saddlebum

Just for you @steamerand @RockinRobin

And its blue Old Yammer always claimed that was the fastest color.

There are an assortment of manuals in the tech section.

That is quite possible, I forgot about that part of the second gens. The 1st gens the fairing is frame mounted and that is the direction my thought process headed. Also when using the method Marcarl described,you only want to make small moves at a time between the two nuts. Two much variance at one time may bend the tangs that bridge the two nuts.

That's cause he has already been afflicted.... from previous years. It doesn't just go away.

True this is effective and the sanding should always be done with wet sand paper. But for most sign paint lettering it is not necessary. Easy off oven cleaner followed by polishing compound and then a good wax is all it should normally take. Tthe exception to this is if someone clear coated over the lettering or used a more durable type paint. In those cases the above technique would have to be used. In some severe cases the clear coat may have to be touched up.

Adjusting the bearings is not that difficult even without the proper specs on hand. simply adjust the same way you would a set of trailer wheel bearings. Adjust the first nut good and tight while turning the handle bars back and forth. you should feel feel some good drag on the handle bars ( this is to make sure the bearings and cups are well seated ). Then back off completely now lightly snug up and then back off about 1/8 turn. Finally tighten the second / lock nut. Then check your adjustment, You should have zero to .003" (that's about a hairs worth ) lash or play and the handlebars should move from lock to lock freely without any noticeable drag. if you have too much play or or the handle bars feel too tight back off the lock nut then adjust the preload nut just a smidge and re-tighten the lock nut and re-check. There is a so called bounce test for this that some suggest but I personally don't recommend it, as there are too many variables involved that can effect the results of the bounce test and you could still end up too loose or too tight.

And you think @Reinyroosteris or anyone else for that matter is going to get that here.

I agree with Squidly =, If your pulling it apart you may as well get the rebuild kit #2 but before you do make sure the master cylinder bore is free of any imperfections, even the slightest imperfection can compromise the brake system. Also check the proportioning valve which attaches to the rear master and divides the brake fluid between the rear and left front caliper. They are notorious for building up crud inside and cleaning up the master as per Squids instructions could be a wasted effort if you do not address this part as well because that crud will just plug the orifice again.That's Item 20 in the picture it is the piece the two brake lines attach to and is mounted on the master.

Baited the trap did ya ?

I am going to have to keep that in mind. I ain't getting any younger either...

That takes all the fun out of it. Plus those of us who don't have running water in our garages got save what water we have to rinse off any brake fluid we may spill on the bike.

Also grab the bottom of the forks push them backwards and forwards to see if you detect any sloppiness in the bearings, there should be zero lash without any binding when turning the forks.

Just don't split the housing unless your very confident. the o rings that seal the housing halves can be difficult to acquire. I do split them because it makes it easier to clean but it is very important if you do that you have the proper o-rings and reassemble them exactly.

I have been trying out the bosch ESI6 brake fluid and so far like it very much. I find improved clutch and brake response over the dot 3 and dot 4. It is a little more expensive though https://www.boschautoparts.ca/en/auto/brakes/ca-esi6-brake-fluid here is an interesting comparison chart of brake fluids which includes both wet and dry boiling points. For those who don't know the difference, The Dry Boiling Point of brake fluid refers to the boiling temperature of fresh, new brake fluid from an unopened container. Whereas the Wet Boiling Point is defined as the temperature DOT brake fluid will begin to boil after it has absorbed 3.7% water by volume. DOT brake fluid will reach this level of water volume after roughly 2 years of service, which is why it is advisable to renew your brake fluid every 1-2 years. https://www.lelandwest.com/brake-fluid-comparison-chart.cfm

Along with everything else already mentioned it may not hurt to recheck tire balance while off the ground spin the tires and look for any run out both vertical and side to side, even a new tire can have a defect. Some tires like the Avons on the 1st gens just are not compatible with the bike. For example many 1st gens with Avon tires develop a nasty tail wag at 100 kmh/62 mph Check the thin rib on the tire that runs along the rim to make sure the tire was beaded up properly, sometimes if not enough or incorrect lube is used the tire wont center properly when it is inflated. Make sure both tires are of same construction type Both being either radial or bias but not one of each.

On another note if your not sure if it is brake fluid or fork oil just smell it they smell totally different or rub a little on the back of your hand brake fluid has a weird warmish feel on the skin. were fork oil just feels like oil.

OOOOOKAY ..I guess if I have to admit it ...glad to see you back glad your surgery's so far have been successful enough to allow you to continue riding and if I reallllly have to admit it ,,,,It will be good to see you again when things start getting back to normal.....

WHAT ....... WHO LEFT THE DANG DOOR OPEN ....... SOMEONE CALL SECURITY.........

My situation it just the opposite. The minute Covid became a serious threat back in Feb 2020 My Dr called me up to tell me to stop work. The reasons being underlying health issues including three bouts of pneumonia over the past 50 years, My age and the fact that my job entailed dealing with truck drivers that are constantly crossing state and provincial borders and working on their trucks. He simply put it to me that I would not survive if I caught this thing. So here I now have all this free time to travel on my M/C without needing to be home or anywhere else by a certain time and I still can't do any cross country road trip. Talk about holding a juicy steak in front of a dog but just out side the length of his chain.

I am with yo skid. Every year I looked forward to Maintenance Day, the WNY rally and the roaming international rallies, and hooking up with all the great friends I made through this website over the years. For a time we even had a good Ontario Rally and a meet and eat or two going. I hate to admit it but I am getting a little bored running the same local roads over and over. I hope things get back to normal sooner rather than later.

Hi Earl I am not saying I have an issue with the rear brake and I totally get what your saying. Both my master and my rear caliper are in good shape and my wheel will lock up on loose gravel and will slow me down on asphalt. In essence all I am saying is I would like to increase the stopping force of my rear brake, more of a personal thing really. BTW when I de-linked I completely eliminated the proportioning valve from the master and connected the line directly to the master. My thoughts here was simply to increase the force a bit and given that the seals on the caliper are no different than front ones I imagine the minimal increase should not hurt them. So in other words I would trade off some delivery volume for increased delivery pressure, given the ratio difference increase between the master piston diameter/face area and the total face area of the combined caliper pistons which of course would also increase pedal travel. As I said this is more of a thought process than an actual problem.

It is not difficult but it is a bit time consuming and may be awkward if you working by yourself. Remove the tailpipes. Remove the back wheel. Remove the swing arm. Then separate The U Joint at the transmission and then remove the yolk from the output shaft then you have access to do what you need to do with the seal

Given what you just stated about the difference between the MKI and the MKII rear master cylinders. Would the reverse not be true if you have de-linked the brakes and it not then be beneficial to install a MKI rear master cylinder onto a MKII? In my mind the slightly smaller piston diameter of the MKI rear master would increase the application pressure applied by the rear caliper over that applied with the MKII. As it stands I feel I could use a bit more braking force on my rear caliper than I currently have. Of course I get that for some that could make the rear brake too aggressive, specially on slippery road surfaces.

You have to remember most law makers and government officials Don't or even ever have live in the real world. Fortunately there are a small handful that do or we would really be in KAKA.......Yup I used @Marcarl's KAKA word