Heya from Melbourne, Aus

[GEREN]

Hey there,

Recently got myself a 2001 GZ250 Marauder locally here in Melbourne, Australia. I like the thing but it'll be time for more power very soon. Either a VFR400 or a 600RR me thinks. I have no car and the bike is all I have to get around on - I reckon cars are for pansies! :2tup:
Anywho, while I've had it, I've gotten some low-rise handlebars for it (Eliminator brand) and removed the rear seat (looks better IMO). Also chopped up the rear license plate surround and made it fairly minimal in profile which I like (see rear view pic).
I also positioned a regular coiled bike lock under the seat so that I can attach the helmet to the left side of the bike and have it secure which I recommend for everyone - works a treat!
(Just have the 2 ends coming out the left side near the airbox and run it through the D-ring on your helmet and lock it, then just keep the key for it on your keychain and hey presto).
You can see the red cable on the right hand side of the bike in the pics below. I can post pics of the left side if people want.
I'm planning on getting some low profile mirrors for it and am undecided on the headlight for now (as Im concerned about resale potential with a lot of mods being illegal here in Australia) but we'll see!

I'm a big fan of the cafe racer style of bikes and was inspired by the mono shock conversion that I saw on here a little while back and that black one with the Harley muffler, dual beam headlights and chopped rear fender. :rawk:

Here's some piccies (excuse the dirt, was a rush photo tonight) :retard:





I've just written up another thread on some LED indicators I've gotten for it and have a few questions. If u can help me out with it, please follow the link
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=2785

Love the forum BTW :lol:

[alantf]

Originally Posted by GEREN

I also positioned a regular coiled bike lock under the seat so that I can attach the helmet to the left side of the bike and have it secure which I recommend for everyone - works a treat!

Hi there, & welcome to the forum. Gotta mate out in Oz, but he's on the west coast, in Perth (Secret Harbour). He changes his bike more often than he changes his socks, but he reckons that anything with wheels is real expensive over there.

By the way - don't know if you've noticed - but there are already TWO helmet holders on the bike. If you lift the seat you'll see a sort of metal hook on each side. Slide the helmet D-ring over the hook, replace the seat, & - hey presto - safely secured helmet! :2tup:

Might just be the photo, but it looks like your rear tyre is getting squared off (i.e. it's been ridden upright, with not much leaning into the bends - little old lady style-) Might pay you to get your local bike shop to take a look. Don't forget that your tyres are the only thing holding the bike upright.

Just one more thing :roll: most of us have found that the Marauder likes the occasional treat of a dose of carb cleaner or fuel additive in the tank, to keep it running sweet :2tup:

[GEREN]

Originally Posted by alantf

there are already TWO helmet holders on the bike. If you lift the seat you'll see a sort of metal hook on each side. Slide the helmet D-ring over the hook, replace the seat, & - hey presto - safely secured helmet! :2tup:

Ah awesome. I havent noticed that! The bike lock works good because it keeps the rain out of the inside of my helmet but if what you say is as good, I'll definitely be switching to that! [this is why I love forums :2tup: ]

Originally Posted by alantf

Might just be the photo, but it looks like your rear tyre is getting squared off (i.e. it's been ridden upright, with not much leaning into the bends - little old lady style-) Might pay you to get your local bike shop to take a look. Don't forget that your tyres are the only thing holding the bike upright.

Not sure I know quite what you mean here. What's "squared off"? Am I not leaning into corners enough?? :??:
[just got it back from a service so a bit concerned to hear this]
EDIT - on second glance, I see the way it is looking a bit square. Reason may be that it was sitting in a shed for about 4 years before I got it hence the service. Have since put 3000km on it but still, if this is what you mean, it may be due to the fact it hasnt been used very much before I got it - ?

Cheers
Chris

[alantf]

Originally Posted by GEREN

Have since put 3000km on it but still, if this is what you mean, it may be due to the fact it hasnt been used very much before I got it - ?

Don't think it's your 3000km that's done it. Storage for 4 years is unlikely to have caused it either (it's squared all round it. Standing in one place for 4 years would cause local damage to the bit that was in contact with the ground) Seems IMHO to have been caused by the riding style of the previous owner.

However!............ Now that you've mentioned that it's been standing for 4 years - two things - Please get BOTH tyres checked by the bike shop. Like I said, they're the ONLY things between riding happily along, & something VERY nasty happening. Secondly - I reckon that a dose of carb cleaner (NOW!) is definitely in order, before any shite that's worked its way to the bottom of the tank, ends up in the carb.

The only thing that's stopping the crud from flowing is that the carb's taking fuel from above the pipe that's on the petcock (in the tank) If you use "reserve" you might be in for a nasty surprise, because then it uses the fuel from the bottom of the tank. If I was you, I'd be mighty tempted to remove the petcock & drain the tank - just in case! :2tup:

By the way, how many kilometers did the previous owner put on the bike?

[GEREN]

I see what you mean with the carb cleaner. Will get onto that ASAP. Not too confident with tanking off the tank but will have a look into it.
The previous owner only put 1200km on it. Then it sat around, then I got it.
The tyres will be done with the next service.

The one thing I dislike about the bike is that there arent too many here in Melb and all the help seems to be from guys in the States (and they'll have different specs! :s)

[alantf]

Originally Posted by GEREN

there arent too many here in Melb and all the help seems to be from guys in the States (and they'll have different specs!

Well ......... I'm in Spain, so mine's European spec. (Apparently that's the same as Canadian spec, apart from the lighting regs) I don't know quite what spec yours'll be. The main difference with European versus American is that the European carb is set up richer (American carbs are set up weaker to comply with the emission laws) so treat any postings about carb mods with caution.

I'll e-mail my mate in Perth, sometime today, & see if he can shed any light on the Oz spec. He's been riding in Oz for a lot of years, & his job is selling diagnostic computers to garages, so I'd imagine he's well up on the specs :2tup:

EDIT :- I've e-mailed Bob, in Perth, but so far, no reply (there's a 9 hour time difference) In the meantime I've checked the service manual - you can download it from this site - & there's DEFINITELY an Aussie spec. Check any item for code E-24. The main difference is the carb, & hence the idle speed. I'll not go any further into this, because you'll learn a LOT more by reading the manual & finding what applies to the bike in general, & the Aussie bike in particular. :2tup:

[GEREN]

Got a hold of some bar end mirrors. Seen the Benelli cafe racer with the same underside bar end setup and loved it! So I had to try it on the Geezer and I'll be sticking with it!









Visibility isn't as bad as it looks. Its just the case of a bit of time spent looking down at the mirrors under your arm rather than above your arm.
The mirrors only just miss the tank at full lock each side so they dont knock the tank at all. Only when I'm doing sharp turns do I have to stick my knee out to allow the mirror to fold in but its an acceptable adjustment which I've gotten used to after about 20 mins riding!
All opinions welcome

[alantf]

Can you get hold of something fancy to screw into the holes where the mirrors used to be? Reckon that'd set it off bonzer. :chop:

[dannylightning]

i wish i could do something like that with my bike. but the mirrors would hit the tank when the bars were turned.

[GEREN]

I'll find some screws to put in the empty threads soon.
You can bar end mirrors that done have such a long arm though, dannylightning. I got these as they were the easiest to come across.
Cheers