Posted on by Tim

Summer Workshop Sortout

 

It’s probably just a summer thing but the garage was filling with flies after our trip out to Jasper, so a deep clean was in order.  It ended up producing a car load going to the dump and space has been restored.  More importantly I feel like I can get stuck in on mechanical work without tripping over disorganization.  The Triumph Bonneville project has reached an apex with the engine out 

I’ve had a couple of longer rides this week on the Concours and that resulted in some more ergonomic adjustments.  This video talked me through how to adjust the gear lever (without wasting my time with a lot of youtube blahblah), so I did and now I’m not lifting my foot to change gears.  Even with modified pegs, new saddle and handlebars I’m still struggling to feel the kind of ‘it-fits’ feeling I get on the Tiger though.  It isn’t a Kawasaki thing, it’s a sports-touring thing.  The big Versys I rode 8 years ago fit the same way.  Perhaps what I’m looking for is a shaft drive big adventure bike with a big load capacity, like the newer 1200cc Tiger or the BMW GS.  Though if I wanted to get really eccentric I could consider so Italian options like the Moto Guzzi V85TT.

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The Motorcycle Electrical Systems book I got last winter suggested popping a voltmeter on your bike if it didn’t come with one.  The Kawasaki has one in the digital display but the analogue Triumph Tiger doesn’t, but now it does:

There was a relay under the dash that had full voltage only when the ignition was on, so I slipped the wires for the voltmeter in there and it only comes one when I’m riding.  The Tiger showed a steady 12.4v when I rode it up and down the street, suggesting that the reg/rectifier fix I did last year is working well.

It was a busy week, but after dropping off the boy at camp one day I went for a ride and ended up at Higher Ground Café in Belfountain where even mid-week you’ll find an interesting assortment of bikes, this time including an old C10 Concours!

I’d like to work an extended ride into the summer and I still have a few weeks to go before the school year picks up again so hopefully I can figure something out.

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