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#2425 doing maintenance, probably like an idiot

SneakyDingo

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Aug 6, 2021
Messages
1,561
Odometer: 5115 mi
Weather: Cold and wet. Sucks not being able to do this indoors.
Life changes: OT through the nose, this is the first time since January 4 I've had a weekend free.

I didn't get the chance to do the valve check at 4000 mi, so I did it as soon as I could. I've been working overtime and weekends; one day I might even be able to tell the story about why.

Learning note: This bike is a 4 stroke engine: For every 2 rotations of the crankshaft, each valve only opens once. If it seems too tight for the thinner gauge, rotate the crankshaft once and try again.

My valve check yielded the exhaust valve was slightly out of spec. A quick adjustment and the bike was back together.

Total time: 40 minutes
(some of this time was searching for the other 17mm socket after I'd started because the one I had didn't fit). Technically the task of aligning top dead center could be achieved using the kickstart as well, but I feel like that's a 2 person job, or 1 person and a camera/scope.

Videos:
Tools and parts:
  1. Spark plug puller + 14mm wrench (to turn spark plug puller) + torque wrench if needed for reinsertion.
  2. Valve adjustment tool - this is the one I used, but they're all pretty similar.
  3. Feeler gauges - 0.003", 0.004", 0.005", 0.006", 0.007", 0.008" (the important ones are bolded)
  4. 5mm Hex
  5. 6mm Hex
  6. 10mm Hex
  7. 8mm socket
  8. 17mm thin wall socket
  9. Flashlight to easily see top dead center
  10. Replacement spark plug if needed: Stock CPR6EA-9 (heat range 6)
Preparation
5mm hex, Spark plug puller
1. Clean the areas around the intake valve cover, the exhaust valve cover and the two caps being removed.
2. Right side of the bike, pull the spark plug.
3. Inspect for 0.03" to 0.04" (0.8-0.9mm) gap. Take photos.
4. Loosen the bolts on the skidpan - not really needed, but I found that I couldn't get my tool in to remove the rearmost bolt of the valve cover without doing it.

Align crank with intake valve adjust position
6mm hex, 10mm hex, 17mm socket, socket extender.
5. Left side of bike, remove the 2 hex covers next to the shifter toe. Don't lose the O-Rings under the covers. The top left is a 6mm allen key.
6. Turn crank manually until the groove on the top right visual port aligns with the Top Dead Center (TDC) T marker. Note: My regular sockets wouldn't fit here. I needed to use a thin wall one.
- Be aware there are two TDC markers. One for exhaust, one for intake.

Inspect the intake valve
8mm socket, 0.003" to 0.005" feeler gauges, valve adjustment tool (maybe)
7. Intake valve is the easier of the two. It's up top, cleaner to get to, etc. Using 8mm socket, remove the intake valve (top) covers carefully. Do not damage the O-ring under the cover.
8. Get the 0.004" and 0.005" feeler gauges and give the tappet and valve a wiggle first before starting. Slide the feeler gauge in between the valve stem and the tappet. Make sure it's parallel. If 0.004" doesn't fit, try 0.003" and make sure it's TDC in the intake cycle.
9. If adjustment is needed, use the valve adjustment tool to adjust the valve, but first check the TDC Maker is in the right place.
10. Clean off the mating surfaces and reassemble the cover.

Inspect the exhaust valve
8mm socket, 0.006" to 0.008" feeler gauges, valve adjustment tool (maybe)
11. Left side of the bike, rotate the crank once to move the crank to top dead center of the exhaust cycle.
12. Get the 0.006", 0.007" and 0.008" feeler gauges.
13. Place a catch for any errant oil under the exhaust port. A rag near the bashplate is a good idea.
14. Loosen the bolts using the 8mm socket and quickly drop the cover down to catch as much oil as possible.
15. Repeat the process used for the intake valve on the exhaust. The feeler gauge angle is a little awkward.
16. When reassembling the cover, quickly replace the cover and then insert the bolts so no oil is lost. The O-Ring should prevent any oil loss if you do it quickly.

Post-Adjustment
8mm socket, 5mm hex, 6mm hex, 10mm hex, 14mm socket + torque wrench @ 8-12 ft lb, Spark plug puller
17. Check there is no errant oil.
18. The covers are just covers and don't need massive amounts of torque to close them. Tighten
- The two bolts on the intake cover
- The two bolts on the exhaust cover
- "Loosen" until it clicks to make sure the cap is not cross threaded, then tighten. Tighten to snug and not much more (1/32" turn after it's hand tight):
- The 6mm hex bolt cover on the left side of the bike.
- The 10mm hex bolt cover on the left side of the bike.
- Spark Plug should be reinserted, tightened and reconnected to electronics. 8-12 ft lbs.
19. Reinstall the bash plate if you removed it.

Adjusting the valve
1. The valve adjustment tool probably separates into two pieces.
2. If the valve is in the wrong place, slightly overtighten the valve with the feeler gauge still in between the valves using the valve adjustment tool inside part only, then reassemble the tool, back it off slightly, and then make sure the valve clearance is correct.
3. As you tighten, it will adjust the valve slightly. Can tighten with the feeler gauge still inserted, which can give a small visual indicator as things are tightened up, and also prevent it from moving as much as you tighten.
4. Tighten everything down and check valve clearance after it's tightened. Verify the go-no go valve feeler gauges will fit and not fit. The no go should not slide in, and the go should just slide in with a bit of resistance.

1_SparkPlugPuller1.jpg 2_SparkPlug1.jpg 3_1CapsOff1.jpg 4_TopDeadCenter1.jpg
5_IntakeValve1.jpg 6_ExhaustValve1.jpg 7_ExhaustValve2.jpg

With the intake valve being adjusted correctly it made life easier with getting the feel for whether it's in spec or not. In my exhaust valve case, it was tight enough that the tool could hang using the 0.006", so it needed adjustment. When it was correctly adjusted the 0.007" would be snug in a similar way but the 0.006" would fall out, and the 0.008" would not fit at all. My spark plug is showing signs of corrosion around it and they're pretty cheap so I've ordered a replacement to be installed at 8000 mi.
 

SneakyDingo

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My fuel efficiency took a dive, so I took a second look at the exhaust valve clearance. Checked it thrice, this time it only took about 10 minutes because I had all the tools, knew exactly what to do and I cheated and used my drill to remove and install some of the bolts faster. Unfortunately I've now made too many changes to know for sure if I'll ever fix the problem, if it's just me, if the valve clearance is off, or if the new tire is killing my efficiency.

Odometer: 5,409 mi

Rear Tire change
Rear tire was swapped out to 1) assess the SR44 for whether I wanted to use it on a larger trip, and 2) due to tread depth of the GP5 OEM tires hitting 1/8" depth.

Videos referenced:
  • There's also one more with a guy that did a CT110 tire swap, I can't find it now. But he was the one that gave me the idea to kneel on the tires.
Tools
  • 12mm open ended wrench (chain adjustment)
  • 10mm open ended wrench (chain adjustment)
  • 14mm wrench (rear axle bolt)
  • 19mm socket (rear axle nut)
  • Valve core tool (deflating tire)
  • Tire spoons
  • Rim protectors (abandoned in the end)
  • Bead locker (very helpful)
  • Tire lubricant (very helpful)
  • Air compressor (very helpful)
  • Would recommend using the valve guide tool, I didn't have one at the time.
Torque spec:
  • 14/19mm Rear Axle: 59 Nm
Generic process
  1. Rear wheel off. See here.
  2. Deflate tube (valve core removal is fastest but don't lose the core)
  3. Break the bead. I knelt on it.
  4. Get the old tire off using the spoons. Just like a bicycle, only much harder.
  5. Put the new tire on. 90% of the effort and time will be on this step. Avoiding pinching the tube is priority #1. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
  6. Inflate/deflate a few times carefully looking for pinches and make sure the tube is inside the tire by inflating very slowly and checking as you go. I'll be keeping my bicycle pump inside my toolkit for just this reason. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast here - pinch the tube and you'll have to do it all again.
  7. Overinflate slightly to make sure the bead sits nicely.
  8. (optional) Recalibrate speedometer from 576mm to 586mm OD (OPMID setting 1.7; determined using circumference rollout on ground), maintaining 94% error correction.
  9. Pump rear brake lever a bunch of times after reinstalling the wheel to make sure that the brakes will actually engage when you go riding.
Notes for next time:
  • Conceptually, apply as little force to the valve stem as possible. Start at the opposite side of the wheel and work towards the valve stem.
  • Kneeling on the tire was sufficient to break the bead, and also in many cases hold the bead against the grooved portion of the rim.
  • You want to push the bead of the tire into the groove in the middle of the rim when mounting the last portion.
  • I didn't use the zip tie method. I'd like to use that next time as it seemed like this was a lot harder than it should have been.
  • Tire lube is a great idea. If you don't have any, Windex or soapy water is a common method.
  • Doing smaller portions with the tire levers is a great idea. Towards the end, my tire levers were almost touching.
  • Gloves are a great idea. Not only did I get filthy, but they also protect the hands a little.
  • I wouldn't completely pull the lever back when inserting the next lever and working my way around the bead.
  • Kinda felt like removing the brake rotor would have made life easier since I had to work around it with the tire spoon. Since that's just 4 nuts, might be something to consider in the future.
  • If I wasn't such a cheap bastard with some things, I'd almost say the $50 to have someone else do the work for me is worth it...
Other:
  • Cheap spoons appear to wreck the finish on the rims faster than the pro tools.
  • I am never complaining about Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires ever again.
Ride quality:
Feels so much nicer off road, I actually have grip and can't slip and slide the rear out as easily. On road there's a very, very slight "hunting" feeling when riding in a perfectly straight line. Didn't notice nearly as much speed or climbing loss as I expected. Definitely liking this tire even on-road. Can't tell if it is more "round" than the stock tires (taller in the center) but it definitely was compared to my old, worn out tires.

20230220_200204046_iOS.jpg

Mine didn't have a dot, this was the closest.jpg - no dot on mine for where the heavy point of the tire is. The closest was this mark, so I used that.

Valve - has one nut inside, one nut ouutside.jpg This seems to be a bit of a contentious thing, whether it goes down to the rim, sits above the rim, whether it's two on the inside or one inside one outside... I just copied what they did from the factory, that seemed to work.

Once threaded, stop it from going back through.jpg I had a lot of trouble getting the valve back through ("ooooo that's why they recommend the valve guide...") - immediately put the nut on the very end to stop it backing out.

Wheel off.jpg For bicycles there's a thing where you don't rest the brake rotor on the ground. Idk if that applies to motorcycles.

Tools.jpg To get to this point, it was about 20 minutes. To get from this point to new tire mounted, it was about an hour and a half, plus some youtube videos.
 

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dmonkey

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That's a good run out of the rear tire! The continuous line slightly offset to the left of center on the tire in "Rear Tire.jpg" is the tread wear indicator bar, which it is worn down to or past.
Low temperatures are likely a significant factor in a fuel economy drop this time of year.
 

SneakyDingo

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Messages
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That's a good run out of the rear tire! The continuous line slightly offset to the left of center on the tire in "Rear Tire.jpg" is the tread wear indicator bar, which it is worn down to or past.
Low temperatures are likely a significant factor in a fuel economy drop this time of year.
I sadly didn't take any photos while new so I couldn't be sure that's what it was, but I assumed that was the case. It had just barely touched it which was why I was all, "ok, time to replace the tire." I suspected that the low temperatures probably aren't helping, but this was also a sudden drop of about 5-10 mpg, across 3 tanks.
 

m in sc

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my temps here haven't affected my mileage, at all. MAYBE winter blend fuel for you, but temps, nope. (lowes i've ridden in is 38) Mine consistently gets 78 mpg but i also ride the absolute shit out of it and im 200 lbs, plus the added power mods, etc.
 

dmonkey

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Lower temps increase resistance all over. More viscous oil, denser air to displace while moving, more time for the engine to get up to optimal temp, colder tires with more rolling resistance, etc. Common fuel economy issues for all road vehicles in winter months. Winter blend gas sure doesn't help, even if you're not getting E10 or E15 gasohol the winter blends still evaporate easier and have lower energy per volume. If you're riding through actual snow it's a very significant impact on fuel economy, similar to mud or sand. Riding in traffic also tends to result in more idling in winter months. Parking in heated storage, going on longer rides rather than shorter ones, and avoiding traffic can certainly help lessen the impact.
 
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m in sc

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no but it compensates for a lot of it.

academic approach is fine and all to a degree ( I am an engineer by trade) but there's so many more factors involved regarding fuel economy, and i'm sorry, its just not going to make that big a difference overall.
If you think the 'rolling resistance' is affecting your fuel economy, put some more air in it. the 'hunting' you describe tells you this.

there's actually less contact patch with knobbies than with the stock tires. there's just less surface area, but the tire is much softer. so, for road use...
pressure needs to be adjusted as such. put it up a few psi, bet the fuel economy returns. the recommended pressures are for stock tires on the bike.
 

SneakyDingo

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I physically weigh more in winter compared to summer because the gear I wear is substantially heavier and bulkier. Additionally the gear I carry with me to work is also heavier. One of the biggest quantifiable and measurable impacts around here is definitely known winter blend fuel, which is around 8 mpg difference, but it's the sort of change that bleeds in over time, rather than suddenly appearing all at once. And I *wish* I was 200 lbs.

EDIT: I'm also running the tire harder on PSI (36-37 psi), but the "hunting" because the tire is low pressure doesn't make sense. It does make some sense at higher pressures to me.
 
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SneakyDingo

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If you think the 'rolling resistance' is affecting your fuel economy, put some more air in it. the 'hunting' you describe tells you this.
No questions, higher pressure generally results in better fuel economy, but the hunting part of this statement got me curious. The sensation is kind of like riding on a small ridge or lip; not quite like a groove, where you tend to fall into the groove, it's more like you tend to fall "off" the straight line and have to correct to get back on it, with very small adjustments.

I went out and did a range of tests at 2 psi increments from 40 psi down to 24 psi. It went away right around the 30 psi mark, lower than that definitely did not have that. I was repeatedly riding over the same section of roadway, which is flat and well maintained, to reduce any other variables. Reinflating the tire back to 35 psi resulted in the "hunting" coming back.

I had some errands to run so I left it there, and I think that's perfectly ok. The bike rides fine as is.
 

dmonkey

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Glad to hear you were able to find the right pressure to eliminate the hunting.

32 psi is the max recommended inflation for that Shinko SR244 if it's the 3.00-17 size. When overinflated it's also going to wear very poorly. The contact patch will be too small causing the centerline of the tire to wear excessively, square off, and chunk at the knobs - especially if you're riding on pavement. I learned that from my mistake of airing Shinko SR241 tires up all the way to the bike's recommended PSI for some pavement hauls needed to get to distant trails. They weren't the right tire for that, but burning them up on the street was more practical to me than swapping them. There's always going to be compromises, especially with tires riding on mixed terrain.

Found this nice little note from Shinko:
CAUTION: The 255 and 241 Series tires are D.O.T. approved tires but are not recommended for commuter/continuous highway
use. They are tires for serious off road and trails applications and can be legally used "on highway" to connect off road trail
heads. For dual sport use, we recommend the Shinko 244, 700 or 705 series tires.
 

Backwoods

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(note: if using this as a reference, see next post)

Odometer: 1148 mi
Task: Swap out the suspension
Reference post: @m in sc 's post here.
Tools:
  • JIS screwdriver #1
  • 5mm Hex key
  • Socket extender or a 12mm spanner
  • 12mm socket
  • 14mm socket
  • 17mm socket
  • 19mm spanner
  • 10-60 Nm torque wrench
  • (optional) Lock ring tool (Suspension specific tool)
  • (optional) Sharpie
Total time: 1h30m (probably less if you don't have to go ask your neighbors for tools)
Number of swear words: 0
Reference videos: Removing the exhaust
2021 CT125 Manual references:
  • Air cleaner garnish, 3-6
  • Rear Carrier, 3-17
  • Exhaust Pipe/Muffler, 3-19
  • Rear Suspension, 3-28
OEM parts list links:


Oh boy. If there's one piece of advice I have for this, it's loosen any adjusting components on your suspension BEFORE you start. Running around once the bike is disassembled is much more difficult. Did I do that? No, of course not.

Swapping out the suspension is consists of 4 separate tasks to get to the actual suspension.
  1. Left side: Remove the Air Cleaner Duct Case aka the snorkle.
  2. Right side: Remove the body panel covering the rear brake fluid reservoir.
  3. Right side: Remove the skid pan.
  4. Right side: Remove the exhaust.
  5. Swap the suspension
Remove the Air Cleaner Duct case ("snorkle"):
Parts: 2x SCREW, SPECIAL (5X14) P/N 90114-KPB-750
Tools: 5mm Hex key
  1. One bolt on the underside of the air cleaner duct case at the rear
  2. One bolt on the front of the air cleaner duct case.
  3. Pull outwards to release from tabs.
  4. Remove the Air Cleaner Duct case from the Air Cleaner Garnish Cover (the thing that covers the air filter). No need to unbolt anything, just pull it clear.
  5. A smart man would place this on something soft.
Remove the skid pan
Parts: 4x Bolt, Flange (6X12) P/N 95701-06012-00
Tools: 5mm Hex key
  1. Undo all 4 bolts. It'll be easiest if you loosen them all first and then remove them. Pull it down and forward, there are two tabs that hold the back of the plate to the bike.
View attachment 2792

Remove the body panel covering the rear brake fluid reservoir (below the muffler)
Parts: 1x Push pin P/N 90116-SP0-003, 1x Pan Head Screw P/N 90132-MJE-D40
Tools: JIS #1 Screwdriver (can use a Philips if you don't have one of those)
  1. Remove Pan head head screw to the rear.
  2. Push pin on under side.
  3. Pull out and down. I found this was a bit stiff when I was removing it.
  4. When "storing" it, place it shiny side up so you don't get scratches.
View attachment 2793 View attachment 2794 View attachment 2795

Remove the exhaust
Parts: Flange nut, 8mm P/N 90301-KWB-600, 8mm cap nut P/N 90443-KTM-970
Tools: 12mm socket
  1. Remove the lower 8mm flange bolt (near rear brake fluid reservoir, below the muffler)
  2. Loosen the upper 8mm cap nut, but do not remove it yet.
  3. Remove two 8mm flange nuts near the cylinder. One of them will either need to use a socket extender or a ring spanner.
  4. Slide down component that flange nuts integrated with so it's hanging freely.
  5. Remove upper 8mm cap nut from the upper exhaust mount.
  6. Pull the exhaust down from the cylinder so it's loose, unhook the top of the exhaust, and feed it through the bars until it comes free.
Reinstallation note: 8mm Flange nuts for the cylinder, as well as the upper and lower bolts near the back of the bike all use 27 Nm torque.

Installing the new suspension
Tools needed: 17mm socket (upper left side), 19mm spanner (upper right side), 14mm socket (both sides, lower bolt)
Parts:

  • 19mm spanner. BOLT, ADAPTER (8MM) P/N 90165-K2E-T00
  • 17mm socket. NUT, SELF-LOCK (12MM) (CAP) P/N 90345-MFR-670
  • 14mm socket. NUT, FLANGE CAP (10MM) P/N 90201-HA0-000
  1. Put the bike on the center stand to do this if it's not already on the stand.
  2. Remove one at a time. I started on the right. It was at this moment I realized the suspension came too short from the shop, and I didn't have a lock ring tool. Thankfully I have excellent neighbors.
  3. I had to push out the old bushings from my old suspension into the new suspension as the ones that came with the suspension were too small. Fairly easy to do but required strong thumbs.
  4. Probably the hardest bit of this was getting the lock ring loose; I ended up putting a long screwdriver through the bushing portion and using that for leverage while working the lock ring tool.
  5. Once I did that and got the lower lock ring loose, I rotated the lower portion of the suspension to adjust the length until it slid on easily. Then I replaced the suspension on the other side using a similar approach.
  6. The upper bolts have washers either side of the suspension, but the lower bolts only have a washer on the side facing the nut.
Reinstallation note: Upper bolts to 44 Nm, Lower bolts to 29 Nm.

View attachment 2796

  • Optional: sharpie the tightened bits to mark that you've done them.
View attachment 2798

Reinstalling everything:
Effectively the reverse of removing them. I mounted the exhaust, then took it for a spin to make sure everything was good before I put the skid plate and snorkel back on. It's... probably safe to ride without the muffler, but I didn't want to push my luck too much.

View attachment 2797

#2425Maintenance
Here I was fixin to order adjustable shocks and figured maybe two bolts per side, noooooooooo problem , I can do that!
 

SneakyDingo

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Odometer: Somewhere near ~3000 mi

Unknown:
Bought some cheap pogies / handlebar mitts off Amazon. They get two swings - one for the motorcycle, one for the bicycle. Will they work? Who knows. But they're cheap and worth trying. I don't have very high requirements here, it doesn't usually get THAT cold, but I did break my old winter gloves that I had when I first got the bike so it's time to start experimenting before I absolutely need to solve this. They flop down in a way that would likely be resolved by having a clutch lever to prop it up, so I'm going to try 3D printing something to prop it up slightly just for cosmetic reasons. Comes as 2x pair of mitts.

View attachment 3980

An update here before I start the final round of maintenance before the bike is shipped. I just removed the pogies as the weather is now warm enough to no longer want to use them.

The pogies held up well but not great, but definitely needed hand guard covers to really hold up nicely. The left side would flop down without them. The right side brake fluid reservoir and lever was enough to prevent it from falling down so it basically acted like Hippo Hands. Around the opening of the pogies closest to the speedometer they did tear at the opening, but for $30 I didn't have much hope for them at the start.

Did they do what they were supposed to? Absolutely. I was so comfortable throughout winter, even when there was snow on the ground these held up nicely. Generally you could ride many days without gloves, but on those really cold days I could put some gloves on as well.

I liked these enough that I'll actually be bringing these on the little adventure, and throughout the warmer months I'll be trying to figure out how to get that left side pogie friendly holder installed before next year's winter that I discussed somewhere else.
 

SneakyDingo

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Odometer: 9498 mi
Updates:
  • Oil change at 6679 mi
  • New rear tire fitted, oil change at 8559 mi
  • Oil change at 9498 mi
  • Swapped the 13T and 14T repeatedly in the last 2500 mi for the CDT trip.
  • Applying friction tape to the headlight
  • Air filter replaced
  • Bash guard... reshaped (needs replacing)
Finally got home, washed the bike and did a deep and thorough inspection of the bike. Chain is still looking really good. OPMID lost its protective cover because it was being stored in direct sun exposure with wind, and eventually the cover just peeled off and got blown away. The display surface is very soft as reported, and despite taking extra effort now has some very minor scratching going on from where it was wiped down with a slightly dirty rag.

Tires are holding up nicely, definitely showing signs of wear after the CDT trip but will be good for some time now.

I had a strange rattle develop on the headlight, where at 5500 RPM or higher the headlight starts to have a real rattle. I know that this is from the top of the headlight vibrating against the inside, but wasn't able to get to it until I got back from the trip. 3M makes a friction tape that supposedly helps in this situation, so I took off the electrical tape I'd tried previously and applied the friction tape. The other thing I can do is install the headlight and then wrap-seal the gap with electrical tape, as the cause of the rattle is also stopped when pressure is applied to the front of the headlight.



Honda Las Cruces reported to me that the air filter needed replacement, but they didn't have time to do it (I wonder who's fault that was...). This is a very easy job on the Trail, but I decided to go a little extra on the replacement process because of the tabs on the panel work. My bike is fitted with a center rack that blocks the battery panel.

In order to access the air filter the air filter garnish set (83650-K2E-A00ZA) needs to be pulled off. That has two push pins on the top, and needs a 5mm hex tool to remove the bolt from the side. Typically with this panel you can work it free with your fingers but you have to be a little careful not to break the tabs. Rather than doing that, I grabbed my electric screwdriver, loosened the two bolts holding the front of my center rack on, the top bolt over the top of the battery cover, and then popped off the two push pins - one that connected the battery cover panel to the garnish set, and the other that connected the garnish set to the bike. I feel like any time you work with the panels, you should seriously think about releasing the battery panel because it makes it easier to work on the bike, and this was no exception. With the panel off, I could easily remove the garnish set and expose the cover sub assembly (17235-K2E-T00).

This was still attached to the air snorkel on the rear rack, and I never bothered completely removing it. Through the power of Electric Screwdriver, undid the 8 screws holding the air filter assembly closed, took out the old one, put a new one in, and reassembly was effectively the reverse process. With an electric screwdriver to simplify the removal of bolts and screws (8 screws, 2x 5mm hex key bolts, 2x 7mm hex key bolts due to center rack) this entire task took about 8 minutes.

Didn't look that dirty but was way more oily than the replacement unit. This wasn't too surprising to me as the sight glass had filled with oil after the Las Cruces motorsports servicing, so I expected oil had gotten into the area where the filter was.

20230626_005047232_iOS.jpg



Finally, I also did an oil change, but this time I dropped the bash plate while I was at it. There was one particular part of the ride on day 2 or 3 where I heard a large THUNK after riding over a big rock and knew the bash plate had been doing its job.

Well, now that I had an opportunity to actually look at it, this is what I saw. The ornamental guard had protected the lowest portion of the exhaust pipe from damage. For now, I've gently persuaded it back into a more useful** shape using a mallet, but it will be replaced with the next order I place. As a reminder, the OEM exhaust costs ~$780, and was protected by a $58 OEM plate, so those of you upgrading your bash plates and actually using them off road are really getting your money's worth out of it.

20230626_023139571_iOS.jpg

** More easily reinstalled
 
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SLO

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Joined
Nov 26, 2021
Messages
377
Location
meadowview virginia
Odometer: 9498 mi
Updates:
  • Oil change at 6679 mi
  • New rear tire fitted, oil change at 8559 mi
  • Oil change at 9498 mi
  • Swapped the 13T and 14T repeatedly in the last 2500 mi for the CDT trip.
  • Applying friction tape to the headlight
  • Air filter replaced
  • Bash guard... reshaped (needs replacing)
Finally got home, washed the bike and did a deep and thorough inspection of the bike. Chain is still looking really good. OPMID lost its protective cover because it was being stored in direct sun exposure with wind, and eventually the cover just peeled off and got blown away. The display surface is very soft as reported, and despite taking extra effort now has some very minor scratching going on from where it was wiped down with a slightly dirty rag.

Tires are holding up nicely, definitely showing signs of wear after the CDT trip but will be good for some time now.

I had a strange rattle develop on the headlight, where at 5500 RPM or higher the headlight starts to have a real rattle. I know that this is from the top of the headlight vibrating against the inside, but wasn't able to get to it until I got back from the trip. 3M makes a friction tape that supposedly helps in this situation, so I took off the electrical tape I'd tried previously and applied the friction tape. The other thing I can do is install the headlight and then wrap-seal the gap with electrical tape, as the cause of the rattle is also stopped when pressure is applied to the front of the headlight.



Honda Las Cruces reported to me that the air filter needed replacement, but they didn't have time to do it (I wonder who's fault that was...). This is a very easy job on the Trail, but I decided to go a little extra on the replacement process because of the tabs on the panel work. My bike is fitted with a center rack that blocks the battery panel.

In order to access the air filter the air filter garnish set (83650-K2E-A00ZA) needs to be pulled off. That has two push pins on the top, and needs a 5mm hex tool to remove the bolt from the side. Typically with this panel you can work it free with your fingers but you have to be a little careful not to break the tabs. Rather than doing that, I grabbed my electric screwdriver, loosened the two bolts holding the front of my center rack on, the top bolt over the top of the battery cover, and then popped off the two push pins - one that connected the battery cover panel to the garnish set, and the other that connected the garnish set to the bike. I feel like any time you work with the panels, you should seriously think about releasing the battery panel because it makes it easier to work on the bike, and this was no exception. With the panel off, I could easily remove the garnish set and expose the cover sub assembly (17235-K2E-T00).

This was still attached to the air snorkel on the rear rack, and I never bothered completely removing it. Through the power of Electric Screwdriver, undid the 8 screws holding the air filter assembly closed, took out the old one, put a new one in, and reassembly was effectively the reverse process. With an electric screwdriver to simplify the removal of bolts and screws (8 screws, 2x 5mm hex key bolts, 2x 7mm hex key bolts due to center rack) this entire task took about 8 minutes.

Didn't look that dirty but was way more oily than the replacement unit. This wasn't too surprising to me as the sight glass had filled with oil after the Las Cruces motorsports servicing, so I expected oil had gotten into the area where the filter was.

View attachment 6438



Finally, I also did an oil change, but this time I dropped the bash plate while I was at it. There was one particular part of the ride on day 2 or 3 where I heard a large THUNK after riding over a big rock and knew the bash plate had been doing its job.

Well, now that I had an opportunity to actually look at it, this is what I saw. The ornamental guard had protected the lowest portion of the exhaust pipe from damage. For now, I've gently persuaded it back into a more useful** shape using a mallet, but it will be replaced with the next order I place. As a reminder, the OEM exhaust costs ~$780, and was protected by a $58 OEM plate, so those of you upgrading your bash plates and actually using them off road are really getting your money's worth out of it.

View attachment 6439

** More easily reinstalled
I have a OEM exhaust that I have on the shelf,and am disgusted every time I move it ,or even look at it. I doubt anyone would want it,but I would love to get rid of it. It has been de-catted. Sand blasted it out. The flange that mounts to the engine is the only value I can see,as to mod an exhaust yourself, The weight savings? the stainless one I got for 300 bucks might weigh a third.
 

SneakyDingo

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 6, 2021
Messages
1,561
I have a OEM exhaust that I have on the shelf,and am disgusted every time I move it ,or even look at it. I doubt anyone would want it,but I would love to get rid of it. It has been de-catted. Sand blasted it out. The flange that mounts to the engine is the only value I can see,as to mod an exhaust yourself, The weight savings? the stainless one I got for 300 bucks might weigh a third.

If you don't like it you should Konmari the exhaust and either sell or toss it out. I like everything except the performance and possibly the cost.
 

SneakyDingo

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 6, 2021
Messages
1,561
Odometer: 10,000 mi

Happy 10,000 mi! I celebrated by taking a quick detour down to Juanita park, celebrating the moment I hit 10k miles at a place that's beautiful to look at and has some street art I like.

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Maintenance updates:
Fork oil replacement.
Added the most basic version of a TPMS on there, the tire cap based single pressure valve cap indicator.

Tools needed:
Philips head screwdriver
6mm hex key
8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, 19mm socket.
Maybe for future: 29mm socket, 07916-3710101 Steering Stem Headrace Nut Socket Tool (HWT005)
Torque wrench
Magnetic pickup
Measuring tape + zip ties to make a funky depth gauge

Torque references:

- 12mm bolts on front brake caliper, 30 Nm
- 6mm hex keys on the handlebars: 27 Nm
- Fork (preload) cap bolt: 22 Nm
- Fork, pinch bolts on triple clamps: 29 Nm
- Band clamps: 0.35 Nm

Manual Reference:

- 3-5 Front fender and wheel speed sensor cover.
- 3-20 Front wheel.
- 3-22, 3-23 Fork.
- 3-24 Handlebar.
- 3-31 Front brake caliper.
- 4-41 Wheel Speed Sensor.

For the most part, it was a fairly straightforward process that had a lot of steps but was pretty easy. Crack the nuts and loosen things on the ground, then remove the front wheel, remove the front fender, remove the brake caliper, the ABS sensor cover, the ABS sensor, loosen the pinch bolts, in my case remove the handlebars because I flipped the bar mount to the front facing position and thus can't get the fork caps off easily and work on the forks.

The biggest problem I ran into was that the forks were just... stuck in the triple clamps. Twist, turn, google, twist some more, eventually squirted some WD40 on the mating surfaces to get it free. Once I got it free, it was pretty similar to just about every video out there, but that step took me a really long time because I could not get it to budge at all until I hit it with the WD40.

It also appears that I need to tighten the steering stem headrace nut if the feeling I had while riding is the same as what I experienced on a bicycle. I can't actually get it to replicate what I expect to see in terms of fork movement with the front wheel in the air, but I got the same feeling I used to get when my FSA headsets needed to be tightened very slightly while riding. Loose headsets can VERY quickly damage bearings and require replacement on bicycles, so the bike is going to be sitting unused until those tools arrive in 2 days just in case as a precaution and I'll be giving it a good clean in celebration of 10,000 mi.

Tips and tricks:
  • Before doing anything undo the bottom band clamp and inspect the seals. If the job requires replacing the seals, it comes as a kit (51490-K88-L01). I thought I might have to replace them after the CDT trip but it ends up they're intact and in good shape. If you do dirt riding at all, it's probably a good idea to do this regularly anyway since some dirt did get under there.
  • This is a job that requires some new parts if doing it strictly by the book - 2x new brake bolts (90131-KGH-900), 1x ABS sensor bolt (90117-KZZ-J80) and 2x O-rings for the fork caps (91256-166-003). Realistically you can reuse all three of these if they aren't damaged, but threadlocker should be applied to the bolts.
  • Cover the horizontal part of the fender with painter's tape before starting as it will protect the paint job.
  • Loosen the band clamps of the fork boots and only tighten them as the last or second last step. They'll twist if you're not careful while working on the forks and you could tear them. They also have orientation, with the holes in the boots at the back. It's easier to get to them if you remove the reflectors before you start.
  • I ended up uninstalling and reinstalling everything three times due to discovering my fork oil measurement was incorrect. An electric screwdriver made a lot of this work go much, much more quickly. The entire process took 45 minutes the third time.
  • There are some rubber covers near the fork end caps portion that never seemed to go together nicely and require extra special care reinserting the forks there.
  • This is one of those jobs where I would tie down strap the center stand to the bash plate so it can't move from the forward position, just in case the front of the bike tips too far forward.
  • You can make a makeshift dipstick for the fork ends using zip ties. It works really well with two zip ties. It works even better if you hot glue them together once in place.
I can write up something more in depth than that, but realistically it was undo all the bolts, remove the front wheel, remove the brake and ABS sensor, remove the fender (in that order), remove the forks and service, then reinstall in reverse order making sure to put the fender in before the brakes. Really, really straightforward... definitely within the limits of a home mechanic's abilities, and if not touching the steering bearings et al you don't need any special tools either.
 
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