Getting the GSXR Ready for Spring - Part 1

    Finally, after months of waiting for the winter to end it seems like spring is right around the corner.  Of my 4 bikes, 2 of them are registered and insured, and 1 of those 2 is lying in a heap of parts until I get my order in from J&P Cycles.  I’ve usually get my parts from them pretty quickly, but it seemed like most of the parts I ordered were on backorder. I guess a lot of people are rebuilding old Sportsters this month.  Anyway, so that leaves me one bike that is ready to ride, well mostly anyway.  I’m usually a stickler for maintenance so there are a few things that I want to take care of before I even take it for the first ride of the season. 

      The bike I am working on today is my 2003 Suzuki GSX-R 600 Alstare edition.  This is their 40th anniversary celebratory model.  I picked this particular bike up about 6 years ago while “window shopping” on Ebay, and I got it for a steal.  I’ll get more into that later, that story is enough for its own post.  Ok, enough background for now, back to the project at hand.  I was diligent last year and put on new tires as well as flushed the cooling system.  I also tore apart and cleaned the front and rear calipers, followed by fresh fluid.  So I know all those components are fine, I didn’t put enough mileage on my bike last year to go over them again (although I did do a quick check to make sure brakes were operating correctly and that the fluid level was ok).  I also charged my battery a few weeks ago so that should be good.   

      So with all of that taken care; there are only a few things that need to be dealt with before it goes out on the road.   First thing I want to do is siphon out the old gas (it’s been in there since last fall) and put in some fresh gas I just picked up.  I’ve used Seafoam in the past but I haven’t used it in my GSXR before, but I know a lot of people do so what the hell.  I added 1 oz. per gallon of fuel.  Hopefully it cleans my injectors as advertised, although one of my friends did tell me that the fuel pressure on a bike like this is so high that the injectors don’t really get very dirty.  I haven’t looked into that bit of info, but it sounds good (If anyone can confirm or deny that, please email Nik@bloggingbiker.com).  Ok, after that is done I start her up and get the engine nice and warm.  I wait until the engine is around 200 degrees then shut it off and pull it back in the garage (the oil will remove more of the sludge in your engine at normal operating temp).  Now I’m ready to change the oil. 



        I already have my fairings off at this point, but they need to be pulled before the oil is changed.  The task of removing the fairings can take about as long as it does to change the oil, and can be a real  PITA (especially the first time you do it).  You might want to put a piece of cardboard under the bike as you do it, so the fairings don’t get scratched when they are lying on the dirt.  There are two difficult parts in removing the fairings; the first part is removing the fasteners on the underside of the bike.  Easiest way is to take a screwdriver and pop out the center, and then simply pull the entire fastener out.  The next part can really try your patience.
   

There is another type of fastener at the front of the fairing, back behind the blinker, that connects the air dam of the fairing to an air damn under the front cowl.  I find it easiest to save this for last (this is where that piece of cardboard will come in handy).  With the fairing off and resting on the floor, take a wide flat screwdriver and push the center of the fitting out from the inside.  All that’s left now is to unhook the wiring for the blinker.


 Note:  I was originally going to make this one post, but it turned out way too long.  Part 2 will follow.