Techrat
New Member
I probably should be posting this in THE BAR (comedy) section of this forum but here goes. I never would have believed that getting my bike ready for summer would have been such a pain. Working in a storage space dimly lit but I had a flashlight. I had three tasks. Re-install the battery, install my new Barkbusters, and clean the chain. How hard could it be?
1) Re-install the battery - Five minute job, right? NOPE!!! Couldn't get the freaking clip that holds the battery back on. Finally got it on after five minutes of messing with it. Installed the positive terminal screw. Attempted to install the negative terminal. The screw kept turning and turning. Took out the screw and looking around with my flashlight, the nut that holds the screw had fell out. Found it and put it back in. While trying again, the screw fell. It didn't land in the bottom of freakin Frunk, it had to fall inbetween the plastics and into the bowels of the bike. Removed the battery. After shaking the bike and almost making it fall over, I had to take a couple of the fairings off to locate it. And somehow it had lodged itself in between some cables. Had to use a pair of needle-nose to get it out. Finally got everything installed. Tested it. The display can on. The time was wrong but I was not about to try to figure out how to adjust it right then and there. Total time ONE HOUR.
2) Install new Barkbusters - Twenty minute job. Not even. Heard that the screws that they send with the kit are too short, so I ordered 3 sets of longer ones from England, since they are metrics bolts and not carried by most retailers in the U.S. After laying out every part, I thought I was ready. NOPE!!! First instructions - Disassemble current hand grips and remove internal weights. Unfortunately and unbeknown to me the instructions were written for the OEM grips that come with the bike. I had the dealer replace those stupid things with Kuryakyn ISO Grips, which are bigger and have a much better feel. Taking them apart was out of the question, so I figured I'd bypass this step and try assembling the rest. The instructions are more vague than those stick drawings you get when trying to put together furniture from IKEA. Tried a U-Tube video but the guy seemed more interested in showing all the little parts that came with the kit then actually how to put them on the freakin' bike!!!
Finally figured it out and after "air-assembling" them, realized that I could leave the OEM internal weights in the bars but I'd have to buy some M6 bolts to secure the ends instead of the M8 bolts that came with the kit (or the longer ones that I ordered all the way from England). After TWO HOURS, I figured it was time to cut my losses and try again later.
Stop by Home Depot on the way home. Luckily they carried a few metric sized nuts and bolts. So I picked up a pair of M6 X 80mm bolts. Not as thick or sturdy as the M8 X 75mm ones that come with the kit (or the 80mm, 90mm or 100m ones I ordered) but they should work in a pinch. I'll be completing the install in a couple of days.
3) Clean the chain - The easiest bike maintenance you can do. Ten minutes tops. NOPE!!! I remembered that I didn't have time to clean the chain when I was putting it away last September. It was dark and I was freezing and several cars had tried to kill me, literally. So I just jacked it up and put the cover over it. Fast forward to today. The chain had grown a layer of rust on most of the links. I ride street and it wasn't raining so its not like I had rode through any puddles, so I couldn't figure for the life of me why there was so much rust on the chain in an indoors facility. I hadn't brought my grunge brush or any rust removing solvent. All I had was a rag and a can of chain wax. I put as much effort as I could using chain wax as rust remover. I did a pretty good job but I know that the chain life has been shortened a little bit. Another HALF HOUR off my life.
In short, what should have been FORTY minutes of routine maintenance took over THREE AND A HALF hours and was still not complete. Maybe I'm just blowing off steam or maybe I should get the "Most Incompetent Wrencher" award for the year. Either way, I'm just glad that I'll be ready to ride soon.
Techrat.
1) Re-install the battery - Five minute job, right? NOPE!!! Couldn't get the freaking clip that holds the battery back on. Finally got it on after five minutes of messing with it. Installed the positive terminal screw. Attempted to install the negative terminal. The screw kept turning and turning. Took out the screw and looking around with my flashlight, the nut that holds the screw had fell out. Found it and put it back in. While trying again, the screw fell. It didn't land in the bottom of freakin Frunk, it had to fall inbetween the plastics and into the bowels of the bike. Removed the battery. After shaking the bike and almost making it fall over, I had to take a couple of the fairings off to locate it. And somehow it had lodged itself in between some cables. Had to use a pair of needle-nose to get it out. Finally got everything installed. Tested it. The display can on. The time was wrong but I was not about to try to figure out how to adjust it right then and there. Total time ONE HOUR.
2) Install new Barkbusters - Twenty minute job. Not even. Heard that the screws that they send with the kit are too short, so I ordered 3 sets of longer ones from England, since they are metrics bolts and not carried by most retailers in the U.S. After laying out every part, I thought I was ready. NOPE!!! First instructions - Disassemble current hand grips and remove internal weights. Unfortunately and unbeknown to me the instructions were written for the OEM grips that come with the bike. I had the dealer replace those stupid things with Kuryakyn ISO Grips, which are bigger and have a much better feel. Taking them apart was out of the question, so I figured I'd bypass this step and try assembling the rest. The instructions are more vague than those stick drawings you get when trying to put together furniture from IKEA. Tried a U-Tube video but the guy seemed more interested in showing all the little parts that came with the kit then actually how to put them on the freakin' bike!!!
Finally figured it out and after "air-assembling" them, realized that I could leave the OEM internal weights in the bars but I'd have to buy some M6 bolts to secure the ends instead of the M8 bolts that came with the kit (or the longer ones that I ordered all the way from England). After TWO HOURS, I figured it was time to cut my losses and try again later.
Stop by Home Depot on the way home. Luckily they carried a few metric sized nuts and bolts. So I picked up a pair of M6 X 80mm bolts. Not as thick or sturdy as the M8 X 75mm ones that come with the kit (or the 80mm, 90mm or 100m ones I ordered) but they should work in a pinch. I'll be completing the install in a couple of days.
3) Clean the chain - The easiest bike maintenance you can do. Ten minutes tops. NOPE!!! I remembered that I didn't have time to clean the chain when I was putting it away last September. It was dark and I was freezing and several cars had tried to kill me, literally. So I just jacked it up and put the cover over it. Fast forward to today. The chain had grown a layer of rust on most of the links. I ride street and it wasn't raining so its not like I had rode through any puddles, so I couldn't figure for the life of me why there was so much rust on the chain in an indoors facility. I hadn't brought my grunge brush or any rust removing solvent. All I had was a rag and a can of chain wax. I put as much effort as I could using chain wax as rust remover. I did a pretty good job but I know that the chain life has been shortened a little bit. Another HALF HOUR off my life.
In short, what should have been FORTY minutes of routine maintenance took over THREE AND A HALF hours and was still not complete. Maybe I'm just blowing off steam or maybe I should get the "Most Incompetent Wrencher" award for the year. Either way, I'm just glad that I'll be ready to ride soon.
Techrat.
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