MOTOBRICK.COM
TECHNICAL MOTOBRICK WRENCHING In Remembrance of Inge K. => The Motobrick Workshop => Topic started by: Lastunder on September 24, 2016, 02:19:55 PM
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I'm back to riding after a 30 year hiatus and a new owner of an '86 K75C; loving all the info on here and can't wait to do some bike tweaks with all the info as I read more. Two quick questions that are pretty simple compared to what's on here, but I searched and couldn't find the answers:
1) How do you tighten the mirrors? They get pushed back at hightway speeds. Do I just pry off the plastic caps and tighten a bolt under the bottom? Don't want to start prying if that's not the way. :)
2) For those in northern climates, what do you do to store your bike in unheated garage for a long cold winter (-40C)? I'm thinking gas preserve, oil change, steel wool in muffler to keep critters out, good wax job, pull the battery and keep inside on trickle charger, park on insulating foam, and cover with a cotton sheet. Missing anything?
Thanks in advance and I'll try not to ask such basic Q's as I learn more over the winter here.
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Ahh,it hibernates.That's why it's still red not orange..
The mirrors are that simple.Plastic dome nut cover off,torque up the nut with mirror in the right position,plastic cover back on.Test at good speed.
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Didn't read it properly thought you were talking about the mirror heads mine used to rotate back at speed.You can super glue them in position, but once done it is hard to readjust. second option is to push as much black Silastic into the ball joint while rotating the mirror head. Sit on the bike and adjust the mirrors and wipe of the excess Silastic, I did this as a permanent solution only to find that they could still be adjusted. Or you can be brave and carefully remove the retaining ring of plastic ( this is where I failed the plastic can be quite brittle go careful and slowly ) then carefully remove the glass and tighten the nut. Reassemble with non acidic silicone. Can't help you with the winter thing the coldest it got this winter was 18 C during the day.
Regards Martin.
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Can't speak to the mirrors other than to say that on mine there is a nut on the underside, but the mirror stalk isn't threaded all the way, so I would think you might have to add a flat washer or two under the nut to get things tightened properly.
As far as storage, first, I would run all the corn polluted gas out of the tank and do the last couple of fills with premium corn free gas. Add a gas stabilizer like Stabil following directions on the bottle. Do all of your fluid changes, especially the DOT 4 in the brake system. Clean the bike and dry it completely. If you don't plan on doing any work on it over the winter spray all the exposed metal with a corrosion preventer to protect it from the salt your wife's car brings into the garage. The S100 guys make a good one.
I leave the battery on the bike over the winter. I have a trickle charger I got on eBay for $14.95 that I plug in once a month for a day or two. This lets me fire it up every couple of weeks to circulate the oil. Let it run for 3-4 minutes so the head and exhaust get hot enough to boil off any condensation.
Last, put the bike up on the centerstand, and if you are really anal, put a block under the final drive to take the weight off the rear tire(you did check the tire pressures before storing). I have a cheap nylon cover, again from eBay, that I throw over the bike to keep the dust and whatnot off.
I keep my insurance active all year so that in the event a dry day with temperatures above freezing comes along I can get out for a ride which is the best way to keep a brick ready for next year's riding.
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Thanks everyone, appreciate the replies and info
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I'm thinking gas preserve, oil change, steel wool in muffler to keep critters out, good wax job, pull the battery and keep inside on trickle charger, park on insulating foam, and cover with a cotton sheet.
It usually drops to only -22C in the winter here. What you're planning seems appropriate, Lastunder. Unlike Gryph, I don't consider idling my bike during those frigid temperatures. I pull the battery and store it in the house, charging it once a month. Like Gryph recommends, the bike is up on the center stand. I don't cover it because that seems like creating a mouse hotel. I'll dust it off it the spring, put the storage gas in my truck, put fresh gas in the bike, take short ride to warm it up, change the oil then it's ready for the road.
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overpressure any tires touching ground and spin the tire a 1/4 turn every now an then during storage. helps prevent flat spots.