theWolfTamer Chronicles: FZ1 Maintenance: Catching up

Other than oil changes and mods, I've just been riding carefree. During the Rally, I noticed Baby was running a little rough and suspected it may just need a carb sync. Cruzman reinforced this when he asked (out of the blue) if I'd synced my carbs. Uh...no.

Carb sync. After I got Advanced I knew I had to stop putting the carb sync off. Installing the advancer made Baby run much smoother but at certain RPMs it still wasn't smooth enough. The problem, up until this point, was my sync tool was buried in the garage in front of my brothers non running Acura Legend which had to be in the garage due to local laws. We recently got the garage cleaned up so I had better access to my stuff. In the process, I made a point of putting the sync tool where I could see it every time I went into the garage.

I figured if I did that one of those times I'd just breakdown and do the sync. A couple of days after I got back from the Feeling Advanced ride I decided to just do it. I double checked Pat's site to be certain I knew what I was doing. I had just gotten some more new tools, one of them was a new #2 x 8 screwdriver so I could reach the screws easier.

It definitely made the job easier. It actually took longer to adjust my carb sync tool than it did to get the carbs in sync.

Carb sync-er like the one I have

Syncing the guages is really easy. All you have to do is take the cover off and move the needle until it lines up with the others. I had to do this a few times to get it accurate. I switched the connection from one carb to the other to be certain it read the same thing on the same carb.

The carbs weren't too far out of sync but enough that I was surprised by how much. I need to make a point of doing this at the same time each year and not delaying it. After a quick test ride around the neighborhood I confirmed what I suspected during the last ride. The carb sync made Baby smooth no matter what the rpm.

Brakes. When I bled the brakes last year, I realized it was something that needed doing often rather than waiting for the fluid to look bad. I considered bleeding the brakes the same day I did the carb sync but the heat (even with the fan blowing) took a lot out of me. So a few days later I got

Fren Tubo Type 1 lines with blue sleeve

in the mail. They were apart of my spending "spree" after Prince went missing on 16 July 2012. I mean I had to do something to cheer myself up. The advancer and brake lines have done just that.

I wasn't going to install them right away. I figured with the heat and all it'd be best to wait for cooler weather. Yea, right. So while I was waiting for the cooler weather, I consulted Pat's site again then red the instructions that came with the Fren Tubo lines. I decided I'd check to make sure I had the right size lines, per the instructions, before I put them away.

You guessed it. After I verified they were the right length I decided I'd at least get the stripped screws off of my master cylinder and replace them with the replacement ones I've been carrying around for months. I ended up drilling them out and since I had to take the cover completely off might as well drain the fluid.

I used my brake bleeder tool instead of the turkey baster that Pat suggest. Two squeezes and the reservoir was empty. My brake line install was made a bit complicated by the way my brake line coupler (if that's the right name) was mounted to my lower fork. I spent extra time trying to get the lines loose from the coupler only to have the thing move on me. It took a good 30 minutes before I realized it was missing a screw. Once that was in, the bolt broke loose with no issues.

But I have a scratched to hell coupler from where I was using pliers to hold it still. Either way I got the lines installed but crashed when it came time to bleed the brakes. It was like I hit a wall or something. I put everything down and went inside leaving the brake bleed for another day.

A couple of days later, I had the brakes bled with most of the air out of the lines and went for another short test ride. All I can say is WOW. Between the new lines, new fluid, and usd forks my brakes are soooo much better. I think I still need to bleed the rear brakes once more but they stop damn it!

I spent some quality time in the funeral home parking lot doing brake exercises to get used to the new brakes.

The only thing left to do is change the spark plugs. That'll likely happen with some kind of AIS removal--likely diy crimp the pipes shut kind of thing--so that I won't be tempted not to do them because accessing them is a PIA with the AIS still in place.

Needless to say, the last few garage sessions with Baby have been very fruitful. All of the changes I've made make him feel like Baby II or as if he's grown up. Now I just need more gas money because I can't get enough of riding him.

Thanks for reading,
patrice, theWolfTamer