Motorcycles BS Thread 2.0

That's why I recently added the axle wrench I linked. I can easily enough plug a tire on the road and reinflate it sufficiently. It took another FJR rider and his misfortune to make me think about how would I remove a wheel and tire when on the road. The FJR has a center stand so as long as I have a reasonably level surface I can remove one of the wheels but prior to this purchase I would not have had the tool to remove the axle nuts with me. I hope to never need this on a trip but at least I'm more prepared.

Oddly enough, most of the time my tool kit has emerged from under the seat it's been to help another rider.

 

Question for you guys that have bought new bikes - did you have the dealer do the first service? Is there any good reason to, like from a warranty standpoint? Or would I just be overcharged for an oil change that I can do myself?

 

no dont bother

the amount of cockeyed shit I found on all my zero mile purchases that had been dealer prepped

no point in letting them drain oil

 

I tried

 

I stopped being lazy, deleted the listing and reposted it and got the $4k I wanted within hours…

 

I see a Vermont tag on the wall!!

 

My gosh I can’t stand big dealers. Went into another one today to see what kind of a price they could give me on a leftover 22.
Me: can I get the best OTD price on this Klx110rl?
Salesman: Yep, can I get your drivers license?
Me: nah, I am just looking for the best price you can give me.
Salesman: It would really help if I had your drivers license so I don’t have to ask you a lot of questions.
Me: I am just looking for the best price you can give me.
Salesmankay(takes about 10 minutes writing up the numbers)

Jeez, other dealers had me a number in less than a minute over the phone.

 

I'm with you
I just need to post mine.........tomorow

 

just buy the damn thing

all these wasted months not having one... over what? a few extra hundred either way??

the bike is a life long keeper, you'll never sell it so whats the difference in the grand scheme

 

No hurry to buy, I can’t overpay by 30% on a tiny bike! Besides every year I hold off my butt gets to sit on a one year newer bike

 

As long as you keep a record of what you've done and when you can't be denied warranty coverage for performing the work yourself. Unless there's some digital option getting in the way of you doing it yourself (removing a break-in period tune, or whatever, idk) I vote do it yourself if you have the knowledge and ability. Look at your owners manual and see what the first service entails. Usually just oil and nut and bolt check, some have valves on there too though.

 

Thoughts on the Aprilia Tuareg 660? I haven’t bought a new bike since my BMW 1250R got totaled last summer and have just been riding my CRF 250 Rally around. It’s nice and light but underpowered for roads above about 55mph. Thinking about another midweight adventure style bike and the Tuareg is looking good. Sat on one last weekend and it was comfortable, going back to test ride Saturday if all goes well.

 

Heard that I don’t really want them working on it

Good points and I do keep records on all my vehicles so will be sure to do that. Looking through the manual I think these are the only two I can’t do. Also there’s a step to log the service in the dealer network.

 

Great advice, thanks! The Knipex I picked up should be able to handle axle nuts, though a dedicated wrench would be a good idea. I'll add rags, gloves, zip ties and cotter pins to the kit (along with fuses).

 

Worth doing research to see if there's an aftermarket obd dongle that can read/reset codes and configure settings. I know for the BMW I use an android app, motoscan (literally bought a $45 android phone just for this app) and a odb dongle and can reset everything a dealer can, even reprogram the available options, or there's a specific tool, GS911. I bet there's a market for KTM for sure.

 

Kemimoto saw my grom video and reached out



I think I'm going to go rear rack, washers (aluminum cnc'ed black ones), exhaust, saddlebags as my preference order and see what they say/are willing to ship

 

That's awesome!

 

Just don’t sell your soul

 

Test fit the Knipex on both axle nuts and verify fitment. Consider also how much will they bite into the nuts and will that later affect your ability to put a socket on them when you're at home. I get that field repairs are a "do whatever it takes" kind of deal but prefer to avoid doing additional harm if avoidable. Cruz makes those axle nut wrenches in a variety of sizes and at under $20 I'm in favor of just getting the right tool for the job.

Cotter pins are a great idea if your bike requires them. On previous bikes I've owned with chains I often went to a hardware store and bought the appropriate sized hitch pins and swapped out the cotter pin on the rear axle. They're actually a lot easier to us and can be reused which is an advantage. Never had one fall out if that's a concern.

 

Not often we get 58° weather in the northeast. Taking the bike into work today.