Can I Fix This Unfixable Iconic Ninja Super Sport Bike?
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- You can buy the Digi Sync on our store! thebeardedmech...
My next customer owns the Top Gun motorcycle. He's not loving it as much as Tom Cruise since no one will fix it for him.
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I owned that bike, bought it new in 1986 in NY. Still to this day the best all around motorcycle I ever had. Great to hear it again. Ps.. The Ninja 900 was the Tom Cruise Top Gun bike, not the 1000R you're working on.
Well done sir I'm glad someone else out there knows there motorbikes . .
"Their"@@vlratcliffe1
sounds like the motorcycle has a slight fuel delivery problem
I had this exact same.issue with my ZX-10 (UK). the carbs were gummed up and just needed a thorough cleaning and it was great again.
My exact thoughts it was the best sport touring bike I ever owned that didn't know it was before its time.
I still miss that bike took me on some great trips to northern Wisconsin and also Western Wisconsin from its most south eastern city on the lake.
She was heavy, but she ripped.
I think a lot of places don't want to touch these older bikes because they can't plug their computer into it and have it tell them what's wrong. The diagnostic skills like this are dying.
That plus they rather steer you in too something new with monthly payments..
Actually it's because you have to tell the customer its going to be expensive, then take a parts deposit, then put a buch of labor in it to call them back for more money on the stuff you found, then call them back when the latest (hopefully) problems that appeared after fixing the problems before them.... And tell them how much more money in parts it's going to be before proceeding. Just to end up with a bike in the back corner, parts in boxes piled up, and a MIA customer that abandoned it.
A problematic BMW couldn't be fixed by dealers.. the swirl valves on inlet two were stuck... Took them all out car breathes better...
My family ran a shop in San Diego my dad always said the big 3 fuel electrical or air. With those you can trace down any issue engine wise.
Nice bikes i have a gpz400 i’m repairing after previous owner ruined it without realised (sump was full of fuel/oil and it did the rings in.
Man - you're so damn clever, Bearded One, wish you lived near me! I'm knockin' on the door of being 75, had 29 bikes, live on the iconic Isle of Man where bikes are endemic. but I still can't get my head around much.
Big respect to you.
New subscriber here and I just want to thank you for the videos, the work you guys put in to them and that you are teaching at the same time. Gotten a job at a shop and I have Zero prior knowledge or skills with cars/machines/bikes and pretty much every single day im just thankful and happy because I get to learn from great, kind people and my boss is just superb. Clean shop, everything in its place and always Good parts. :) Was to say the Least nervous my first weeks at the job but man, mechanics are just the best people :)
I love that bike I had one in 92 unfortunately it has long been parted out or recycled since. The ole 1988 1000r will always be my favorite , it came out when I graduated.
I had an awesome 89 or 90? red Ninja 750R when I was younger…. Stolen less than a month after I moved to CA- (go figure). Then later owned a ZX-11 - motor blew. Bottom line I didn’t have much luck with these bikes but definitely loved to ride em!
Ignition coils imo. Happened to me on a Ninja 250. Everyone said no way its coils. I got 2 off ebay for 20 bucks (OG 650 each with no leads), and bam no more problems.
A couple of examples of how insidious an electrical problem can be... Years ago, I could not get my 2000 Kawasaki Concours to start. It always started, until now. I tried everything. It turned over just fine but would not fire. Finally, I checked the battery and saw that one or two cells were down just a tiny amount below the minimum line. I topped them up with a bit of water. The bike fired right up. Several years later, my otherwise very reliable Yamaha FJR would not start. I tried everything with that bike too. The battery wasn't that old and it was sealed. So, on a hunch, I bought a new battery. It fired right up.
Great job Craig!
Better content then sean ever put out
In my opinion, nothing is unfixable but the will to fix things in today's "throw away culture" is what is the major problem. In the long run, it's still cheaper to fix what you have then to just throw it away and buy a new one.
I think at 0:15 you meant 1986 Craig. 😊
I remember my old ZXR 750 had a ridiculous choke. Sounded like it was going to kill the bike with that many revs from cold...
FYI Those green coils are not OEM they are aftermarket 3.0 ohm coils
@1:16 of course there is a navy keychain rofl
I've seen coils break down when they got hot
GPZee... sounds so weird to us non Americans, instead of GPZed 😀
Man where do u find bikes like this???
The most important thing I learned from you is that Craig, as a mechanic, it is always best to install good factory parts. You followed the tech manual, and the culprit was faulty fake parts. Thank you for sticking with it and realizing that real genuine parts are what's recommended. Good video, Bearded mechanic and TY again for teaching us the right way.
Problem is they do not make them parts anymore. You either get aftermarket, new old stock or used. After 10 years motorcycle manufacturers quit making and stocking the parts. They then refuse to work on the bike after the 10 years is up. All the aftermarket parts come from China and it is a crap shoot if they work or not.
I have an 82 goldwing. When I bought it, it didn’t run. Nothing on it worked. I’ve only had it for a week now and I have it running and driving. But something is still off on it and I can’t figure it out for the life of me. I need help😭😭
Installing an OEM coil for a similar bike is a good work around on something like this Spaghetti. It will not trip the ABS fuse, set off the airbags, or cycle the rider modes eratically.
Fake or not eventually you'll have to assume that part xyz is not good regardless of how shiny and out of the box new it is
this's been happening with car parts too. i am not even sure they're fake, they've just got awful QC i think @@spagsketti
Those green coils are aftermarket ones. Probably why they both read same resistance, but higher than what the manual manual says, They probably were working fine. The pickup coils were the culprit, especially as they were reading almost open circuit instead of a few hundred ohms. I've owned a GPZ900R for 34 years (basically the same bike as this one) and done a lot of work on it. Nice to see some trouble shooting being done.
Came here looking for this comment. Yes those looked like Dynatek 3ohm green coils. So they were in spec for what they are, but outside of OEM spec. A mis-diagnosis on that then.
nailed it..soon as you saw the green coils, screams aftermarket! but as you say still great to see someone taking the time. Skills are disappearing quickly these days....
@@gtemnykh You will have a battery blow up in your face in the future. I know it. Cause you don't know ohms law.
@@gtemnykh Yep, those coils would have been fine in older aircooled 8 valve 1100, runs fine in mine. Slight possibility that those have done damage for old pickup coils.
But why did the coils made the bike not run?
It's so nice to see a real mechanic at work not just a glorified parts changer. So many shops now don't do any diagnostic procedures to find the real issues. Great work Craig!
Most young mechanics think of diagnostics as a port you plug a computer into.
True. On the other hand, the bike was sitting in the shop for 3 weeks. Since most shops are mainly interested in quick turnaround times and don’t want a bike sitting around taking up space for any longer than it absolutely needs to, many just opt for swapping the part most likely to be broken and hope for the best. And this works more often than not. Until it doesn’t. Then you end up with bikes that have gone through two or three different shops, each of which eventually putting their hands up saying „Sorry, we don’t know what’s wrong with her…that’ll be $373,67 please.“
Add to this the fact that a lot of mechanics today are completely out of their depth if they don’t have anywhere to plug in a computer.
@@DeputatKaktus Unfortunately, that's far too common these days, and what you're describing isn't what I'd call a mechanic/technician or anything close to that. Those people are no more than "Parts Changers" and they have no inhibitions regarding "trouble-shooting" with your wallet!!
glorified parts changer Lmfao 😀😀😀
Do you want me to fix it? Or do you want me to work on it?
moral of the story? check for continuity and resistance even with new parts. saves a lot of diagnosis & installation frustration. strong work!
Rule # 1 never trust Ebay electrical parts, or any parts that have to function. Cosmetics like plastics, no big deal working parts? Very risky off of ebay.
@@spartanx169xcouldn't agree more. In this case you get what you paid for.
Most of ebay electric stuff are shitty aliexpress "quality".@@spartanx169x
Craig you may benefit from an IV holder for your hanging fuel tank. Wheel it around where you need it and adjust for height.
Should be ezpz to make one yourself. I know medical supply companies usually don't sell even the most basic stuff for cheap.
I bought my wheeled IV stand at an estate sale for $5 @@EddSjo
Our shop we use a IV bag holder
Was it you who sent him One...?
The fairings alone drive mechanics insane. Moto mechanics fear that the amount of time put into fixing the problem will prohibitively increase the repair price so much that the customer will not pay because they won’t believe how much effort went into resolving the issue, so it becomes a cost benefit analysis decision. Glad you showed how difficult diagnosing and repairing a problem on an older bike can be.
You're right about the fairings. Got so sick of mine I turned it naked. Made some smaller body panels to cover the ugly parts. Bike looks good and a dream to work on
Everytime Craig gets an old bike running his beard grows one new gray hair... - The Beard of Knowledge 😂😂😂
Would have been nice to see Craig test the new coils and pickups in the same manner to see the difference.
wonder y...........
I think the new pickup coils wouldve measured fine (ohms), but they somehow threw off the timing, as we could witness when the exhaust was banging and popping.
Btw I think the old coils were fine. Seeing they measured the same and judging by the mounting brackets made me think those coils may be just sourced from a different bike.
The problem clearly was the pickup coils.
@@Chris-yy7qc Those were dyna coils, a really well known aftermarket brand of coil, I have them on 3 bikes I own and I've never had an issue.
I'm curious if they were measured to "their" specs vs the factory ones....and also if the proper resistance caps and plugs were used.
Another thing with setting carbs is on older bikes, It's a good idea to check the lifter shims BEFORE you set the carbs, especially if you know it's been sitting for awhile.
My yamaha was so far out of whack it wouldn't even idle start, Took me 3 hours to trace it out and redo the shims.
literally just thinking this. but I am coming from a place of almost no mechanical knowledge.
@@xeronicus forgive my mechanical ignorance - just trying to learn from your comment. this was a case of valve clearance out of spec causing not enough air entering the carbs as a result?
Amazing how intelligent Craig is and how much dedication he has for motorcycles. Love watching him work and listen to the amount of information he has.
I am of the same mind! So glad he got his own channel up and running since Shawn left for Tennessee.
Watching Craig work as well as his personality is just wonderful ❤️
I agree here!
Jesus loves you, and so do I! Seek after Him!
@@IArcticFoxOG keep your death cult for yourself
@@high_monkey Smoking cannabis is bad for you, mentally, physically, and spiritually. God can take away your need for cannabis and more important, let you keep your soul after the physical life has ended the spiritual life has just begun, where will you be, in the presence or God, or suffering wishing you were? Your choice.
@@RorySRussell believing in god is bad for you physically, mentally, spiritual it makes you believe there is an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!
But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can't handle money! In the end you have too grow up and stop believing in fairy tales life is life you got born you work and you die thats it
Your a shining example of a dedicated and excited mechanic. You rock Craig, and Dan your an awesome cameraman love how your involved in the videos too
Long time bike n beards / srkcycles watcher here, i love this channel, as a mechanic theres so much channels out there, but they are all either too simple and trying to be cool, or they are way too long and unenjoyable to watch, Craig is just an amazing presenter with tons of knowledge and you manage to cut it into an interesting episode!! Please keep going Craig and co! Greetings from Europe!
His video editor is also very much worthy to be praised. He keeps the video to the point, showing the proper highlights and not cutting out the actual important parts. Also showing us the progress of time between shots and the whole evolution of the project
MotorcycleMD is also a great site.
It’s nice to see someone take the time to make old classics work again!
Love my 2002 ZZR600 pulls the skin off your face sort of bike
Classic?
Looks like a throw away to me. Build 10s of thousands or more at “cheap” prices and when it’s obsolete you buy the next cool new sport bike with whatever new wiz-bang new tech they have on them.
Sport bikes are ridiculous.
The service advisor in me knows how legit Craig is when he says "replicate the issue" I should get that tattooed somewhere
I really appreciate the fact that you let us know how many time this repair took, people use to think that their vehicles can just get in the shop and 30 minutes later it's ready to
i am sure most repairs dont take a month. but there will be problems that can take this long.,.. or even longer
Absolutely superb to watch as someone returning to motorcycling after 18 years . As a UK 🇬🇧 engineer I was somewhat confused at first until I realised that the terminology you guys use for the coil types is different here in uk 🇬🇧 . A really entertaining and thoroughly educational video and of course I look forward to following you again . ☀️😎👍
Nice one. You've always got to be wary of ebay stuff, sometimes it's knock off junk in oem packing! Another point, those Pod filters will cause carburation problems if the carbs haven't been re jetted to allow for the increased air flow.
With CV carbs, another thing to be weary of is if those pods have a lip that prevents airflow to the diaphragm port, even partially. In addition, without a shared intake track(see stock airbox) it’s possible the carbs on the outside get more airflow and then you have sync issues. This setup was genius, but it’s very finicky unless dialed in. That’s why I’m converting to efi for my 82.
I was a service manager back in the '90's and 2000's. It's untelling how many times I tossed a set of those pod filters and found a used factory airbox to fix the problem.
And, oddly enough, ''Ninjas'' were the bikes that hated pods the most. With FZR's being a close second.
Fantastic job done by Craig, when nobody else would touch it. No greater gut punch than making a bikes issue worse when 'fixing it', but Craig stuck with it and pulled it off! Well done Craig and Dan!
Great bike! Nice to see you get the bugs worked out... those dang electrical gremlins are the worst. Cool that a classic bike like that one gets another shot at life! Hope the customer has fun riding it! Safely of course :D
I had one do exactly the same thing. It was a coil that would break down once hot! I am 62 and do miss working on machines. I drag raced Mopar's and Bikes all of my life! I lost two brothers to motorcycle accidents and promised my mother that I would never buy another bike. I kept the promise for 20 years and eventually had to ride again. I had a very good friend who passed away last November. He was once of the best bike mechanics that I ever knew. He ate and slept motorcycle! Rest in peace Rodney Allen Jett!
Im having a bad day, this is exactly what i need. You’re amazing craig ✌️
Here's hoping for a better tomorrow, friend! 🎉😊
Fantastic! Another "Thumbs Up" for Craig. Craig, I'm enjoying your new content far more than the old stuff. You've gone from silly entertainment (B&B), to being an educator, while still being fun to watch and learn. Doing it all on a budget! You're proof that you don't have to spend big bucks to make good content about motorcycles. Thank you very much!
good to see "old school" mechanics still exist, here in my little part of the world it is hard to find a mechanic that will work on anything older than 10 years because all they want to do is have a computer diagnose the problem and then just replace the part.
keep up the awesome work Craig. 👍👍
One interesting side note I've found. That 10 year "rule" was implemented by the Insurance Industry. At least that's what my local dealership told me. Something about the parts aren't "Factory" available so they can't be warranted.
@@SGTJDerek Another thing with using 10 years is parts availability. By law, the factory is required to supply every single replacement part for a machine for 10 years.
After that, they don't have to anymore. So parts availability can become an issue.
Back when I was a service manager, I would routinely turn away old stuff. The main two reasons were not just age, but previous modifications/hacks that would have to be found (the hard way)
The other reason is a customer would pay $100 for a basket case, then think it could be fixed for a couple hundred. When you start talking ''thousands'' to get started (in 1990's/2000 dollars), the usual reply is ''but it's just a motorcycle''.
Taking those bikes in would usually end up taken apart, pushed to the side, and waiting on the customer to bring in a deposit to order parts. And that time could have been spent actually servicing other machines. Instead of getting stuck with a bike and no title.
@@earlbrown I can understand that but when a Bike that hasn't changed in 17 years without changing, is still available new and all you need is your tires installed, it's a little asinine.
@@SGTJDerek Bikes chance a LOT when they sit.
Plus, the basket cases I mentioned don't drive to my shop for a new set of tires.
That's not a ''bring back from dead'', that's a tire install. (and when you learn that it might take 3 hours to beat the axle out to get the wheel off)
it took a while but i recently found a mechanic to fix my 32yo zzr 1100, it cost me almost $2000au to have it fixed. some of us still want our old bikes running and are willing to pay for it. 👍@@earlbrown
Many years ago I picked up a 1990 ZX-10 off craigs list. I did not have a chance to put too many miles on it but along with a carb problem it also, I eventually found out through trial and error, had the same type of coil problem. The owner had given up on it and he also had a garage full of toys to play with so it was just up against a wall covered in dust. I got the bike for a song and a dance.The bike had not ran for over 10 years and wasn't running worth a crap when the previous owner stopped riding it and gave up on it. Not doing a commercial here but for anyone out there having this problem you can get a set of new Dyna brand high energy coils and swap those out from the factory coils. Once I installed the Dyna coils in I was able to finish syncing the carbs. Gave her a bath and oh my god that bike was awsome and with only a little over 15000 miles on the clock it looked brand new and ran like new. Didn't have it very long before a collector of these types of bikes bought it from me somewhere down in Alabama. Kinda makes me wonder if this coil thing is a common problem with these bikes!!😁
you sure can
Hey Craig great job! On your ohm check on the ignition coil secondary you had the plug wires in the circuit, which will add resistance. Just something to keep in mind. Keep up the great videos
Please add more footage of riding the finished product to your videos! The best parts are when it finally runs and when you get it going, would just love more of that.
I’ll keep that in mind! But most people hop off the video when we start the ride 🤷♂️
I definitely agree with this! We want to see it fly!
@@ste--- well fly is a big word haha, still a customers bike. maybe a gixerbrah collab for the test ride ;)
@@The_Bearded_Mechanic yeah some people do hop of during the ride but the real ones that love all things mechanical will watch like me and this guy 😅 good project loved watching
@@The_Bearded_MechanicAnd since this is a business, gotta keep focusing on what brings in the dough 😅
Well done Craig , hope the customer paid you well, you did far more than any of the others were prepared to do 10/10
This job must have cost over 1000 or 2000 dollar. Much more as the current value of the bike.
I have the same problem with motor which has not run for 15 years. The mechanic warns me for the costs although it is a great bike.
I have the same exact problem on my 1989 Suzuki katana! You just helped me figure out what was wrong! Thank you
I had an 89 katana. Red with gold wheels. I rode that bike all over the southeastern US from FL to AR to NC.
I had a similar problem with my old Suzuki GSX400X. It turned out to be the ignition coil losing power when the engine is hot. It took some time to figure out.
Now I haven't watched the video to the end, it will be interesting to see if it's the same problem (probably not)
Probably is, that's what coils do. Check their well grounded.
I wonder if one of the (probably) many previous owners changed out the factory coils for “performance” coils. Old high performance bikes like this had plenty of power, but for many owners there’s a whispered temptation to do things and add stuff to “make it faster”. The sketchy DIY-ish coil mounts would immediately make me suspicious, especially given that the coil resistance was so much higher than spec.
Yep, they were green Dyna coils
I used to work at a shop that had a Factory Pro dyno, and what used to amaze owners constantly was A: how little HP their bikes made at the rear wheel compared to the figure quoted in the sales brochure, usually 20/25hp less, as the factories measured HP "At the crank" then the advertisement dept embellished it. And B: how little HP their flash, new, shiny "performance" part made, (often they would lose HP). Before dynos made advertisers of aftermarket performance parts kinda honest, some of the claims for go faster bits were outrageous.🤣
@@uhtred7860 years back I remember someone showing off their dyno graph for their bike showing an impressive power figure for that engine. In small writing on the graph you could see a correction figure listed on the graph. 20%!
As a former service manager for a Honda motorcycle dealership, 89' till 93' I must say I commend you on how you took care of this customers Ninja. Much respect to you.
Nice to be let in on the diagnostics process. These older 4 Cylinder bikes are becoming ever more difficult to get mechanics to work on, and their value is also becoming a factor in how much an owner is willing to invest. The solution is do it yourself and with videos such as this there is help at hand. Thank you for sharing and helping owner/amateur mechanics such as myself.
Richard 1995 ZX7 L3 owner in Brazil.
that's actually so crazy to me that two other shops wouldn't test the stator coils, pickups, or ignition coils. Those are almost always the first things I'll go to for diagnosis after I've confirmed good fuel flow for carbies and good pumps for FI.
I came into this video really thinking we were going to get a head scratcher. Perhaps because I've been through the ignition and related on my 1984 Nighthawk so I feel the pain of 40 year old electrical!
A classic example of “HOW MUCH?!? I got a buddy who can do it for WAY cheaper”
Or a classic example of taking to to a shop and spending like 2k for them to say "we tested the... (10 minutes later) and we can't get it figured out."
Good job! 😀 Bought a 1985 900 Ninja brand new, absolutely loved that bike. Easy to work on, easy to change oil and adjust the valves. I went down at 130+ on that bike in 1992, bike was destroyed as well as a few body parts and skin of my own. About 2 months later I found the same model bike, transferred what HP goodies I could from the old pieces and rode that bike for a number of years. They were pretty much bullet proof as long as you stayed on top of maintenance and simply took care of the bike.
I’ve got a registered and rideable A1 GPZ900R in my back shed 👍
I wouldn't call them "Bulletproof" they do have some well known issues (mainly the A1/A2 models) that are easily sorted. The biggest issue with them now days is finding a nice one that has been looked after and not gone through the hands of a complete eejit.
The reason most shops these days won’t fix older equipment like this is because the art of diagnosing something based off of the symptoms being exhibited is a dying art.. most techs these days go straight for the laptop/ipad to diagnose through the sensors on the vehicle .. and since it’s mostly new kids coming in to shops these days, they don’t even want to try looking at them
Think about how long it took to diagnose and fix this bike. It's a cool bike but would YOU want to pay a hundred labor hours for a bike you can get for a grand or two? They absolutely can do the work. No one wants to pay for it.
This man deserves all the successes. Force the beards to reunite!
Try and force anybody to do anything and your asking for trouble
@@larryhullinger4141 it’s a joke brother, relax. But you’re right. Proud of both of my brothers in Christ, THE almighty.
Naw, I actually like his quieter manner without all the verbosity
When Craig first started his own channel, I was kind of like meh. Now it’s one of my favourite channels. Well done sir.
He's getting better. Having a camera guy helped a lot. Michelle at Fab Rats does a good job of keeping camera guys on hand. Derek's kid holds his camera some on VGG I think.
Craig is pretty good with the camera. He speaks plainly and directly to the audience very well. He negotiates: stating the complaint, verifying the condition, discussing potential and most likely solutions, problem solving skill, and verification testing while attending to the bike and camera, fluidly. He's getting close to making Larry Potterfield how to videos.
Good job Craig!
Nice video Craig. Good to see your diagnosis process. That problem with bad new parts has hit me before now. Frustrating but looks like you got back to checking them pretty quickly - maybe in real time you had a few hours of pondering (and swearing) !
Craig and Dan you guys are killing it on the views and content! Very happy you continued and created your own channel!
You are a really good mechanic, when those replacement coils were "replaced" and you started it, it immediately sounded fixed.
I love watching you work on these old bikes and it impresses me on how much knowledge you have on fixing bikes. Great job and another great video, keep up the good work.
Excellent job trouble shooting the problem. I've got an old Kawasaki Concours 1000, same engine as the Ninja, and do all the work myself because very few mechanics want to touch it. Just a little history, we all knew about the Ninja's before Top Gun. I graduated in 86, and I remember the first of what I'd call the modern day rice rockets were the Honda Interceptors, then the Ninja's GPZ's came out and that was the hot bike until the Suzuki GSXR's made their debut in 86. The one Maverick had was a Ninja GPZ 900R, still a hot bike!
The GPZ 900R (we never knew it as the "Ninja") is still a good bike it outlived not only the bike that was supposed to replace it, but the bike that was to replace the replacement! You could still buy it as a new bike well into the 90s here in NZ, and was still selling in Japan until 2003. This model tho, was a fizzle, it did nothing better than the 900R and was poorer than it in many areas. Still its nice to see a decent one again, haven't seen one that wasn't a basket case in years.
Nothing more satisfying putting on your gear to test all your hard work. Recently got my cylinders honed, installed new piston rings, and lapped the valves on my 130k mile Ninja 500. Test ride went good so I took it to VIR and ripped it around the track. Doesn't get better than that.
I had one exactly like this one,.. For Two years Lots of fun, Very fast. Traded it for a new 1987 YAMAHA VMAX,. Big mistake. Never could get rid of the wabbles.
i remember these bikes fondly as well as the 1000 hurricanes. loved seeing the VANCE & HINES IGNITION ADVANCER. i think the reason they had the coils mounted JANKY like that is because they are DYNA brand coils which are designed differently (shape) and possibly the wrong ohm coils were purchased because ive used dyna and in my 32 years of riding never had one of their coils go bad.
Yeah...running the V&H advance on my 87 Ninja 750R I bought brand new! She's still beautiful!
I gather that it's the same situation with a Yamaha RD350LC, if I were to get that brand of coil, I'd need to make a bracket/place it elsewhere.
@@RadioReprisedAWESOME machine 🤠🇬🇧🤘
Yeah, this subject bike had some janky prior maintenance.
Oh brought back memories there. I had an 88 Hurricane 600
Craig, the real TopGun 🤘🤘
Watching these videos reminds me of my dad’s motorcycle shop growing up. Him and one employee, took in every type of bike and brand, never had a diagnostic tool just could listen and shakedown and know what to fix.
I have a buddy that's the same way,he just rev's one up and let's you know what's wrong with it and fixes it in minutes.
The TopGun motorbike was the GPZ 900R A1 painted in gpz750 europe colours ...... NOT the 1000r
You cant even get that right at the start of the video. Wont bother watching anymore as this has to be the biggest mistake ever . Wrong bike in the 1st 40 secs of the video . Wow . Do you know what bike he used in top gun 11 ???
Good to see that you managed to get the old barge running. When watching you take the cover off to inspect the "Trigger coils" I noticed that the bike has been fitted with a "Vance&Hines" ignition advancer plate, so that will affect the slow running a little bit, plus the ignition coils were a set of "Dyna" coils, again that will give slightly different reading. Anyhoo, glad it all ended up running, but those pod filters would go straight in the bin if it were my bike, 🤣.
Agreed
Just watched and wanted to mention those Dyna coils. BIG deal/bragging rights back in the day 👍
Yep, pod filters with CV carbs are a pain in the arse, and CVs always work better with the airbox.
That airfilter setup will probebly set you back 20-30hp midrange, stock carbs needs the stock airbox to work correctly.
You are acting as a true inspiration for my personal restoration journey with vintage motorcycles. thanks so much for these inspiring videos! Love it!
Those individual round pod filters cause so many running issues, most likely cheap junk. I'd recommend your customer bin those and if he still wants to be air box free then fit something like K&N oval filters.
Had similar issue from new none OEM signal relay.Bought used OEM and now my bike signals correctly. If anything to take away from this just buy OEM parts not Chinese knock offs
I was only 16 when top gun came out. When I saw that 900 i had to get one.
Well I got a 750 ninja instead but it was the best bike ever...until I got more and more bikes. I ride still to this day w several big bikes.
I bought this same bike brand new in 1986 at G&G cycles in. Salisbury Massachusetts. My friend had the GPZ900 ninja like in the Top Gun movie.. after riding that I was sold on Kawasaki.. and bought the 1000R. I had it 13 years and put over 50 thousand miles on it.. I took it to Sturgis in South Dakota.. back in 2000.. it ran like crap do to the altitude difference and the speedometer cable broke.. I sold it soon after for $2500 bucks.. if that cable hadn’t broke I might of kept it just to see how long that motor would have lasted… then I lost my license for 6 years.. after that I bought a 98 ZX900 then the 04 ZX10r then on to the bike I have now.. 2006 ZX10R. This bike will probably take me to the end… lots of great memories and pictures.. let the good times roll…
I have a 1985 Kawasaki Ninja 600R and have been trying to fix it up.
CV (constant velocity) carbies don't go well with pod filters.
Those air filters are 3rd party as is the igntion timing plate, IM betting the carbs havent bee jetted for the filter and someone has fiddled with the igintion timing.
Interesting....... this type of ignition coils don't need to be grounded to the frame at all. Theyre mounted to plastic on my bike. The hardware screws straight into plastic. No metal anywhere. 🧐
Australian here. In 1986, i got a GPZ900r, (they didn't have Ninja on the side, but were the same) blue/Silver. Absolutely fantastic bike.
Great work. I must admit I'd have gone for a fuel problem 😊
The coils have been replaced with dyna coils you cant use factory specs for those
Happy to see you got it running, so my question to you is what was the total time and cost of this job?
Why does the preview image look like a gta 4 loading screen. 😅
20:15 after charging the customer for all that time and parts you fixed it by pushing a spark plug wire into its boot
Pod filters are always the big problem, u need main jets that are gigantic! Not having the negative air pressure of the stock air box is always a problem....😊
It's the carbs. Clean the jets it will run fine. Basics
yeah with bad coils she sounded like crap. ✔️ another knotch.
the topgun bike wasn't the 1000 ninja.. it was the 1985 GPZ900R...almost but not the same
Good job properly diagnosing and correcting the problem. Its a shame that technicians who not only have the skills, but also have the diligence to find and fix problems are disappearing.
The most important thing I learned from you is that Craig, as a mechanic, it is always best to install good factory parts. You followed the tech manual, and the culprit was faulty fake parts. Thank you for sticking with it and realizing that real genuine parts are what's recommended. Good video, Bearded mechanic and TY again for teaching us the right way.
a couple of things, it would probably benefit from a stage three dynojet kit seeing as it has no airbox and a four into one system. Also, I believe the Top Gun bike was a Gpz900R, this was the successor.
Very cool seeing this ole feller.
I had a 600 Ninja (black w/red), bought it new when they 1st came out in '85. Sold it, then ended up buying another, except it was red w/white, and it was set up for track racing in Utah.
Traded that in and bought a used '89 ZX-10 from the Newgate mall dealership in Ogden in '91, when a guy traded up for a '91 ZX1100.
I ended up meeting him, and eventually buying that '91 from him as well.
The bike haven't been ridden in more years than I want to admit, so seeing one of the brothers running/rolling around and loving, here really bring me great joy and memories.
Thanks a ton!!
Great fix-it vid.
Your badass man great stuff 🔥🔥🔥💪🏾💯
Most shops nowadays mechanics are just parts changers
Thats pretty much all he did. He just figured out which part it actually was.
I don´t trust those air filters,,,
Since your camera man has so much experience watching you diagnose and fix bikes, how about giving him a try to dianose/fix a bike?%
Awesome work Craig!
I've been down that road a few times with bikes. Always so rewarding when you get it right though. Also, love the sound of a old Kawi with a 4 to 1!🏍🏍🏍
The aftermarket Dyna coils were the issue - they're not normally compatible with original ignition parts and usually need to be installed as part of a complete ignition replacement kit.
Going back to stock coils, working with stock ignition components, was the best option
Nice job Craig! The key for me on a vintage bike recovery is getting to it before the "knucklheads" get their hands on it. My last two builds they got to them first. And on both bikes those knuckleheads worked at a shop (of some sort). Someone paid good money just to have someone make it worse.
I used to work for a guy who imported old Kawasaki Z1/900/1000s and two stroke triples into NZ from the U.S about 2 decades ago when they were dirt cheap, some of the "repairs" we found going over those bikes were unbelievable, many downright dangerous. Using hose clips to hold on the front sprocket was very common, other hilarious "fixes" we found were, using rubber fuel hose as brake lines😆 using wires used in homes for the wiring, using filler to"fix" fuel tank leaks and using wood screws as fasteners, this last one was VERY common. I'm restoring an 87 FZR1000 at the moment and has suffered from a "knucklhead".
Had a Kawa GPX600R (a late GPZ) as my first bike. 85HP 180kg/400LB. It served me well. Not especially fast (nothing compared to the ZX-14 I rode the last 10 years), but for a first ride it was more than enough.