Saturday, June 2, 2007

Bike Preparation


Gotta get the bike ready for the trip. Actually, there's not a great deal to do, even though I thought there would be a fair amount of work necessary.

My Suzuki Vstrom 650 has almost 42K miles. I bought it used with about 2.5K miles almost 2 years ago. It came with a Givi 46 topcase, SW Motech engine guard, Hawke oiler, Cee Bailey windscreen, and BMW power plug. Since then, I've added lots of farkles: Givi E36 rack and sidecases, Motolights,a modulating headlight, hyperlights, Autocom communication, StreetPilot 2610 GPS (car use also), Sirius satellite radio, SW Motech centerstand, and a Corbin saddle. It's a wonder the bike can move!!

Back to preparation--I thought I'd need a new chain and sprockets. They now have about 15K miles on them, but when I had my mechanic to look at them, he said he'd wait until the ride is over. Since the ride will be around 6K miles, I hope it will be good for those miles. The original lasted over 17K miles but the present set is better quality and has been maintained better than the original. So, I'm going to chance it.

Also thought I'd need to change brake pads. He looked at them and said they had about 30% remaining. At 42K, that would give another 12-14K miles left, so he advised to wait on replacing pads as well. He reminded me that pads were widely available and easy to change, so even if I needed them on the road, I could do it while on the ride if needed.

Front tire has to be changed. I use Metzler Tourance, and the front has over 23K miles, so it's going to be changed for sure. I have the tire already, so it's just a matter of getting it to the shop to have it changed.

Need to change oil and filter before leaving. Simple job.

Even though the valves have not been checked in about 20K miles, I've decided to wait until on getting them checked until I get back. When I had them checked at 21K, all were within tolerance, none getting close to service limits. Given that, I should be safe to wait until I get back.

Rear tire has about 6K miles. I usually get around 12K or better on them, so I'll need a new rear tire when I get back.

Hummm when I get back, I'll be needing new brake pads, chain and sprockets, valve adjustment, and rear tire. Those items will burn up a 500 dollar bill. Who said riding a bike was cheaper than driving a car??? Not so! Guess it's only money...

Oh, BTW, the Roadcrafter arrived on Friday! I feel like a big bumblebee wearing it! I should be seen by the cagers..

Next is trip planning--when we're leaving, when we're coming back, and where we're going. More on that later.....

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have a great adventure--betsy

Anonymous said...

Good for people to know.