What did you do to your bike today?

[Pauly]

Fuckin' Meter Maids. What you gonna' do? 

[JustinNck1]

Got a new fork brace on the KLR. Then took it out on 555 and 676. Wow, what a difference.

[MSerfozo]

Ordered a new Shorai LiFe battery for the Bandit.  Old Lithium battery will go in the GS500 scrambler project.

 

And I ordered a Tank Top Propane Heater so I can keep working in the garage this winter.  It'll get here just in time for 50 deg temps this weekend!

[max power]

Installed some soft bags I got for Christmas on the WR.  Skinny

[JustinNck1]

Installed my new tank bag Christmas Gift. The KLR sure does have a ton of storage options.

[MSerfozo]

I finally got a start on the GS500 project.  The new garage heater was great - I had to turn it to low to keep from getting too hot and to save propane.

The previous owner said he was no electrician but I've never seen wiring this bad!  No device brackets were attached, just hanging from the wire that was tied into a ball with a dozen zipties!  Pictures are after clipping all the zipties.

The new Shorai for the Bandit came today so now I'm free to repurpose the 3yo Battery Tender brand LiFe battery into the GS.  I plan to make a shallow box under the seat for the battery and wiring to hide in.

I discovered that my Shorai battery came with an amazingly cool feature.  They glued a cube of foam rubber to the back of the square terminal nuts to hold the nut next to the hole in the terminal while you're trying to thread the bolt in.  F'ING GENUIS!

[junkyardjeff]

Last things done were tires,battery and a fork service.

[AlanSmith7]

I did all my routine work. Just go to the office on my bike. But before that today I change the oil of my bike. I took extra care of my bike. Then after office I go for riding with my friends.

[B-Mac]

Working on the winter service/inspection on my wife's Mother Fking Can Am shit crap designed  Spyder. This is the most NON maintenance friendly piece of panel covered crap equipment I have ever had the opportunity to work on. But.... Happy Wife, Somewhat Happy Life. Now she wants a Vanderhall Carmel GTS.

 

[Tonik]

18 hours ago, B-Mac said:

This is the most NON maintenance friendly piece of panel covered crap equipment.....

 

Come on over, and you can work on my Goldwing. You will appreciate the Spyder at that point.

[B-Mac]

1 hour ago, Tonik said:

 

Come on over, and you can work on my Goldwing. You will appreciate the Spyder at that point.

I feel your pain. I have seen the panel removal description for the new Wings. Seems to me the computer design/manufacturing and robot assembly is going to be our END.

I miss Soichiro Honda. RIP

[MSerfozo]

I finally finished and installed the new oil cooler guard.  It's been about a month since I started building it - I guess the cold garage has slowed progress.

I started by making a form for the frame and bending a 3/16" rod into the shape.  Then I welded the frame together and tacked on tabs for the corners.  I AM NOT A WELDER, I merely own a machine that can weld when in the right hands...  But with enough sputtering and grinding, I can usually get two pieces of steel to become one.  I tried to weld the wire screen to the frame but failed so I opted for zip ties.  A quick coat of aluminum color spray paint and I called it finished.

I'm reasonably pleased with the outcome.

[Tonik]

Dang man, that is quality work.

[MSerfozo]

11 hours ago, Tonik said:

Dang man, that is quality work.

If it keeps road debris from letting the oil out of the cooler, I'll call it quality.  It doesn't look that great up close, but the old one had less open space and the new motor heats the oil up more than the old one did.

[B-Mac]

Enjoyable winter servicing maintenance on a well thought out 2013 Z1K. Japanese motorcycle.

 

Edited February 11, 2023 by B-Mac

[Pauly]

12k service began today. Drained the crankcase and final drive. Waiting for my super magnetic uber drainplugs to arrive before I close and refill. Then comes spark plugs, air cleaner, fuel filter and valve gap inspection. So ready for a ride.  

[Pauly]

Air filter replaced in 25 minutes. I now understand @Tonik's pain. That was rough. 

 

 

[Pauly]

Valvetrain inspection today. 

 

Edited February 26, 2023 by Pauly

[durk]

It’s so weird for me to see a valve train on the side. Anything I’ve ever worked on has always been on top.

[Pauly]

1 hour ago, durk said:

It’s so weird for me to see a valve train on the side. Anything I’ve ever worked on has always been on top.

I thought 2V Ducatis were a breeze to maintenance. This bike is a peach. The only plastics I had to remove were the tank covers, and that took five minutes. 

Edit: Also, gear-driven cams FTMFW!!

Edited February 26, 2023 by Pauly

[MSerfozo]

Admittedly, when the top end is actually on top instead of on the side like a BMW, it's a little harder to set valve clearances.  But on an old-school oil-boiler naked, it's not a lot harder!  And with tappet adjusters, the adjustment is easy with common hand tools.

While I had the tank off, I took the opportunity to install the Pingel petcock I had laying around.

[MSerfozo]

Today was fork oil change.  It always surprises me how nasty the old stuff is.

 

[MSerfozo]

Brake fluid today.  Pretty boring so no pics.  All M/Cs have new, clear, DOT4 fluid now.

[Pauly]

Buttoned up the 12k service. Just have to scan it and reset the service reminder. Lift is now ready for the Oldwing to be inspected and serviced. Pick that up on Tuesday. 

[Pauly]

Rode the Oldwing to drop off my city taxes. Runs well, considering it's three decades old. Windscreen was in the worst place it could be... right at eyeball level. I only had the option to lift it, so I did. Never rode a bike looking through the glass before. Should be a fun experience. 

Timing belts and oil/filter should be here in a few days. Spark plugs/air cleaner were replaced at 20k miles, so those are not being replaced this season. Carbs were rebuilt and sync'd as well. With the exception of the timing belts, which I just don't trust based on age, this bike is maintained above/beyond my own expectations. 

Now.. where do I find Ohlins for a bike this old?