FZR250 - had work done to my bike and . . .

Here in Australia, learner bikes (LAMS - Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme) officially cannot be modified. To register a bike it needs to pass a blueslip or safety inspection as they call it now. Most mechanics won't pass your vehicle if it has a loud exhaust on it, so the stock one is useful in that regard.

Also, vehicles over 5 years old here need a yearly safety inspection.

Why mechanics get antsy about loud bike exhausts, I have no idea. Most don't have catalytic converters and since bikes are harder to see I agree that having a loud exhaust is a must... just not an excessively loud one. Also think about when you're cruising on the highway at 9-10 thousand RPM with that loud exhaust... it's why I opted for the longer one.

I still would like to do this one day though

 

DOh, everytime I patch, this setting goes away, fixed it now

 

I checked the time diff this morning & was wondering if you might be working or something that required you to be awake through the night

 

By the look of the plugs & what your saying about top end power I'd say she needs more fuel
Everything seems in order so first thought is maybe the fuel pump isn't working & holding back flow, fuel pump is contentious because they'll run without one, check it out, cross it onto a battery & see if it runs.
She starts ok i gather so its probably not compression / valves / head
If youve got the energy, strip the carbies again & clean the jets it could be build up in the orifices or in a gallery in the alloy, 3 Bond is good, or a fine strand of copper wire & carby cleaner
Another trick i saw recently was injector cleaner was run through the carbies as a cleaner without removal, seemed to work as the problem dissapeared, it was on a clean bike that doesn't get a lot of work, i thought if was a good preventative maintenance idea for bikes that sit around with evaporating fuel in them, Blair might know more re what effect it has on rubber parts etc
You've come a long way now & nearly there, keep at it
Check your wheel bearings too, make sure none are seized, it could be holding the bike up, doesnt take much at high revs

 

What were the needle clip positions? People put the washers in as it makes the bike run richer (lifts the needle out further and lets more fuel through). Now that you've got the airbox on properly, how does the bike idle once warm? You'll need to adjust the idle jets if it's bogging down or hanging above idle speed. New airbox boots would be good as well.

As for speed, you don't want to be revving it out to redline and then changing gear... Peak torque is at 14,500 RPM.

It might be a good idea to have a compression test done just to see what the numbers are. When we took the head off mine and leak tested the valves, they all leaked as you can see here:





You will want to do the valve shims as well. Feeler gauges and a torque wrench are the tools you will need. Inlet valve clearance 0.11-0.20mm exhaust valve clearance 0.21-0.30mm

When I did the shims in mine, only 2 valves were still in spec. The bike ran OK but could be hard to start and getting speed in 6th gear was a struggle.



What else... oh yes, new piston rings... most of mine were out of spec or right on the high end of the service limit.

My bike was also missing the fuel pump so getting low on fuel would result in me having to change to reserve early to keep the gravity feed working.

 

Take off the stator cover and the valve cover and check that the timing is right. To change the shims your mechanic would have had to remove the cams.

 

Wheel bearing best way put hands either side and when in full lock one way see if any movement in wheel

 

Correct. The timing marks are on the stator and the camshafts+camshaft caps

 

Clutch replacement is a simple job but you'll need a new side cover gasket or it'll leak for sure.
You can buy gasket paper cheaply & cut your own if the originals are expensive or hard to get.
Your top end power problems might well be the clutch slip, clutches will slip when theyre under the most stress & thats at 14500rpm when it's making the max power, they slip at lower revs when the plates get worse. A slipping clutch will eventually warp the steel pressure plates so it's a good idea to nip it in the bud, replace the springs as well while your at it.
To best test the wheel bearings, take the wheel off & stick your finger in it & feel if its smooth or lumpy or seized, we had a CBR here & the front bearings were seized solid & he'd been riding it like that for a while, new bearings in & what a difference, steering was smooth & relaxed like it should.