Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Accessories, Maintenance & Chores

I received a package today from Promach located in Montana


I purchased my Nu2Me BMW R1200R last September and I wanted to do some maintenance and get it ready for summer touring.   Then I decided to carry some specialized tools just in case I end up somewhere and they are needed

I mean, you can't even change spark plugs without a special spark plug boot remover tool.  It seems that the plug which attaches to your spark plug is not "just a plug".  It also contains a coil and if you don't have the special BMW removal tool, then you could break the coil and you would be in deep doo doo

I recently found this out by reading the maintenance threads on the R1200R Beemer forum, and then I noticed a Vendor on ADVrider.com who offered some adapters for sale  (Link Here)


Here are the contents of the brown envelope


That red front wheel removal tool fits inside of the spark plug cap tool.   Since I was in a spending mood I also bought the tamper proof oil cap.   All of these three items are nicely machined from Aluminum alloy


and a close up view of the tamper resistant oil cap, which attaches to the left jug


They don't take up much room and hardly weigh anything.


I bought my car new over 6 years ago and it was finally time to replace the front brake & rotors and of course LOF: Lube, oil & filter at the same time.   I have been going to my mechanic for years.  They know what they are doing, they have their own race team and know Hondas inside out.  When I was there they noticed that my headlight cover was badly fogged.   Probably UV damage so I got a bottle of Plastic renewal and tried to "buff" out the lens.  It is like a creamy solution with fine abrasives


I carefully applied it in a circular motion and then wiped it off with microfibre cloth.   I did it many times and it  did help a bit but there is still some cloudiness.   I guess I'll have to keep doing it for a few more times and see if I can make it clearer


This weekend was also grass cutting day.    This was the new sod that was installed during March.  We were told to keep it well watered and then with the mixed sun, rain and sun, the grass sprouted like a weed.  When it gets too long my lawn mower cannot handle it.   The wet grass kept clogging up which forced the motor to stall and I had to start it many times.   My lawn mower had not been used since last Spring so my job last week was to get it started.   It took many, many pulls of the cord before I heard the engine cough to life, and it nearly killed my arm.   I let it idle for a while and then filled the tank with new gas, and poured the old gas into our Subaru.




34 comments:

  1. Holy mother of god, look at those feet!

    Ah my pet hate to, mowing the lawn, although your grass looks like grass not like my weed pit.

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    1. Steve:

      I don't like cutting the lawn either. I do the front one day, and yesterday I did the back yard but it is much smaller

      Our old grass had lots of weeds and was in poor shape. Now with the new grass I have to maintain it otherwise it would be $$ wasted. We still have to keep it well watered so that the roots take hold to the topsoil below

      Delete
  2. Love your protective footwear for cutting the lawn/grass/hay. OMG your lawn is so thick and long (well it was). must have taken a fair effort to cut through it.

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    1. Cliff/Coyote:

      Yes, the lawn was too thick and was stressing my lawn mower. It struggled and stopped quite a few times and I had to restart it. It had been raining for the past few weeks and too wet to deal with it

      I know, I know . . . you're supposed to wear steel toed boots because of the revolving blade, but I am careful . . .

      Delete
    2. and the flying objects that could slice you to bits... really - ATGATT!

      Delete
    3. Karen:

      Thank you for thinking about my safety. I know you are right but I like the freedom . . .

      Delete
  3. I can't even see my lawn! Nice lawn mowing footwear, you don't want to stain the Crocs?

    Nice fancy Beemer candy too...

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    1. Erik:

      How did you know ? I put on my Crocs© then decided it would be too much effort to clean them. Those are my lawn cutting sandals, they are very old and they need a good cleaning

      Delete
  4. Nice green toes Bob. That happens when you cut the lawn in sandals. The grass sure looks lush though with no weeds. Wait until the neighbors weed seeds take root in it. That will thin it out a bit and make it easier to mow.

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    1. Trobairitz:

      Gee, thanks for that info. I know that the wind will blow weed seeds over eventually, but for now it seems to be devoid of impurities, other than long grass. It is very thick and soft, perfect for bare feet. I keep my mower blade fairly high to protect the grass from the Sun, otherwise if would "brown" out during the Summer

      Delete
  5. Bob, make sure you practice using that spark plug remover...if its similar to the one I bought to remove the plugs on my R1150RT, its "tricky". I ended up not using the "special tool" and just using pliers...in hind sight, probably not the best idea in the world.

    dom

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    1. Dom:

      I know you could use heavy duty wire to slip under the cap and then carefully pull the boot off. There are two plugs per cylinder and they are hidden under plastic covers. I thought it would be better to buy the "special" tool, and also that front wheel removal adapter

      so sorry to hear of your "breakdown". I hope it is a simple "fix"

      Delete
  6. So, when is the demonstration video for the new tools? "Tamper resistent oil cap" is that a solution to a real problem in Vancouver?

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    1. Richard:

      No problem with oil theft here, it's just that the OEM cap may be plastic, and this was machined aluminum, so I just added it to my Dual Tool order. The "R" is not yet insured, and I have to clean it up first, but I did start it last weekend

      Delete
  7. Bob, if you insist on mowing the lawn with your toes basically strapped on chopping blocks, sooner or later you're going to trim more than the lawn, and knowing you you'll post more blood and gore shots. For heaven's sake, either wear your riding boots to mow the lawn, or ride your bikes in sandals. Let's please be consistent, and give me plenty of warning in the post title is you sand or slice a toe or two off, cause I'll then read your post with slitty eyes, the way I watch Grey's Anatomy and all the CSI and NCIS crap.

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    1. David:

      I try to be very careful . . . I know, famous last words. I like to be comfortable when working outside in the sun and I am doing a chore which I don't like to do so I have to wear things that make me happy

      Delete
  8. Bob, nice new bits from MT, functional and pretty.

    Though we're not even close to that green lushness that you're wading through, our lawn has gotten away from us(me) at times and I can feel your pain. Half swaths and mowing twice with a raised height and then going back for a clean up have been known to happen around here.

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    1. Coop:

      Spring has arrived on the Wet Coast. This time of year with unsettled weather, sun, rain, cloud and sun cycles makes our grass grow fast. I may have to cut it again in a few days. I have to take swaths too or the engine will bog down with all the wet grass inside, and I have to constantly pull start the engine. It is much easier when the grass is lower, or dry, but then you have a tractor.

      Delete
  9. Bob, I have to be completely honest with you. I wear thongs (Flip flops) when cutting my lawn. But then I only use a man powered push mower. I only have about 15 yards of lawn. Not enough water here for a large lawn.
    I remember my eldest brother cutting Dad's lawn which is on a slight rise and he slipped over and the power mower run back onto his fingers. not pretty.

    Cliff

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    1. Cliff:

      You're my kind of grass cutting friend. I actually like to cut my grass barefoot, but this time of year the grass is wet and slippery. I don't think I would have the energy to push a mower for the amount of grass I have. My lawnmower has some safety features. The blade does not rotate when it is idling as it is "disengaged". I have to push down a bar and then a moveable handle before the engine engages the blade mechanism

      Delete
  10. That's a really nice lawn for a new one! I used to mow my old lawn until I got sick of it. I replaced it with DG, the lazy girlz grass. LOL!

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    1. Kathy:

      We had to pay the landscaper to bring in sand, topsoil and SOD so I have to take care of it. I even had to drag out the hoses and buy sprinklers to keep it watered. The best would be to make a Japanese gravel garden with a water feature to keep it low maintenance and not have to cut the grass. I would like to be lazy too

      Delete
  11. One sure thing about the wet coast is, you can hear the grass growing. Looks quite tasty, maybe you should hire some sheep to maintain the lawn ;-)

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    1. Sonja:

      During this time of year, the grass grows so fast you can actually see it moving. Once the temperatures rise, the grass will grow less. It's a lot of work, weeding, edging and I don't like to do it

      Delete
  12. ACHOO!!! That is what happens when I cut grass, unfortunately I am allergic to grass. I used to get hives when I would lay on it, now I can, but the fresh cut stuff kills me. So this is what going green looks like ;) you need green crocs for lawn mowing.

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    1. Dar:

      I am allergic to grass, pollen, and exhaust fumes, but the "buck stops Here". I have no one else to do it. I've been cutting grass since I was 8, and I didn't like to do it then either. I didn't want to get green stains on my Pink crocs and feet can be washed so that's what I usually do

      Delete
  13. Been there, done that with many a lawn in my time. Able to maybe make one pass, then have to stop the mower, tip it up and clean the matted clods from the tray. Just to keep going. But it shure is purty. :)

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    1. Lori:

      Sometimes I could not even make one pass, Only a few feet and the engine gets clogged up and I would have to restart the engine.

      After it is cut, it looks great with all the parallel wheel marks, then a few days later . . . it looks like it needs to be cut again

      Delete
  14. I'm envious of your grass ... I don't have so much problem with clogging on the John Deer ... and this year am looking forward to the neat job it does whilst dragging the new lawn sweeper. (Who am I kidding - I don't mow the lawn, that's what I have a son for! I look forward to seeing what a great job he does!)

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    1. Karen:

      I wished I had a son with a John Deere machine dragging a new lawn sweeper. Sure would save a lot of time feet washing . . .

      Delete
  15. Bob -- My advice is to forget the Japanese gravel. It ends up being invaded by weeds and looks like hell -- like my neighbor's yard in Salinas, f'rinstance. Yours is a treat for these eyes born-and-raised in Southern California, where Walter O'Malley had to dye the Dodger Stadium sod green, now and then.

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    1. John:

      I was thinking of something less maintenance intensive but I don't have the budget, so I guess I'll just have to keep mowing . . .

      My lawn is soft soft and spongy, perfect for walking barefooted

      Delete
  16. Replies
    1. Kathyrn:

      thanks for visiting. My new lawn is very nice, soft, spongy but it needs to be cut all the time. I keep my mower HIGH because short grass burns out too easily during the Summer.

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