Winterizing My Motorcycles

It was warm this past weekend, so I hauled my motorcycles out of the garage to start the winterizing ritual. I normally wait until well after Thanksgiving, but it has already been in the single digits multiple times this year. I don’t think I’ll get anymore two-wheeled riding in for a while. The warm weather created a lot of cool fog.

My process is pretty simple. I fill up the gas tanks and then put in some marine-grade fuel stabilizer. I like the sta-bil brand. I let the motorcycles run for a while to get the stabilizer into the carbs and fuel injectors on the different bikes.

While they are running, I like to sweep the garage and make a space in the back for them. When I’m done cleaning, I bring them back in the garage and put them on the battery tender. The SV and the WR get to rest on stands which keep the tires off the ground. The Super9 has a center stand. The GZ250? It’s for sale. Buy it!

Here is a shot of all the bikes together. I don’t have many with all five motorcycles together.

I want to clean up my workspace in the garage this winter, so I can get some maintenance done. The WR250R could use some new tires, and I bought a three gallon gas tank to replace the stock two gallon at a swap meet in the spring. Please don’t remind me about the heated grips I have had sitting on the bench for over a year now. This winter might be the one! haha!

What winter motorcycle maintenance do you have planned?

Subzero Uraling to Scrambler Cycle

It seems I have a knack for picking one of the coldest days of the year to get my Ural work done at Scrambler Cycle. Today, it was –5F when I woke up. I waited for it to get to 0F before I left, but as I rode north the temp kept dropping. I rode most of the 100 miles in subzero temps. I stopped about half way to warm up my feet. My toes were like ice cubes wiggling around in my boots.

Kevin at Scrambler Cycle has several projects going for various customers. A couple nice looking old bikes in the works. Kevin has upgraded his facilities, so I enjoyed his wi-fi while he wrenched.

He quickly got to work on my Ural replacing the rear brake switch. It died for the fourth time in three year, and finally we could upgrade the rear brake pedal to the new model and use the new style (for Ural) brake switch common on Japanese bikes.

The pedals look almost identical. The old on the left and new on the right.

From this angle you can see the difference. New on the left, old on the right. The new one has a tab and a hole for the spring to attach.

Here it is installed. Kevin adjusted the brake lever travel and the sidecar brake. It is very comfortable to use now. I was impressed with the stopping power with properly adjusted brakes. I didn’t know what I was missing.

He also fixed a few other things that needed attention. I spent most of the day there, so it was up to 18F by the time I left. The 100 mile ride home was much warmer. My feet were not frozen. The sunset wasn’t as nice as the sunrise though, and I made it home just before it became completely dark.

When I got home, I ordered a set of heated socks from Gerbing. Four winters of cold feet is enough. I’m ready for my feet to be as warm as my hands.

A good days riding and wrenching.

 

ps: more Malaysia photos soon.

Everyday for 7 Weeks–Day 27–Vancouver to Seattle

The morning brought with it another chance to say goodbye. One of the things I love about travelling is meeting friendly people, but by its nature it also means you don’t get to spend much time with them. I collected my stuff which had exploded out of my luggage all over the room. Funny how staying put for a day can do that. With the bags packed, it was time to go. I had one more person to meet before I left Vancouver.

Do to scheduling problems, I wasn’t able to meet Bob sooner. I rode over to his office, and we set off to find a beverage.

The meetup did not go as planned however. There was a small crisis which had to be dealt with first.

When we stopped at the café, we set about taking photos, and that is when I noticed my license plate had snapped in half lengthwise. It was fine when I left Sonja’s place. The rough and bumpy Vancouver roads had finished off what the Alaska and Cassiar Highways couldn’t!

Now how to fix?? Neither of us had a way to make a hole in metal that thick, and we didn’t have any epoxy either. The stores nearby didn’t have anything either, but we did have one tool left. A cell phone. Don’t leave home without it! Bob made some calls, and soon we were off again after strapping the plate to the luggage rack.

We met up with fellow rider, Roger, at his shop.

He whipped out a drill and three screws. The problem was resolved four minutes later. Nice!

 

 

Thanks Roger!!

We returned triumphant to the café to celebrate with a warm beverage.

Bob was a bit trigger happy with his camera. I was not my energetic self due to many late nights and early mornings. I should have taken more.

We chatted away on all sorts of topics, but just as early in the morning the time for goodbyes came too soon. Bob had to get back to work. With a wave, we were off in our own directions. It was great to finally meet Bob. I had been wanting to meet him for some time as he was one of the first people who commented on my blog.

I headed back into Vancouver to get some goodies for the ride down to Seattle. Vancouver is a unique city for me in that it was the first I have ridden in that doesn’t have a freeway to the core downtown area. It was voted down repeatedly in the 60s and 70s, so they just never built one. Hence, it takes some time to navigate the web of spotlights and cross streets. For the traveller, I enjoyed it. It gave me more time to see the city in a way that blasting by at 60mph you can’t. As a resident, it might get annoying taking so long to get from one side to the other in normal conditions. In rush hour, both are painful. Fortunately, Vancouver has many HOV lanes which are friendly for motorcycles.

I headed south along the coast towards the US border. I hoped it would be a quicker process there, and if not at least I could stare at the ocean. I had plenty of time to look at the ocean, as the cars were stacked up two lanes deep for more than a kilometer. It took about 45 minutes to get to the border agent, but she was very friendly and efficient once I got there. The crossing was easy, and before I knew it I was on I-5 heading south towards Seattle.

I had planned on getting new tires and an oil change in Seattle on 5/25 since getting tires for my bike in Vancouver turned about to be overly difficult. There wasn’t much of a price difference between the two, both were more than I was used to paying in Minnesota. Since the dealer was open until 8pm, I popped in to see if they could squeeze me in. I was in luck as they could and did.

There was a bit of a mix-up with the tires. I paid for them while I was in Alaska over the phone, but they couldn’t find my order. The tires were there, but no name on them. We agreed to have them charge me again, and we’d sort it out after I confirmed I was charged via my credit card statement (more on that later).

They took about 90 minutes to do the tires and oil. I nearly fell asleep laying on their comfy couches in the customer waiting area. Too many late nights! I wandered around and looked at all the cool old bikes they had on display.

They found my rear sprocket was very worn. I had a new chain and sprocket kit installed before I left, and this one only has 7,000 miles on it. It seems when the new rear tire was installed in Fairbanks, they tightened the chain too much, and I didn’t notice. It seemed fine to me when I checked it. (and I did). oh well. At least I’m not sitting in a cube staring at a computer (I’m doing it in a café instead! haha!) They didn’t have time to change the sprocket then. I will have to figure that out later.

The bike feels SOO much better with a decent tire on it and the chain correctly set. I was feeling some weird vibes from the bike as speed increased, but I blamed it all on the ME880. The SV feels good as new again. They even cleaned up the bike some and washed the wheels. The squeaky sidestand and footpeg are also now lubed up. Thanks to Nick and Mitch at Aurora Suzuki for taking care of me so quickly.

A tasty dinner.

By the time I made it to the Seattle downtown area, the sun was getting pretty low and the “magic hour” had started. The hour photographers love for the beautiful warm light around sunset/sunrise. The downtown area looked amazing in that light, but I was tired and didn’t setup my GoPro before I left. No photos. In fact, hardly any today. I made it to the hotel where I’m meeting my wife Friday (5/25) and went straight to bed.

 

 

Day 27 Full Flickr Album

 

Today's Route:

View Larger Map

 

Video: Riding with Bobskoot

Brake Bleeding The Lazy Way

This will explain how to bleed your brakes the lazy way. The brake on my Ural was unusually annoying to bleed. It is just one nice, straight length with no high spots, but I couldn’t get any feel in the lever. If you have a lot of time on your hands, this might be the method for you.

I Broke My Mojo

Installing my new tires proved to be a bit more adventure than I expected when I began. I thought it was going to be a nice Saturday afternoon project, but it turned into a multi-day affair.

Snow Tires for the Ural

I turned over 15,000km on the Ural last weekend and decided to do some maintenance. Little did I know it would turn into a multi-day ordeal at no fault of the Ural.

Frustrating BMW

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I finally got the new brake lines for the BMW a week ago, but they didn’t have enough DOT4 brake fluid at the motorcycle shop. I had planned to get some on the way home, but got distracted by a fun detour. A week later, I still didn’t have the DOT4.

Did I mention the Spiegler lines above are CHEAPER than the stock BMW rubber ones? How about all the front, rear, and clutch in stainless steel for less than the front BMW lines? The stainless has a lifetime warranty too which is much nicer than the stockers which are supposed to be replaced every four years or so.

SV650 Tune-Up at Lloyd’s Motorcycle Performance

I usually do most of the maintenance on my SV650, but there are a couple tasks that I do not enjoy on this particular bike. One of them in syncing the carbs and the other is the valve adjustment. The main reason is taking the entire bike apart – radiator, tank, handlebars, airbox, and seat. I also prefer adjusting valves on screw adjusters rather than the bucket/shim setup.

Giving the SV650 Some Love… and a DR370

On my walk at lunch today, I had to stop and admire this cool looking old Suzuki. The badge reads DR370. I love the old scrambler styling. It looks like a fun bike, and I bet it sounds neat too. The owner was no where to be found. When I returned from lunch, it was gone.

The SV650 stepped in and did a great job (as usual) when the GS let me down before the trip. It continues to remind me why it’s my favorite bike in the garage – it’s reliable and a ton of fun.

The poor SV was in desperate need of maintenance, so I gave it some much needed attention.  I also hate having more than one bike broken at a time (silly GS!) The speedometer quit working on the way back from Chicago, the spark plugs, air filter, oil filter, and oil were all past due on being changed as well. I don’t really care about the speedo, as I can pretty accurately judge the speed from the tach, but not having the odometer is a pain.

The speedo had acted weird a couple times before the trip, so I ordered the part that most commonly causes the problem. It turned out to be a wise purchase. I’m tempted to order another one at $15 since they seem to randomly fail. The original one made it 35,000 miles, so I might just wait.

The new part on the left and the failed part in the sensor housing on the right.

The tabs have been chewed off, and you can see the black, dusty remains of the broken part here along the wheel bearings.

It was an easy repair. I didn’t even have to take the wheel all the way off. I’ll detail it in a future post.

The SV650 Oil Change was easy. A new crush washer was indeed needed!

New on the left, old on the right.

Next, I replaced the air filter with a K&N I got for less than the stock filter. The K&N can be cleaned and re-used forever. Nice! My 1150GS and my wife’s GS500 both have a K&N as well.

K&N on left, stock on right

Spark plugs were next:

new vs old. they needed to be changed! They had over 21,000 miles on them. The bike starts much nicer now.

The plug locations on the SV650 are under the gastank and behind the radiator. Kind of a pain to do the one behind the radiator.

I used a socket on the stock tool to tighten the one under the seat/gas tank.

then I used the stock tool with a ratcheting wrench, so I didn’t have to remove the radiator. I had about 1/4” of clearance to work. A very tight fit.

I’ll write up a more detailed post on the plugs later.

Last was to clean and lube the chain up properly. It developed a nice black patina from the road trip. Some chain cleaner and now it is back to a nice shiny gold color.

Of course, I had to take the bike for a short test ride after all the maintenance! In my mind, it seems to run a bit smoother.

 

PS:  More trip posts coming soon.

PPS: Insurance check came for the house, so now we can finally start repairs!

PPPS: Parts for the R1150GS should arrive early next week.

Meetups and Wrenching

As I mentioned in the previous post, I had another moto-vlogger staying with me for the past three days – Navythomas8 (NT8). We’ve been having a blast goofing off, riding around, and shooting the breeze. If it wasn’t for the shutdown, we wouldn’t have been able to spend so much time together. A positive out of the shutdown mess.

Two days ago we also had lunch with another vlogger and Polar Bear Challenge contestant – P0kerp1ayer (PP).

Here is a photo, NT8 and PP.

We met at Chipotle in St. Paul, and had some tasty burritos, chips, and guacamole!

After lunch, we rode up to a scenic overlook on the south side of the Mississippi River looking north towards downtown St. Paul. It was a fun few hours chatting away. I hope the meetups during my trip are this fun.

 

NT8’s chain was getting a bit stretched and worn, so we put his KLR up on my motorcycle jack to take a closer inspection.

Ah yes, there’s the problem… the chain was shot, so I cut it off with the dremel.

We bought a new chain and used my chain breaker to remove the extra links and to press it back together on the bike. It was nice to have a second set of hands around.

 

Speaking of maintenance, my R1150GS has been giving me some trouble. The throttle cable is acting up, so I ordered a new set which just came last night. I’m going to attempt to put them on myself today, so wish me luck! Nothing like major bike maintenance less than 48 hours from departure!

 

PS: What did you guys think of the motorcycle comedy spoof that NT8 made?

PPS: Here is a short vlog of NT8 getting a tour of St. Paul from the Ural: Navythomas8 Meetup Part 1 - Sidecar Adventure in St. Paul

GS500 Air Filter Replacement or Cleaning

Cleaning the air filter can help prolong the life of the engine in your motorcycle. This post document replacing the air filter on a 2007 Suzuki GS500F. The same procedure applies for cleaning. Suzuki recommends cleaning the air filter every 2,000 miles and replacing it every 7,500 miles or two years. The gas tank needs to be removed to change or clean the air filter.



The tools I used:

• flathead screwdriver
• Philips screwdriver
• 12mm socket and ratchet 
• pliers
• A small piece of 2”x4” wood to prop up the rear of the tank
• rag to catch any drips of gas
• HFA3503 Air Filter or K&N SU-5589 Air Filter
• includes affiliate links to support the blog

1) Put the motorcycle on the center stand to make it more stable.


2) Remove the seat. Turn the key while lifting up on the rear of the seat.



Seat removed:


3) Ensure the fuel petcock is turned on and the fuel cover on the tank is secure. The fuel tap is under the tank, and will be turned off in step 6.


4) Use the 12mm socket and ratchet to remove the two bolts, each one securing either side of the tank.


5) Gently lift up on the rear of the tank and slip a piece of wood to support it.


6) From the right side of the bike looking towards the left, the fuel tap is visible under the tank.



Use a flatbladed screw driver to turn the fuel tap from on (vertical) to off (horizontal)


7) Using the pliers, loosen the two hose clamps and remove the fuel hoses from the fuel tap. Make a note of which hose goes where. I used a zip tie to mark one side.


Have a rag handy to catch the couple drips of gas that will be in the hoses.


8) Remove the water drain hose


All three hoses removed:


9) Now that the tank is free of the hoses, lift up on the rear of the tank and pull towards the back of the bike slightly. The tank should come free easily. Place in a safe place.


10) The air filter is held by four Philips screws. Use the Philips screwdriver to remove them.


Note the two clips also held the the bottom two screws:


11) Remove the air filter


12) If cleaning use compressed air to blow it clean. This one is a bit dirty.


13) The Old (left) and New (right)


14) Install the new filter and replace the four screws. Remember the two cable clips on the bottom.


15) Reinstall the gas tank and reconnect the three hoses.
16) Remember to turn the fuel tap back to the on or vertical position.
17) There is no specified torque for the two rear 12mm bolts.
18) Go for a ride!

Other GS500 Guides/Howtos:

• GS500 Front Tire Replacement
• GS500 Handlebar Replacement
• GS500 Gas Tank Removal
• GS500 Oil Change 
• GS500 Rear Tire Replacement 
• GS500 Spark Plug Replacement 

Written by Chrisluhman for Everyday Riding. All rights reserved.