… make sure it’s someplace scenic!
In a case of impeccable planning, our friend Deb Weber’s R1100R hit 100,000 miles just as we rolled into the parking lot at the top of Mary’s Peak. Congratulations!
Thanks Don and Deb for inviting us along. We had a great time!
In other news, I rode up to the Suzuki dealer on Saturday to pick up my parts order: two air filters and the smallest piece of plastic I’ve ever paid $9 for. During the ride, the temperature controller for my heated grips went haywire. Instead of a variable temperature range, I had a choice between FULL HOT and off. Yay for electrical gremlins.
Later that evening, I did some troubleshooting and narrowed down the issue to one of two things: the connection between the switch and the controller box, or the controller box itself. I was hoping it wasn’t the controller box because that would be a warranty issue and I really didn’t want to disassemble things now that the weather’s turned cold.
I lucked out — the issue was a short in the connection between the switch and the controller. The connection is via mini-DIN plugs, which I originally wrapped with heatshrink. Guess that’s no match for a winter’s worth of Oregon drizzle! This time, I’m going to silicone seal the connection and then heatshrink it.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Beautiful scenery. Personally I have been screwed over by my local suzuki dealer. They charged me $20 for a oil filter wrench that I could have gotten for $4 at cycle gear or online. I didnt know better at the time. So now I buy parts at Cycle Gear. I love that shop. Any work etc. I get done is at my honest and fair local Triumph dealer.
@Mike: $20 for an oil filter wrench? Ouch!
My Suzuki dealer of choice is Cycle Country of Salem, Oregon, and they’re a good one. I think I paid $5 for my wrench. Consumables (air and oil filters) are priced competitively, and turn out to be cheaper than online when you factor in the shipping. Plus, the guys and gals there are nice.
The $9 plastic part was the “radiator fender cover” that fits under the lower fork clamp. I can’t complain too much — I priced the part online and couldn’t find it cheaper than $15!
What an amazing milestone! Congratulations!
Even if I didn’t comment recently, I wanted to thank you for your recent posts about maintenance. I have always been a bit timid about doing some of my own maintenance on my scooter. It’s odd because I have done a lot of work in the past on other engines, like my old volkswagons, including valve adjustments, brake jobs and other repairs.
Your posts have encouraged me to maybe tackle some of the work myself.
@cpa3485: Having a service manual for reference really helps with my wrenching confidence.
Last time I had a heated grip do that, the cause was much simpler- the (clutch-side0 heating element was shorted out. This became apparent when I realized the grip was getting sticky… because it was melting.
Yes, the circuit was fused. Yikes!
Good job troubleshooting the electrical gremlin. I’m facing a similar situation with tearing things down. Having put off doing all the wiring for Elvira for over a year, and especially during the summer, I really should be doing it. Just don’t want to a ) do it in the cold, and b ) have the bike down for a while.