I spent the morning stripping the bodywork off my bike this morning.
I've owned it since December last year, but I still hadn't had time for a really good look. I finished an assignment this week, and I'd worked like a miner on it for 3 weeks, so I was really keen to go for a ride this morning. Imagine my disappointment when I saw what the weather was like in Wellington.
Searching for an alternative, but one that involved bikes, I thought I may as well clean it properly.
I've been commuting on the bike for about 4 weeks now, and I've been leaving unfashionably early - like in the dark. I've bleated about the TRX's headlight ever since I've had it, but never really had a good look. I took the fairing off, which involves unbolting the headlight, and I could see something was up as soon as I had a good look at the connector and the rubber boot in the back of the headlight unit. The connection was about 30 degrees off vertical. The previous buffoon, uh owner, had incorrectly fitted the spring clip that holds the bulb in place and then adjusted the hell out of the headlight to compensate. Of course the bulb wasn't centred in the reflector, so previous to finding the problem I had had two degrees unfocussed ambient light. Low unfocussed ambient light and, "why did the moon suddenly get brighter?" ambient light.
A few more checks found indicator connectors uncovered, mirrors not bolted on correctly (you can see stuff in them now Mangell6, and they don't vibrate quite so badly) and a bent bracket. A few judicious taps with a mallet and a block of wood and the bracket was fixed.
I then scrubbed all the accumulated crap from commuting off the engine and frame, cleaned and polished fairing and tank, and reassembled. By now it was windy as well as wet, so I retreated indoors, where the "go for a ride now" fairy sat on my shoulder and whinged about staying inside.
At about 4pm I threw the gear on and headed over the Rimutakas to the In-Laws. Seems the wife was sick of me talking back to the "go for a ride" fairy and was desparate for a different view, having been trapped with a raving nutcase for the last 3 weeks.
You know what? Despite the diesel, gravel, roadworks, tentative and VERY slow car drivers I had a ball. You know that feeling you get when you feel all the traction waft away from both tyres just before you apex a corner. And you "theoretically" know that you should gas it to unload the front tyre? It's bloody true!! Not once, not twice, but thrice I exited a corner crossed up, and gassed up. Nice.
Almost made up for the withering look the Mother-in-law gave me for turning up at the farm in the middle of winter, on a windy and rainy night, on the evil motorbike.
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Originally Posted by Jim2
theres one that often goes past my place with a belly pan and noisy pipes and for a tandom twin it sounds shit hot, thought that sound only came from a vee twin.
Still! A very pleasant way to pass the day.
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