First track day was a lot of fun. Of course I loved the bike but the real treasure of the day was meeting @Chuck Graves, Shane @Gravesport, and the rest of the Graves gang (Tom, Jorge, Chris...)

Seriously the most welcoming and happy group of guys ever!

The van was packed up and it took me 5 1/2 hours in 100F heat to drive up to the track Friday afternoon

I got there at 7:30pm and set up camp. It was so clear out at night.

The next morning I was pretty nervous since it's been 6 years since my last track day and 23 years since I last rode this track.

I used some warmers for the first session mostly to make myself feel better, but they weren't really needed.

I was very timid the first few sessions but I eventually started to get comfortable and trust the tires. The track is freshly repaved, and smooth as silk.

I remembered the advice from a friend about riding on the track: "Ride fast, take chances" So I started going for it a bit more after lunch. Had to be super smooth with the stock forks on corner entry since they have what feels like basically zero damping.

After lunch I was trying to follow Chuck's buddy, Tom, who was riding a tricked out N400. I just tried to let go of the brakes and get on the gas as early as possible to try and keep him in sight.

While flat out in 3rd gear in turn 7 behind him, the shifter scraped the ground and scared the heck out of me! When I was younger I would have been like "yeah! That's rad" at 46 I'm like, "thank goodness I didn't fall!" [emoji1787]

So the bikes and track were great, but the people and community I met were even better.

Shane @Gravesport is the nicest guy! Was awesome to hear his interesting story of how he joined the Graves family and all the cool moto stuff he's accomplished.

When you think your bike is really cool but then you park it at the Graves pit and realize you're not even close [emoji1787]

I'm taking off my forks today and sending them to @Gravesport tomorrow. The Bitubo suspension is the way.

Everyone who rode @Chuck Graves personal bike came back into the pits with a wide eyed ear to ear grin.

I know mine won't be 340 lbs like his, but that suspension is a bargain. I consider it a "safety item" and my wife agreed.

She said "pretend you crashed just one time because your suspension sucked and buy it without crashing".

Chucks bike [emoji7]

Mine, with the last time you'll see the stock suspension on it!

 

 

It was a great day. Finally got to meet @vcyclenut in person and we spent the whole day riding together. The smiles from a couple ZX-4RR's riding on track together was off the charts. It started sprinkling rain at the end of the day and I got to go out and enjoy an open track since no one was on. That was really fun and the Q5's did really well with a little moisture on the ground.

I have tons of videos and pics to sort through and then will have to post them up with a write up. I may just do a YouTube video instead since it's easier to talk through it than type it all out.

 

My 40th got a special muffler. The blue laser etched logo and all titanium construction just fits so perfect, thanks to @Gravesport & @Chuck Graves

I love it!

 

40th got the Graves tank grips, which neatly disappear on the white tank!

And lastly some of their aluminum valve stems and Dunlop Q5

 

I just installed these tank grips. Any advice to get the small air bubbles out? I have the black bike so the bubbles are noticeable. Do they disappear with time?

 

This accidentally fell into my van at my local dealership today. 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

Now you need two vans One for each motorcycle.

 

Disassembled for a deep cleaning and added PPF to the outer fork tubes and radiator tank.

Also installed the CF parts I had laying around from my KRT.

And the @Gravesport street riser clip ons with their aluminum throttle tube topped off with some Domino grips.

 

Now that I have access to the ignore feature I’m considering participating again.

Hope everyone (except the handful of idiots) have been doing good and having fun with your bikes.

 

In the first 400 miles for break in, I progressively increased RPM until I was doing full throttle runs in 6th up to 134 MPH right before the oil change.

0-100 miles I kept it below 7k
100-200 miles I kept it below 9k but spend most of my time at 7-8k
200-300 miles I kept it below 11k, and spent a lot of time between 9-10k
300-400 miles I hit redline in the first 3 gears and did many WFO 6th gear runs to 120-134 mph

All of the above was always varying rpm and engine load, never cruising at a constant rpm or throttle.

First oil change exactly at 400 miles which seems apropos 😁

Took me a minute to figure out how to remove the left fairing but eventually got it off and started draining the oil.

The oil filter I was given by my dealer (16097-0008) is different than what I took off the bike (16097-0552) but it looks like it's just superseded from a Thailand manufactured one to a China made one.

I hammered on this thing pretty hard from the 300 to 400 mile mark, so I'm going with Redline 10W-40 for this oil fill.

A bunch of Graves goodies arrive later today so more when that shows up.

 

With the filter change, 3 quarts of oil brought it right to the top level line in the oil window.

The first batch of parts from Graves has arrived

 

In preparation for my ECU to arrive back from @vcyclenut I need to remove the stock O2 sensor, plug the hole in the exhaust, and tidy up the connector on the harness.

Removed the stock sensor and bought a $12 one off Amazon to harvest the connector as a dummy plug.

Remove the wires and pins off the Amazon O2 sensor.

My favorite silicone is 1211, so use that to plug the rubber holes where the wires were.

Harvest the silicone heat resistant sheath and toss the rest in the trash.

Put the dummy plug all back together

Look ma! No pins!

Then grab some 1 1/4" 3:1 heat shrink without adhesive.

Install the dummy plug

And add heat shrink...done!

Next I have this titanium M12 plug with washer

Add my favorite anti seize for exhaust stuff (2000F)

And torque to 18 ft lbs per the book.

Now I just wait for my ECU to arrive.

 

In preparation for my ECU to arrive back from @vcyclenut I need to remove the stock O2 sensor, plug the hole in the exhaust, and tidy up the connector on the harness.

Removed the stock sensor and bought a $12 one off Amazon to harvest the connector as a dummy plug.

Remove the wires and pins off the Amazon O2 sensor.

My favorite silicone is 1211, so use that to plug the rubber holes where the wires were.

Harvest the silicone heat resistant sheath and toss the rest in the trash.

Put the dummy plug all back together

Look ma! No pins!

Then grab some 1 1/4" 3:1 heat shrink without adhesive.

Install the dummy plug

And add heat shrink...done!

Next I have this titanium M12 plug with washer

Add my favorite anti seize for exhaust stuff (2000F)

And torque to 18 ft lbs per the book.

Now I just wait for my ECU to arrive.

It appears that loctite has been discontinued.

 

There's this strange wet stuff that's supposed to start falling from the sky later today here in SoCal, so I'm hunkering down with the latest batch of parts from @Gravesport.

Of course I'll bore all of you with another video and pics showcasing my ability to assemble parts without screwing anything up. 🤣

 

looking at the forecast, you got 3 days time!! Thats quite a pile

 

If anyone wants to buy the Sumitomo connector that matches the O2 sensor to make a dust cover for the harness after removing the sensor from the bike, here it is:

CON-0111P

Sumitomo TS 090 Sealed Series 6188-0517 4 position connector with all associated terminals, seals, and retainers required.

motorcycleconnectors.com

And a link to a M12 x 1.25 titanium plug for the exhaust header too:

Amazon.com

 

After riding @vcyclenut 's 4RR on the street with GP shift, I'm swapping my KRT over.

The FTEcu sensor makes it easy to swap. Just switch two wires and move the linkage and adjust for optimal geometry (as close to 90 degrees on each end as possible).

Before

After

 

Let's undress this thing and take a look.

Made in Thailand. [emoji2371]

Taking the tank off was super easy with the quick disconnect. Barely a drop of fuel spilled.

Unplug a couple connectors and the ECU is out.

Disconnected the air temp sensor plug and pulled the bib back to take the airbox lid off.

What you'd expect for 763 miles. Very clean.

This little guy had a bad day!

Installed the DNA reusable/cleanable filter in place and buttoned it all up.

Put the tank back on so it doesn't get dented or damaged.

Also took the opportunity to swap out the stock 1.1 bar radiator cap for a 2.0 bar one from Graves.

The Kawasaki coolant is a really nice shade of green!

Now time to mail off the ECU to @vcyclenut and wait for it to come back.

 

More goodies arrived so let's get them fitted.

Moriwaki frame hole plugs to bling up the ugly holes

Carbon trim for the seat surround on the tail

Carbon side air ducts

Carbon belly pan

Stick on the thermal tape and insert the rubber plugs

Fit up is perfection with the stock lowers

Looks like it could hold a couple quarts

Underside view

I'm really digging the carbon look that has emerged

Here are side views showing where things are at.

More to come as stuff arrives

 

More goodies arrived so let's get them fitted.

Moriwaki frame hole plugs to bling up the ugly holes

Carbon trim for the seat surround on the tail

Carbon side air ducts

Carbon belly pan

Stick on the thermal tape and insert the rubber plugs

Fit up is perfection with the stock lowers

Looks like it could hold a couple quarts

Underside view

I'm really digging the carbon look that has emerged

Here are side views showing where things are at.

More to come as stuff arrives

Do you have the link for the belly pan by chance? I’m assuming it’s from WeBike but I find the site rather challenging to navigate.

 

No ABS is SOOOOO nice. The brakes feel like they came ALIVE.

The combination of rubber lines and the longer routing to the pump feels totally different than the new steel lines that are shorter.

The bike lifts the rear wheel at will at nearly any speed. I was comfortably able to modulate it on my ride today and the feel is great.

The pads may need to be replaced though. I think some aftermarket ones may be better.

The front discs turned a little blue after todays ride, so I might have over done it a bit. [emoji51]

Dialed in some more rebound on the rear shock. It's almost max'd out. I'm 1/2 turn out of 4 available.

Tires are slowly wearing out. Just passed 2000 miles.

Time to clean, floss, and lube the chain again [emoji16]

 

No ABS is SOOOOO nice. The brakes feel like they came ALIVE.

The combination of rubber lines and the longer routing to the pump feels totally different than the new steel lines that are shorter.

The bike lifts the rear wheel at will at nearly any speed. I was comfortably able to modulate it on my ride today and the feel is great.

The pads may need to be replaced though. I think some aftermarket ones may be better.

The front discs turned a little blue after todays ride, so I might have over done it a bit. [emoji51]

Dialed in some more rebound on the rear shock. It's almost max'd out. I'm 1/2 turn out of 4 available.

Tires are slowly wearing out. Just passed 2000 miles.

Time to clean, floss, and lube the chain again [emoji16]

Vesrah pads are always the first brake upgrade for me.
I like the -XX pads for street/track use. ZZ pads are good too.
The stock front rotors seem to wear abnormally fast on these bikes.

 

Measure and drill the locating hole for the left control. Some blue tape on the bar and a sharpie on the nub to mark where to drill makes it easy.

Chamfer and deburr

Ready to go

Do the same for the right controls

After installing it all in place, check vertical clearance for the levers and also lock to lock to ensure it doesn't hit the tank.

The Graves clip ons really tuck the bars into the stock bodywork at full lock. Nice placement.

Here are come comparison shots. I tried to be as consistent as possible when taking pics.

Just sitting on the bike, I already like the change. I'll go for a ride tomorrow and really see what I think.

If you also install the @Gravesport brake guard, be very aware of the room you allow for movement of the brake master cylinder. The lever comes very close to the guard (2mm) when you push the master all the way inboard.

 

The link pipe for the stock muffler just arrived.

I'm sending it out to @vcyclenut so he can create a tune specific to the Graves header used with the stock muffler.

First class service! I don't know anyone else that lets you bug them for weird stuff like this...and David doesn't even hesitate, he always wants to help. [emoji1334]

 

I overheard @Chuck Graves yesterday telling someone that these Bitubo suspension kits will probably sell out, and their suspension wizard, Chris, is in Van Nuys until this Friday before going back home to Georgia.

Of course that means I'm gonna get moving and yank these forks off tonight. I gotta box em up and ship them out tomorrow to @Gravesport so hopefully they'll land in his hands by Tuesday, giving him and Chris enough time to do all the black magic to gut the Kawasaki stuff and stuff it with the Bitubo goodies.

I'm sure they will tell me how high to have the tubes in the triple, but measured the stock position for reference.

I forgot these forks have a top out spring. Very evident when you're holding them off the bike.

My journey of buying other peoples parts and bolting them together is not anything special, but I'm having fun with it.

 

Turns 11-14 Streets of Willow...

RED FLAG! The very talented drone pilot has to climb out when I checked up on the brakes due to a crash ahead of me. The footage is so good when he flies close.

 

@Chuck Graves must be related to Santa Claus, because Christmas came early this year!

Let's fit up the forks and shock for now. I'm so excited to ride it and see what this suspension from @Gravesport feels like!

 

Had some folks ask about what I use to keep my bikes clean, so decided to try out making a video about how I keep my bikes looking as new as possible.

I also explain the merits of the @Gravesport graphics kit.

 

We're supposed to keep them clean?

 

Here's a short video.

 

do you have the measurments for the ti bolts by any chance?

 

Or not enough. 😉

A bunch of really cool stuff just arrived moments ago.

The machining and tool paths on the side engine cover protection is perfection! Like fine jewelry.

My favorite part of these race fairings are the seat. It's just a beautiful and elegant solution to what is normally a very ugly part of other race fairings.

I'll be doing all the paint on these fairings myself, DIY. I don't know why they call it painting, it should be called sanding. 🤣

And of course some other odds and ends that are needed are included below.

 

Or not enough. 😉