Seeing Red

[Sijray21]

Well... it was about time to put that Honda money back into Honda i guess. I used my stored motorcycle fund as well as the money from the integra settlement to purchase this:






a Red 2008 Honda CBR 600RR

I managed to get this for a pretty low price considering that the '08 inventories were making room for the '09s. I was going back and forth between what to get for another vehicle so i don't rely on the truck too much and the idea of replacing my integra with a motorcycle sounded like a good plan to me. I also had the chance to look at what kind of motorcycle to get and decided to go with this new one for a lot of reasons. I like this bike and model year a LOT and the red color scheme was exactly what i wanted. I haven't had a chance to really ride this thing yet, but as soon as it warms up it's going for a spin and getting through the break-in period as soon as possible.

[.RJ]

Nice parking spot

Congrats!

[Goodspeed]

Congrats on the pickup, but wtf JMU bookstore lot!? Did you come down here to pick it up? Next time holla.

[DavidM]

Nice bike! That's my "dream" bike to buy in another couple years.

[Ginger]

Haha - Congrats

[Sijray21]

Congrats on the pickup, but wtf JMU bookstore lot!? Did you come down here to pick it up? Next time holla.

haha, my b

it was a quick stop on the way home. i picked it up from Blue Ridge Powersports off rt. 11 near exit 240. i stopped by to pick up a decal i lost on the integra and see what else they had in stock.

[ScottyB]

looks awesome Jay. i don't think it really matches the decor in your living room though :lol:

[Dave]

Congrats on the pickup, but wtf JMU bookstore lot!? Did you come down here to pick it up? Next time holla.

haha, my b

it was a quick stop on the way home. i picked it up from Blue Ridge Powersports off rt. 11 near exit 240. i stopped by to pick up a decal i lost on the integra and see what else they had in stock.

Haha, how does a person go into a store planning to buy a sticker and manage to buy a bike instead? I hope they gave you the sticker for free!!

[Sijray21]

Haha, how does a person go into a store planning to buy a sticker and manage to buy a bike instead? I hope they gave you the sticker for free!!

i didn't get the bike from the JMU bookstore :-P i figured i'd swing by the bookstore while i was in the area.

i shopped around for the best price on the model i wanted (in the DC area) and BRP actually had the best price when i included the $40 needed to go get it.

[JohnC]

i don't think it really matches the decor in your living room though :lol:

Could've fooled me. I thought the first rule of interior design was "Motorcycles make everything better"?

[Sijray21]

i think i'll just kind of make this my 'project' thread and fill it with updates:

i love owning a motorcycle again. I'm not sure what it is, but i just love it. I started to break it in and added some reflective rim stripes which i think add a subtle enhanced look while providing a little more 'safety' for night riding.

Getting through the break-in period is a little difficult since i'm basically trying to remain in the taller gears and opening it up at lower speeds and under 7k rpms to help set the rings. All this without remaining at a constant speed (a lot more annoying than i anticipated). However i do feel comfortable that i'm doing this and i know every bit of history of this bike. Currently 250 miles awaiting new rear tire...

rim tape before:


rim tape after:


unfortunately i've already hit my first hurdle....a f-ing screw in the first few hundred miles.... Luckily i noticed just prior to a ride with my friend Jason (guy with the Audi) as i was parked in a lot waiting for him. I asked him to bring a tire pressure gauge so i could monitor the psi on the ride. As it was slowly leaking air, i cut the ride short and pulled it out when i got home.... it was gushing air...




i already ordered the new tire... :x as i didn't really feel comfortable patching it knowing how large the hole was (pretty big). I bought it *cheap* from <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.motoxoutlet.com">www.motoxoutlet.com</a><!-- w --> in case you were looking for budget sport tires ($119 shipped for a new rear Dunlop Qualifier).

on the way:
used K&N filter

EDIT:

I also replaced the oem drain plug with one i bought from <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.kustommetalworx.com">www.kustommetalworx.com</a><!-- w --> . They're actually going out of business, but the shop made fabricated parts and tools based out of irvine, ca. The owner and the person i affiliated with was very cool (Davey). He used to be the Kawasaki Engine Development Operations Manager and spun off to start this business. The quality of this small part was incredible and the communication i had with him was unparalleled with any other online purchase i made - he made sure i liked it after i bought it and we chatted for a bit about the history of him and his company. The oil drain plug is pre-drilled for safety wiring, has a 3.5 lb-rated magnet, and has a built-in o-ring so there is no more need for a crush washer any longer. He claimed to have chemically tested, temperature tested with various products alone just to get the adhesion and rubber match that he would find to be acceptable on factory race machines just on this drain plug. Davey (owner) even referred me to an Erion Honda guy for a reference about the oil drain plug.

I was really curious to see if the rumors were true about flakes when an engine is first run. I read a lot of sources that claimed that the first 20 miles were the most important and to possibly change your oil after 20-50 miles of hard break-in riding. All pictures below are at 34 miles after a hard break-in.

Oil Drain Plug Front
Oil Drain Plug Rear
Magnetic Power
Oil being drained
Magnet I used to capture small flakes and small flakes
Small Flakes on edges of magnet
Inside of Oil Filter

My findings just confirmed that you don't need to change the oil this early, haha :lol:


Rim Tape with flash
Rim Tape without flash

[ScottyB]

sorry man that sucks! glad you are so careful about your bike though, that could have ended terribly if you hadn't been checking pressures.

[Madden]

awesome bike! sucks on the tire

[Sijray21]

ruh, roh

what have i done:

(actually taken after)









i picked up a set of new track plastics off of a WERA forums member and wanted to fit them out. These were brand new and not pre-drilled so that work was kind of a PITA. The toughest time i had was fitment for the tank cover. The area just around the gas cap was too thick and needed to be sanded down from the inside with the dremel. The preliminary work has been done which took me about 3-4 hours. I still need to fit the DZUs fasteners i bought, as well as cut the area for the woodcraft race frame sliders that are on the way. The damn fairings on the newer model RRs are a lot more complicated than the previous model - it's more like a puzzle with smaller pieces than before.

I will obviously be bringing this bike to the track. I'm shooting for a Cornerspeed date in June, but i'm aiming for an April or May date pending other prep work (safety wiring, getting a suit, coolant, etc.). I'm also planning to have a second set of wheels. I was able to get a decent deal on the rear wheel, but finding a front wheel for the RR is proving to be quite irritating when i'm limited to the 07/08 years and they sell like hotcakes, fetching close to $350 with the rotors.

i'm contemplating not painting them until a few track days for obvious reasons - opinions?

Just thought i'd post it up, i'm going to use this thread as my 'project' thread :-P

[.paul]

congrats on getting new plastics, loving the install, inside the house.

Front wheels seem to always be the bitch to find. I guess just be patient on the wera forums.

If you want to do a quick rattle can, It would take less than a day, and we could have them looking perfect from 10 ft away If/when you need help, give me a call!

[Sijray21]

just a quick update.

i performed the 600-mile oil change and using that oil drain plus i have proof that it works:



most of the larger flakes were captured in the 24-mile change, but the magnetic power of this drain plug showed this time around.

[Sijray21]

all this motorcycle talk made me want to fish this back from the dead.

The last post in this topic was from 2009. adz:

i want another bike again... god damnit...

[Senor_Taylor]

Wow, that red CBR looked awesome

[G.Irish]

Come on over and ride the R1.

[.RJ]

Come on over and ride the R1.