StunterX Frame Unbox and Review K5 GSXR 750

 

The day has finally arrived!

 After 7 long months of being without a bike and 4 months of waiting for my Stunter X frame to arrive, it's finally here and I can begin to tear down my 2005 Suzuki GSXR 750 and begin this video series on how you can take your salvage title motorcycle to a clean title for just under $1600

Don't be that guy who throws away a perfectly good bike because the insurance company has done you wrong by placing a salvage title on your sweet ride because of a ding in the frame. Don't be that guy who gives in to the insurance company's demands to collect your bike only for them to send it off to auction to be sold and torn apart. Your bike is still good!

I'd much rather purchase a new frame than buy someone else's junk that has been dogged over the years. Let's be honest here, some people are just straight-out shady and if you're not careful you could be buying their headache. On the flip side, damn, who wants a new bike payment.. Not me!

I had a buddy of mine who used to flip bikes on occasion. An expert in his craft at restoring bikes he too fell into the trap of buying someone else's dying dog. It took him a little over a year to get that bike sold. He eventually gave up on the project and sold it as is. We still talk about that bad deal to this day!.

The truth of the matter is you know your bike and the love you put into it. If your bike has been placed in a non-roadworthy status because of some slight frame damage then just do what I did, go out and get yourself a new replacement frame and put those good parts to use, and ride with peace of mind knowing the shit between your legs is rock solid.

Enough said! let's get on with the video review of my 2022 K5 Stunter X GSXR 750 unboxing and review. Don't forget to check out my Amazon store for parts and accessories. https://www.amazon.com/shop/thechemist

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Your purchases using my affiliate link bring in added funds so that I can continue to bring you valuable content such as these helpful DIYs and product reviews.

All products shown in this video were purchased with my own money and no money was exchanged for a favorable review. All product reviews and tech tips are my opinion and should be taken with a grain of salt, I am not a licensed mechanic.

 

Mercedes Heated Dimming Mirror Replacement W203

There's no mistaking where your Mercedes heated mirror has gone bad. The reflection is literally day and night when trying to view anything out of it.

The mirror over time will start to show signs of yellowing and from there it's all downhill. Now some people are color blind but If you couldn't tell from the image to the left the one with the "bad" label is completely burned out. If driving around with this god-awful brownish-looking mirror wasn't enough the images being reflected through it were also blurred and viewed in triplets. It was like a bad acid trip trying to see anything through it day or night. 

 Now this fix is simple enough that even my girlfriend could manage this one without messing it up, and that's saying a lot about my girlfriend, lol. The hard part about this DIY is finding the correct mirror replacement for your vehicle as there are a few to choose from. No before heading down to eBay or Amazon alley you're going to want to remove your damaged mirror from the vehicle and inspect the rear connections behind it. I made the mistake of purchasing the first 2004 w203 mirror I saw on eBay and called it a wrap.

It wasn't until I removed the old mirror and went to install the new one that I realized there are different types of heating element connectors and even some Mercedes models that also incorporate an auto-dimming function, as such was the case for this vehicle. Now finding a new mirror with the auto-dimming function was difficult so opted to go with a used one from an eBay salvage yard retailer.

Used or New it made no difference to me as long as I got the normal clarity result I was looking for that was all that mattered. Enough blabbing, let's get on to the video. If you want to give Amazon a try in finding a replacement mirror I've posted a link to my store where I have found a listing.

Amazon Store Link: https://www.amazon.com/shop/thechemist

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Your purchases using my affiliate link bring in added funds so that I can continue to bring you valuable content such as these helpful DIYs and product reviews. All products shown in this video were purchased with my own money and no money was exchanged for a favorable review. All product reviews and tech tips are of my own personal opinion and should be taken with a grain of salt, I am not a licensed mechanic.

Mercedes Benz Hood Lever Repair (Fix)

 I've encountered quite a few repair issues but none can be more unnerving than not being able to get into your engine bay in your time of need. 

In this video tutorial, I repair the hood lever handle that typically pops out from the front grill when the hood release lever is pulled from inside the vehicle. 

Over time due to wear and tear, and heat degradation the plastic material that the hood handle release is made of becomes brittle with age and eventually breaks at the thinner weaker points as shown in the image below. It's beyond me why these manufacturers chose to go with plastic materials over metal or aluminum in an area that is constantly prone to heat. 

Well not to worry because in this video I show you a tip on how to still get into your engine bay even though your handle is missing and two, how to repair the issue for under $15 and a few minutes of your time. Don't waste your hard-earned money taking this simple fix to the stealership because they'll charge you over $100 and take a whole day complete this 15-minute job.

Product link to my Amazon store below

Hood Release Handle

Mercedes Benz Hood Lever Repair (Fix)

Remote Wi-Fi Enabled Charging for wireless Security Cameras

 

Tired of trucking up and down a ladder to charge your battery-operated Wifi security cameras, yeah I was to so let’s get smart and do something about it.

In today’s DIY video I’m going to show you how I took this manual process and automated the task for just a few dollars and purchase it from Amazon, and finally rid myself of this nuisance task, once and for all.

Back Story

Within recent months, my quiet Montclair townhome community had seen a large increase in the number of thieving individuals walking the grounds in the early morning hours. These individuals, who seem to come in teams, were caught on neighbors' home security cameras numerous times rummaging through our mailboxes, checking cars doors, stealing catalytic converters, and rummaging through our trash bins all while unsuspecting homeowners slept.

The activity had gotten so bad that I had become afraid to let my wife open our garage door without me being present as she and the kids left at O'Dark thirty hours to the grandparents’ house and then work, Just the thought of the possibilities of what could happen if she one morning opened that door and startled an unsuspecting thief, or worse, fell victim to home an invasion constantly ran through my mind.

Month after month new footage from homeowners began to arise demonstrating just how bad things were getting and seemingly just how important the need for my cameras to stay in operation.

Me and my wife found ourselves looking and the camera's more often than not. Every time a camera sent an alert, there we were, scrutinizing each piece of footage looking for someone hiding in a dark corner or low light shadow, and if that wasn't bad enough, we would then turn to the live camera view, hoping to catch a criminal in the act.

As you can imagine this sort of activity recked havoc on the battery life of my eufy cameras and I found myself running up and down the ladder removing my cameras to charge them more times than I would like. At the time of this video, eufy hadn't released their solar panel charger, and to be honest, this wasn't an option because my HOA has strict rules about mounting anything to the exterior of our homes.

This is where I started toying with the notion of creating a low-profile, extended length USB cable that I could just route to each of my high traffic cameras that we were constantly viewing and connect them to a wall outlet just as I did when charging them. But even plugging them in required some effort and if I was going to go through all the effort of fabricating a charging system then I wanted to ensure I took as much of the manual labor out from the task and possibly and have it remotely controlled, whether if I was home, at work, or on vacation.

After a few days of research and reading over a whole lot of Amazon reviews, the following video is what I was finally able to come up with.

----- Products Used in this Video--------

Smart Plug Gosund WiFi Outlet

https://amzn.to/3ufNu2U

22 AWG 2Pin 2 Color Red Black 66ft 20m Cable Hookup Electrical Wire

https://amzn.to/3k6TXsb

USB 2.0 Type A Male Adapter

https://amzn.to/3bkTXkd

KESTER 186 Soldering Solder Liquid Flux

https://amzn.to/2NfoiZK

Zip Tie Adhesive-Backed Mounts

https://amzn.to/2M9F2AY

Black Cable Ties, 8 inches

https://amzn.to/3dqRWWx

Heat Shrink Tubing Black

https://amzn.to/3qERacc

Fast Charging Wall Charger

https://amzn.to/2ZzwW7F

60W Soldering Iron Kit

https://amzn.to/3pD1C2o

eufy Security 2K Indoor Cam Pan & Tilt

https://amzn.to/3s9WvZd

eufyCam 2C 2-Cam Kit

https://amzn.to/3ayFq5g

Remote Wi-Fi Enabled Charging for Wireless Security Cameras

When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no charge to you.

 

In this diy video tutorial I demonstrate how to fabricate an external jump start battery post with a few simple nuts and bolts purchased from any local home goods store.

If you've had issues with your bikes electrical charging system and have been left stranded on the road side then you know having quick access to your battery terminals is a must have to get your bike home.

In my riding career I've experienced this scenario quit a few times: I'm hanging out with few friends after a beautiful ride, enjoying myself, eating a good meal (fast food) and we begin to gear up to head home. I go turn the key for my warm up and... nothing....WTH!

Yup, good old stator and dead battery issues. You think it will never happen to you.. but when you least expect it.. BAM!. your stranded. It's like the two components are plotting together, waiting till you are miles away from home and the opportune time to ruin your day. Conspiracy I tell you!

Well with that said, each and every time this happen to me I thought to myself, "there has to be a better way" to have quick access to my battery without having to whip out some tools from the trunk, remove my seat, struggle with trying to pull out and prop up the battery in order to clamp on some huge ass jumper clamps meant for a car battery only to jump the battery for a few messily minutes and repeat the process in reverse order to put everything away. Yes I know what your thinking, why don't you just push start it.. come on!.. did i not just mention I just finished eating. Who's got time or the energy for all that away, not me.

Nope not me, I'm smarter than that. I like to plan, prep, and prepare for my next breakdown. I've been riding to long and experienced too many issues with my 16 year old GiXXR with a 134K miles on the clock.

Well, aside from this diy being a quick, get your ass off the road feature, it also comes in handy when probing electrical components with a test light or any situation where you need a quick power supply. That being said, take a gander at the following video and see how I was able to achieve this.

External Jumpstart Battery Post

Gas Tank Adjustable Bump Stop and Rubber Bushing Replacement

 

Here's a quick DIY for those of you who have lost your OEM gas tank bump stops. 

For the longest time I was hearing a rattling sound coming from underneath my gas tank but I couldn't place my finger on where the exact location the sound was coming from. 

Judging from the scratches on my frame (left image) I could see that the tank was in fact coming in contact with the frame under my weight while in the riding position. After a quick inspection , I initially thought that the two fasteners that secure the gas tank to the frame was the issue since there was no space to provide a lift or gapping if you will. So with that in mind and short on time I ran out and bought two round rubber grommets about 3/4's inch thick from my local ACE hardware store and placed them in between the frame and two feet locations where the fasteners go. This should provide a good spacing while absorbing vibration I thought to myself. The following day I proceed with my daily ride to work and low and behold!.. the rattling was still there. WTH!

A bit puzzled at this point I went through the rest of my week gritting my teeth, listening to this god awful ratting, scratching, eating away at my bikes frame, and when the weekend finally rolled around, I immediately cracked open that bad boy and gave everything a good thorough inspection and to my surprise, I finally noticed that one of my bump stops, which supports the weight of the tank and rider, was missing. 

Removing and using the remaining bump stop as a reference, I once again ran down to my local ACE Hardware and began rummaging through the rubber grommet boxes and where I was able to create my own adjustable bump stop.

This issue intrigued me so much that I just had to make a video about. It's just one of those things that is so simple yet easily overlooked.  Below is the parts list from ACE hardware if you ever find yourself in need of one.

ACE Hardware parts list include:

• 2 small rubber bushings: part#495784
• 2 M6 bolts (front of tank): part#290015
• 2 M10 bolts + 2 jam nuts (thin nut style):
• 2 Well Nuts: part#3330 
• Total cost= $24.

This DIY shows how you how to recreate your own adjustable bump stops to give your gas tank additional clearance from the frame. I also added 2 additional rubber Bushing to the two mounting points at the front of the tank so that the entire tank now floats on rubber.

Gas Tank Adjustable Bump Stop and Rubber Bushing Replacement

DIY Generator Exhaust Extension Kit

 

In today's video tutorial I’m going to show you how to make a custom Bolt-on exhaust extension kit for your generator to help ventilate exhaust fumes from your homes garage or RV camper that will not void your generators manufacturer warranty.

I recently purchased a harbor freight inverter generator for a scheduled power outage that was going to take place overnight. I needed to have reliable backup power to keep my refrigerated goods from spoiling. I chose the Harbor Freight inverter after hearing great reviews on how quiet it operated while delivering all my power needs.

Since my home doesn’t have a backyard and only an attached garage I needed to run my generator with in my garage dwelling overnight without exposing my family to deadly exhaust fumes. This meant I needed find a way to ventilate the exhaust system out of some preexisting vents within my garage.

After removing the rear cover and exposing the exhaust system I needed to find a way make a custom flange with flexible tubing that bolted into the preexisting holes and covered the existing exhaust piping while still keeping an airtight seal that would withstand the consistent high temperature heat from the hot passing gasses from the exhaust muffler.

I wanted to keep this project simple, no fancy hardware required, cheap materials found at any of my local stores, and most importantly no welding required, and after carefully considerations.. This is what I came up with…

Products Used In this Video:

1" GALV FLANGE, 1"  https://amzn.to/2K9GbE8

1-Inch by 3-Inch Type 304 Stainless Steel Pipe Nipple https://amzn.to/3aagTAg

LDR Industries 311 RC-134 Coupling, 1-Inch X 3/4-Inch, Black  https://amzn.to/2wI2QUR

Permatex 81160 High-Temp Red RTV Silicone Gasket, 3 oz  https://amzn.to/3acl3HF

Walker 1.5 ID 36319 Flex Pipe Kit (18" Long)  https://amzn.to/3b3sDbW

M5-0.8 x 30mm Socket Head Cap Screws Metric, Allen Socket Drive  https://amzn.to/2RIKsSS

Looking for longer flex tubing, build your own custom length with the following:

Walker (40002) 1-1/2" Diameter - 25' Long Galvanized Flex Tube  https://amzn.to/2VbQLRf

Walker Exhaust 35325 1 1/2" Hardware-Clamp https://amzn.to/2wMivCC

DIY Generator Exhaust Extension Kit

When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no charge to you.