Category: Maintenance RSS feed for this category
Getting the gunk out
One of the downsides of riding a dual-sport bike is grease and dust make a mess of the working parts. During a routine oil change, I decided to pull the plastic housing away from the clutch linkage and front sprocket. An hour later I had scraped away the semi-solid layers of gunk. It was a coagulation of road dust and chain lubricant. Anytime I ride on a gravel road or ride in the rain, I clean and lube my chain. But the dust is especially nasty as it gets everywhere and it eventually needs to be removed. Adventure touring is
A new Shinko 705
I have put close to 7,000 miles on my set of Shinko 705 tires. The front looks damn near new but the rear has very little tread left down the center stripe and about 50% tread remaining on the sides. For an $83 tire, that’s a very low cost-per-mile. The Shinko’s have been outstanding tires, providing excellent grip in cornering and especially on wet roads. Normally I replace both tires at the same time. With previous brands, including Bridgestone Battle Wings and Metzeler Tourances, the front wore down enough to justify replacing it at the same time as the rear.
Fixing flats and Shinko 705′s
Back in September of 2010 when I was in Frenchglen, Oregon I picked up a fencing nail in my rear tire. I was able to fix the flat using a plugged tool and my DC powered air compressor. The tire — a Bridgestone Battle Wing — held air until today. When I went into the garage to ride to work, the tire was flat. I fired up my air compressor, added some air, and headed into work. The day before I had dropped off a new set of Shinko 705 tires at Yamaha Sports Plaza in Fairview — my go-to
Wash and ride
The weather in Oregon apparently didn’t get the memo about global warming. I guess that’s why they call it climate change instead. The planet is getting warmer, on average, but some areas will actually see colder and wetter weather. So far in 2011, Oregon has been acting more like southeast Alaska. It has been cold and wet and dry days have been few and far between. Saturday was dry, although not overly warm. I started at 8 AM, pulling my V-Strom out of the garage, hooking up the garden hose for the first time since last Fall, and giving my
A shameless plug…
… Spark plugs, that is. Friday after work I rode over to Yamaha Sports Plaza for some scheduled maintenance work on my 2007 V-Strom. After 35,000 miles, it was time for a new air filter element and spark plugs. I went with the touted K&N air filter and the NGK spark plugs recommended by the service manager, Steve. While there I had them grease the speedometer sensor in the front axle. After a while it can dry out and make an odd chirping noise. I rode home before the rain started. To anyone that isn’t aware of what’s been going
Tweaks and short rides
It’s a nasty time of year when it comes to weather. We’ve had record rain fall, nasty cold, and even snow. My riding opportunities have been rather slim lately, and I’ve been working long enough hours that commuting on the bike isn’t safe enough for my risk levels (from being tired). I spent some time during a past weekend doing some wrenching on my bike, getting things tightened up and adjusted. I got a short ride in to test things out before heading back home to warm up. The forecast is fairly dry this coming Sunday and Monday so between
Crash bars and skid plate
I am slowly preparing for a trip to Alaska (Prudhoe Bay, specifically) and part of that preparation is equipping my bike to handle the trip. The V-Strom is a very capable motorcycle and can be accessorized in many different ways – relatively inexpensively – half the cost of equipping a BMW with equal or better reliability. It can be equipped to handle pavement as well as off-road riding. When I head North, my bike will need to handle both. The underside of the engine of the 650 is relatively unprotected. I extended my front fender (“Fenda Extenda”) to reduce road
Ride report: Steens Mountain, Southeast Oregon
I just got back from a 6-day, 1,600 mile trip through, across, and around southeastern Oregon, with a visit to the highest road in the state at 9,700 feet — Steens Mountain. After camping my way all the way across the center of the state and down to the southern border for a couple of days, I met up with Mark and Janice, two new friends from California. I met Mark in a diner in Weaverville, CA back in June. He and I both ride V-Stroms and had stayed in touch all summer, talking about taking a trip together. His
Huckleberry Loop
Sunday I rode a loop up and over the Cascades via Forest Service roads, then back on Highway 26. The route began in Sandy under cloudy and misty skies. Although it was warm and somewhat muggy, the air was damp so I had my waterproof pants on. It was warm riding but that’s better than getting soaked. I topped off my gas tank in Estacada and already needed to pull out the liner from my Aerostich Darien. Cooler, I headed up the Clackamas River Highway toward Ripplebrook. See the full route here. Although I had a few rain drops on
Repairs: Part II
After failing to figure out how to remove the front cowling in order to access my turn signals, I gave up and took it to the dealership’s service department and have them do it. Even their head mechanic said it was a royal pain, but they managed to get my front two turn signals replaced. The rear signals are apparently just as much of a hassle, so currently my bike still has the factory indicators on the back. While at the shop I had them put on new brake pads and replace the bar-end weight that got bent when I
