Wednesday, Sep 20 2017 [36,152 miles]
Now that I’ve fixed my pannier I can start on the needed 36K service. I’m slightly over 36K miles and I’m a few days short of one year since doing the last service. I didn’t ride the GS as much as usual in the last year. Probably because I’m riding the DR650 more.
I started by using my GS-911 to do an autoscan. No faults found. The results are here. I find it interesting that my odometer reads 36,152 miles but the autoscan reports 36,153.7 miles in three places.
Loosen crash bars
Valve cover removed
Old spark plugs
I loosened the crash bars to remove the valve covers. I cleaned up around the valve covers before removing them. The picture shows the right side. Next up was removal of both spark plugs so I could turn the engine by bumping the rear wheel. The plugs looked OK and measured at the 1.0 mm max gap. New plugs will be going into the bike.
TDC tool installed
Right side at TDC
With the plugs removed and the TDC tool installed I bumped the rear wheel until the spring loaded pin in the tool clicked into the hole that represents TDC. The right cylinder happened to be the cylinder at TDC. I measured the right intake then ran out of time. I’ll complete the measurements tomorrow.
Thursday, Sep 21 2017 [36,152 miles]
Right side cam timing OK
Gaskets
As long as I was at TDC on the right side I replaced the cam chain tensioner with the tensioning tool needed to check cam timing. The alignment tool fit indicating that the timing for this cylinder is fine. I bumped the rear wheel to rotate the engine to get to TDC on the left side and then buttoned up the right.
Left side valves OK
Left side cam timing OK
The left side valves and cam timing were OK, too. Valve measurements this service were similar to the last service.
| Left Front | Left Rear | Right Rear | Right Front | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intake | 0.16 | 0.15 | 0.14 | 0.14 |
| Exhaust | 0.38 | 0.37 | 0.37 | 0.39 |
Normal range is intake: 0.10 ~ 0.17mm; and exhaust: 0.34 ~ 0.41mm. No new shims needed at this time. No need to remove the cams.
Cam position sensor alignment is wrong
Should be like this
I took a picture of the cam position sensor alignment. It was incorrect. Correct alignment is shown in the drawing from the service manual. I wonder if I’ll notice the difference after fixing this? I also wonder why it changed?
Fresh crush rings for cam chain tensioner
Buttoned up after valve check
I noticed both cam chain tensioners had an area where the plunger was slightly polished. I couldn’t feel anything when I inspected them, though. Both left and right side got new crush washers. Both sides got new spark plugs, too.
Air filter cover
Dirty air filter
Buttoned up after filter change
I changed the air filter. Other things on the list were done including inspecting and lubricating the center and side stands and checking the lights and tires.
On the charger
Only 2/3 charged
I put the battery on the charger. After a few minutes the charger indicated the battery was only 2/3 charged. This is the battery that came with the bike four years ago. It may be time to replace it, soon. The bike has only been sitting 4 days since last ridden.
Clutch reservoir
Clutch fluid level OK
I cleaned and removed the top of the clutch reservoir to see if the fluid had risen due to wear in the clutch. The level looked correct. I put the baffle and top back on the reservoir without squeezing out more than a drop or two of fluid.
Coolant level
The coolant level is high enough that I’m leaving it alone. Next on the list will be a flush of the brakes. It’s been just about 2 years since it was last done. I’ll get to that tomorrow. I did measure brake disk thickness before cleaning up for the afternoon. Both front disks are at 4.42 mm. The minimum is 4.0 mm. They’ve hardly worn at all.
The rear disk, on the other hand, is at 4.63 mm with a 4.5 mm minimum. I suspect I’ll be changing it around my 48K service.