After almost 4 weeks I was able to get my motorcycle back yesterday from the dealer doing extended warranty repairs to the water pump and radiator fan. I thought though the warranty was supposed to be extended. I wish someone would have told me that means the repairs will be extended. That is an entire saga in itself that will be covered in another post once I cool off.
I rode the motorcycle straight from the dealer to Brad Miller’s to get a new Ohlin shock put on before leaving on the trip. Brad is an incredibly nice guy who is so knowledgeable about motorcycles and so happy to share that knowledge that it was a really enjoyable afternoon.I asked lots of questions and which Brad cheerfully answered.
It was much more difficult to access the shock than either of us initially thought. After looking at it and wondering if the under the seat fuel tank had to come out (and I have no idea how one would do this) Brad decided pulling the muffler, loosening the sub-frame bolts and lifting the entire tail section might be the path of least resistance. This required removing the mounts for my Jesse cases and side plastic pieces before the muffler could be pulled off. Then the tail lifted right up.
Brad kind of laughed at me since I was clearly not comfortable with dismantling the motorcycle right before a trip, but he said we would make sure everything was tightened properly and the motorcycle might very well be in better shape after than it was before. I believe he was right since none of these bolts had been checked in a while.
Brad discovered one odd and disconcerting thing when he got down to the OEM shock. The bolt that holds the shock to the mount had no nut put on it (see picture below). I checked the BMW microfiche and they don’t show a nut for the strut bolt, but I realize that doesn’t mean a whole lot since the fiche aren’t all that accurate. Brad and I went to Ace Hardware and found a 10mm nut and washer and both are now on the motorcycle securing that bolt.
Brad got the shock installed and the motorcycle back together in no time. There was just one teeny little problem. The first sign of this was when Brad realized that both wheels were now firmly on the concrete when the motorcycle was on the center stand. He took it off the center stand and the angle of the motorcycle on the side stand was frightening. I explained to Brad that when I’m fully loaded for a trip I have to be careful where I park because if the side stand is slightly downhill I can’t get the motorcycle off the side stand. Jean-Francois has had to give me a boost on more than one occasion so I guess I don’t have a whole lot of leverage since I’m short enough that my feet are barely flat on the ground. When I got on the motorcycle I could barely get my toes on the ground. I believe the shock is the standard GS shock. Ohlin doesn’t make a shock specifically for the GSL (lowered).
No way tippy toe is a good idea when I’m traveling by myself. Brad is leaving for California this morning and going to be back late Saturday so he’s ordering shorter springs from Ohlin, having them delivered tomorrow (Saturday). and I’m going to be at his house at 8:00AM Sunday to pull the shock and change the spring.
It’s always disappointing to delay a departure, but I think I made the right decision. This will give me time to go over the motorcycle and do some maintenance that I have been unable to do since it was at the dealer for so long. So, all in all, not a bad thing at all.
I’m looking forward to going back over to Brad’s since it will be an opportunity for me to learn more. Hopefully I will get back home, pack the motorcycle, and be on the road Monday morning.
The lesson learned? Don’t make any major changes to a motorcycle immediately before leaving on a trip. Get the modifications and maintenance done early and ride the motorcycle for a while to make sure it’s all in good order. Next time…
Leave a Reply