....and the Winner Is.....!

[2LZ]

Originally Posted by Boatguy

Right?

And the best way to save 16oz to get an advantage is to drop a pound of your own weight. Ha ha. It’s true. And people never think about it.

LOL! You got that right! I went from a svelte 185 to 230 in the last decade! Age, certain meds, and retirement didn't help things.....

[2LZ]

Originally Posted by Mudflap

The DRZ is a great bike, perhaps my favorite bike of it's type. I once had to tow my friend's DRZ400 out of the woods with my Lifan when the stator went out at less than 10000 miles. Don't know how common that is but it may be something to keep an eye on.

It is a known issue, but it doesn't happen to everyone. Just a special handful of folks and no one really knows why. They think it may have to do with a connector corroding under the seat area. There's the "free power mod" it's nicknamed.

I'm still immersed in research mode on the bike. To me, that's one of the fun parts.

[2LZ]

Since I have two sets of plastics, Mrs. 2LZ got me a seat cover for an extra seat for the bike. Now I have a blue seat for the blue plastics, and a yellow seat for the yellow plastics!

[buzz]

Nice I like the yellow seat better.

[JerryHawk250]

I like the new seat.

[2LZ]

Thanks guyz! The bike is a hoot. Still working on jetting.

[2LZ]

Finally got the jetting and needle position correct. Fires up with the first push of the button. All three sections of choke work perfect. The transition from pilot to main circuit is totally smooth and once on the main circuit, hang on!

I also decided to go through the Leo Vince X3 Enduro pipe and install the new baffle kit. Some ham-fisted mutant in its past cut the rear strap off and buzzed down all the rivets. Not sure why. These don't take packing. They're chambered.

Anyway, I took it apart to make sure there was no internal damage, then re-assembled and re-riveted it back together. Then I took an aluminum scuff wheel to it and tried to buzz out all the scars and scratches from past wrecks. After that, I hit it with high-temp silicone paint. Turned out more-than-acceptable. Way nicer (and lighter) than the stock pipe, and almost just as quiet with the biggest baffle installed and spark screen.

[2LZ]

Well crap. My project yesterday was to flush the front and rear brake fluids. I did the forks on Saturday and the brake fluid was the last liquid not to be changed or flushed.

Since I did the forks, I figured I'd very quickly reset both suspensions to factory settings and start the adjustments from Ground Zero, prior to starting the brake fluid. That's when I discovered that when my neighbor and I (I'll blame it on him, of course) swapped out the rear shock spring, the bottom shock mount got spun around and the rear rebound adjuster was now completely inaccessible!

So....drop the rear suspension out again and make it right. I'll try to get to the brake fluids today if Mrs. 2LZ doesn't have other property plans.

[2LZ]

Cold? Yes....but not too cold. After all, the snow has mostly melted.
Can't tell you how happy I am with the DRZ, now that I've gone through it bumper to bumper.

The suspension is now balanced perfectly, front to rear. The bike compresses and rebounds very evenly now. The new tires are broke in and the engine/carb is now jetted and running really strong across the power band. The cherry on the cake is the Leo Vince X3 with the baffle and spark screen has a lot more power in the mid-range and top end, but is magically as quiet as stock. I don't want to bug the neighbors and wildlife too much.

Great lunch ride today. Bacon cheeseburger and a couple beers at our local store.

[2LZ]

Another lunch ride today to my home town of 103 people.

[2LZ]

Oh yah....Stage 2 intake showed up today.
I'm keeping the exhaust cam stock. This combo will move the power band to more mid-range. The Stage 2 exhaust would have made it more peaky. If I want peaky, I'll ride my two stroke!

Got my FCR39 flat slide pumper carb ready to go also, which will be replacing the stock CV36, that I just fought with to get jetted correctly. Just waiting on the adapter for the air box boot.

That's one thing about having a bike that hasn't changed in 20+ years. The aftermarket goodies are plentiful.

[2LZ]

I figure once I rob a bank, I'd try another color to steer off the Heat. After all, the bike came with yellow, blue and white plastics. Here's the latest.
In the meantime, the new carb delivers incredible power....but I have a hanging idle issue I'm dealing with. I'll get it......

[2LZ]

Stage 2 Hotcam intake cam installed! Mo' power..... Lifts the front tire in second with just a stab of the throttle. I have the big bore kit ready to go but I think I'll wait till this jug starts eating some oil.

[JerryHawk250]

More Power!

[2LZ]

Got the Stage 2 exhaust cam installed. The chain is showing the expected initial stretch, but not too far out of timing yet. The automatic tensioners on these are notoriously strong and causes some initial stretch, but folks have had them last 50,000 miles, so I'm not worried. When I do the big bore kit, I'll change the chain and reinstall the manual tensioner.

Graphics have been an issue. All the graphic kits online make you look like you're a sponsored racer. I didn't want to be a riding advertisement for a bunch of companies I could give a rip about. Fortunately, in the boxes of stuff i got with the bike, I found some excellent condition blue, with factory graphics, tank panels. Problem solved!

Got the motor all buttoned up. Now I'm waiting for the FMF Powerbomb to come in. This should finish the project, just in time for riding season to start.