Happiness is...
A newly warranted, fully fettled and laboriously cleaned motorcycle.
About time the bike got a birthday. Boxing Day was spent completely stripping the brake calipers down to their component parts, removing the pistons and polishing the snot out of them before lubing the seals and replacing the pistons in again. Nice new Ferodo Platinum pads were inserted and the rotors sanded and cleaned back to nice and grippy again.
Numerous brackets were fabricated to help put the rear fairing (which was falling apart) back together again. To top it off it got 3 litres of nice new oil as well.
The bike sailed through its warrant this morning, and after that it was time to clean it up with the help of the two kids at home at the moment.
Lots of kerosene and a rag to clean all the spooge off, then we attacked it with a combo of dynamo and bleach (which also cleans all the oil out of the hands nicely too), before washing it off then polishing with turtle wax and autosol.
I think it came up quite nicely considering it's a 13 year old bike (going on 14 in May) and it's been down the road at least twice that I know of (once with me - see scratches on RHS).
Still need to get another mirror on the LHS - it's on order but hasn't arrived yet. But not looking too shabby at all. Check the mileage - yes that's miles on that speedo.
And I to my motorcycle parked like the soul of the junkyard. Restored, a bicycle fleshed with power, and tore off. Up Highway 106 continually drunk on the wind in my mouth. Wringing the handlebar for speed, wild to be wreckage forever.
- James Dickey, Cherrylog Road.
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