Old Age = Bad Memory

A fellow blogger asked a simple question about fitting a Suzuki V-strom DL1000 with a sidecar . Of course the V-strom has a great reputation for rock solid reliability with simple maintenance. I mean why didn`t I think of this being a Stromtrooper myself. Anyway, I remembered seeing a V-Strom DL1000 a couple of summers ago in Kelowna during the Scooter Rally. Kelowna is just over 4 hours East of Vancouver on the other side of the Coquihalla mountain highway.


(Suzuki DL1000 Hack parked in Kelowna, BC)

I remembered talking to the owner and was even offered a ride during the weekend where he was going to `Fly the Wheel`. Anyway the ride never happened but I was sure that I could contact the owner again asCharlie6 wanted to contact him to discuss how to mount the sidecar to the `Strom and to get other set up tips. After a few days of attempting to contact this owner, he told me that I was mistaken as he had never owned a Hack.


(Suzuki DL1000 hack, in Vancouver, summer of 2010)

Last Summer I saw this Hack again during the Vancouver Scooter Rally, and also at some of the venues. For some reason I don`t recall ever seeing the owner but he must have been in close proximity.



I think my memory is going. Must be old age settling in. I mean one day I will probably go for a ride and forget how to get home. Now I have lost touch with the Scooter Scene in Vancouver as they all migrated to FaceBook . Since I don`t do FaceBook I don`t know where the meetings are, nor where they ride otherwise I could spread the word and someone will know who this person is.



The next time I see this unit I will be sure to take more detailed photos of the mounting points and make of sidecar.



I had high hopes of helping Charlie6 but right now I am more of a hinderance as I know nothing of the mounting hardware, where to purchase it or even the make of the SideCar. At least I have an excuse. I am old and I forget easily

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As much as I had wanted to ride on Saturday, it was not to be. I had made an appointment to bring my Honda commuter into the dealer for service. There is a service indicator on the dash which flashes Yellow when your oil interval is below a certain threshold which necessitates having to push the reset button everytime you start the car. Also the transmission was getting notchy and I wanted them to replace the transmission fluid. For simple stuff like this I usually wait until the service is finished.

After I checked the car into the dealer I walked around the corner to EMS where I get my V-Strom serviced. Ted is laid back and doesn`t mind me asking a ton of questions


(Honda ST1300, valve cover removed)

This is a view from the left side, cylinders 1 & 3. It is a double overhead cam and he was checking the valve clearance and shims. Factory specs is .022-.028



The cylinders are timed 180 degrees as you will notice from the cam lobe. The cylinder on the right is at Top Dead Centre. Ted was checking the shims for wear and possibly replacement when they hit the low limit. He was pushing his feeler gauge to check the clearances.

Sometimes you wonder about a bikes history as this was a 2001 model



and the Made in China sticker on the wiring harness has a date of 2002-02 which I would presume meant 2005 February (2nd month), so how did a 2005 wiring harness get installed on a 2001 model bike.

No new shims today, all was within specs and the bike was re-assembled and ready to be picked up



It`s a good day when you are able to learn something new