My Suzuki GSX-R 750 H, a complete history: 2019-2020 - Back in the saddle
In August of 2018 I decided that if I was going to try and ride, the Suzuki was not going to be the best option to test my body. I was feeling better and decided I was going to buy a new Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS. Sporty, comfortable and something that was fairly easy to ride. On my first ride I had to use pliers to pull up the zipper tabs on my Sidi boots. My edema was still pretty bad being on the blood thinners. Honestly I shouldn't have been riding in that condition, but at the time I didn't care.
January, 2019, first GSX-R ride since cancer treatment began. Fortunately, the riding on the Kawasaki went very well. My body could handle the short rides with no problem. By Jan 2019 I decided it was time to give the Suzi a go. Since she sat for more than a year (last ride was to work Nov. 2017 right before the surgery) without firing her up, carbs needed to be cleaned. I did buy a battery tender to keep her charged up. The first ride was 32-miles of bliss and it felt GREAT. I still could only feel about 85% of my hands and 60% of my feet but I could feel the controls well enough. After the ride I had some deep tissue pain in my backside where I had the surgery. It did go away, but from that point on I used my Air Hawk pillion pad when riding. That made it possible to ride with minimal pain.
Off to BevMo for a beer run in early 2019 HA HA. 
CV carbs removed May 2019. The bike sat again for about four months after a couple initial rides. Next time I went to fire her up, and found that the carbs were clogged again. That was enough. I ordered a new set of Mikuni RS 34s, found an NOS Russell metal fuel filter in my racing spares bin and got some new push-pull throttle cables. Also picked up new intake manifolds, spark plugs, oil filter and misc gaskets so I could do a full service.
New parts ready for install. 
Cleaning, oil change, valve adjustment, head retorque, and carb setup/install/testing complete. It took some time and patience, but I got the servicing done on the bike and tested her using my trusty Motion Pro fuel bottle. Ran great right out of the gate with only minor adjustments. I also dug out an old Powersports ProLine aluminum side cover and installed it. I had been using the stock side cover since 2002 when I realized that the Yoshimura cover wouldn't work with this older motor. I originally got this cover from Craig Hightower and it had been sitting in my parts bin since 2003. I just never thought to use it.
New master cylinder parts. After the initial test ride, the bike ran great, but front brakes were still mushy. Maybe the Kawasaki spolied me, but I decided to install a new Hayabusa master cylinder (to keep it looking stock) and hopefully fix the problem.
New Hayabusa master cylinder installed. The install went fairly quickly. When I was bleeding it down, I still was not getting the best pressure, but it was much better than using the stock rebuilt unit. As it turns out, I have an oh-so slightly tweaked left front rotor. Wow. That was a bit of a disappointment but explains everything. Not sure how that happened, but the brake feeling has been getting worse throughout the years. I might be able to get it turned but not sure. I tried to find new rotors online, but there were none to be had. COVID-19 has messed up supply chains around the world. The bike will have to soldier on for now with the subpar rotor.
Afternoon ride to Lake Cuyamaca Sept. 2019. After all of the recent work on her, taking many rides throughout the San Diego hills has been a lot of fun.
Early morning ride to work in 2020. Pandemic social distancing. With the pandemic happening, one of the ways I can get out and enjoy myself is to roll out the gixxer and ride. I have been piling on the miles in 2020 and that's a GREAT thing.
The original 750 motor out of mothballs. Oh yes, I still have it. After all these years I still have the original motor. Plans for 2021 are to rebuild this thing and install back into the bike. I have already started acquiring and stockpiling parts for the motor and bike restoration.That old 1985 motor still running great. Stay tuned for the teardown and rebuild coming in 2021. |