missing a plastic piece can't identify it

[alanmcorcoran]

Josh,

The GZ is geared very low. 1st is just to get rolling and won't get you very far. 10mph is about it, if that. Second won't get you much further. Unless you are going uphill, it's not unusual to be in fifth by 40 or 45. There's a thread on here somewhere about where people shift.

I have gotten a little more aggressive rev wise on the GZ after riding a bigger bike (I can go 50 in second on my Strat [1850cc] if I want to.) On the GZ, I tend to wind each gear out to close to what I think is redline - probably not the best practice, but you at least feel like you are going faster,sooner. I think the real key to coaxing performance out is third and fourth gear. If you are going uphill at all, stay out of 5th (some on here refer to it more as an overdrive.) When you are on a flat, and you want to go as fast as possible, wind it up as far as you can in third and fourth before you shift. On the freeway, I'll get mine up to close to 60 in fourth, sometimes even higher, before I shift. The bike doesn't have much torque in lower revs. I'm not sure what riding it so hard does to its useful life, but I'm guessing it's probably not recommended, but you can't go on the freeways out here at less than 65 unless you want to be run over.

There are also posts on here re proper chain slack. I think it's about a 1/2 inch but I don't really remember. Use the search feature.

Over the last 20 months or so I have seen numerous threads, ideas, mods, etc. to coax a little more out of the bike. From where I sit, most of the mods are pretty radical, irreversible and few have reported any significant improvement. One exception is the cog with an extra tooth that a lot of people seem to like. My own experience is that a well tuned bike (valves, carb especially) properly inflated tires and a lightweight rider in a tuck position will give you more improvement than re-jetting or cutting your exhaust. At the end of the day, I think a majority of the site members have decided if you want a faster bike it's easier to buy a faster bike than make the GZ into one.

Keep us posted on your first few weeks.

[joshf123]

@ moedad

i don't know what that is :/ if you are asking am i sure it wasn't that drooping, then yes i am sure that it was the chain just slightly drooping. i may just be looking in to things too far that could be normal.

@ alanmcorcoran

thanks for all the info i'll keep ya posted on how things go. i bought the bike just 3 days ago and now it is snowing here :O but next week it is supposed to be 60 degrees with clear skies. that will be ideal to get her legs stretched oh one more question: my buddy says if he doesn't crank his bike and at least let it idle for a little while every few days his battery will drain and he has to charge it (which takes several hours) Do i need to get out there and crank her up every other day or so? i've actually heard from other people that it isn't good to let it sit unused for long periods of time.

thanks again

[alantf]

Originally Posted by joshf123

Do i need to get out there and crank her up every other day or so?

NO,NO,& NO again. It's generally accepted that it does more harm than good to start the engine & not get it up to operating temperature. (moisture in the exhaust etc) & you won't do the engine much good by getting it up to temperature without being on the move. (airflow over the cylinders etc) Best thing is to get a battery tender, to keep the battery charged up, but PLEASE try to resist the urge to start the bike up! :2tup:

[bonehead]

Originally Posted by alantf

NO,NO,& NO again. It's generally accepted that it does more harm than good to start the engine & not get it up to operating temperature. (moisture in the exhaust etc) & you won't do the engine much good by getting it up to temperature without being on the move. (airflow over the cylinders etc) Best thing is to get a battery tender, to keep the battery charged up, but PLEASE try to resist the urge to start the bike up! :2tup:

I have ridden my bike probably 3 times in the past 2 months due to weather. It may sit for 2 weeks without starting. But when I do get to ride, I pull the cover off, key on, choke on, and she cranks right up.

[mrlmd1]

You will be draining more out of the battery by starting it and running it for a few minutes at idle than you are putting back into the battery.The GZ has a puny alternator charging system and works much better at higher revs, like during cruising at 3500-4000+rpm. If you want to maintain the battery, charge it up fully and leave it alone, put it on a trickle charger overnight once a month and that should be enough to keep it healthy over the winter. Or, if you have a good automatic trickle charger with a regulated charge, you could leave it hooked up but that's really a waste. There should be no problem with a good fully charged battery lasting a month or more and still be able to start the bike. Do not run it every few days unless you are going to ride it somewhere, don't just let it sit at idle.
Charge it up, cover it up and forget it 'till you are ready to ride.

[Moedad]

Originally Posted by joshf123

@ moedad

i don't know what that is :/ if you are asking am i sure it wasn't that drooping, then yes i am sure that it was the chain just slightly drooping. i may just be looking in to things too far that could be normal.

No, I was just throwing in a movie quote. I messed up though--should've asked if it was the primary buffer PANEL.

http://www.moviesoundclips.net/movie...hatwasthat.wav

[alanmcorcoran]

Originally Posted by joshf123

Do i need to get out there and crank her up every other day or so? i've actually heard from other people that it isn't good to let it sit unused for long periods of time.

It isn't, but two or three days is not long. Two or three weeks is actually okay for a bike in decent condition, but beyond that, it's gonna be more difficult to start and probably won't run as well. I should have been more specific - it's best if you actually ride it. I don't know that I agree with the discharging comments or the overheating comments, but I am not experienced mechanically and I'm just going off my personal experience. I can tell you I've heard some things about batteries and recharging from dealers and dealer mechanics that are not borne out by my personal experience. I also do not find the GZ to be prone to overheating, even though it is an air cooled bike - particularly if we are talking about running it in the winter. My Stratoliner is a different story - it gets hot if I sit too long at a traffic light.

I do agree that a battery tender is the proper way to go for longer periods of down time. There's a lot more you should do if it's gonna sit for months (that's covered in other threads.) Battery tenders and battery chargers are both cheap, and, if you are careless like me, you will probably need one or both sooner or later. But they are only going to address the slow discharge of the battery, which, in my experience, is not the primary problem of unridden bikes. I'm just guessing, but I think the gas, when it is not combusting its way through the carb, leaves some sort of film (gunk) on the finer parts and once that reaches a critical point, the bike runs like crap and you have to cycle a healthy dose of carb cleaner through it (or worse) to get it running good again. If the bike won't run, or you aren't riding it much, well, then that makes it more difficult for the carb cleaner to work and you have yourself a deteriorating situation.

[alantf]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

the gas, when it is not combusting its way through the carb, leaves some sort of film (gunk) on the finer parts and once that reaches a critical point, the bike runs like crap

Ideally, when you're not using the bike for months, you should either drain the tank, or fill it (so that no condensation forms on the part of the tank that has no fuel - condensation causes rust that can flake off & block the carb) & add fuel stabilizer. I don't think that just a few weeks would cause any problems.