Yamaha XT1200Z Super Tenere

2012 Yamaha Super Tenere XT1200Z

Set up for RTW travel…text is copied straight from HERE>>>

 

Yamaha Super Tenere XT1200Z build thread for a multi-year RTW…

I leave in 98 days to go on another RTW…bike of choice is this

to this…

to go and do this…

obvious initial question is why the S10?

well this has a lot to do with it…nothing like a good unbiased opinion, but to be honest i had the bike prior to this article in Consumer Reports being released. If you want to see the report its HERE so you can see its not doctored, just incase some BMW riders have clicked this thread by mistake

Let me know if you are interested in this or just want to wait for the RTW ride report to begin???

ok so bike got a bath, time to get some detailed photos to show more information about my choices and why, the list of what i have done is as follows

• hard luggage – done
• soft luggage – done
• crash protection – done
• hand guards – done
• oil filter – done
• windshield – done
• windshield mount – done
• risers – done
• levers – done
• electrics – done
• lighting, various – done
• seat – done
• side stand – done
• links – done
• gps mounts – done
• go pro mounts – done
• rear suspension – done
• front suspension – done
• the 5 cent fix – done
• swingarm regrease – done
• tires – done
• Clutch basket – done
• Exhaust – done
• Valve adjustment – done
• Cam chain tensioner – done
• Valve replacement – done

so for me on a bike build thread i’ll just go thru the things i did in the order i did them, no logical reason for the order, maybe it was a requirement for one before the other or money!!!

I used to build one off custom bikes from scratch, fabricate most of everything on the bike, so ‘a bike build’ on an already built bike is just adding components to my liking for either cosmetic or performance or safety needs

First up was luggage, this one is easy, Al Jesse – www.Jesseluggage.com is good friend, but if i lived on the other side of the world i would still use his luggage.

Why? quality, fitment, history, adjustability, width and packing size

Quality – Al has been in business for over 20 year (i think IIRC) built over 30,000 saddlebags, and the quality and experience shows, he has a state of the art facility…and its all he does. He doesn’t make 2000 other items (TT) From experience i have seen every type of luggage hard and soft as i have ridden everywhere, spoken to riders and heard all the complaints. The only complaint (i have heard) is a weather stripping came loose on a set that had over 300,000 miles on them!!! Other brands on low speed crashes loose shape, easily, wear threw thinner material, plastic corners come off, lock and hinges break

Fitment – they fit right on the bike, look good, and if you want to loose your passenger grab rails (on most bikes) you can reduce width by an inch of two, this is huge for central america where you can spend days splitting traffic…or go nowhere its your choice

History – Been making item specific adventure motorcycle luggage longer than any other company out there…and still doing it

Adjustability – if i’m riding solo the bags can adjust forwards and backwards by around 6 inches, not to relevant on the S10 but on my XT660Z (yes i have one of those as well) i rode to South America solo and it brings the weight of the luggage back towards the middle of the bike where it should be

on the XT660Z

Width and packing size – more packing capacity for the same width or usually a lot less compared to stock and quite a few others, and the ability to use the lid for additional storage, this comes in very useful

Initially i went for just panniers and a soft bag in the rear to see how Jenn liked it

Second up will be protection, need to wash the bike first to get better photos of mount points etc…

with the above set up we headed off on a 5000 mile test ride to see if we needed to do anything…or everything to make the bike ‘right for us’

 

Crash protection

I think this pertains more to if you are doing long distance, do more than average off road, more than graded gravel roads and have a tendency to let your bike take a nap…otherwise just roads miles, get what you like the look of anything generally will do

Next up crash protection, you have all your stuff in your luggage and you on the bike…you need to protect yourself and your investment.

the line is for RTW riders – its not if…but…when you crash…IT WILL HAPPEN – fact!!!

for those who haven’t ridden outside their own country, here’s a little inside knowledge

• Just because a road is on a map doesn’t mean its there – it might be proposed but never built, third world countries like to dream
• Just because a road is on a map and shows its a main road – it might not be, it could be a dirt road
• Just because locals say its a good road, doesn’t mean it is – perception

there is three instances, there are lots more and i have come across all of them in multiple countries and continents; Russia and South America being the most common.

…here’s your scenario, its getting late, you need to get to a town for food/ fuel/ sleep/ parts etc…you go on one of the above roads and you go down…now your crash protection needs to be the best you can afford, otherwise potential damage to you and/ or your bike

so, the reason i choice Rumbux, plain and simple it DOES NOT attach to the motor, it attaches to the frame!!! you hit a bolder at speed in the dark, you come off and the bike rolls down the road and your crash bars rip a hole in your sump…end of bike end of trip or major expense and you are at the side of the road for how long?

if any of your crash protection is attached to your motor and you hit it then its like an impact on the motor, yes the impact is reduced but it still happened…now add multiple years and similar instances…you can only do it so many times before something catastrophic happens

Rumbux…take the bars off (if you need to) ride to next town and fix it in the morning, crash bars are easily fixed cracked sumps are not…carry on RTW

I have the full set up; side and front protection with integrated bash plate

base plate is easy to remove, takes maybe 2 minutes to access drain plugs for oil change

super tenere skid plate thread is HERE good place to compare and ask questions

 

Horn and engine plugs

a loud horn is a must once you leave civilization…a friend of mine another RTW rider has a say ing he likes to use which is so correct its scary…

“in north america/ europe you use your horn to let someone know they have done something stupid, in developing countries you use your horn to tell them they are about to do something stupid!!!”

so i have a Denali horn from twisted throttle LINK this or the Steibel (i have on my xt660z) are both good ways to go, i use a specific wiring harness with a reply on mine. My horn has literally saved my life on both bikes already, a stock horn i definitely would have been hit

this horn sits way inside the outside line of the crash bars

Engine plugs/ Oil fill hole.

It has not happened to me but i have heard it from others, they were in their hotel room look out the window and see kids kneeling by their bike for a long time, they go down and the oil cap is loose and there was sand all over the motor, a simple plug that can be tightened tighter than a kid can remove would have prevented an engine flush and unnecessary oil change LINK

same goes for valve caps, if you use this type that have a valve core remover make sure you tighten them enough that hey cannot be undone by hand otherwise the fun game for kids is let your tires down and in the morning watch you try and find a puncture…that doesn’t exist

my valves will be changed out to metal ones at the next tire change as well

 

so based on the above, lets do Oil filter next

I use a Flo oil filter and cooler set up

but with the Rumbux, you’ll need to drill a large hole in the front of the bash plate as it protrudes a little too far

why do i use this?

mainly convenience, i have them on most of my bikes, i don’t want to be in some foreign country trying to search out a filter that might be substandard quality or be carrying multiple filters…so again less to carry

simple to clean and use, includes a strong magnet for added filtration for larger ferrous particles. For me cost effective, whats $10 for a filter here at home, nothing right? But it could be $30, $40 or $50 somewhere else to get a good quality one…if you can even find it

if you can’t then you will be reusing the old filter over again and how many times could that happen, not too many hopefully…but for me not once

you can find it HERE but i found it cheaper on sale on fleabay for around $90

GPS mount

I use a Garmin Montana GPS, i used to use a Zumo 450, then 550 then 660 and they all failed…the Montana has been a good solid performer. The rugged mount from Garmin is solid and strong for a power source and cheap ($35)

Now the mount on to the bars is another thing, this i have tested on all my bikes road and dirt without an issue, its also been unofficially tested by a thief at the Ecuador/ Colombia border who at a distance as i was handing in my passport for a stamp he tried to break and almost pulled the bike on top of himself to no avail

its a techmount http://www.techmounts.com/ extremely solid CNC construction…its why i like to use and maybe a brand you have never heard of

Gear shifting and controls

I always get rid of stock levers, they are pot metal and if your first drop is right they have a very good chance of breaking, so i go to folding levers…for the S10 i found double folding levers with length adjustment and reach adjustment. For me this is good as i prefer a shorter lever like i have on my dirt bikes but not as short if that makes sense – i.e. shorter than stock, longer that short!!!

so i have a similar feeling in my hands riding this big beast as i do on a dirt bike

All for the bargain price of $35 HERE before you hit me with they’re from China so they’re crap routine…well they aren’t, they are well machined on a HAAS CNC machine out of 6061 aluminum, same as i would have done in my shop…just double check hardware tightness before riding and retighten with blue loctite

New grips, Pro Grip gel, (i safety wire my grips on) don’t remember how the stock ones looked but they were uncomfortable, so i added new softer grips and of course heated liners underneath…i went with these LINK they are easy to use, and you can change grips and still have your heat afterwards as the heat isn’t in the grip

gear shifter…i got a steel shifter ($11) with a heavy duty spring loaded tip, cut off the stock tip and TIG welded the new one on, and while i was at it added a grease zerk fitting (25c). The shifter mechanism will tighten up over time and needs to re-greased regularly so a zerk just makes life easy

if you haven’t made an adjustment on your shifter linkage height, vertical rod with two nuts…here’s a short story

Riding down the freeway at around 70 for some reason i look down at my left boot and ‘that rod’ had come out and was balanced on the front of my boot, i slow down and stop – no gears obviously and luckily the rod balanced there as i did this. Later that day at a buddies CNC machine shop, who incidentally is one of the most heavily stock tooling shops within hundreds of miles; i say i could have just called you to make another one!!!

his response, “well lets make one for you now, it’ll only take a few minutes”…we proceed to take it off and find it has standard and reverse threads, which is not a problem to do on a lathe…getting a reverse thread metric nut here in the USA is huge, special or item of course…”this could take a week, not minutes!!!”

moral of the story…make sure it has loctite on it once you find the right adjustment and have a spare in your saddlebag, about $10 from Yamaha

Drive protection, left side (same area) i was catching my pant leg on the stock unit, so switched to a new one which also is a three point mount which is stronger…around $40

 

kinda slammed today so a quick and easy one

GoPro mounts…

i am not a big video guy (must try harder), more photography, but i do have GoPro’s and on a ride from Vegas to OX (overland expo) this year, just a 300 mile ride, i had a bar mount snap and nearly lost the camera so i looked into alterntives.

I found some cheap but more structurally sound alternatives that the stock plastic stuff that eventually cracks and fails from the bikes vibration

a quick fleabay search HERE and i found a few options, order a couple and the quality is very good, and definitely stronger than plastic

also got some extra screw knobs and now just keep the locking key on my key chain…oh, and that red piece of plastic tube is over the Garmin locking tool to stop you loosing the end protecting the safety torx

 

Side stand

this a quick simple fix…get a 1 3/8″ washer and weld it on the base of the sidestand, for me i am a welder so i have the equipment to do it myself so this cost me $1.68 rather than $40 – $75 for a bolt on piece

this is an absolute must for the deep sand in the Atacama desert and the high winds of Patagonia

 

Seat

like many of you i’m sure you find yourself slipping slowly forward on the stock seat so have looked at the options for a new seat. I was doing this and had come down to two options, Seat Concepts and Russell Day Long.

I have personally fitted a Seat Concepts on to four of my bikes and i have been very happy with the fit and finish…so much so i rode my KTM RTW with a SC and never even thought about the seat, comfort was great.

Purely by chance i was looking in the flea market and a guy who didn’t like his RDL, we emailed back and forth and what i though was a front seat turned out to the front and back

From RDL you are looking at $605 + $90 shipping (for both ways) plus a wait of a few weeks to 3 month…this guy who i bought off waited 3 months!!!

SC is $280 + $20 shipping (one way)

So, i got my RDL for an undisclosed steal of a price, i couldn’t say no

Thoughts about the seat…I am 6’1″ around 235 lbs in gear, 32″ inseam and on the stock seat i am easily flat footed…on the RDL, sitting on the seat i can’t reach the ground, the wings on the seat stop you being able to do this, as they support the back of you legs, so when you stop you have to slide forward first…takes a little getting used to but it comes natural very quickly. If i ride off road then i ride in the motocross position (nuts on the tank)

When you are riding you are very aware that the back of your legs are supported (like a chair) and the width of the the seat covers all of your behind, not just some of it like other motorcycle seats…i see why Iron Butt riders like them, plus it has a little back rest

Yes you can ride all day on this seat and get on the next day and do the same again, but i will say if i hadn’t seen the deal i would have gone for the Seat Concepts because of the wait time and the price.

I used to have a seat guy who made all my seats for my custom bike and production bikes, literally hundreds of them and never paid $700 for a seat, especially a vinyl one!!! Sadly he died on 2013 so this is what made me look for other options

again just my 2 cents but wanted you to know the realities of RDL vs SC vs stock

 

Headlight Protection

So again minimal choices on this one, there’s the clear version which most i’ve seen seem to accumilate dust and grime behind them so make a bad headlight even worse

or the mess type one which i prefer, only one i could find was made by touratech $138 + shipping…ouch!!!

so while looking for other options i can across all i can presume is TT maker who sells their version for $71.85…the big difference is it doesn’t say Touratech on it…score…its HERE

here’s it on the bike and by itself…you decide

Rear brake reservoir

it is in a very vunrable place when you ride off road and have rocks flying off the back tire at a plastic reservoir, so a simple cheap fix is to add a protection plate, its a Hepco Becker piece i got it HERE

 

Rear Suspension

the stock shock is OK…that’s about all you can say in its favor, you can upgrade the spring but then you are really pushing it beyond its limits, you also have the potential of either seal or structural failure or both. Its not made for long term two up riding fully loaded, its made for a single rider with minimal luggage

solution…pick up the phone!!!

I called Wilbers, and i know i could have called many other companies because the selection here is the US is vast, but for me Wilbers was the obvious choice

Why?

they custom build the shock to your riding style/ spec/ weight etc, and when i called i got a real person on the phone instantly who was knowledgable…and the big one; they are in Germany and when a full service is needed i will/ should be in Europe and Mr. Wilber offered to do my service himself – SOLD

my other choice was Hyperpro, another Euro based company, but they literally took two months to answer an email (actually the same email resent four times) and when they did and i asked a few question it was another month for a reply – sorry Hyperpro this is bad customer service and doesn’t work for me if i’m on the road and have an issue

so my bike before on my lift, balanced with no weight added had 7 3/8″ ground clearance

take off the Yamaha unit

side by side comparison

fitting the new shock was simple, the whole project from start to finish took 15 minutes

balanced ride height after 7 3/4″

**** i will do a complete suspension set up – pre-load/ sag/ riders weight/ luggage weight once i have the new front end suspension installed…hopefully i’ll be done with it by the end of next week, just waiting on Yamaha for a few minor parts

and when i was looking up spring rates it seemed that Wilbers rates were difficult to find so here it is…

the ‘200’ is the spring rate in Nm m/m (Newton millimeters) to lbs is 200 x 5.71014716277= 1142 lbs
150 is the spring length uncompressed
59 is the spring size

IIRC the stock spring is an 850 lb unit on a 575 pound bike adding my 235lb riding weight in full gear already takes me up to 810lbs…doesn’t give much in the way for excess passenger, gear, bacon double cheeseburgers, fuel

Lighting…front and back

****firstly before you do anything with lights make sure you have had the recall done to fix the issue with the headlight bulb mounts****

“XT1200Z Super Tenere manufactured October 2011 through August 2013. The total number of recalled bikes revolve around the 24,000 mark, the NHTSA reports.”

the back

i added a Signal Dynamics Back Off XP/Brake Light Signal Module and a Vololights license plate bracket if you don’t know what this is i think they should be on every motorcycle, my personal experience…it stopped me getting rear ended when i did my FIRST test ride!!!

what it does…IT’S IS A BRAKELESS DECELERATION INDICATOR? click the link below all will be explained

Have you ever wished you could let drivers behind you know you are slowing down by engine braking or downshifting? What if you could indicate not only that you are slowing but how fast?

***and while i remember, i showed my license plate for a reason, my last rtw bike i had the plate ‘RTW’ this caused major problems at some border crossings Kazakstan and Russia mainly as on their computer they need to enter at least one number, so they added 000, at the other end leaving the country obviously my plate didn’t match what was in the computer. These are not Carnet countries but if they were it would have been a very big problem…so just a little FYI from experience***

the front

top to bottom – headlight guard, already covered in previous post

stock headlight – the suggestion from twinrider in post #96 for HID’s is a very good point but for me it would be money wasted…why i hear you say?

well fully loaded and two up with the stock light at full adjustment i cannot get it to angle down enough to make it useful…even when i took to the dealer for the recall (btw, in and out in two hours) they tried to adjust it more when the whole unit was off the bike to no avail

so i added an ADVmonster (he’s an inmate look for the discount code in vendors), F40 around 2500 lumens…this has now been superseded by the SS25, so i could direct the light more. The lights are individuals with a combination of spot and flood as you can probably tell by the lenses

i connected this thru the Eastern Beaver (i’ll get to this soon) and tapped into the hi beam on the main harness

i wanted the smallest package possible in the least venerable location with the highest output, there are other brands out there for sure but also wanted to support a fellow inmate who makes a very good product, and i have used them on every bike i ride and never a failure or issue

the two 6 point cree LED’s on the crash bars, i welded mounts on and then pulled power from the EB and ran that power into seperate harness with an independent relay

the harness was $12, and the light were $18 for the pair (1200 lumens each), the mounts were $2.50 and a few minutes of my time welding $32.50 total…why?

well as i said the stock light for me isn’t great and can’t be adjusted enough so for night time riding i can turn these two on as individuals so i am actually running a lo/med/hi headlight set up

easy to get to switch, i purposely left it off the bars so i put them on and leave them on

why go cheap, they work and work well but are in a high impact zone so if/ when i go down its not a great loss if they get wrecked, if i did the same Baja Designs i’d be in for $400 to do the exact same thing…i can replace them at any point in most any country

in the real world, what they look like

street view lo/med/high

down a dirt/ badly paved road lo/med/high

real world situation, this is a wash, one week ago it was SIX FEET deep with flash flood water, stock light i would have been swimming

from an oncoming drivers point of view

lo beam

med, the two spots are actually pointed down at the road at around 20-30 feet

high beam

the five cent fix…

the bike isn’t the smoothest or as powerful as it should be, but 5 cents can make it a whole lot better, but $450 can make it superb

the ECM (electronic control module) in basic terms makes the bike run how the designers want it to run. Spend $450 on a reflash of the ECM from dozens of sources and by all accounts it becomes a monster, runs smoother and power is increased dramitically

i only want one of those two things, smoothness…why?

Power means reduced fuel consumption, to me the bikes biggest failing is the gas tank size, and the bikes range, why would i want to make that worse…and i’m riding two up loaded, totally unnecessary. Plus i personally have had very bad luck with flashes, and upgraded modules. So take the bike into the unknown you want the bike to be as close as stock in areas that you cannot repair, a dealer in a foreign country may not work on your bike if he finds something major like the ECM has been tampered with…i am talking in catastrophic failure situations here

Smoothness yes please, do this

a mini flat blade fuse inserted under your clutch lever in the contact smooths the bike out dramatically and cost 5 cents…i could tell the difference within 15 feet…if there is a problem take it out!!!

how does it work? paraphrasing here from the internet – and we know everything on the internet is true…i think Albert Einstein said that!!!

when you pull your clutch in and out there is a momentary cut off of the motor, by doing this it eliminates that and smooths the motor out, its trick that Hayabusa riders have been doing for years and it works…try it if you have a stock machine, you might be surprised

 

Risers and Jack up links

I’m not the smallest guy in the world and the stock bar set felt a little cramped and when i stood the bar height made me lean to far over to be comfortable so i added Rox risers, quick simple fix

by adding them you are close to the limit length on you brake and clutch lines…there is a video on youtube showig how to get some additional length by adjusting and removing a bracket or two, i tried this for a while but wasn’t happy so i added +2″ lines that are braided and coated

make sure you get the correct wrench to do the lines for the connectors so you don’t round off the nuts

jack up links…why?

well mainly Mexico, having driven and ridden there over a hundred times, the topes, speed bumps, sleeping policemen and lots of other names…they are an epidemic, some are even put in by locals not the government and there are loads of them mostly unpainted so invisible in the right light!!! if you’ve ridden there you know what i’m talking about, right?

the worst area i remember was going into Acapulco for about 50k’s every little town had multiples is seemed like there were hundreds and hundreds, cars and bikes were grounding out on some badly…so hence a little lift is in order

i never measured my bike when new for a stock height so can only show it now, and this is after the new rear shock is added…stock links are 100mm, i have in my possession 97mm and 94mm links. i’ll show you what a difference each makes, my final choice was the 94mm

all three sets

stock (with new shock fitted)

medium lift

high (as i want to go)

adding links will impact your steering quickness slightly and you’ll feel it mainly when you drop into tight turns, the response will be different but easy to get used to…and don’t forget the ground is further away now when you stop!!!

 

Electrics…over and above stock

i use an EASTERN BEAVER PC8 its wires into the stock harness with that white connector so its switched, i have wired over a couple of hundred bikes in the last few years and honestly i have found this system the easiest and best one i have used…and i paid full retail and i’m saying that…all other wiring i bought at dealer cost 30-50% discounted and i choose this one!!!

the nice thing is there is space in the front compartment above and to the right of the battery behind the top cover, i used high strength velcro to hold it in place

one thing i do which you won’t find in the install instructions is i wire an inline override switch for the whole system and place it on my dash…i do this just incase i do have an electrical problem when riding i can instantly revert to stock electrics

so in the photo below is a dash panel i made, i went to a local plastic place asked for an off cut of 3/8 black plastic, it cost $3. Also asked if i could have a straight edge on one side…no problem

Made a paper template and made the cut on the opposite side and edges with an air saw, drilled stock side areas and mounted with two #10 stainless nylok nuts and bolts and bingo

• once i knew fit was good, i added a waterproof volt meter $4.30 LINK, the 2012 doesn’t have one, so its good to know whats going on when different things are plugged in, also keep an eye on the stator output. I tapped into a powered wire, not directly to the battery, so its not exact but very close…variance is about 0.2 volts +/-
• a Hella/ Euro/ BMW plug, why? if i break down and my pump for example fails and a rider stops with a BMW fitment but his plug has failed i can use my own…it happened back in 2011 on the Bolivian Altiplano, i had one laying around so not a big deal and free
• heated grips switch, mine is a hi/off/lo with a waterproof cap
• USB 2.1 as i charge most of my stuff with USB nowadays i wanted the best i could find its here LINK…
• and the override switch

• on the rear of the bike in the cross brace use a step drill bit and open it up a small amount and add another USB for the passenger to use and charge

• i also have a SAE coming directly off the battery for my tire pump as the stock plug cannot handle the amperage and will pop the fuse…i didn’t want to have to remove the side cover to clamp directly to the battery

 

Windshield

i have the taller Yamaha shield 21″, it was on the bike when i got it, it worked just fine until i changed the seat, then the buffeting started. As the RDL is taller than the stock seat it put me in the buffeting zone

so i opted to go with the Madstad bracket and crossbar, i added the crossbar for a GoPro mount…a word of warning here YMMV, the cross bar came loose a couple of times, even with spring washer and/ or loctite.

i have personal hatred of button head allens, if you don’t get the allen in deep enough they round out very easily so i switched those for hex/ torx heads from KTM that i had lying around

 

Hand Guards

i generally have two choices for hand guards Barkbusters or Highway Dirt Bikes as this is a more street oriented bike i went wit Barkbusters Storm, easy to fit, good coverage and work with the stock bars

Soft luggage…

obviously traveling as light as possible is the goal, we have done a bunch of test rides and been pretty good at only using the Jesse Luggage panniers and top box, but i decided to add a couple of things

a tank bag, i literally got the smallest one i could find a Nelson Rigg, big enough to carry a camera and a few snacks and thats about it, the nice thing about it is the price less than $40 and it attaches with clips not a zip which would fail in time for sure and in the back are straps that convert it to a shoulder bag…spoiler alert i don’t like tank bags!!!

and maybe this Mosko Moto scout 30 liter will be coming along as a grocery getter

So after Rays post i went and cleaned and checked my wheels, all good…so while i’m here i should do the swingarm???

this is a long one, but i’ll do it basically step by step

remove rear wheel

and straight away i’ll go off at a tangent!!!

the cush drive rubbers, if they go bad and none are available for any reasonyou can add inner tube strips, this is a thing i did on my XT660Z, the rubbers on that bike were lasting around 5-10,000 miles, added some inner tube and i was getting in excess of 50,000 miles…it’ll take a little soapy water to make it all fit!!!

this is from the 660 rear wheel

ok back to the S10…

double check the splines on the cush rubber holding plate thingy…all good

bearing # for reference

and the other bearing

remove the four acorn nuts to take off the pumpkin, it will simply pull out of the swingarm…no gremlins hiding inside to fall out after it

now see right in the middle of the photo a dark spot, well that s a hole, maybe a small drain hole but if its plugged it can’t drain and could possibly allow moisture to collect…make sure it clear

see daylight

look around the splines and the seal of the pumpkin prior to cleaning check to see if there are any signs of oil residue, if so you’ll need to do a reseal and need to get two parts and follow Greg the Poles excellent instructions here – https://thetenerist.wordpress.com/2014/09/28/yamaha-st12-inner-shaft-seal-replacement/

his was bad and looked like this, if yours looks like this follow the above post ASAP

on the other end of the shaft are splines, check these for wear…mine were very clean and no grease at all

i greased it and put it aside for reassembly later

this is the pumpkin end, again on mine very clean

now to get the swingarm off

remove lower exhaust clamp bolt

take off the 10mm acorn nut just below the passenger grab rails so the exhaust cover can be removed, and you’ll be left with this, there’s a 14 mm nut on the back this all has to come off


and your passenger peg mount bolts as well

this is a little rubber grommet at the very front just pull straight down if it hasn’t already come off by itself

and this will come off

gently twist the exhaust can and pull upwards at the same time, don’t be too rough as there is an exhaust gasket on the header pipe that needs to be reused, once you get it off you’ll have a pile of parts on the floor and then your GF walks in and shouts WTF are you doing!!!

…cause to her half the motorcycle is on the floor, she’ll be impressed in about an hour when it looks like a motorcycle again…tell her to go get you a beer while you do man stuff

next take off the heel plates on both sides, and grab your 27mm socket, you don’t have one? then grab your 1 1/16″ socket, thats 26.9875mm so close enough

make sure your brake is out of the way and the anchor is detached from the swingarm

…and this is where ‘my’ problems began, i grabbed a socket and expected to take the swing arm pivot bolt out, its only supposed to be with 87ftlbs of torque…nope

grabbed a breaker bar…nope

grabbed an air impact, set it low…nope

increased it to max setting (600lbs impact!!!)…nope

sent Greg the Pole a message to see if i had missed anything, i’d done it according to the manual, but you know how they like to miss little steps out, he’s done a few and confirmed i was doing it right

so i got out the magic juice Rost Off by Wurth…wurth…ahem the $15…this stuff wins every time,

back on with the impact after a 5 minute creeping action beer break and out it came

so the moral here is be prepared, even though my bike rarely sees rain (i live in the desert) it was still corroded in place, heat didn’t help i tried that prior to the Rost Off

this is the nut on the left size with the keep bracket holding it into the frame

so before you pull the pivot shaft out, remove the lower shock bolt and the linkage bolts

so you’ll be pulling down and backwards for the swingarm to come free, but before you do that look up and spot the little clips to the right, they hold the shim to the frame, this may or may not drop out (thanks Greg for letting me know that) the tabs should hold it in place, mine did

a little wiggle and it comes free, maneuver it around the lower shock

clean any crap away

now you should have your swingarm in your hands and be standing there being amazed how light it is!!!

lay it on the floor and remove the end caps, using your hands no tools and the inner sleeve…see that yellow on there, thats good

but clean it off because you are going to add fresh grease

and look inside the end where the needle bearings are

most Yamaha bearing use a hard packed yellow grease, below is a photo from a new bearing when i had to replace the swingarm on the 660…most people take Yamaha apart and think no grease was used…WRONG…do not…DO NOT remove the yellow stuff,

just clean out any dirt if there is any and add some of your own favorite grease to the needle bearings and on the end caps

put you pivot shaft tube back in and you ready for reinstall

but first look at the rubber boot that goes over the drive knuckle on the left side, it locks in place, look at the tabs and locate it correctly on the bike NOT on the swingarm this will make your life easier

this is the swingarm side, its plastic

have a look down the swingarm left leg and make sure its clean, i had a build up of grease with some minor grit in it, this needs to go

now put your swingarm back on and finger tight the pivot shaft

now pull it out again and clean off any excess grease from the threads

now repeat that, this is the second time it caught grease again

once you are happy you won’t have grease on the threads add a little blue loctite and assemble and torque to 87 ftlbs per the manual

now pull the rubber boot over the knuckle

double check your lower shock pivot and your dog bone pivots for cleanliness and grease and deal with accordingly

if you’ve never looked at your rear brake pads now would be a good time

take a measurement if you want, minimum per the factory service manual is 0.8mm thickness

so i have more than 50% left after 17,000 miles…most guy are saying 12 – 18,000 miles from stock pads??? Guess i should use my brakes more!!!

remember if you have to pry your pads apart pump up your rear brake once you put the wheel on

put your exhaust and rear wheel back on and your done…double check your back brake before you ride

Greg said around 1 1/2 hours from a complete bike back to a complete bike with a swingarm regrease service…i would agree, it took me around an hour and i was taking photos as i went but i’m used this stuff and my bike was on a lift which makes life a lot easier.

Do this job yourself, its easy…don’t give your money to the dealership

from here i did a rear tire change as well but that’s for another time…

 

tire change…

so the tools i use are

i’m not going to review the whole process, there are plenty of videos on youtube showing how to remove and replace a tire…what i will say is i find the heidenau k60 rear difficult to remove from the rim but putting front and rear on is easy as there is plenty of dip in the middle of the rim and a little soapy water to make this an easy task

if you are doing your tires at home or on the road and not balancing them, remember to line up the red dots with your valve stem

on the rear rim, i changed the valve stem to a metal 45 degree but then i had to change it back

READ POST #244 TO SEE WHY

the rear tire had just about reached the wear bar mark, if i was on the road i would probably ride this tire another 500 miles crossing my fingers that it would hold, but here where tires are available i change

you can see the wear bar mark on both tire in the same place, about 11 o’clock on the tire, in the left side of the tread

and for reference depth of tread for

front

and rear

and how i keep track of my service intervals/ tire changes/ mpg on the road, in the lid of the top box. I see it every time i open the box so a constant reminder to check the bike…i do everything in km’s because its round figures, except the liters per 100km, to me it doesn’t register as well as MPG.

I will do an oil change prior to leaving or at 30k to round things up to even 10’s…and as mentioned before i do the final drive every oil change not every otherr oil change like the manual suggests, 200 milliliters is very cheap insurance for an expensive part

so looking at the above numbers

rear tire 8k or 4971 miles this was a stock Bridgestone battlewing, the next tire was a Heidenau K60, 98% ridden two up, and about 60% fully loaded 19,400k or 11,806 miles, then just changed to another heidenau

front tire same Bridgestone battlewing, 18.2k or 11,309 miles…changed it to a Shinko 705 to see the wear, it is good on the front, the tire still has around 80% tread left on it after 9.2k or 5716 miles or about 5mm – (and if anyone is in the Vegas area and wants this tire, come and get it, send me a PM)

 

Neck bearings…

so the more you ride into remote places and you aren’t near a big city/ dealership/ your garage you will be doing the majority of the work on your bike yourself. Do you have the right tools and do you know how easy or difficult a process is to do the neck bearing or any other bearing?

Case in point, the neck bearings; i go to grab my neck bearing nut tool and can’t find it, so i placed an order for a new one, but it got me to thinking if i did this in the field, without a torque wrench how difficult would it be?

but as an example that it can an will happen

Bolivia 2011, neck bearing cage failure

Utah 2012

Idaho 2014

i have more but you get the point, you might want to practice and double check your tools in the comfort of your garage

So…again this is not the ideal way to do this but its the way to get you home or to a shop!!!

remove top nut, 27mm same as axel wrench…you may or may not have to lift you tank to do this and maybe remove bars…with risers you don’t there’s plenty of room

undo to triple clamp pinch bolts

lift off top tree

there is an alignment clip, remove this first

then check out the dirt and remove the top nut

make a visible mark on the lower nut and the frame for reference

get your tool…in my case this time its a hammer and flat blade screw driver

***my neck bearings felt OK so i knew the torque setting was approximately right

see that rubber washer, that lives between the two nuts, when you take off the lower nut count the full rotations, this will be your “in the field approximate torque setting”

now take out the top bearing, you may need a push down on the rear end to make the front end lift and help the bearing release, and if you haven’t seen it yet there should be a shim on top of the bearing

choices to get to the lower bearing…remove front wheel and the whole suspension set up will drop (best) or the other, more work but if you are solo, a better option; make a mark on your fork legs right below your lower triple tree, this is to make reassembly easier

check your lower bearing for grease dirt then clean and re-grease in location (forgot the clean re-greased photo!)

bearing #

clean your top bearing and re-grease it


and a little grease on the dust cover to reduce more dust/ sand/ dirt getting to the top bearing

put it all back together and make sure your lines are aligned

put your top tree back on, tighten the side allen bolts and test if everything is good, not too tight (fall away/ no stiction) side to side normal movement of the bars and then grab the bottom of both forks with the bike on the center stand lift slight and pull forwards and backwards, if there is movement then your need to go back and tighten your lower nut on the steering stem…if it feels good tighten top triple clamp nut to spec and ride home/ to shop…double check all your work with a torque wrench ASAP

 

the $4.63 Madstad winshield fix…

so riding down the freeway the other day and it was windy probably 20-30mph and now the Madstad has stopped the buffeting sensation, but, now as the windshield is a little higher and the angle is different it has a lot of movement, and this gets me to thinking how it will be in Patagonia??? For those of you that haven’t ridden down there constant trade winds of 50-70 mph are common

so, a trip to the big orange store and spent $4.63

get some painters tape (or any tape or a pice of paper), remove the side wings (if you have them) and create a paper bracket template

mark your top hole location and the bottom, then take that piece and stick it on the aluminum, drill just the bottom hole and add about 1inch to the length at the top for later, cut to size

you’ll notice that it isn’t a flush fit

put both pieces in the vise together so the will be the same

and create a little Z bend

once you’ve done this go back and mark your top hole

i have hardware laying around, if you don’t you might be into this project for $6!!!

change the wings plastic bolts for steel and i use a wing nut at the top for adjustability with 1/4 x7/8 bolts

with the bracket on the bike mark the top line of the Madstad and cut to match the shape, but first drill a hole in that excess 1″ and cut them off

those little 1″ square piece are now your spacers for the front holes so you don’t put any undue stress on the plastic

and a little rattle can black spray paint and its done…about 10 – 15 minutes and a sturdy windshield

this kind of thing has been done for years to improve a manufacturers product so i’m not taking any credit for this, just letting you know how easy it is if you have the same issue

***edit…the reason your side wings have plastic screws is for break away in even t of a crash, same effect can be had with rubber well nuts…only problem is neither will tighten enough to stop the movement, so the lower bolts are very cheap low grade pieces, take this into account if you are planning to fly over your bars any time soon

 

went into the garage to ride this evening and i had a rear flat!!!

got some soapy water in a spray bottle, filled the tire with air and went searching, it was the side of the valve, the new one i put in two days ago…WTF!!!

i pull the rear wheel off, dismount one side of the tire so i can remove it…initial thought was as it was old (maybe 10 years old!!!) the rubber had perforated? Nope!!!

On much closer inspection i found that the rim is radiused in every direction so it wouldn’t seal completely, so i had a look in my stash to see if i had another to fix the problem and i found this out with a quick amount of research

the rim hole is a TR413 style, very common, you can get a rubber valve like the stock on for less than $2. So you’re saying why did i change it? Well, time on my hands obviously and i was riding with a guy a few years back who had a rock hit his rim and make a partial tear in his valve and we couldn’t find a replacement so he had to fill his tire about every 15 minutes…so its preventive fix i guess

so here is the information you need or not

the stem on the left works, the two on the right don’t

here is the rubber TR413 installed

if you look again at both photos you see the metal stems have a washer to go against the rim with a nut on top to tighten down to create the seal, now look at the above photo and you’ll now notice there no room for a washer to be able to do that, hence the slow leak that took two days to deflate

so for reference this is the info you need in times of trouble, chances of it happening are in the millions to 1 but if you are going RTW you might want to carry a spare for $2

and if you are asking how does it install, well from the inside of the rim a little soapy water on the hole, push the valve thru and seat it, if it didn’t happen then the simple install (side of the road fix) is spit and a 10mm wrench and a 12mm nut, push valve thru, put 10mm on valve, put 12mm nut on threads and pull on the wrench…POP its in

where or why will i have a 12mm nut, well you should have an inner tube with you just incase, to help seat a tire that won’t seat, or has a hole to big fix (out in the field/ RTW/ Dalton Hwy) the nut is on the valve stem of the inner tube

 

the Steering head wrench arrived yesterday, from memory the Yamaha tool is stamped piece of galvanized ferrous metal, i looked but couldn’t find it…but did find someone who said it was $70 if you could find one!!!

Anyhow this is one for the tool kit, 304 stainless steel, laser cut…it gets to travel RTW, lucky tool

 

this one is FREE, FREE, FREE and takes 30 seconds…easy filling and extra gas

this is a standard mod on the Xt660 on a plastic tank that has a large air gap, filling to the brim was a PITA, done on that bike it gained me an additional 1.6 liters of fuel

i haven’t had the chance to measure the difference on the S10 but it has to be some and again easier filling

you need two or three tools, a hammer and an awl…simply punch a couple of air holes in the highest point of the side of the filler neck. Its thin, maybe 18-22 gauge so one good hit each side, 30 seconds and you are done.

Obviously DO NOT fill with gas to the brim and then park your bike…especially a hot day, only fill when you are going to ride

 

so “Ironbutt” stopped by last week with his S10 with his oversized tank that was made by Jaxon at Ride on ADV in TX, when i inquired Jaxon quoted me $1600 just for the tank rebuild, Ironbutt ended up paying in the $3000 range by the time he had bought a replacement tank, shipping, tank mod and painting…this is the reason i was trying to get interest built up for a tank manufacturer to make an after market tank for this bike, hence the poll on top of this thread. If you haven’t voted please do so

you decide

8 gallon tank

6 gallon tank

now you probably can’t see it in the photo of my bike but i actually have the capability of carrying 8.7 US gallons or 33 liters, its hidden on this side of the bike and not in a pannier??? i’ll explain in a later post but all i’ll say is i spent $45

i still have very big concerns about the amount of joints Jaxon uses in his tanks, none of his tanks have had failures but i am still concerned

Ron Covell probably one of the best metalsmiths ever in the world built a gas tank for Billy Lane on TV, around 19.53 onwards HERE with a large amount of joints and at 31.21 one of the seams splits while riding and this is the result HERE

Front End Upgrade…valving for compression and rebound, new springs and new seals

before i start my fork rebuild i will say that i didn’t document is as well as i would have liked as i was at my buddy Kevins shop who has just returned from Mexico where he had his bike stolen from the front of his hotel in Mexico, so i forgot to take some key photos as we were talking about that which involved the popo, federales and the cartels

So probably a better break down is on Greg’s site HERE

You are not doing this in your garage unless you are willing to invest in some tools, read Gregs list of what you need and his versions. The ones i used are from RaceTech and will probably cost more than the parts you are installing, so at the end i will add Kevins contact info and he said he will do a complete rebuild and return service in 48 hours for anyone that wants it let him know i sent you

I got all the front end components from www.stoltecmoto.com Nick the owner is fantastic, super responsive and his customer service is exemplary. This is what you need if you are going to be on the road, someone who actually knows what he is doing, can explain it clearly in an email or over the phone and responds immediately…not days or weeks later

So the tear down and whats not photographed but easy to understand, undo your top triple clamps bolts, then get a 24 mm wrench and crack the top cap, you are using your bottom triple clamp as a vice basically. Do this with a very quick snap otherwise you just spin the cartridge.

Do the same both sides, remove front wheel, front fender, calipers and pull it all out of the way, now undo the lower triple clamps on one side and remove fork leg, do the same for the other

Now you should have this…

you’ll notice on the right there is a fork leg in the vice, this is because i forgot to do the above steps before removal, so i added a problem and had to use a strap wrench, not easy!!!

you’ll need a long 8mm allen to undo the lower cartridge bolt

Next you’ll need to compress the spring to be able to take the cartridge out, this is a RaceTech compressor

Changed the springs out (forgot side by side photo)…went from stock progressive spring to custom wound linear springs with a 92.5 rate because of riding two up and being fully loaded all the time

if you were doing your seals this is the point you would change the seals and reassemble

we are going in deeper for valving

you will need this tool, again RaceTech

this is to be able take the cartridge apart and get to the valves, there are threaded ends so you need to be able to hold each end securely, this tool does that along with specific vice clamps

the top nut is a 19mm the lower is the specialty tool

once apart you get to see your valves, these are the new ones installed blue is compression and red is rebound, difficult to tell from this photo but the porting is different and also so is the shim stack

now do the seals, refer to Gregs website for this as i was “talking”!!!

you will be using these components

i replace both the bushings mine were ok, just ok, so as i had them why not…YMMV

SKF are the best seals this is the part number…it shows QTY2, you will need two boxes, there is only seals for one fork leg per box

so once your seals are in reassemble and put back in the bike

i added neoprene fork/ seal protectors

now while you are at it as you’ve taken a lot apart, go back and double check every nut and bolt you touched, just incase you snugged something but forgot to tighten. The lower triple clamps are an area that can be incorrectly tightened as you tighten one bolt the other will now be loose because each holds the tension, make sure they are torqued correctly, then double check.

Also pull that plug off your top triple clamp, the big 27mm one in the middle and check that, mine was loose again…for the third time!!!

 

so Kevins contact info is here either email or call him if you want to upgrade but don’t have the skill or tools to do the work yourself

 

got some work done today, not all of it sadly…putting it all back together tomorrow, but for now i have a large hole where most of my motor should be

 

CCT install…and valve check and adjustment, and not wanting to, but a double intake valve change as well

So what looked like a simple afternoon project of about an hour for a CCT (cam chain tensioner) swap has now turned into a week project.

quick disassembly of the bike to access the CCT

***** Note: BTW i was in a buddies shop and his lighting sucks so i have to adjust and edit the photos to get clarity and light just incase you are wondering if it looks a little unusual

so take off the tank for working space, free the air box, remove the stock wire tie on right frame rail

now gives you access to the stock CCT

New manual CCT w/ gasket, around $80…same one used on an R1

so taking out the old CCT, it was dead quiet, and two of use were listening for the cam chain incase it jumped…zero noise, so adjust it and put it back together and fire the bike up…basically

bike turns over but won’t fire…chain has jumped so now the timing is out…with me so far?

so now the valve cover has to come off…no choice, need to reset the timing

getting the plugs out i had to use a combination of socket attachments and a magnet!!

after pulling the plugs they were starting to discolor at the bottom of the porcelain so they will be swapped

there is a small screw driver sticking out of a spark plug hole to confirm TDC

so did a quick valve check, intake is good on all four but on the exhaust not so

so take out the valves

and for those of you who haven’t been this deep in a motor, the buckets and shims, you’ll need a magnet to lift them out of the head

and for the cams, the decompression side, when starting the nub holds the valve open and then one it starts centrifugal force makes the decompression close with the tabs moving outwards as shown below

…and if you’ve read Gregs blog or any others you’ll know that they are marked on the wrong side for easy setting, so you need to transfer the marks to the inside

ok so now set the timing to the marks and zip tie the cam chain so the chain doesn’t jump again

the correct set up is TDC and then align the two cam marks with a 4 1/2 chain link width

so once thats set now reinsert the CCT and set it…the zip tie snaps as the CCT is being adjusted and there is an audible metallic noise, i rotate the motor manually and it sticks, so one or more of the valves are hitting

have a look down the intakes and it doesn’t look good, i can see a piston with a valve closed!!!

so time to pull the head

all valves are closed in this photo…not!!!

Greg this is what i meant about not having to do a compression test, it was audible and visual for me

so now change the two bent valves (wait 5 days for delivery)…just a note here because you are moving the head a lot always make sure you check the two keepers on each valve before you refit, it is unlikely they will have shifted, so the valve wouldn’t be held in place correctly but from experience (the shops not mine) its a PITA if you rebuild the motor to have to go back in to reset one keeper

lap the valves prior to final fitment

so a new gasket to put on after you clean off the remnants of the old one

so putting the head back on refer to the manual, it will show foot pound/ Nm and also degrees, you’ll need a good torque wrench for this that can read both

spotted a minor exhaust leak on the right side…see the black section at 9 thru 12 o’clock

once the heads on now go thru the top end. cams, cam chain, recheck valve clearance and install valve cover and let the swearing begin

in my case got the bike back together fired the bike up and everything is good, then i can hear escaping air from the right side, small but seems to be growing in volume…the head gasket had a minute split in two spots i didn’t see…off to Yamaha and spend another $28 and put it all back together…i have to wait until Wednesday for the gasket but basically done and ready to ride

so you might have skipped over my comment earlier that i was blaming apple , i didn’t realize that as i was scrolling thru the service manual on the computer whilst doing this i had it on continuos scroll not whole pages and it skipped a few key pages and on scroll you can have a page up but not completely so the page number might not be shown. Guess i scrolled too quick anyhow it skipped page 5-22 amongst other but 5-22 is the key page to an easy life doing and understanding how to do a CCT swap

Moral of the story: listen very, very closely if you change your CCT, read page 5-22 and understand it and rotate your motor very very slowly the first time around other wise you will be coming back hear for a reread

 

so i have a chat today with one of the mechanics and bring up your statement…he just walked away laughing!!!

when he came back he had a demagnetizer in his hand and went over all the valve buckets, while i’m standing there with the string of staples to do my 5th grade version of a test, a simple very light metal that will attract to the lightest magnetic pull if you were wondering…

he comes back over with two manuals in hand, one from a GSXR and the other a new Honda manual, open to a page and said take a photo of these and the advice the factory gives, so you can put this guys mind at ease…”use a MAGNET or suction cup/ lapping tool or fingers”

i told him you did it all by hand on a Porsche and his immediate response was…”well that’s different if its an automatic as there are small ball bearing running around inside the motor (he went in to intricate detail, 30 years building motors blah blah blah) and then yes a magnetized area could cause definite problems, in that case only use a suction tool or fingers

hope this eases your ‘cringe’

 

so here’s another unnecessary upgrade but i wanted it, i have a little vibe in the bike at 3100 – 3600 rpm so i decided to change the clutch basket to the 2014 up version.

very simple swap, minimal tools required (no clutch pullers required) and about 30 minutes…but i have done a lot of similar clutch packs to this in the past.

I would suggest the easiest way is to take a photo at every step (for your own reference) place all parts in a line and then that makes it real easy to put back together as you have two different things to reference from if you get stuck…you are only changing basically one thing that is different the clutch basket…but you will add new nut and gasket

so here’s the right side of the bike

look in the manual for the sequence to remove the bolts in a criss cross pattern, BTW no need to drain the oil nothing will come out if you are on the center stand.

what i do as i’m not changing the clutch plates is make a mark at 12 o’clock very small on every steel and friction plate to i put them back in the same exact spot i removed them just in case they have created there own wear pattern

pull the center push rod out with your fingers

**** be very careful there is a ball bearing behind the rod, don’t let it fall out, if it doesn’t come out then leave it in place

here it is hiding

so now you’ll have a stack of plates off to one side

next you’ll need a clutch basket holding tool, i got a EBC one less than $20, and it works perfectly as its specific to this clutch pack, part number…google CT017

if you have read the manual about this swap you’ll notice they say get a new nut, seemed strange until you see why, there is a thin lip that is pressed down into a machined recess/ key way

pry it up with a small screwdriver or something similar and then remove the nut, standard thread “lefty loosey”

there’s a heavy directional washer behind the nut

then pull off the clutch basket, there is a needle bearing on the shaft, it can stay there no need to remove it

old and new side by side, the new one is approx 1lb heavier

put a little oil/ grease lube on the bearing surface

put the new basket on and look to the right side at 3 o’clock and align the teeth so it fits on the shaft all the way

now reverse process and reassemble, torque the main-shaft nut to 90ft lbs per manual and don’t forget to punch the new nut into the recess

and if you haven’t already, before you put on the outer cover clean all the old gasket remnants off it and don’t scratch it, and use the new gasket

for reference here’s a photo of the gasket and nut part numbers

 

so as i had a new valve cover gasket i had the old one to play with to try and figure out the best way to get it to seat, whether its gas to head or gasket to cover…its gasket to cover

i found out that if you get the front right lobe in place, visually, as you can’t fit a finger in there without removing the electrics tray. The other three lobes can be touched and pushed into place with your fingers as there is room.

You can double check the front lobe looking at the back (left side) of the electrics tray lift up you can see its located…like this

so attaching the gasket to the valve cover i found this to be the quickest soft setting (but messy) to use

and a heavy straight edge to set it in place

hope this helps for anyone with a valve cover leak or if you are doing the valves and putting this back for the first time…donations to Gregs swear jar fund if it doesn’t go as planned first time out!!!

 

Exhaust and air filter…more of a “did you know” than a how to

Both are easy swaps/ upgrades…i had no real intention of get a new exhaust (muffler) and connector pipe, i would rather spend an additional week or two or three on the road. As i have said before i’m not looking for upgraded performance which generally reduce MPG

…but…i was on line chatting with the owner of MTC exhausts in the UK and mentioned i might stop by when i get there and get one, to save shipping etc. He now has a full range on his site

He came back with well you have a tenere exhaust already, on your XT660Z. Don’t get jealous now; i have one of the very few in the US, he suggested to me if he made an new tip to point exhaust gases downwards away from the turn signal and a new connector pipe i could use my 660 can…score

so before it goes into storage, one last look

so because i was using my original can i had to make a hanging bracket, no big deal i some odd ones laying around, just needed to adapt the angle a little

so here is a few views

big bonus, stock system 13 12/lbs

MTC system, 6lbs

dent in the bottom is from when my chain snapped!!!

with the stock covers on

sounds good, more throaty than stock and with the new clutch basket nice and smooth too

the air filter is a simple swap, i wanted one that can be cleaned reused and reoiled, and has more flow than the stock and better filtration than the stock 10 microns, the new BMC flows better with better filtration of 7 microns, found it on ebay for around $60, everywhere else it was around $85

 

so, i guess all that’s left is tools…from these tool shown below i will come up with a smaller toolkit to carry RTW eliminating duplicity

****below image is full sized if you click on it****

and a breakdown

Box 1 from left to right

• mini husky ratchet
• feller gauge
• 8mm flex head ratchet wrench
• 15/16/17 mini wrenches
• multi meter
• test light
• fork seal cleaner

Box 2

• zip ties
• long punch (multiple uses but mainly for bearing removal)
• adjustable wrench
• suspension wrench
• 8-14mm titanium wrenches
• magnetic tool w/ flashlight
• 1/4 and 3/8 extensions
• 1/4 socket tool
• double sided ratchet wrenches, 8-18mm
• spark plug socket with universal attachment
• sockets 6-15,17,19
• heading bearing spanner wrench
• torx allens
• standard allens
• 3/8 and 1/4 ratchets
• inch pounds torque wrench
• long punch
• extended allen for spokes
• air pressure gauge
• paint pen
• motion pro tire levers/ bead breakers

Box 3

• safety wire
• safety wire tool
• locktite and antisieze
• 2 types of sand paper
• electrical tape and connectors
• syringe for filling rear drive
• various hose clamps
• electrical wire with connectors to jump sections of bad wiring
• misc nuts and bolts

Box 4

• filter material for dodgy gas stations
• mat for doing repairs, wheel off type thing on rough ground
• misc. odd tire tools
• misc. allens (standard)
• grips
• long nose pliers
• wire cutters
• fuses
• ruler/ flat edge
• extra clutch nut
• clamping hermostats

 

when was the last time you’d checked your spoke tension???

so i did an oil change and decided to check my spokes, its the third time i have done this in about 50,000km. Each tim e i found a few very slightly loose spokes.

but this time i found a broken spoke

so i carry spares and i have my spokes zip tied so no major damage was caused…i then checked both wheels with my inch pounds torque wrench and long ball end allen and checked them all to 6Nm or 53.1 inch pounds per the service manual and about 80% were loose, nothing major only slightly but it was still there and now its corrected

so again…

…when was the last time you checked your spoke tension ???

 

you need a 5mm…lowes has them for sale individually for around $10

 

did a rear tire change as well, i ride on Heidenau K60 Scout, riding two up 100% or the time fully loaded for RTW riding, i changed mainly now not in 500 to 1000 more miles was more from convenience, availability and more than anything…not wanting to carry a tire

so to this wear point i got 23,400km or 14,540 miles riding around a 90/10 mix of road and off road

 

of course doing a tire change its a good time to check brake pads.

I read on the ‘other forum’ guys complaining they only get 10-15,000 miles from a set of rear pads…makes me wonder what they were doing or how they were riding…with their foot on the brakes, or the posters ride primarily dirt maybe?

I just changed my rears out and swapped to double HH pads for even more durability, but from my, from new, stock pads i got 50,700 km or 31500 miles

 

not sure of you are following my RTW (link in the sig line below)

I’m back in the US for a few weeks, and heading to Iceland next via mainland Europe, so i had some down time to wash the bike and got to the headlight and what a pain in the ass the mesh grill turns out to be. It is not a quick release so you have take it off, to remove the dirt and dead flys etc.

So i looked to see if anyone had a clear version, i tried the one held on with velcro it kept falling off…anyone else???

Step up…ALT Rider, i contacted Jeremy and they had a clear headlight guard in development and its a quick release – perfect, now its in stock

It arrived today

2 minutes later

i took off the old one and added the new studs…

***a word of note here thats not on the Alt Rider instructions, do not push the studs into the well nuts (rubber threaded nuts his cover will mount to) you’ll end up pushing the rubber thru the housing and then have to partially have to take your headlamp assembly apart to put it back in!!!

Add a little blue loctitie, thread them with the least amount of pressure until you feel them catch the thread then tighten them.

now wet the studs ball end a little with water and push on the guard…done!!!

Easy to use, easy to mount, easy to clean and has a good aggressive look too

Go get you one!!!

 

i am indirectly heading to Iceland on my RTW, and most of the riding there is off road, so you need a back brake for that, you know the one on the S10 thats activated by the UBS from the front, the peg you never touch but the pad wears out because of the UBS.

Well riding offroad your for will be hitting that back brake a lot and not just the front; when you stand up your heal drops and the brake pedal is now further away, i know there are Pivot Pegs but for me (i have used them on other bikes) they create an unstable platform where and when you really need one.

So what to do…?

Step up Alt Rider again with the Dual Control Brake System

this is one of those…”why didn’t i think of that” parts, never mind they did it for you. The fitment is a matter of minutes, the finish is excellent and now i can stand and have easy access to my rear brake without having to contort my foot and ankle and concentrate more on the track i’m on and have controlled rear only braking when i need it

i took the bike for a short ride and will need to drop the peg height a little, instructions to do this are covered in detail with the kit, easy