Mini Rt 1 tour, Pescadero lunch after work, Pacifica
I was done with the main part of work at 11am and riding from work at noon on Friday!
Decided after four day work with a double up job on a special day it was time to celebrate a little with a joyride to the coast and along it in the sunny weather.
Just before La Honda small center I hit up some sweeping turns and looped it there about a dozen or more times. Was a rush, trying to get the knee down on these huge turns. Didn’t but it was fun!
I stopped at Applejacks hoping to get lunch, but it was close to empty and they have no kitchen apparently. So continued on out of La Honda.
I took a new road for me, up past the Jones Gulch YMCA and eventually got on the windy mtn pass road direct to Pescadero.
This was my third day using my brand new Shoei helmet and I’m really loving it. Very solid feeling, close to air tight and quiet.
Very pretty riding through redwoods and nice twisty roads.
Stopped there for a (late) nice sandwich at the General Store and had a little conversation with a cute girl there from out of town.
Out to the ocean and Pescadero State Beach. I really love the Pescadero area. I dream of living on a ranch there, apparently everyone else does, I saw a house for sale for $1 Million.
I always like to stop at this one overlook at take a picture:
Along the 1 up through Half Moon Bay and Moss Beach. I stopped at the Moss Beach Distillery here just to see the beach in the daytime there (only been there once at night).
It was a beautiful beach view up some small cliffs. I walked out to the peak of one cliff, and found out later it was all restricted. Was kind of funny because there were tons of people around and Distillery staff and no one said a thing to me. Took a few ‘illegal’ pictures there I guess you might say.
There were humpback whales spouting out in the ocean.
I tried to find that beach overlook and wound up on California street and down to a little beach park there that was quite cute and I plan to go back to on a warm day and enjoy the beach there.
Onward toward Pacifica, and I stopped at a beautiful overlook on a turnout on Rt 1 in the curves before Pacifica:
It was a beautiful day out there, and I was pretty thrilled to get some ocean riding in. Very peaceful out on the road. The water always makes me feel calm.
Posted in Touring by green
Fuel hose Fuel Line size diameter 8mm I.D. 13mm O.D.
I’ve spent a lot of time searching for this info and finally figured it out. It’s hardly disclosed really anywhere.
ZX6E / ZZR600 use 8mm I.D. (Internal Diameter) fuel line / hose, with a 13mm O.D. (Outside D.)
In a pinch you could substitute 5/16″ hose as that seems to be much more common. You don’t need the common really thick auto parts version as that is used for higher pressure F.I. motors and we don’t need the thicker reinforced walls for carb low pressure fuel. Worm
One suggestion, Parts Unlimited makes a clear blue tinted fuel hose that is 5/16″ and they say long lasting and chemical / fuel resistant and fairly kink free (I think it’s polyurethane based). I got sold some 1/4″ Parts U. from the local Kawasaki dealer for my bike (wrong stuff – too small), and I have crammed it on, but it’s a p.i.t.a. to stretch onto nozzles, and then your old fuel line clamps won’t work as the O.D. is too small. It is pretty flexible stuff, stronger than stock it seems and it’s nice that you can visually see fuel in the system and moving for diagnosing / reassurance. It would be good for pump to carbs, fuel filter to pump, and probably pump to fuel tap / petcock runs. The short main and reserve to petcock / fuel tap runs have some pretty tight turns in them. So far I have left them and might order stock lines there.
BMW E28 era cars also use the same hose. You could get some 8mm from a BMW dealer.
Posted in DIY, repair and tagged aftermarket, diameter, Fuel hose, Fuel line, Kawasaki, kind, Ninja, replacement, size, sizing., type, Zx6e, zzr, zzr600 by green
Grapes! Upper Outer Napa, Berryessa after Davis.
Got released at 3pm so decided to take the very long and very scenic way back. I did this before on the 2 day trip to Sac, Hwy 88, Tahoe, and back, so I remembered this route with fondess.
It was also hot again today but upper 80s rather than 100s. As long as I did not stop for long at all I was fine moving.
Lake Berryessa was worth riding around for the roads alone just south of it! Those roads are fantastic and very pretty too, loaded with fast sweepers (and sometimes dirt / rocks in road this trip).
Took the Pope Valley pass road out of the upper west of Berryessa
Approaching Pope Valley, I came over a slight rise in the road, and it just opened up ahead of me… No one in line of sight at least 1-2 miles out, nothing! Was in a cruising gear around 4k but I just pinned it. Up to 110 there… heh. Ah, I have to calm down a little. Then the Pope Valley Cross Rd, (where 110 happened again).
I saw some really lovely grape leaves at vineyards around Pope Valley so I decided I needed to keep going past my turn off for a really solid photo op. Almost got it near the tiny P.V. Elementary school, but rode on.
Jackpot!! One of the most beautiful spots – I could hardly imagine it was just waiting up the road from me to come and find on my joyride. It was breathtaking, just spectacular. Only had my iPhone but I probably took 70 pic anyway. Pics do no justice, but in person it will take the breath from you. Reminded me of the gorgeous landscapes in “Jean de Fleurette” and “Manon des Sources” french films of Provence.
I went a little farther actually, and turned around right at this cool old barn:
Doubled back, passed the very cute looking Pope Valley vineyard (I WILL return and tour this when open!), and took Howell Mtn Road (a very steep pass with some crazy turns going up!) back towards the south and Angwin.
Deer Park Road back down the pass with lots of turns and passed Viader vineyards on my right without knowing it – a spot I wine tasted a little more than a year ago… Feb 23 2014 to be precise.
On to Silverado Trail – the small side highway, and the best way to cruise through Napa, and passed some very cute real estate and lovely vineyards.
The little turn off road to Shafer Vineyards and Quixote Winery.
Stopped at Stag’s Leap for some pics of the pretty mountains behind it including Chimney Rock.
I CAN’T DRIVE 55!
I had been riding on reserve… all the way since I throttled to 110 the 2nd time at Pope Valley. You know where this part is going right? I made it precisely to 50 miles on reserve and into American Canyon before running completely flat out of gas. No stations in the past 5 miles at least… My iPh map GPS position kept trying to say I was on top of a gas station. Uh, yeah, thanks, I would know if I was at a gas station.
I figured I was 1 mile away from the next one south. And there was an incline on a very fast highway here… great. Wonderful. A work truck finally came by to the intersection I pulled over at, and I asked them if they knew exactly where the closest station was. They said south about a mile so. I walked back to bike, and they yelled over to me “How much gas ya need?” (ooh!)
“Just a trickle to get me there is all see…” So they produce a gas can and dump a half tank into GM right then and there! They said they’d rather I take it all so they don’t have to worry about it tipping and leaking in the back of truck. And I told them I should pay for the gas and pulled out cash and they said Nope, you’re good! Really nice guys to bail me out. That guy had a shovel head HD bike he said along with “lucky we ride too”. I was.
Was getting pretty tired out from the long day and riding. I left the house in the morning in the pitch dark to ride up to work in Davis after all.
I was pretty zoned on the highway south after the Carquinez bridge and decided to bail out for my own safety and take San Pablo Dam Road the whole way back which was a very good decision. I perked up being on that road rather than the awful super slab. Had a couple cold ones in the fridge waiting for me when back. It was a pretty spectacular day!
Posted in Touring by green
5th oil change done 58,321
3rd round with the Purolator Pure One PL14610 filter and 5w40 Shell Rotella T6 synthetic diesel oil.
I went past due on this change. Was relieved to finally get it done.
Note the CB400A still being worked on in background by me.
Posted in Uncategorized by green
Just fixed replacement clutch cover leak, fan comes on!
Mileage: 58,250
So I figured out what went ‘sideways’ on the replacement clutch cover install – the damn gasket. I reused the one I had made before for it. And it slid up into the engine area a bit and right at the most sensitive spot there was no gasket at all!
Hence the instant leak the bike goes upright (let alone runs) and oil is in that area now.
I also topped off the coolant (after the radiator thermostatic temp switch swap), and then started the bike on the center stand. No leaks. I let it warm all the way up to the middle of the temp gauge and the radiator fans came on!!
That’s a first in a month, so a good end to the day after and idiotic hole punch destroyed my last remnant of gasket paper this morning. I was cutting a new one, and then it was ruined. I was irate. But now I am happy!
Posted in repair by green
Installed replacement clutch cover
Last night I cleaned, sanded and rubbing alcoholed the used clutch cover that I got in last week.
It was a poorly painted black that was orange peeled and chipped paint. A mess and filthy inside the cover as well. But it looks solid.
The clutch cover that I fixed with JB Weld has a greater leak out the clutch release rod hole than I thought.
After removing the lowers for the fan switch job last Thursday it was easier to see much more oil than I had thought was coming up. Still nothing major, and the JB Weld job cut down 99% of the leak and got me thru two weeks of heavy use so I’m grateful.
I also removed the clutch lever and bent it back to it’s original shape (prior owner left low side damage I never repaired), and I painted it green, and sanded down the pitted and rusty lever adjuster and painted that green as well. Also, the bar end I scraped down to bare metal I sanded lightly and sprayed that again too.
Installed everything leisurely before lunch in a couple hours. I will test it either today or by Wednesday at latest for leaks and to see if the rad fan will come on.
Posted in Uncategorized by green
Replaced thermostatic fan switch
mileage: 58241
My radiator fan has not come on in last 2 weeks or so that I know of. Even in hot weather stuck at light after light – I have to avoid those. My temps can go past the halfway which is far too hot. The bike starts to run a little stumbly and the clutch operates worse. Everything feels a bit ‘rubbery’ – I can tell when the heat is getting too much. It probably doesn’t help that my left ignition coil is not in good shape. I got the clutch cover, switch and the 2 coils with wires and boots from the old z6xe.com forum member from North Carolina for a nice price.
I have to go a constant 35 mph to maintain just below half on the gauge, it’s been pretty stressful commuting 10 days to work with stopped traffic.
Hope this solves the issue. I had pulled the wires about a week ago, and shorted them and the fan came on right away, so this is the test to see if the switch has failed or it’s another electrical issue in the circuit.
Posted in repair by green
Maintenance log Green Magic
43,174 8/15/12 Purchased!
43,295 9/16/12 Carbs cleaned (2 pilot air jets clogged), New fuel filter, clean & oiled Uni air filter, cleaned plugs, re-routed 2 hoses properly, blew oil out rear canister hose & rerouted, mixture screws reset from 3.4 turns to 2 turns, re-set idle adjuster.
9/20/12 throttle cable adjustment fixed, R/R wiring chopped and fixed.
10/08/12 New AGM battery
11/28/12 cleaned carbs again (were pretty clean).
11/30/12 fuel pump tested ok, checked for spark ok
2/8/13 43,305 Holy shit! Green Magic is back from the dead! NEW spark plug wires installed.
2/16/13 Oil change #1
2/26/13 installed painted green windscreen, fuel line clamps installed
4/8/13 blue carbon fiber seat cover installed
4/24/13 white mirrors installed
43,697 5/2/13 replacement regulator / rectifier installed
43,950 6/16/13 coolant replaced and flushed
9/30/13 chain tension checked and ok less than 1.3” slack
9/29/13 Double Bubble windscreen installed
45,381 2/1/14 Green LED gauges installed! installed ram air guards
46,439 5/4/14 Tire swap #1 to Dunlop Q3
46,931 5/17/14 Oil change #2, epoxy try on stator cover (x)
47,292 5/24/14 ZX10R rear caliper installed w steel line
47,696 balanced rear wheel
49,469 10/13/14 New Clutch, stator cover leak fixed + painted. replaced clutch rod
Oil change #3 – Rotella T6 and Purolator from now on.
51,600 2/23/15 cleaned carbs, cleaned out starter jets, last 2 new float bowl gaskets installed
53,884 3/16/15 Oil change #4
54,860 4/26/15 Tire swap #2
54,860 Nissin brake calipers mod installed ’05 F4i brakes, front and rear brake fluid swapped.
2nd re-crimp of R/R wiring. Shock pulled and Fox TC lined up.
55,318 6/10/15 water pump repair started
55,435 6/13/15 “Hot idle” problem fixed – loose coil spark plug wire deterioration issue.
56,284 6/20/15 re-balanced front wheel, brake cleaned front brakes
57,320 8/9/15 sanded off gas tank p.o. damaged rust spot and painted white, JB Welded cracked clutch cover
57,998 8/22/15 installed replacement Kawi front brake lever
58,241 8/27/15 installed replacement thermostatic fan switch
8/30/15 installed replacement clutch cover, green painted clutch lever,
bar end for drop damage, clutch knob
57,998 8/33/15 Adjusted chain slack, reconnected speedo cable that had fallen out.
58,321 9/6/15 Oil change #5
58,250 9/3/15 fixed replaced clutch cover leak, verified fan comes on. re-bent clutch lever back.
10/9/15 clutch lever stripped to bare metal aluminum at D.C.
59,646 11/02/15 rebuilt fuel petcock (didn’t need it).
59,982 11/08/15 Exhaust mod. Chopped out baffles. Debaffle. Installed new 5/16″ Parts Unlimited fuel lines
60,401 11/18/15 Valve adjustment job. Ignition coils replaced (both). New spark plugs, adjusted throttle cables.
62,470 2/12/16 Gold X Ring chain and sprockets back to factory 16/48 teeth. 3rd set of tires: Michelin Power Pilot 3
63,134 2/23/16 Oil Change #6 (Pleasanton street after shoot #97)
63,325 5/9/16 stator to regulator / rectifier re-wire upgrade to 10 gauge THHN wire (2 white and 1 black runs)
63,465 6/28/16 carbs dumping fuel. 3x, 4th after running bike with petcock ‘off’ and sitting 2 hours and no leaks
63,567 7/1/16 headlights lo and hi beams repaired. Hand grip wired back to stock. New lead back of R/R white stator to junction box old yellow connection (new blue wire).
Posted in DIY, repair by green
Work on the 1978 CB400A top end engine project begins in earnest
Finally tore into the engine oil blown gasket issue today on the Honda CB400A motorcycle. Doing it as a favor to help a friend get the bike back in sellable condition.
The lower cylinder to crank gasket blew while I was riding it on the highway.
Got the tank off and the valve cover off. Will adjust the valve timing tomorrow.
The oil which was way overfull with oil or fuel leaked into it through the carbs and into the intake and down through the piston rings into the crank. This caused intense pressure and this model doesn’t seem to have a crankcase vent so I guess the valve cover vent serves that purpose. The pressure could not be released fast enough and blew the lower seal out. Evidence abounds that recently oil sprayed out of the upper hose connection to the air box, and oil all over everything where the tube exits the air box to drain by the back wheel. It blew oil all over that whole area – it should not have, should just be steam and hot air coming out as needed.
There are two plans, A & B.
Plan A:
-Replace all the (contaminated) oil.
-Re-Torque all the head bolts – which apparently are weak on this model and loosen
-Adjust the valve timing while in there anyway.
Button it all back up and test fire it up to see if the leak goes away.
I give this about a 1% chance of working tomorrow. But 4 people advised me to try this first.
Plan B:
Go back into it.
-Remove valve cover
-Remove the head bolts
-Remove the valve train and rocker arms and lobes
-Remove the cylinder head.
-Removed the cylinders themselves.
-Install all new gaskets all around.
Posted in repair by green
Magical Monterey trip. Big Sur. Great work!
Had an amazing work trip down to Monterey. Working at the Concours d’Elegance, something I have always wanted to see.
Now there were far more Lambos down there than Prius cars!
Client put me in a magical hotel, the best hotel experience I’ve ever had. Monterey Bay Inn. The staff was terrific, and it was such a small boutique hotel on the water there were no common space rooms, so that meant breakfast was brought to your door every morning!
I was surrounded on two sides by beautiful Monterey Bay on the top floor of the Inn. I found out later I got The Honeymoon Suite – literally – my work buddy had been there last year for a wedding. I had a marble bathroom and open tub that looked right out to the ocean and a balcony over the water. It was fantastic every morning and often I’d get back to enjoy it in the late afternoon.
The cars were awesome there. And I got released early one day (we started early most days), and I got changed fast and took Green Magic down the famous Route 1 coastline into the heart of Big Sur.
At the final place I stopped at – just beyond Julia Phiefer beach with the rock formation cutout – I pulled in a great turnout with beautiful southern view. There I saw whales galore! Breaching out of the water, I couldn’t count the numbers I saw. I only had my pocket Canon SD camera with me with silly zoom so here’s the best pics I could muster with it.
We had great meals for the trip, frequenting the Tiki Bar restaurant maybe 3 nights. An easy walk for our crew from two hotels.
I’m hoping to go back next year for this event, it was the best assignment I’ve had this year!
My beautiful hotel room views out both directions:
Riding down Route 1 to Big Sur Saturday.
The magical view from Nepenthe restaurant.
Julia Pheiffer beach, near where I turned around.
Those are the flukes of the whale’s tail. Also the back of one coming out of the water highest mark above the rocks.
The Bixby Bridge.
Riding down to Monterey on day one. Wednesday. Zipped out of work in Belmont asafp, to beat some traffic and make a crew dinner in Monterey. Got there a little early so snapped some pics just north of town. Had to pack a fair bit of gear for 4.5 days and a shirt and tie and fancy shoes for Sunday.
My favorite car of all time: 1966 Ford GT40. I would own one if I could! Sex on wheels.
Hotel and balcony and a breakfast morning. The early breakfast moments each morning right by the water were sublime.
Grill of the 1937 Delahaye 145 Franay Cabriolet.
Last full day work there: Sunday show. Yes, that’s an actual ’65 Shelby Cobra Daytona.
Posted in Touring and tagged Concours, Concourse d'elegance, Ford GT40, Highway 1, Kawasaki, Monterrey, Ninja, Pebble Beach, sexiest car of all time, Zx6e, zzr600 by green