Getting Started
So my Ninja 650r was feeling kinda lazy lately, like it needed coffee before revving up. I figured hell, it’s that time again – maintenance day. Grabbed my toolbox which honestly looks like a junk drawer, but it gets the job done.
The Oil Change Mess
First up was changing the black sludge pretending to be oil. Drained it into an old cooking pot cause why buy a drain pan? Pro tip: don’t reuse that pot for pasta later. Wasted twenty minutes trying to get the damn oil filter off before realizing I was turning it the wrong way. Lefty loosey, righty tighty – always forget that. New filter went on smoother though, gave it that good hand-tight plus a quarter turn like YouTube said.
Chain Saga
That chain was slacker than my motivation on Mondays. Measured the slack with a ruler taped to a chopstick – redneck engineering at its finest. Adjusted those snail cams until my fingers hurt, then over-tightened it like an idiot. Backed off after realizing the wheel wouldn’t spin freely. Lubed it up with chain grease that somehow got all over my shoes. Goddamn sticky sneakers for a week now.
- Stood bike upright with milk crates – sketchy but worked
- Cleaned chain links with old toothbrush & kerosene
- Checked sprocket teeth while cursing previous owner
Filter Fiasco
The air filter looked like it ate a whole forest. Pulled it out through the side panel, sending dust clouds everywhere. Couldn’t find my exact filter model so I trimmed a generic one with kitchen scissors. Looked like a kindergartener’s art project but it fit eventually. Swear I sneezed out dirt for two hours afterward.
Test Ride Triumph
Fired it up praying I didn’t leave tools inside the engine. At first it sounded like a dying tractor – forgot to reconnect the damn airbox hose. Fixed that quick before neighbors complained. Took it around the block, shifting smoother than my grandpa’s old Cadillac. That purr man – makes all the busted knuckles worth it. Bike feels fifteen years younger now. Next weekend? Probably messing with brake fluid. Or getting takeout instead.
