Categories: all aviation bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater

Sun, 25 Sep 2005

I had been all set to go buy a
href="http://www.pit-bull.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23_182&products_id=69&osCsid=9254bc5faaba86de542e5db7efa95008">Pit Bull rear stand until I was faced with lubricating the chain on the Z750s today. I realized it was going to be a humongous pain in the butt (I have no idea how people without centerstands do it without a big parking lot to roll around in).

So, I pondered for a moment, then realized that between the sidestand, the new swingarm spools, and my jack stands, I had a solution. I grabbed a jack stand, and ratcheted it up until it was just a shade taller than the bottom of the "upper" spool with the bike on its side stand. I set the other jack stand to the same height, and leaned the bike off the sidestand. It was immediately levered up onto the jack stand, picking up the rear wheel. I pushed the second jack stand under the left spool with my foot, and was amazed to see that it worked perfectly. The rear wheel was off the ground, and suddenly spending $150 on a rear stand didn't seem like such a hot idea after all.

It worked perfectly, and I was able to lubricate and adjust the drive chain with no trouble at all. I'd even be willing to believe that it was easier with the jack stands than it would have been with the rear stand, although I suspect the rear stand may be a more flexible overall option. Hooray for the cheap option!

Today was also the day that saw the Z go over 500 miles, and thus allowed to exceed 4000 RPM. I took it on the freeway, and was quite pleased with how it all worked out. 6000 RPM (the new limit until I'm past 1000 miles) is just over 80 MPH indicated, or about 72 MPH. I didn't have a GPS with me, but the indicated error when I've checked before has been about 10%. I will check it soon with a GPS to see what the rear speedometer error is.

I was dissappointed when the Ninja buyer indicated a strong preference for keeping the basket -- it was one of my favorite features of the bike. I figured out what might be a good way of securing a similar basket to the Z, though: using some nylon webbing (like you might find on a backpack, or in a seatbelt), I would weave the webbing through the basket and around the horn-like grab handles on the back of the Z. I procured some 3/4" webbing and a "ladder lock" (which is apparently what those fasteners are called which you lift up to loosen).

I managed to get to the store (Storables near Alderwood Mall) mere minutes before the closed on Saturday. I wandered to the section where I'd previously found my Ninja's basket. There, I spied the same basket (I'd had a vague fear they might have stopped carrying them), but next to it was one which was about 2x bigger. Where the Ninja's basket was wide by short front-to-back, this bigger one was nearly square (just a touch shorter in one direction), but the same height as the Ninja's basket. I got permission to take it out to the bike, and put it experimentally on the pillion seat. It was perfect -- there's more room fore-and-aft on the Z's seat than on the Ninja's.

All excited over my discovery (the Ninja's basket had always been good, but could have been bigger), I bought it and sat down to figure out how to attach it. The Z's grab handles have a channel cut in them, near the base, which is apparently designed exactly for this purpose -- it retains the strap, and keeps it from shifting forward or backward. When I got it strapped down with the webbing I'd bought earlier, it fit almost like it was designed to be there, just rocking slightly side to side since the seat was slightly crowned (who the hell did Kawasaki design this seat for? masochists?). The addition of a bungee net I had at home completed the basket, and I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

Now that the Z is freeway worthy, and has its carry basket, I'm feeling much happier with it. I was starting to get sick of having to ride surface streets everywhere (getting up to Alderwood Mall was particularly bad). It's definitely got more power above 4k RPM. About 5k feels like the natural shift point in moderately spirited riding, so I suspect I'll get better with shifting, and possibly better gas mileage, now that I'm not constrained by the break-in requirements so much.

Speaking of mileage, I'm not sure how it happened, but in the third tank of gas, where I was being very careful to accelerate gently and generally trying to see if I could get better gas mileage, it actually went down. The first two tanks were over 37 MPG, and the third tank was only 35 and change. It's not a big difference, and I don't know if it was my riding style or some other factor, but it was pretty bizarre to see that contradictory change.

I'm looking forward to the Z being a much more useful bike, now that it's freeway worthy.