2007 APRIL Maintenance Log

Original Mileage: 94272
Current Mileage: 94327
Cumulative Miles:55
Miles this Log: 55

This log begins 21APR07

1. 21 APR 07 General inspection. Tested current to signals.
2. 22 APR 07 General cleaning, degreasing and preservation.
3. 23 APR 07 No Turn Signals, brake light or horn. I had burned out fuse during inspection. NORMALLY...this would be a 5 min job but the fuse is in the headlamp nacelle. This leaves about 2 inches between the nacelle and the fairing which if you have arms as long as a gibbon, you could reach around the fairing windshield and still get into the headlamp nacelle. My loving, caring and supportive wife assisted with the operation by holding back the nacelle to tilt it upward while simultaneously holding a flashlight directing the beam through the windscreen to an unseen point that I directed. The girl's got skills. Despite herculean efforts I just kept missing it getting the fuse in or dropping it. My gibbon arms were not up to the challenge. Now feeling higher on the evolutionary ladder, I resorted to tool use. I removed instrument cluster...easy job...tilted back the nacelle easily and using a flashlight made my first attempt. I used every set of pliers I could to get a fuse into that holder, until I went and got a pair of hemostats. These are long nosed pliers that surgeons use to snap closed over vessels and stuff with long latin names. Sometimes confused for a very high quality roach clip by those given to reefer madness. (Note: I'm a retired Naval Officer. I've only know these things because I did go to a real school, not the academy which has had just about every scandal imaginable. My school still has them beat. We got an HBO mini-series. Can you guess?) With the skill of a heart surgeon I clamp a fuse into the jaws of the hemostat and usin one hand I spread back the wiring inside the headlamp and gently snapped the fuse into place with the other. Bingo..done. Well, not quite. Now I had to release the hemostat - one handed. POinngggg - out flies the fuse on the floor...somewhere under the 79 Camero. Forget that. Get another. Try again. Another 5 minutes of maneuver followed by failure. this time the fuse is somewhere in the headlamp nacelle. Ouch, the idea of a little conductor rattling around in there is a disaster waiting to happen. Finally I locate the little monster hiding under a wire bundle. This would be so much easier if it was a naked bike...I am beginning to resent that fairing. One more try...and this time I concentrate all my strength on slowly releasing the hemostat without moving it. Finally, I am free. I have won. In retrospect, I probably could have removed the fairing in less time and effort to at least replace the fuse.
4. 24 APR 07 Disassembled instrument housing to look at lamps. UNRESOLVED ISSUE: Neutral lamp does not light. Element looks pretty good and did not have a voltmeter to test. Will do that another day, or pick up a couple of spare bulbs at the dealer. Will take a half hour to fix, but not today. FIRST INJURY: I brushed past the fairing and felt a sting on my ear lobe! The fairing has a bead of plastic that wraps over the edge. Inside that beading is apparantly little clips. Well one had been exposed some time ago during a 'horizontal session' and protruded about 1/4 inch out from the fairing. A little knife. Now I understood how it defended itself in the hood. I now have a little scar inside my ear. Nice, trend setting. Maybe I can start something for those not satified with piercings and plugs. Ear scarification. Kewl. Okay, so I bend it back down and for get about it. But its not over yet. During first night ride, the beading on the other side of the bike comes loose at about 55mph and is just flapping there like a flag. I grab the whole mess tear it off and sit on it until I can stop on a side street and stick it in my pocket. That night I run a bead of GOOP along the edge of the fairing and secure the beading.
5. Re-painted the little letters on the instrument cluster. Easy job but you need the right tools. Get a new pencil. Spray a little white paint (whiteout will work as well, but probably less permanent in wet climates) on a paper plate and dab the eraser in white spray paint. WIPE it off on a Lint Free rag. Not lint, dust or dog hair should be on the eraser. Repeat until you've got a nice little 'stamp' that only has a hint of paint on it. You are not going to do this job in one sitting. Now gently, one letter at a time tap your way across the letter of the guage. Let completely dry so you don't pull up the paint diring the next pass. Do it all again, slowly building up a layer that is even. If any gets down inside the letters, you can gently get it out with a pin.
6. Used graphite to lubricate speedo and tach cable
7. UNRESOLVED ISSUE: Choke assembly slips into a partially closed position. Attempted to tighten screw but this did not help. Temporarily fixed by using a zip tie to create a noose that slips over the choke assy and holds the choke arm in the upright, open, position. Not pretty, but it works. Cannot figure out why the default position of a choke should be closed instead of open. What were those guys with the pocket protectors thinking.
8. 30 APR 07 Repaired torn vinyl seat cover. Cut out a piece of spare Naugahyde to slip under original covering to provide support and gluing surface. Checked fluid levels. All at normal levels and appear clean.
9. Removed engine badges, the little signs that say BMW R100/7 that are on the tank, because I noticed one was loose. If one is loose the other is going to be loose eventually. These are probably a pain to find and replace. I pull them and repainted them. Just wipe paint off top surfaces of letters using a lint free cloth that is damp with mineral spirits. Damp, not wet. Used KB Weld 2-part adhesive to replace. Stuff is rated to 600F. It it gets that hot underneath my fuel tank I stand a chance of doing my 'performance art' interpretation of Led Zepplin's first album.