1999 CBR900rr - Upgrade, leave alone or buy an c 2005 R1
Discussion
I'm trying to decide what to do with my 1999 CBR900rr. It is a lovely old thing. I'm only the 2nd owner, it on about 21k miles, a very detailed service history and it is totally std (apart from slip on which I changed last year, heated grips and a Scott Oiler).
I really like riding it but there are a few things I'd like to upgrade. First, it is on it's original rear shock and it really thumps and clunks over rough surfaces. I'm pretty sure replacing the shock would make a huge difference. YSS, Hagon etc seem worthy of consideration. No desire to drop £1k on anything super fancy though - not worth it when it will never be tracked. The front forks will need a service too no doubt.
Second, I'd quite fancy getting it Dynojetted. I had a '96 Blade years back that had been dynojetted (plus other things I think) and it was considerably more frisky and entertaining to ride than this current one. If I keep this one I think I'd like to get a dynojet kit fitted.
Lastly, the front brakes aren't the best. Perfectly good but not amazing, so a full service, new pads and some braided hoses etc would make sense.
The other consideration is that it has some light fairing damage from before I owned it (scratches and a crack where the front indicator sits) so it is never going to be a show winner.
So here is the question - I reckon doing all of the above will set me back at least a grand, on a bike that is realistically worth about £3k to £3.5k at best.
Is it worth spending the money and ending up with a lovely, fresh and well fettled old Blade, or would you trade it in against something like a 2005 era R1 or Fireblade, given that these bikes will probably go, stop and handle better than my Blade even after I have thrown some cash at it.
I'm a sentimental sod so part of me really wants to lavish some TLC on the old Blade and turn it in to something special and personal to me, but I'm also very intrigued to experience what a 2005 - 2010 era sports bike is like. I presume a 2005 era R1 or Blade will be in another league, but I might be wrong
Thoughts?
I really like riding it but there are a few things I'd like to upgrade. First, it is on it's original rear shock and it really thumps and clunks over rough surfaces. I'm pretty sure replacing the shock would make a huge difference. YSS, Hagon etc seem worthy of consideration. No desire to drop £1k on anything super fancy though - not worth it when it will never be tracked. The front forks will need a service too no doubt.
Second, I'd quite fancy getting it Dynojetted. I had a '96 Blade years back that had been dynojetted (plus other things I think) and it was considerably more frisky and entertaining to ride than this current one. If I keep this one I think I'd like to get a dynojet kit fitted.
Lastly, the front brakes aren't the best. Perfectly good but not amazing, so a full service, new pads and some braided hoses etc would make sense.
The other consideration is that it has some light fairing damage from before I owned it (scratches and a crack where the front indicator sits) so it is never going to be a show winner.
So here is the question - I reckon doing all of the above will set me back at least a grand, on a bike that is realistically worth about £3k to £3.5k at best.
Is it worth spending the money and ending up with a lovely, fresh and well fettled old Blade, or would you trade it in against something like a 2005 era R1 or Fireblade, given that these bikes will probably go, stop and handle better than my Blade even after I have thrown some cash at it.
I'm a sentimental sod so part of me really wants to lavish some TLC on the old Blade and turn it in to something special and personal to me, but I'm also very intrigued to experience what a 2005 - 2010 era sports bike is like. I presume a 2005 era R1 or Blade will be in another league, but I might be wrong
Thoughts?
An 11 year old R1 is just as likely to have knackered suspension as your Fireblade.
Plus you don’t know the condition of bearings, brake callipers etc.
You’d need to really shop around to get something good and if they were selling wouldn’t they want top dollar for it.
If you’re changing, go for something a lot newer or you’re just changing one set of problems for another.
If it's a bike you know keep it and do the upgrades. Anything else you buy is a whole heap of unknown.
A new rear shock, service to forks and brakes will make a lot of difference to how it rides.
I have an older bike now after years of new bikes. I have no view to swapping it for something I don't know .
A new rear shock, service to forks and brakes will make a lot of difference to how it rides.
I have an older bike now after years of new bikes. I have no view to swapping it for something I don't know .
From personal experience the grass isn’t greener. It just looks it.
I bought a 2021 S1000R last year while I still had an old XJR1300,the BMW would get left in the garage and the Yamaha would come out. Sold the Yamaha to make me use the BMW. Didn’t work,I now have no bike after selling the BMW too. I must say however it wasn’t the bikes fault,it just wasn’t for me after having it for a few months.
Currently looking for another XJR but could be swayed towards a GSX1400 too though.
I bought a 2021 S1000R last year while I still had an old XJR1300,the BMW would get left in the garage and the Yamaha would come out. Sold the Yamaha to make me use the BMW. Didn’t work,I now have no bike after selling the BMW too. I must say however it wasn’t the bikes fault,it just wasn’t for me after having it for a few months.
Currently looking for another XJR but could be swayed towards a GSX1400 too though.
Look for a used nitron shock on evilbay, change the spring to suit your weight, email nitron and they will advise.
Look up race tech for front and rear spring rates too
If you have the original hoses on the brakes then stainless would be a good start, also how are the discs? When you do the hoses give them a rundown with sandpaper of some sort, nothing too harsh as it gets rid of contaminated bits.
Look up race tech for front and rear spring rates too
If you have the original hoses on the brakes then stainless would be a good start, also how are the discs? When you do the hoses give them a rundown with sandpaper of some sort, nothing too harsh as it gets rid of contaminated bits.
When it left the factory, the Showa shock on there probably had a better range of adjustment and if rebuilt, would be better than YSS or Hagon. I've had a bad experience with Nitron and wouldn't advise.
Calipers, cheapest way might be to slap on a second hand set someone else has already rebuilt with new seals and pistons.
You know the history of this bike. Spend the money
Calipers, cheapest way might be to slap on a second hand set someone else has already rebuilt with new seals and pistons.
You know the history of this bike. Spend the money
Thanks for the thoughts chaps.
All pretty consistent and if I'm honest pretty well aligned with where I was leaning.
Might as well take advantage of the Scottish winter weather over the next few months and give the bike some TLC in time for summer.
I already also a 2009 Tuono 1000r and a 2010 Street Triple R so I think I am better getting what I have fully sorted rather than expect a different and unknown bike to tick all the boxes. Interestingly the suspension on both the Tuono and the Street Triple is miles plusher / better than the Blade. If my Blade rode like the other two bikes I'd be delighted.
Question now is if I do any of the work myself. I do enjoy a good bike project. I'll not be going anywhere near the carbs for the dynojet kit but the rear shock and the brakes ought to be within DIY scope.
Or maybe I should just drop it off with my local bike mechanic and avoid the inevitable, unexpected and sometimes expensive setbacks that often accompany my DIY efforts!
All pretty consistent and if I'm honest pretty well aligned with where I was leaning.
Might as well take advantage of the Scottish winter weather over the next few months and give the bike some TLC in time for summer.
I already also a 2009 Tuono 1000r and a 2010 Street Triple R so I think I am better getting what I have fully sorted rather than expect a different and unknown bike to tick all the boxes. Interestingly the suspension on both the Tuono and the Street Triple is miles plusher / better than the Blade. If my Blade rode like the other two bikes I'd be delighted.
Question now is if I do any of the work myself. I do enjoy a good bike project. I'll not be going anywhere near the carbs for the dynojet kit but the rear shock and the brakes ought to be within DIY scope.
Or maybe I should just drop it off with my local bike mechanic and avoid the inevitable, unexpected and sometimes expensive setbacks that often accompany my DIY efforts!
Sounds more like maintenance rather than upgrading! Get whatever original bits require overhauling, overhauled.
Regarding dynojet kits I looked at getting a kit for my ZX9R and decided against it as there have been reports of the needles accelerating wear on the seats! It's one of those things which takes years to manifest but is a pain in the arse normally to fix and would be even more so with an old Japanese bike for which it's already hard to find parts....
Regarding dynojet kits I looked at getting a kit for my ZX9R and decided against it as there have been reports of the needles accelerating wear on the seats! It's one of those things which takes years to manifest but is a pain in the arse normally to fix and would be even more so with an old Japanese bike for which it's already hard to find parts....
rodericb said:
Regarding dynojet kits I looked at getting a kit for my ZX9R and decided against it as there have been reports of the needles accelerating wear on the seats! It's one of those things which takes years to manifest but is a pain in the arse normally to fix and would be even more so with an old Japanese bike for which it's already hard to find parts....
TBH in terms of the Dynojetting I'm prepared to take the risk. First I have actually heard of this issue but on balance if it does happen in say 4 years time I'll probably be ready for a different bike or a mobility scooter by then anyway!I don't do many miles, and I just want those mikes to feel a bit more special. If I could get the bike to go, handle and stop a bit better for around a grand of outlay I'd be more than happy.
I'll chat to a couple of bike mechanics I know as see what they say.
I'd get it working as best as you can in stock form then go from there(with obvious exceptions like replacing the brake hoses as OEM are expensive/possibly unobtainable). I suspect it might not just be your shock, but you might need some suspension linkage bearings. Clunking doesn't sound right even for an old tired shock!
I personally wouldn't bother with the dynojet kit until you get it sorted though.
I'd go over the whole bike and get an idea of what needs doing. You could tackle one problem at a time and go from there.
OEM shocks can be cheap, so you could take the risk on a good looking one on ebay. It will let you send one away for rebuild too while keeping the bike intact if you wish.
I personally wouldn't bother with the dynojet kit until you get it sorted though.
I'd go over the whole bike and get an idea of what needs doing. You could tackle one problem at a time and go from there.
OEM shocks can be cheap, so you could take the risk on a good looking one on ebay. It will let you send one away for rebuild too while keeping the bike intact if you wish.
johnsmith222 said:
I'd get it working as best as you can in stock form then go from there(with obvious exceptions like replacing the brake hoses as OEM are expensive/possibly unobtainable). I suspect it might not just be your shock, but you might need some suspension linkage bearings. Clunking doesn't sound right even for an old tired shock!
I personally wouldn't bother with the dynojet kit until you get it sorted though.
I'd go over the whole bike and get an idea of what needs doing. You could tackle one problem at a time and go from there.
OEM shocks can be cheap, so you could take the risk on a good looking one on ebay. It will let you send one away for rebuild too while keeping the bike intact if you wish.
Yes, going through doing the bearings seems like a good idea. I personally wouldn't bother with the dynojet kit until you get it sorted though.
I'd go over the whole bike and get an idea of what needs doing. You could tackle one problem at a time and go from there.
OEM shocks can be cheap, so you could take the risk on a good looking one on ebay. It will let you send one away for rebuild too while keeping the bike intact if you wish.
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