Monday, January 16, 2017

Wrenching Day

When the shop called with an update on Bee, the news wasn't good. She'd gone in for a back tire and preventive wheel bearings, and I'd asked them to throw on the other luggage rack while they were at it. I was also anticipating an inspection sticker, having replaced the front brake pads since she failed for them.

It wasn't that easy. Matt had a laundry list of things they'd found wrong, and I picked through it, deciding which jobs to do myself. When all was said and done, they did the rear wheel bearings, tire, and brake pads and replaced a radiator hose that was about to blow out.

Skipper with a wrench and Bumblebee waiting for work
Time to wrench

She still didn't earn the inspection sticker, because one of the fork seals had begun to leak copiously. I ordered a seal kit and my mom asked her neighbor, who owns an auto shop, if I could work in his garage.

On Sunday morning we rolled over to the shop, which was like a gift from heaven - spacious, heated, and full of tools, with a very friendly and helpful owner working on another project beside us. I'd baked him an apple pie to say thank you, and he said I didn't have to do that. But he didn't have to let me in his shop, either.

We spent all of the daylight hours wrenching. Rogue replaced her brakes and turn signals and installed her 12V/USB charging station. I replaced Bee's fork seals and installed the new luggage racks, which didn't want to play nice with the existing rack for the top box or with the exhaust can. Getting the rear body panel properly seated and the two racks bolted together into the frame took two of us and a lot of threading the same bolt over and over and over. The heated grips didn't get done because we ran out of time, but at least the bike runs and carries all my gear. (In theory. As of this writing, I still haven't put the boxes onto the racks.)


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