Yes Emily

Yes Emily, girls can ride motorcycles!


Saturday, August 18, 2012

Regular Maintenance - An Important Thing!

The star was due for an oil change and, according to the owner’s manual, new plugs so I dropped by the Performance Shed to set up the appointment for Friday. Of course Friday came and the red sunrise screamed “rain delay,” but I finally convinced myself the blue sky to the west was good news and geared up for the first ride since returning home. It felt a bit weird riding a bike that was over a hundred pounds lighter (not loaded down with gear) and I found myself having to adjust to the difference in weight and balance, not to mention seat position now that I didn’t have a tent/sleeping bag backrest behind me. The ride was short, but long enough to notice that something was a bit off with the star.


I arrived two hours late fully expecting to leave the star and pick her up Saturday but they were waiting, having juggled the work schedule. I’m not sure, but I think they may have been taking bets on what time I’d get there. Bruce, my mechanic, appeared and muttered something to which I replied, “What did you expect, I’m a diva. I don’t ride in the rain (anymore)” and he whisked her off to the shop behind the showroom.  The great folks at Performance Shed (Andrew, Bruce, Yogi) graciously agreed to being photographed for the blog so I dropped my gear on the couch and headed out back, camera in hand.





So the great thing about Bruce is that he's as much a teacher as a mechanic.  An hour in the shop and I felt like I’d enrolled in the Yamaha school of ’you could do it yourself princess’ mechanics. He really wanted me to understand the finer points of maintenance; oil types, oil levels, how the oil works with the engine, spark plugs, ethanol /gas ratios. Then I mentioned, “She’s running a bit rough, seems to be vibrating a bit.” At first he wasn’t concerned but like a doctor examining a patient, he ran his hands and eyes over the bike and quickly noticed something awry. The pipes were not parallel … there was way too much play in the top pipe and it was now actually resting, in part, on the bottom pipe. Turns out somewhere along the ride an exhaust bracket bolt had been lost. Of course it wasn’t one they had in stock but Andrew found one (on the original exhaust from his own bike that he’d replaced with aftermarket pipes.) Oil changed, new spark plugs and bracket re bolted while I waited. I’ve talked about the great service at Yamaha dealerships on the road; today I’m glad to have a chance to talk about the great service from the hometown boys (and girls) at The Performance Shed.

 Bike "doctor" Bruce checks the plug






   A little scarring from the mishap, luckily it really isn't noticeable now that she's back together



One final twist to tighten the last bolt and I'm ready to go 

I generally do a quick pre ride check. I make sure the lights and signals are working, the brake and clutch levers feel normal and the brakes hold. I glance at my trip meter (my gas gauge). I check the tire pressure and if I’ve got help I check the oil. I thought I was on top of things, but apparently I’ve got one more thing to add to my list. I obviously can’t look at every nut and bolt, but I might just gently wiggle the pipes, and possibly a few other things to make sure they are secure.

As far as doing it myself, thanks Bruce, but it just isn’t gonna happen (besides, who would take the pictures?) Regular maintenance; it’s an important thing and I leave it to the pros.

 For the skoot fans, a little 'roadrunner' - I hear her owner really travels on this one
Just like kids in a candy shop, they all check out the new Raptor fresh from the box

18 comments:

  1. It is nice that you have a local shop that takes such good care of you and your bike.

    I like that they fit you in even when late for the appointment. now that is service.

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    1. I've always said, "All a gal really needs is a great mechanic;)" But really, they are terrific and I wonder if I lived in a bigger centre, would I'd find such great service. (Did I tell you my car mechanic even delivers my car back to me when he's finished.) Gotta love a small town.

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  2. Funny how we think the same when it comes to bike maintenance. I could probably do quite a bit myself (my brother was a mechanic and taught me a lot) but I simply don't want to do it, and don't want to invest in the space and tools to be able to do it, especially when you have a reliable shop closeby, that you can support by having them do the maintenance and repairs ;-)

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  3. Nice of the shop to let you take photos for the blog and now that they explained everything and all the photos are taken...

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    1. ...if you mean I should start doing some things myself (ain't gonna happen). But now that it's all done, I've cleaned and polished her and she's ready and waiting for someplace to go! But really ... they are a terrific shop.

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    2. Would I dare to suggest such a thing!?

      Now that the bike is clean and shiny it's time for the next trip. Are the leaf changes really colorful around there? Here, we only have one color... yellow. No reds or oranges. I always wanted to go to the northeast for that and had originally looked into bicycle tours.

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    3. Richard, I live on a road/in an area that simply explodes with reds, yellows and oranges in the fall. It is usually spectacular, my favorite time of the year. But this year I'm afraid... things have started to brown early. Nature may be conserving her energy and we may not enjoy the splendor because of the drought. I will keep you posted. October is usually prime(ary) color time.

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  4. Im glad that the pipes were caught quickly. Oilburner's HD pipe was left unbolted after a service once and it wasn't pretty. And I don't think there is anything wrong with letting someone else service the bike. ;)

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  5. This bolt vibrated out somewhere en route, but I think it must have been fairly close to home given the minimal damage. Just goes to show you though ...someone once told me if you take care of your bike, it will take care of you. I got lazy the last couple of days on the way home and didn't do the daily wipe down. If I had I would have noticed that the pipe was way too loose (cause all that chrome takes a lot of rubbing). I didn't even wash her when I got home (you probably noticed in the pictures). Lesson learned.

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  6. There's always on more thing to check, but a quick tug on the pipes, footpegs, and other bits prone to loosening or falling off (!) is a worthwhile addition to any checklist.

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    1. Lesson learned - will be doing that in the future, thanks Canajun.

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  7. Karen:

    I also like to be a customer. I have a great mechanic and they can also do the work "outside" of normal hours, in the evenings, or even on a Sunday. I know I can do simple things but it is easier this way. Plus, they are always happy to see you.

    Looks like we have to start planning the "Find your exhaust bolt tour" Perhaps duplicate your trip in reverse until you find it. I mean, it has to be somewhere.

    check out the MEC.ca website for the Aquila WIDE barrel bag. I think I'm going to get this one and forget about the Ziz.

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast
    My Flickr // My YouTube

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  8. Bob - great plan, trip in reverse ... look for the bolt, perfect (except I've only got two weeks left this summer). What do you think the odds would be of finding it next spring, 'cause I'm all over that idea.
    As for the Aquila bag (something tells me I have an Aquila, but I cut the tags off 3 years ago so don't know for sure) ... need more details, can't exactly see what is what on the website with those key words. That means ROAD TRIP. I've gotta go look/touch in person and that means Ottawa, YaHoo. Now, I've got someplace to go (MEC is one of my favorite locations already set on my Garmin).

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  9. We're back!
    We got here in the mid afternoon after leaving Quebec City this morning (we stopped once for a geocache - but only one!) Then we stopped again in St Albert for some cheese, but there was a Curd Festival going on, and it was very crowded so we didn't linger.
    Feels good to be home!
    We only ever spent 2 nights in the same hotel, so that meant a pile of driving every day (you'd be familiar with that!)
    Can't wait to sleep in my own bed tonight!
    LOL Leslie

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    1. I can't believe you only stopped for one geocache! ... Oh, and I'm so glad you're back! Hotels, I can't believe you stayed in hotels, but then again I know how long it takes to set up a complete village in a campground. How was "The Rock" and what are your plans for next week? (How were the kitty cats when you got home - showing a little catittude?)

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  10. I agree that regular maintenance is an important thing. Regularly maintaining a bike will help immensely in improving its performance and consistency on the road. And it is a good thing that you watch the mechanic when he’s doing his job, as you can learn a lot from him that can be handy when you are on the road and something unexpected happens with the machine.

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  11. Clare - absolutely...when there are only two wheels between you and the pavement, looking after them is paramount. I'm not sure how much I'd be able to do myself, if anything, but I'm more comfortable talking with the mechanic about what needs to be done. Thanks for stopping by.

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