should be for the price!!! But they do come with all resistors and such.



What they don't come with are the adapter plates and connector cables which I'd forgotten to order. Didn't need the plates for the rear but the fronts will have to wait. Ordered wire connectors from Amazon for the fronts and then picked up a pair from my local motorcycle shop to do the rear ones. The rizoma undertail is a pain in the butt to install but is very nice when completed.

So, a little before and after shots...



So much better!



Some up close shots of the undertail and signals.





My son has been begging me for a ride on the new bike. We went for a putt putt ride around the neighbourhood. First and last pillion ride on this vehicle because the pegs came right off afterwards. He can ride on the FJR in the future which is a much more pillion friendly bike anyway. Pegs removed in above photo.



Being as the weather was 65F it was time to go for a ride. Stopped off in downtown Kaufman for another quick photo.



Did a little exploring checking out our local municipal airport and saw this, had to have a photo.



The over to Bucee's to grab some dinner. Bucee's is a place that is hard to describe to folks unaware. It's like the biggest convenience store you've ever been in. It's not a truck stop because no 18 wheelers allowed there. But it's huge and you can buy all sorts of stuff from candy, soda, coffee, Texas shaped cutting boards, RTIC coolers, hunting stuff, etc etc. But there's also the food. They have a huge jerkey bar, fresh fudge, tacos, burritos, and bbq. The food is pretty good so I sometimes will swing by and grab some stuff on the way home, so today it was a fajita burrito and a BBQ sausage sandwich. Yum. Here's Bucee and the GSX-S.



Got home and decided to line up the street bikes together and get a picture of them.



And that's it, good upgrades and a good day. Next up, getting the ECU flashed.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

First farkles for the GSX-S1000

To start with, it was my first day to ride the new bike to work. Without things I'm used to with my FJR, namely a windshield, heated grips, and a connector for my electric gear, I had to wait till the temperature was ok for me to ride it in. 45F this morning, only a couple of bikes in the parking lot this early. Another cruiser showed up later so we had a small turnout.



Time to start modifying the GSX-S1000.  I did a little ordering over the weekend and some stuff started showing up today.  First up, I need swingarm spools.  This helps out for tire changing, at the track, and when parking in the garage, upright bikes take up less space.  Not sure if I like these but they were on Amazon Prime and in stock and for not a bad price so they provide a quick fix while I see if I like them or if I find something else.



All installed and ready to go.



And finally, the bike is properly standing upright on one of my old pit bull stands in the garage.



Next up, is the front reflectors. I went through this first process the other day and realized I needed to order some factory fasteners. These are not like other front reflectors I've had on other bikes. To start with, the big orange thing spins off



And leaves us with this ugly piece. Can't have that and can't have an empty hole, so I ordered a couple of stock fasteners the same as the bottom one.



Here's the new fastener and that monstrosity of a reflector holder.



And finally, the finished product.



More to come!

Sunday, January 7, 2018

New 2016 GSX-S1000

Since selling the GSX-R750 back to my buddy Doug, I've been on the hunt for something new.  I think I'd finally figured out what I really wanted.  The GSX-R750 had the power and handling but not the ergonomics for a good street bike that will see occasional track days.  Well, not for someone who isn't in their twenties.  I previously owned a Yamaha FZ1 so I knew I wanted something in the upright naked sport category.

I set my sights on my dream bike of an Aprilia Tuono.  170hp V4 Euro sports bike is all kinds of amazing.  However, it's pricey and maintenance isn't fun and while it's on the good side of Euro reliability, it still isn't great.  I always had said if Yamaha would put their crossplane I4 engine from the R1 into an FZ1 it would be a successful motorcycle.  Well, they finally did in the FZ10 and reviews prove that it works very well, but it's brand new and still too expensive.  Not a lot of great deals out there to be had on them.

Then I stumble upon the GSX-S1000.  Suzuki took an older GSX-R1000 motor that was a stroker motor making more low and mid range torque, great for the street, and put it in a naked upright seated frame.  Reviews are very positive on this bike with a few issues that are easily solvable.  I did some fiddling to get Insurance in line, odd that I could insure a Tuono for about half the price of the Suzuki even though the Tuono is much more expensive.  Switching companies and fiddling with coverage got me into an acceptable range.  Then some searching and I found a local dealership that had a leftover 2016 model for about the best deal advertised in the country.  Popping by on my lunch break I chatted with the salesman and walked out with a heck of an offer.  Ran the numbers that night and the next day I made a commitment.

Picked it up early Saturday morning.  First time I've trailered a new bike home from the dealership, but I also haven't bought a new bike in seventeen years.  Early morning, some potential hassle with paperwork (there wasn't any) and the cold weather allowed me to just go get it myself.



Got it home and stashed it in my garage.  I haven't owned a bike newer than 2007 so three way traction control is new to me as well as a few other things.  I poured over the owners manual while eating lunch and then it was time for a ride.  Making sure that the traction control for my new liter bike on new cold tires was set to Mode 3, effectively "Baby Mode" as opposed to full on racer mode, I set out.



Oh what an amazing bike this is.  Everything I read and watched was pretty spot on.  The bike is absolutely bonkers, the motor is so strong everywhere.  The seating position is perfect and the entire bike is very neutral.  Brakes are strong and the steering is so responsive.

I spent a while tooling around town getting to know the bike.  This particular photo is a demonstration of something very difficult to achieve.



Sunday I also got a quick ride in and took some photos of bits on the bike.  I also spent some time tracking down and removing all the nanny stickers the factory finds necessary to put on the bike.  Several are with the "Permanent" sticker material making them very hard to remove.  I almost forgot to wear my helmet today but thank goodness Suzuki put a permanent sticker on my gas tank to remind me or I'd have forgotten to wear it. The octane rating sticker is helpful, but really, would have been nice to not use those insanely hard to get off stickers, cuz after a tank or two I'm sure I'll remember.



That's the longest peg feeler I've ever seen!



Love the Renthal Fat Bars on a sports bike.  Makes the bike handle amazing.


Brembo brake calipers!  Now I just need to swap out the master cylinder for a Brembo one like I had on the old GSX-R750 and this bike will be a demon on the brakes.


I've got some parts on order to clean up the insane rear end on the bike and I'm making my list of mods for it.  It's pretty perfect but half the fun of owning a new bike is making it unique and getting it to fit you.  Can't wait.