While my initial ride was short, it was enough to tell this bike needed some TLC. The rear brake was almost non existent, the controls were all sticky, the engine kept stalling. So with parts in hand from Rocky Mountain I dug in. Started with the easy stuff, mirrors and hand gaurds.
While I was there I cleaned the pivots and mounts for the brake and clutch and lubed them. What a difference this makes. I never understand why people neglect free maintenance items that keep your bike feeling new. The clutch lever has been cut off and will need to be replaced as it is too short. The OEM replacements are expensive but husky 501 levers fit and there are a lot of aftermarket options.
Next I dug into the engine. Found the bike had already had the canister removed from the right shroud (it would be right over the rectifier in this pic) and another nice surprise, the bike has an Evo1 air filter lid as evident by the mesh vents. The factory is un-vented.
I checked the air box as these bikes are known for not sealing around the filter and sure enough it was full of dirt. I cleaned it out but will likely upgrade to a traditional foam filter from Rally Raid like this
Then I went for the valves. When removing the spark plug I touched the coil wire and it came out of the cap, it wasn't even screwed into the cap lead. So I cleaned that with some electrical parts cleaner and attached it properly. I also replaced the plug while I was at it even though it looked fine.
I checked the valves and found the intake right in the middle of spec (0.007-0.013mm ) at 0.010 mm. The exhaust however were too loose 0.020 and required thicker shims.
With the valves in speck I checked the cooling fan. The early models are known to rub on the radiator and cause leaks. I fixed that by taking 1/8 " off the shroud and putting a washer in between the mount and the fan to space it off the radiator a little.
With that all done I installed the air box and the shrouds. Changed the oil, which was pretty dark and replaced the chain and sprockets. Stock gearing is 15/42 but I opted to go with 16/48. This gives me the option to change the front to a 15 for slower speed off road only riding. I went with Supersprox sprockets and an RK RX ring chain. We will see how they hold up.
With the rear wheel off I inspected the rear brake and found the pads badly glazed. I scuffed them with 150 grit and will see of that improves the braking. I also scuffed the rotor which turns out is a Warp 9 floating rotor, another score. I also removed the lever and cleaned/lubed everything and adjusted it from 2 inches below the peg to level. With all this done I fired the bike up and discovered a terrible oil leak at the left hand oil filter cover. So I pulled the filter and cover, found nothing out of order so I pulled the oil pressure regulator plug and checked the spring and plunger, nothing there either. I turned the filter cover 180 degrees even though the cover goes on both ways. Now it says oil filter at 10:00 instead of 4:00. fired it up an no leak. So I took her for a spin. Everything is better and the bike is much more fun. This thing rips. I am super excited to explore on this bike. I think it will suite my style better than a 950/990. It is really stable at 60mph and the windscreen made it downright pleasant.
