Sunday, June 9, 2013

I'm nearly ready

for the road.   Most of the maintenence I have done to my Nu2Me BMW R1200R I would have done anyway, even if I were not planning a trip.   I believe that if you take care of your valuable possessions, then they will take care of you.  Small items turn into big repair headaches.   Before I purchased my BMW I visited many Beemer specific forums.  I have read about ABS brake failures,  Spline failures and fuel strip failures and most of these can be attributed to Owner neglect.   I had been looking for a BMW for a couple of years and when this one showed up I asked the owner for the maintenance file and he said he would give it to me, but eventually he admitted that he didn't have one.

As part of the purchase transaction he gave me a special BMW battery charger which plugs into the Canbus powerlet.   When I am not riding my bike(s) they are usually plugged into a battery maintainer.  I do this all year round; summer or winter so the first thing I did when I got delivery of my Nu2me BMW was to plug this special charger into my bike and it took several days before I got close to a full charge LED light showing.   Most of the time the LEDs show yellow which is one notch below a healthy battery.   I seldom get a green LED light so I knew that my battery needed to be replaced

I have now had all my maintenance items completed and most of the major items such as the transmission flush, brake fluid flush, spline lube and rear diff flush are now up to spec and I don't have to do it again for 2 years.   The only other consumables I splurged on was a set of Michelin Road2 tires, spark plugs (4) and my new battery arrived on Saturday


According to my manual my bike uses a 12 Amp battery so that is what I ordered but when I removed the
original one from my bike, it was a 14 Amp AGM type.  Well, I guess it's too late now as the cells have already been "charged" so now the cells are full of acid.  If it were dry then I could most likely have exchanged it


The original battery is also physically larger than my 12 Amp Interstate so now there is a problem with the battery strap being too high to hold it in place.    I used a piece of wood to make up the difference in height


I placed the wood below the battery, out of sight


The other wires are for two additional power ports; one for my Nuvi GPS and the other for charging my electronics whilst I am riding.    I have not used the powerlet outlet

I don't have a lot of space under my seat but there are things that I must take with me


I removed all of my valuables when I took my bike to the dealer for the front brake line recall so now I can start my packing process


These are only some of the things hiding under there.  I took apart a cheap air compressor to make it smaller.  I have a screwdriver set, small ratchet, crescent wrench, spark plug coil remover and axel adapater, plus the under seat tools which were originally supplied with the bike


I have a small Torx bit set, metric allen keys and a couple of socket extensions.   I also have tire worms and a few other things I forgot to photograph but they are in the following photo


Between the body panel and the bike frame I have a larger 3/8" drive telescoping ratchet with 3/8" to 1/4" drive adapter


Oh, almost forgot.   I also had  Ride-on installed into my tires (link here) .   Just one more thing to give me peace of mind and a sense of security while riding alone


20 comments:

  1. Bob, I hope that as much as you prepare for your bike to be road-fit you also take care of yourself and get fit for the long days in the saddle...

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    1. Sonja:

      Nothing to do now except to pack and then ride. My seat is too low and I could not find a used regular height seat so now I am going to get leg cramps just like my old SV650n, and also I could not fix the wind buffeting which is directed right into my helmet which gives me a headache. I am not that fit, that's why I have a throttle. I just want to sit there and watch the world go by

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  2. Bob, looks and sounds like you are ready for Travel. I'm looking forward to your trip maybe almost as much as you are.

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    1. Coop:

      I am not going to plan much. This was just bike maintenance 101 which I needed to do to any vehicle I purchase used. Once it is up to my standard then it can go anywhere the next time without any preparations. Just like my Vstrom which needs nothing done to it and I could ride anywhere on a moments notice. In fact I may take my Vstrom on this trip at the last moment

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  3. Looks like you are almost ready to go. When is the big send off?

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    1. Trobairitz:

      excited and daunting, both at the same time. So many loose ends, special batteries ordered, travel insurance, exchange $$ to US funds, arranged to have utility bills paid, and then there's the packing, unpacking, re-sorting, external drives, chargers, cables . . .

      Didn't want to post too early but less than a month until lift-off

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    2. And you have lots of time to change your mind about what to pack and what to leave behind. So many choices. Do you need this, or should you take that?

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  4. Bob,

    You've done an amazing job getting ready. I'm so glad I'm with an experienced rider. We've been lucky thus far (knocking on wood as I write this) that we've not pulled a tool out on the road yet. We listen to the bikes and stop in dealers in the towns where we stay. My Katie has been in the shop twice, maintenance items, and has spent a total of 10 days in one shop or another, but she's hanging in there.

    What I realize is that you ENJOY getting ready!! I used to take my daughter and her friends camping. For two weeks prior to setting out I planned everything, making sure I had a backup plan for every emergency I could think of. I was inches from buying a flare gun!! LOL! But as time went on I learned I love the planning almost as much as the camping.

    Riding by the seat of my pants is a change for me. It's been good for me, but I remember how much I enjoyed being a list-maker and planner too.

    Have fun Mister!

    Smooches,
    Sash
    www.SashMouth.com

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    1. Tina:

      You are staying in larger cities/towns, which I am avoiding. You also have someone who can ride for help. I am not sure that I would even have cell service, so I have to make sure I have a reliable & trusted vehicle. Other than that I am not doing much planning at all.

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  5. Bob - the count down has begun. You've inspired me to post my pre game check up. Watch for it.

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    1. Karen:

      Countdown has started for me too. I keep thinking that you are going to launch first

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  6. hmmm...

    My "prep" for Alaska was; Enough fuel to get to Cheyenne? Check
    Tent's strapped on the bars? Check
    "Uh... hey mister! Is that way north?" (as I point)

    Reply; Just raised and incredulous eyebrows (as he points his index finger in the opposite direction")

    I'm not real big on planning any more... it always seems to only be a heads up for that damned Murphy prankster! ;)

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    1. Brian:

      I am not really doing much planning and most of the prep to my bike is just regular service which may not have been done by the previous owner as I only purchased my R last September and haven't even had a chance to bond with it yet. Until just recently I have still been riding my Vstrom and even then it was merely to bring it here and there to get work done on it. I have yet to take a ride for pleasure.

      My route is not planned and I do not have any places booked, sort of go with the flow and plan every evening for the next day

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  7. Its so exciting getting ready for a trip, fine tuning what you need and culling what you don't and having to deal with the confines of no storage. That is my arch nemesis, apparently I am a packrat of comfort and bring too much and will have to seriously figure out how to do with less on trips. When is lift off?

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    1. Dar:

      You're right. Thinking, looking at maps is just as good as being away. I have storage but still that is limited as there are essentials you just have to bring. Too bad I couldn't get over there for a dry run last May. That was my plan but I had to stay home and play caregiver.

      only 19 more business days until launch . . .

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  8. Wire ties and duct tape, Bob, they come in handy!

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    1. Dom:

      Brad gave me a roll of Rescue Tape last year. Much stronger than Duct tape but not sure as compared to Gorilla Tape. And I was also going to bring Zip Ties. I just have to remember to pack them

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  9. When I needed the seat fixed on my BMW for touring I asked Murrey at Modern and he steered me onto a guy who could add the necessary foam for comfort and did a great job. I learned the hard way that a seat and windshield that aren't right are a recipe for misery on the road.

    I'm heading off on a trip myself in a few weeks: pump up the tires on the scoot, change the oil, fresh belt and brake pads my AirHawk and raingear. Even with my humble SYM Citycom I will be comfortable, and at my age comfortable equals happy!!!

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    1. David:

      I don't want to cut up my seat. I would rather purchase another one. I think Murray is my buddy. I bought my Vstrom from him & Aaron, plus my side and top cases, oh and also my givi crash bars.

      Where are you going ? Both of my bikes are now fully serviced so they are ready to go anywhere. I have a few GEL pads and I used one last year in Hell's Canyon

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    2. Bob: It depends on the weather and if family in Ft. St. John are going to be home to take visitors.

      I started off wanting to ride to the Kootenay's; 31A is my favourite road in BC. I have also stayed at the Toad rock motorcycle campground which is close. Last time I did it on the V-Stom and while talking riding with Mary at Toad Rock she also thought that riding in the area would be superfun on the scooter.

      Then I got to thinking I've never been up the Cassiar which is supposed to be an awesome ride. I could make a loop up the Cassiar, to Fort St.John , then down through Jasper and Banff to get to the Kootenay's that way;
      Then home over the Monashee in a big loop. I'm all excited just thinking about it. Now I just have to find my best cold weather and camping gear.

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