Rook,
Just looked at the auction site before bidding commences and the "pre-bid" high stands at $3550. Who knows how high it will go. Will have to pass and enjoy what I have.

Any insurance should have paid for the damage on that bike. There's a reason that brand new, low miles bike was not fixed up and sold. If the owner couldn't get the price he wanted after refurbishing it, he would have still been in great shape if he kept the bike and continued to ride it. I think he took the insurance money and selling the bike as is. In other words, he's doesn't want to be the one to find there is something irreparably wrong with it. If insurance is involved with this, I guess they did not consider it totaled or else it would not be up for sale.....unless it is the insurance company that is selling it after paying the owner for a totaled bike. It's all very sketchy. I'd don't think I'd pay over a thousand for it now. I'm sure everything is fixable but for how much time and money?

Usually any damage to a gas tank results in a salvage title. With a frontal impact the frame may have been bent in the neck as well as damaged forks. I tried to compare strapped zx14R's to the pics the auction site provided and there was not much difference in relation of the front wheel to the tip of the fairing. Crude and unscientific - I know .. just glad to see this temptation gone.

A quick update on my alky/water injection - check the nozzle often because it gets clogged. This has happened to me 4 times so far.
The reason, I suspect, is due to the turbo pressure pushing air into the little hole of the injector when it is not spraying (my spray is activated above 4psi) so micro dirt particles get stuck in the injector preventing it from working. Or some impurities get past the micro filter of the injector and clog it up that way. Just a heads up to those using a similar setup.

My bike overheated one time when stuck in stop and go traffic. The coolant was literally boiling and spewed out from my overflow tank. I quickly shut down the bike and let it sit for 10 minutes. Resumed riding when traffic cleared up.

Other than that, I could not be more happy on two wheels.

Cool, Nova. Too bad about that clogging issue but as long as you know it happens, and how to fix it, it's just a part of routine maintenance. I'm willing to accept more maintenance on a boosted bike. That's all the more reason to have another bike waiting to be ridden.

You are correct Rook. I've installed an on/off switch on meth pump to cycle it whenever needed. I can tell nozzle is clogged because the pressure will not allow it to be disconnected from quick release connection.
Decided to strip paint from the wheels, swingarm, and gas tank. Took a while with all the brushing and details. Then used VHT clearcoat, per your suggestion, to seal the exposed metal. Here is a pic.
Also discovered a leak in front fork. Have not researched this problem and hope its an easy fix. Fork seals go bad. May get new spring and fork oil as long as I'm at it.
To you, Rook, wish all the best at your new job. I am sure they are happy to have hired you.

Thanks, Nova. The bike is looking good! My feeling on the VHT, Very brittle but I believe it improves a great deal from engine heat cycling. The clearcoat might be better in that regard but the paint chips very easy. The first few heat cycles seem to allow the paint to flux which smooths it out and brings up the gloss a touch. It also allows sand and gravel that settles on it to stick so you'd be best to blow that away before it cools. The paint should grab better following the same principle. You won't get heat cycling so much on the fuel tank and swing arm but it should resist chemicals better than normal paint. The VHT I applied to my sprocket cover protected from rock strikes but still, it is exposed. No damage at all so far. Looks like new. I think you're going to have trouble with any wheel paint you use unless you go with powder coating.

My rear sprocket was painted with ordinary Valspar and it has held up perfectly well for a few years. ...just don't get any solvent on it for several months after painting. Kerosene I use to clean the chain now has no effect. I use it to clean the sprocket as well.

Yep, kerosene is much milder and does not stink as much. I remember a famous painter, James McGerrall, used it for his brush cleaner for the same reasons. Rook, check out his work if you get a chance, he is pretty awesome.

Well, did a few improvements during the past week. Removed the meth/water bottles from the sides of the bike, and made a container to hold the fluid hidden in my tail section. Not that the bike is stealth, but less junk on the outside. Also, put my meth pump underneath the bike, to clean up the exterior. The real reason I did all that is because I got am aluminum TIG welder, so I made custom brackets. Realized how bad of a welder I am - aluminum is tricky. Also, made the valley in the seat longer b/c I sit close to the tank. Still need to clean up the presentation, but got to take it out today. Here are some pics.

One other thing, that rear tire is still in decent shape and I put it on last year. Think it is due to 30 psi that makes the contact patch larger, thus preventing center part from wearing out. Or I ride like a grandpa.

Had some issues with my Walbro fuel pump. Would not supply fuel as throttle was rolled and my gauge confirmed this. So I ordered AEM pump which they say is much better quality. Could not understand why Walbro was making so much straining noise after only 4 months, so took it off to take a look. Ran some acetone thru it while changing polarities and its sound was normal. Put it back on the bike, and it is running like it should. Probably should have done that first before ordering a new pump. Got so many extra parts laying around, I need to restore another bike.

* Last updated by: knovikov on 10/13/2015 @ 8:48 PM *

Looks like you have a pressure cooker under the tail fairing!

I don'tknow how you have time for all of this and still get painting done. Maybe I will be able to be like you when life settles down a bit.

Yep, kerosene is much milder and does not stink as much. I remember a famous painter, James McGerrall, used it for his brush cleaner for the same reasons. Rook, check out his work if you get a chance, he is pretty awesome.

@Rook
That is a SS bowl from the Goodwill store that I converted to hold water/meth. Needed to be large enough to hold 32 fl/oz and still fit into the tail. After doing all this and relocating my pump, the liquid kept dripping from my spray nozzle and came out from the turbo filter. Then, mounted a solenoid 10" away from the spray nozzle to keep the fluid from dripping.
Changed the front tire yesterday after discovering a lump near the centerline. I too have made a simple tire changing station after a bad experience with a local cycle shop. Used the Carb cleaner trick to seat the bead on the rim. Boom! Worked like a charm.

* Last updated by: knovikov on 10/17/2015 @ 10:31 AM *

Used the Carb cleaner trick to seat the bead on the rim. Boom! Worked like a charm.

Glad you got your water leakage sorted out. My God, do you sleep?

The real reason I did all that is because I got am aluminum TIG welder, so I made custom brackets. Realized how bad of a welder I am - aluminum is tricky.

Remember: aluminum is an excellent conductor of thermal energy. If you start out with a low amp arc, expecting a small puddle to magically appear, you'll be there forever because the aluminum base metal is conducting the heat away.

TiG-ing aluminum means "be agressive". Start hot (high amp) and move, move, move. You will not have the luxury of pondering each deposit like with steel or stainless. Also: set your power source to AC and high frequency to "always on". If you have a nifty Miller "Aerowave or Synchrowave" then I can give you some finer settings to make life a little easier.

On a side note: would you be of middle Europe descent? You knew what a "tuchus" is and you have the distinctive 90° thumb.

Thanks for the Aluminum tip, Hag. The problem I ran into was welding the bracket in awkward position causing the base to distort from the heat. The welder I bought is an AHP Alpha Tig. which is entry level 220V AC. Most videos make it look easy. The problem for me was forming a puddle and I'll try what you have suggested. They say, some welders operate better with a certain electrode (thoriated, lanthanated, etc) On top of that I have a varied selection of aluminum scrap that is of different metallurgy. Some has an anodized cover which can get ingrained if cleaned improperly.
You are correct on my background. My family emigrated to US when I was 8 from Russia and motorcycles became my passion soon after. Grandma taught me some choice words but I only know a dozen. I've been out to Shadyside art festival in Pitt. last two years, but not this year. Do you live around there?

what IS a tuchus?

urb dic:
•buttocks. From Yiddish.

oh I thought so.

I've been out to Shadyside art festival in Pitt. last two years, but not this year. Do you live around there?

Yaesh.

Discovered a failure in the solenoid after a about 1 week of use. This solenoid is normally closed and opens when boost hits 4 lbs along with the meth pump. So my meth injection was not spraying. Talked with a rep. from the manufacturer and he told me that these solenoids can burn out if voltage exceeds 13. Touchy little things. I asked why these solenoids fail, when all other components dont get fried under normal operating conditions and he was not too happy. He is sending me a new unit which will not be installed. I'll take the residual drip over no spray at all.

* Last updated by: knovikov on 10/22/2015 @ 3:05 PM *

Was the old coil open?

[b]Was the old coil open?[b]

This solenoid is normally closed and opens when energized. So here is what I did - opened up the solenoid by removing the big nut at the tail end and pulled the cover off. Its just round metal orifice with two power wires. That is what failed due to increased voltage to my understanding.
So to get it working, I removed the solenoid. Then decreased pump pressure with a manual adjustment and that stopped the water/meth from leaking out. I'll keep an eye out.

Hope that doesn't happen with my nitrous solenoid. I guess if the map is right, the only thing that would happen would be that no nitrous would spray and I would run rich

Just finished with rims and took it for a spin. Hard to notice much difference at this time.
Also installed 37T sprocket just to test and see. So far so good. Also had to replace my mini turbo pump, but could not find one. So i installed a low pressure fuel pump that can be seen in pic. It has been working fine for past 3 weeks. Cheers.

Cool. It's amazing where you've taken this bike.

Still need to figure out when to spray, where to spray, and how much to spray - think I need to pray..I mean spray.

Lol, sometimes praying Helps.

Where I spray is charge tube. Not on the intake of the turbo.

How much is. First find your true gas AFR. Let's say it's 12.0 Now introduce your Meth. Your AFR should not drop more than one full point. Once you get this sorted out you can now lean out your fuel to 11.8 This is how I do it anyway. 50/50 Mix. Spray begins at 1/3 boost pressure.

I also spray into charge tube. Had a lot of clogging issues, but they cleared up.