The XJR's first project work!

In the last post, I described my new bike and some of the last steps involved in getting my license that I still had to complete. The Monday before Christmas I finally got it all done. That same night I got my first parts in the mail for the new bike. "That didn't take long!" is the most common response I get from people when I talk about the bike and doing work on it. The XJR is the 8th bike to be in my possession. By now, I have figured out what I like and how to get it done. Follow along as I do a quick, minor, but important project on the XJR.

To get started, I first created an account with the most commonly used online auction site here in Japan, Yahoo Auctions. This required a bit of work as my Japanese reading skill, while growing, is still bit basic. Once I jumped through the hoops of passwords and search parameters I found what I needed. The auction site kept me updated on the shipping status and it turns out, it is just as much fun watching the status updates in Japanese as it is English. Right on time, the express delivery company was knocking on my door with a fat envelope and my new parts. One of the things I mentioned in the last post was that my foot pegs were a bit worn down and broken. I got some stock replacements to give me better footing.

The old pegs were the stock items from 1996. They'd been well used and the left peg had been crunched, ripping off the OEM feeler peg. When I dug in and actually got to work on changing them out, the pivot pins were a bit corroded and the cotter pins were stuck in their holes. Aside from the ripped out feeler, the rubber was a bit slick from multiple kilometers of riding. With all of the rain we get here, I want to make sure I have solid contact between my boots and pegs. Some complimentary projects will be tank side grip pads and the reshaping of the seat foam. The ergonomics of the bike as is force my feet into an aggressive, full tuck position even though the bars put me in more of an upright posture. The seat shaping will do the most for this, but the bike will still have a sporty, forward leaning stance.

Taking off and changing out the pegs was pretty straightforward. On the right hand side, because of the aftermarket exhaust pipe, I had to remove the brake lever to get to the cotter pin. On the left side I had to remove the shift lever from it's pivot to get the pivot pin out. None of the fasteners encountered so far were rusted or frozen. You can see by the water marks on the frame and muffler that there is lots of road water to be found all year round. I'll be on the look out for corroded bolts as I do other projects in the future. I'll also have to make sure I wash the bike often to get the road gunk off before any major maintenance. It is always better to start from a clean bike, at least for me when wrenching.

Back to working from a carport again. At least I have plenty of parking. Parking and driveways are at a premium here in Japan. I have to count myself as one of the lucky ones to have what I do. In my whole neighborhood, there are only a few houses with garages or covered parking. I have enough space to spread my tools out and access both sides of the bike without having to move it or pull the car out into the street. In the warmer months I have enough room to throw up my 10'x10' canopy for a little shelter from the sun or rain. I am on the lookout for a rear stand to make chain cleaning easier and to hold the bike upright for other odd jobs. I did find a good used front chock that will also be useful.

The new pegs are a direct copy of the stock ones with two exceptions. The first being the peg feeler is a shorter, threaded piece. From the ground clearance, I'll have to be pretty deeply leaned over to hit these puppies. You can see that the old feeler is a bit bent. I don't see any damage on the bike to indicate that it was dropped. I wonder where the impact to the old pegs came from? The second difference is that the peg rubber is riveted onto the new ones, while the OEM units are screwed on. When all is said and done the new foot pegs didn't look much different from the old. Just a bit cleaner and shinier. The feel pretty good underfoot and I'm sure they'll perform just fine.

Well that about does it. Not a very challenging first project, but one I am happy I did. It got me a bit more familiar with the new bike and let me use my tools for more than just assembling shelves and changing the batteries in the kid's toys. By the time you are reading this I will have been out for my first, off base shake down ride. The weather has been chilly so I'll be waiting for a dry day and will layer up like an onion to keep warm. I am on the lookout for a few other bits and bobs to work on and when I do, you can be sure that you'll see them detailed here. Take care and if you can, ride safe!

Old Blue