Monday, March 31, 2008

42k Service, Tires, & Pre-trip update

I broke all the rules by doing the 42,000 mile service on the R1200ST over the weekend (@42500 miles).  I leave on an 11 day tour this Thursday.


I started Saturday morning by reinstalling the wheels (new rear tire and remounted a spare front tire). 

Sidenote: Big Thanks to Patrick at Motorcycles Unlimited. He'd reserved a Z6 for me when I called on the previous Tuesday morning, but when I got there Tuesday afternoon, he asked me if I'd like a just delivered Pilot Road 2 instead. These are the first PR2s that he's recieved, so he asked for a review after I'd put some miles on them. I was sad to report that they would see 1600 miles of I-10 before they ever see twisty roads.

After a quick breakfast, I pulled the valve covers and did a valve adjust following Jim VanBaden's excellent tutorial. I finished by changing the engine and transmission oil. The bike was buttoned back up by 1:30.

On Sunday I packed all my camping gear into a large tail bag and dropped it off at my parents house. They'll carry it to Santa Barbara for me, simplifying my load for the 2-day I-10 run from Houston to Santa Barbara.

Steven, a very good friend from 4-H and also one of my college roommates, is getting married this Saturday. I plan to attend the very casual wedding (Santa Maria style Tri-Tip BBQ, anyone?) and then embark on a California and Southwest US (mostly Utah) tour. I'll end the trip with 2 nights in Alpine, TX for the Sport-Touring.Net Region 2 meet.

Keep an eye on this blog starting Thursday!