It was long overdue.
After riding back and forth to work almost every day since I had bought my scooter it was time for me to spend some time cleaning up my steed.
I am a bit embarrassed about how dirty it had gotten. Not only that but the contents of the topcase were in a bit of disarray as well.
The contents of my topcase consist of primarily different types of clothing and gloves. During the winter, and depending on the temperature, I had 3 pairs of gloves that I wore depending on the conditions I would encounter. My heavy gloves are waterproof with a fleece liner. At times this winter I also wore some silk liners for a total of 3 layers on my hands. The topcase had become a bit disorganized recently because of numerous gloves, my balaklava and other items. I decided that I didn't need to keep the really cold weather gear in the topcase anymore, so I spent a few minutes organizing it again and settled on items that for the summer I would need to keep in the case.
But the biggest problem ws that my baby really needed a bath. I hooked up the hose, filled up a bucket with some soap and water, grabbed some rags and had at it!
Parts of the task went pretty quickly, the main body parts and such. But I quickly realized what a pain in the butt it was to clean the wheels. Whomever designed the wheels didn't design them with easy cleaning in mind. I was amazed at how all of the dust and grime had settled into all of the difficult to reach nooks and crannies of the wheels. I persevered and worked at it in a dedicated manner. I do admit however that I did not get out a toothbrush. I reserve that effort for a later date. I can see that it could be useful.
I also wanted to put a little wax on it in a few places and took care of that as well. The only chrome on the machine is a cover for the muffler so I made sure that it was nice and shiny.
Took me a couple of hours and I was pleased with the results.
Part of the reason for the effort was to replace the picture of my steed at the top of my page. The other picture was a bit older, not taken in a particularly good location, and I felt I needed a better picture.
But the real reason was that the scooter was really dirty.
Now? Not so much!
Just Look at that Reflection of the Chrome!
He cleans up pretty nicely!
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed
Never be embarrassed about a dirty bike, keeping a bike properly serviced (by your self or dealer) is much more important than a clean bike. The fact that you don't have time to wash your bike because you are RIDING it is a good thing. I give mine a bath once a year weather it needs it or not. Do clean you helmet face shield and wind screen on a regular interval or when you get one of those big gooey Kansas bugs plastered to it. GAW
ReplyDeleteArt,
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing in. Murphy's Law definately applied. Its the law that says that as soon as you wash your vehicle, it will rain. Two days later we had some rain and all of the water spots came back with a vengeance. But what was really bothering me was the brake dust on the wheels. They look a lot better than they did before, even after the little rain we had.
Jim
Dear CPA3485 (Jimbo):
ReplyDeleteI just rolled in from a 4-day ride and took a look in my topcase. It contained: 1 quart of oil, 1 extra clutch cable, 1 camera, 1 pair of binoculars, 1 flashlight, 1 flask of whisky, 1 water bottle, 1 locking cable, 4 cigars, 1 kickstand plate, 1 cigar lighter, 1 Garmin carrying case, 4 bandanas, 1 garage door opener, and one folding walking cane.
Yours sounded positively organized. And I was traveling light. You should see what my friends Clyde had in one of his sidebags when we got to the cabin.
Fondest regards,
Jack
Twisted Roads.
PS: Ceaning the wheels is a real pain in the ass regardless of what you ride.
ReplyDeleteJack
Jack,
ReplyDeleteNo one has called me "Jimbo" in a really long time. If it thrills you, just go ahead. Of course you need to realize that if I was in Oklahoma or Texas, it would be "Jim-Bob" or if you take it to the ultimate degree (sort of like the triple dog dare) it would be "Jimbo-Bob". I have been called lots of names in my life.
The re-arrangement of the topcase was due to the fact that all of my winter "stuff" was still in it, piled all over the bottom. I just decided that I wasn't going to need any of that stuff for 4-5 months.
And it sounds like you had a great ride last weekend. Am breathlessly waiting for a report on the ride. The new scooter club has an outing planned for this weekend and a ride report on that will be forthcoming.
Finally, am just a bit curious about the spare clutch cable you mentioned. Doesn't that somehow connect to that automatic retracting side stand you have? Is it subject to failure often? Just curious.
Take Care and thanks for writing in.
Jimbo-Bob
Nice post Jim. Yes, washing the steed is important. I love the look of my bikes when they are clean, but I am not much of a detail guy, so I am a fan of Suzuki's Spray and Wash product - just spray on, let set for a few seconds, and hose off.
ReplyDeleteLance,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip on the spray. I'll have to see if I can find something like that. It's either that or the toothbrush.