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Another Gen 3 headed for the strip

29K views 157 replies 18 participants last post by  medicbaldwin 
#1 ·
As I've recently stated, this is probably old news but it's all new to me as i've had my bike for about a month.
Figured i'd post what i've done and pics along the way.
About a month ago (mid november) i bought a virgin 2008 zx10r, with just a shade over 10k miles on it. Previous owner put a bunch of Monster stickers on it, a carbon fiber front fender and a vance and hines slip on.


My first order of business was to look in to the exhaust and start getting rid of all the garbage the factory stuffs in it.

I bought a Dan Moto mid pipe and after reading up, I pulled the header and knocked all the cats out with a small aluminum pipe, long flat tip screw driver and a screw driver I sacrificed to get all the cat material out of the side thats bent.




While that was taken apart, I pulled the ECU and sent it off to Schnitz Racing and had the ECU reflashed.
While the ECU was gone, I ordered up some new copper crush gaskets for the header and put everything back together.
The danmoto wasn't exactly a direct bolt on, but with a little help with a tail pipe expander and a torch to heat things up, I stretched the metal a bit and got the mid pipe to fit perfectly on the header.

Once I got the header back and plugged in, I couldn't wait to fire it up and see how much difference it made. Turns out it was pretty significant.


Tonight I lifted the tank and fully appreciated the $39 I spent on this little flash light. It has a magnetic base and telescopes with a LED on the side of it as well as out the top.

After I got the airbox off I found the pair valve stuff and pulled it out, capped the airbox as well as reed valve with some vacuum port plugs I picked up from autozone.

After I pulled the airbox off, I pulled what appeared to be a very dirt OEM airfilter and found this.
What in the world is that all about?

Next up will be a BMC race filter, PCV, lowered, stretched and put together an air shifter.
Before race season is here, it'll also get a shinko drag hookup.
 
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#114 ·
Hopefully somebody can point me in the right direction here. I went to the track fri for a test n tune, after my last hit I brought the bike back to the pit and put it in the trailer, changed my clothes, grabbed a frosty cold beer and chilled for about an hour watching the races. When I get back to the trailer, I notice a small puddle of oil (prob 4" in diameter) under the bike. I left the bike in the trailer over night and unloaded the next day. When I opened the door I noticed the puddle of oil had prob tripled in size from sitting over night.

I got a chance to take the belly pan off and take a look around. I noticed it was slowly dripping off the back left (sprocket side) of the oil pan. I checked the filter and it was tight, checked the drain plug, also tight, looked all around the pan and gasket everything looks nice and clean.
The only place I can see any wetness on the pan is directly above where the header runs under the pan. Part of the pan is rounded to make room for the header, it's in the rounded part where I can see dampness. It's at a high point in the pan, so, it's running down and dripping off the back. I couldn't see any reason why there would be oil there. That spot is nearly the middle of the pan with no movable parts or bolts anywhere near.

Totally at a loss here? Any suggestions?
 
#115 ·
Did you have any big wheelies or hit the pan during the day racing?

I'm not familiar with gen 3 oil pans but maybe if you took some material off the pan to get the header to fit it weakened the pan? Then a wheelie or a scrap of the oil pan caused that weaken spot to be able to let oil seap through a small crack?
 
#116 · (Edited)
:+1:

I've seen more than one cracked pan on a lowered bike... especially if you're running a stock header.... it's one of the reasons the sidewinder is so popular in those circles. :) It running to the back/left side makes sense... that's the lowest side when it's on the kickstand. Other than the filter and oil cooler, the pan is really the only thing that is going to leak that much oil in a short time without the bike running. Usually.

If you pop the pan off, clean it up, and fill it with solvent you can usually spot a crack/leak that you can't see with the naked eye in just a few seconds.
 
#117 ·
Found the problem. Yup, header smacked the pan and cracked it.
Anybody have luck getting this welded up?
 
#118 ·
They weld up great, so long as the TIG welder knows what they are doing. **CLEAN** is the key; removing all the paint 1" around the crack, and heating/baking ALL of the oil out of the crack(s) before you have it welded.... solvent wash and/or contact cleaner after the fact. It's also not a bad idea to drill a small hole at the end of each end of the crack to relieve the stress and keep it from running away on it's own. Depending on the labor price of said welder, it may be cheaper to snag a used one off ebay.... have to call around your area.
 
#119 ·
Last weekend I had an unfortunate turn of events. I cracked my OE oil pan with either a hard wheelie or on the return road? Either way it's cracked and leaking. Been looking on line and found this setup:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...MIgrOQ-Leo1QIVRbXACh39RQgxEAYYASABEgLoSPD_BwE

anybody use one of these pans? They look like a nice piece and you can get it with a pickup for $299. It's not a swinging pickup, so, not sure if this will pose a problem for drag racing? Unless the OE pickup sits deeper in the pan or at the lowest point, i've never had any oil pressure or oiling issues with the OE setup.
Looking for some feedback. Also, if you have a OE Gen3 oil pan you wanna get rid of, lemme know. PM, reply or email: medicbaldwin@gmail.com
 
#122 ·
They may be some small differences, but it's the same engine case... a lot of the aftermarket pans fit the 06-10 range. If you would like to verify, I think I have an extra gen 2 pan laying around.... cover shipping and I'll send it to you to check, and you can keep it if it works out. If it doesn't work out, I'll pay return shipping and take it back.... just let me check after work today to see if I still have it.
 
#124 ·
Hopefully i'm not slowly stumbling into a problem. Went to the track last night and every time i'd hit the track the bike would studder through 1st gear, seemed like it was too low on fuel. I added more fuel to the bike until the low fuel light turned off, about 1.5 gallons, and it continued to do the same thing. It did seem to get better as the night went on, but still studdering. Anybody have a similar problem? I was wondering if possibly my fuel pump is taking a crap on me? Also, i've been running VP T4 fuel, which is a 108 octane unleaded oxygenated fuel and i haven't been draining the fuel out. Should I drain and "flush" with pump gas?
 
#125 ·
Another question for you all. I put a cycle concepts drag pak clutch in my bike a year ago. Is there any maintenance I need to mess with to keep the clutch working as it should? Buddy of mine was saying something about pulling the stack apart and rotating steels and fibers from inside to outside as Kawi's tend to cook the inner plates? Any thoughts on this? I'll give dwayne a call as well.
 
#127 ·
A while back one of you nice fellas sent me a few maps from some dyno work with Schnitz. There was a pump gas and MR12 map that was sent to me. Well.... my computer has taken a serious dump and I had to buy a new one. Any chance you can send me the maps again?
Hope you all had a great winter. In my mind, winter is nearly over since my local track opens in a month.
 
#128 ·
It's been a while since i've posted anything on here. I had a race last weekend, despite very poor R/T's I managed to make 2 of the quickest and fastest runs to date.
After pulling the fuel out of my bike and putting some MR12 in the tank and a new map on the bike, I managed a 9.26@147 then followed that with a 9.22@148. Looks like i'll be saving my $$ and investing in some MR12 for next season.
 
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#129 ·
Question for you drag racers. I have a thompson swingarm and i'm in desperate need of a rear hugger fender. Anybody know who makes one or where I can find one?
 
#130 ·
As per the norm in my life, I save the best for last. Went to my last race of the season over last weekend. Bike ran strong on friday for test n tune, but did't do anything remarkable.

Sat- time trials- qualified #7 and made it to the quarterfinals and went out on a red light.

Sunday- time trial- I qualified #2 with a .013 RT, and ran 9.201 @146
1st round elims ran 9.203 on a 9.20 dial
2nd round out of nowhere ran a 9.13 on a 9.20 dial. Luckily, my opponent red lit and broke out.
3rd round (changed my dial to a 9.212) and ran 9.202. Needless to say I didn't get lucky that time. I lost and went out.

Next year I'd love to consistently see 8.90's
 
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#133 ·
Anybody have a hugger, for an extended swingarm, they wanna get rid of? I’m in Oregon and Lee’s and McIntosh want a ton for shipping.
 
#134 ·
I'm on the search for a sidewinder exhaust for my bike. Unfortunately it appears Brock's no longer has them available. Does anybody have any experience with a Voodoo sidewinder? If they're great or garbage, please expand and tell me why.

Thank,
MedicB
 
#135 ·
Question for you folks. I'm wondering if anybody has dyno sheets on a gen 3 with decatted OE header and slip-on vs. sidewinder? My gen 3 is a dragbike only, so, it only operates at the top end of the rev range and will be getting a touch of nitrous this year.
My current exhaust setup is as described, gutted OE header and slip-on muffler directly on the header. Sounds great, but, if I can gain a few ponies and pick up some time, i'd be game.

Thanks in advance..
Medic B
 
#137 ·
First race today with testing yesterday.
With a 15 shot of nitrous I managed a 9.03@160mph.ill get that slip posted as soon as I figure it out
 

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