Friday, March 4, 2011

Radiator surgery...

If you haven't already, lose the fairings. The bellypan, both side pieces, the inner side pieces that carry the front turnsignals. I didn't remove the outer side panels under the mirrors, but it's much easier to work if you do remove the mirrors and at least loosen the panels.

Get a bucket. Really. Undo the coolant hoses, drain as much coolant as possible, remove the overflow tank on the L side of the rad, then unbolt the rad and remove. Undo the lower bolt attaching it to the front of the engine, then the upper mounts bear mentioning, the right-hand side is an actual bolt, but the left actually just slides onto a peg welded to the frame.

P.S. - all left/right annotations are from the perspective of you sitting on the bike. For example, the clutch lever is on the left side of the bike.

Scary part - cut your radiator. The inlet pipe has to be shortened to a 1/2 inch stub and flared with the included flare tool. Go slow. Deburr. Use multiple light tightenings on the tool to get the flare done and uniform.


Now that you have the rad out, you have plenty of space to install the air blockoff plates on top of the cylinder head, and change out the sparkplugs (also included).

If you've never changed zx-10r plugs, it's an ordeal. The stick coils that sit atop each plug are usually glued into place by old grime/corrosion, and they're plastic. They do simply pop-off by pulling upwards, but it takes a lot, so much so it seems like they might shatter before they release. Blow out the recess with air, the plugs are way down in the head. The hinged removal tool in the original tool bag is the way to go. A universal joint on your socket wrench helps a lot too. Adding to the fun is the fact the outermost plugs won't come out without unbolting the side frame pieces and rotating them away. Even so, it's a tight fit but they'll come. Use a piece of hose to start the new plugs by hand, imagine the horror of crossthreading a plug buried this deep in an engine. Gently.

Since I had the bike up on the lift, I went ahead and installed a new clutch. HD springs and new fiber plates. Pay close attention to the way all the plates align and come out, take pics, and then reverse the order to reinstall. The slipper ramps add to the fun, there's only a certain way to reinstall the pack so it sits right, so pay attention during removal. Soak the fiber plates in oil for a few hours to allow them to swell so your free play adjustment/takeup will be much smoother and easier.




Heavy springs on right, stock on left. Also a good idea is to lay out the bolts in the shape of the cover they came from, as often they aren't all the same length. If it'll be open for any length of time, popping them through a piece of cardboard in the covers' shape makes a good keeper, or just rethread into their respective holes.Putting a too long bolt into a crankcase casting is a recipe for a cracked block. Not good.


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