Topic: Sophie's last ride....

[nickjtc]

....of 2008.

It was a glorious day hereabouts and Sophie did the 232km round trip commute to work to finish off her riding season. The insurance expired today and the KLX is proving to be so much fun I think I'll rest the 650 up for the winter. This bike never ceases to amaze me. Since May 06 I have ridden 23,774km on her, with absolutely no problems. I get a minimum of 55 mp(Inperial)g and have had a maximum of 80+ mpg. All I do is routine maintenance and she is like the Energiser bunny...just keeps going and going.

The front Bridgestone Spitfire tyre (made in Feb '00) which was on the bike when I got it, now has close to 25,000km. It's getting cracked and dried out and the wear bars are beginning to show, so that will be a job for this winter. The rear Bridgestone Spitfire has 17,694kms and should be good for the start of next year, at least.

The chain and sprockets were replaced 20,268km ago, but with the Scottoiler fitted at the same time I have had to do no maintenance. Can't remember, since then, when I last needed to adjust the chain.

On the list of ttd are painting the wheels silver and replacing the headlight and clocks with a smaller, self contained unit from an older Honda. I'm working towards the 'cleaner' look for the front end

Chronic issues with the bike:

the wooden feeling front brake, despite a stainless brake line and caliper rebuild two years ago. I think I'll strip everything down again just to see what's what. I'm using stock pads.

the all-too-common sohc 4 cylinder oil weep

one of the mufflers has a small rust patch which I fear will eventually blow through. Not sure what I'll do when that happens.....a 4 into 1 system, maybe, or a pair of Mivvs to retain the good old 'stock' look.

And that's about it. Man, I love this bike

[kghost]

Give her some love......she's earned it

[nickjtc]

I often go to the garage with a cold beverage-du-jour, just to listen to some tunes and look at her. 

[mrbreeze]

Let us in on how you "Cacoon" your bike for the winter Nick. I usually get a pointer or 2 from people on this subject.I'm talking about if you leave your carbs empty,tank full of gas/stabilizer,take battery indoors,tire care,etc. Anyone else with comments?

[kghost]

Whats this winter you speak of? 

[nickjtc]

Let us in on how you "Cacoon" your bike for the winter Nick. I usually get a pointer or 2 from people on this subject.I'm talking about if you leave your carbs empty,tank full of gas/stabilizer,take battery indoors,tire care,etc. Anyone else with comments?

Ther's no cac on my bike to coon. Sorry....couldn't resist.

Emptying the carbs is an absolute MUST DO. I drain mine after I've run the bike with some stabiliser in the gas. Whether the tank is full or empty depends on how I finish the ride. The gas is stabilised and the bike lives in an unheated garage. Never had a problem with anything untoward happening inside the tank, so far. The battery comes out of the bike, sits on the work bench and is plugged into a Battery Tender all winter. I've never propped up the front of the bike to get the front wheel off the ground, but it always lives on the centrestand. Apart from the choke cable seizing up through last winter because the last ride was a wet one and I didn't lube the cable (duh), I've never had any issues with the first start up of the season. The oil and filter is changed as soon as the bike comes off the road, regardless of whether it is 'due' or not. And of course the bike has to have a bit of a clean, otherwise it won't be eye candy for when I go for a visit with said cold beverage-du-jour.

[nickjtc]

Whats this winter you speak of? 

It's that time of year when car/van/truck/suv drivers get a decrease in iq as they think that they can drive the same ways as they do in the summer.

The time of year when digits get cold before you leave the driveway (Hot Grips, accepted).

The time of year when that mysterious white stuff makes the countryside look all prettyful, but makes the road into a bike-killing slippery mess.

The time of year when the civic authorities, in an attempt to get ride of said white stuff, dump bike rotting chemicals on the road.

The time of year when water turns solid, making motorcycle riding into a pucker factor of approximately 9.9.

The time of year when our brethren with the extra wheel attached to their bike just laugh and enjoy themselves.

[mrbreeze]

Sounds good Nick.....great advice.I can relate with the cable....I can't begin to count the E brake cables I changed on vehicles when I lived in Wyoming for 12 years. They get moisture inside...they don't get used often enough.....then all of a sudden....Its below zero and your stuff is locked up......I used to just hit em with a cut-off wheel close to the backing plate .Haven't seen this kind of thing in 4 years back in Calif. though.

[Hush]

Sopphie is a credit to you, those clean lines and that original but slightly adjusted look is awesome.
You can't beat a CB650 for looks and style.
I'd go with some sort of patch on that muffler and cover it with the same heat resistant paint the guys on here use for their engines, that stock look is very hard to replace......Hell I had to import pipes from the US just so I could get back to some decent chrome.