Friday, Sep 22 2017 [36,152 miles]
I only had a few hours to play in the garage. I used them to make a little more progress on the 36,000 mile service for my R1200GS.
Wipe off brake caliper
Easier with power tools
Rear brake pads OK
I removed the mud guard and cleaned up the caliper before removing the wheel so I could remove the caliper in preparation for flusing the rear brakes. I was surprised to find that the rear pads still have some life in them.
Clean reservoir before opening
Yep, it’s bad
Spread caliper pistons
I used a brake fluid tester on the old fluid. It told me what I already knew. I removed one of the brake pads to make room for the spreader that forces the pistons into the caliper and flushed the rear brakes.
No fuzz on drain plug
Old gear oil
New gear oil
As long as I was in the area of the final drive I drained and filled the unit with new gear oil. I was happy to find no fuzz on the drain plug. The old fluid didn’t look as dark as the last time it was changed, either.
Check FD/Drive shaft splines
Cleaned and lubricate
Boot removed for cleaning
Dropping the FD to check the pinion splines and the lower U-joint isn’t normally part of a service. It’s something I do every 36K miles, mostly to make sure the boot is doing its job and keeping moisture out of that area. Splines OK. U-joint feels OK. I cleaned the splines and added some Honda Moly 60 paste before putting things back together. At 72K I may pull the drive shaft to check out the front U-joint, too.
Back together
The bike is back together. Tomorrow, time permitting, I’ll do the front brakes and take a short test ride to heat up the engine before changing the engine oil.
Saturday, Sep 23 2017 [36,158 miles]
Front brake pads OK
Cleaned pistons
Time to do the front brakes. I started on the left caliper by removing the brake pads and cleaning up the caliper pistons with a toothbrush dipped in brake fluid. I used the fluid that was left over from the previous flush. I still had a partial bottle left that isn’t good for anything else.
Empty reservoir
retract pistons
After emptying the reservoir to make room I retracted the pistons. The fluid pushed into the reservoir was replaced with fresh fluid and the brakes were flushed. WHen the left side was done I repeated the process on the right side. I made sure to pump brakes until both left and right pads were seated before topping off the fluid in the reservoir.
Remove bash plate
Out with the old
After removing the bash plate I gave the bike a test ride. That served two purposes… it got the oil up to temperature for draining and I picked up an item I needed at a local hardware store. The bike was good and hot when I got home.
New crush ring, filter
Needs a bit more cleaning
New filter installed
Old oil was drained. The drain plug looked very clean. I replaced the filter, being sure to lubricate the rubber gasket. That is the source of the pictured oil drip. The drain plug got a new crush ring.
New oil added
Both are ready to ride
I filled the bike with oil to the top of the red ring in the sight glass. I started the bike and let it run for a minute or so to get the oil circulating and the filter filled. I could hear a change in engine tone after the first 5-10 seconds. After turning the engine off and waiting a few minutes the oil level was just over the center of the sight glass. I added oil to bring the level back to the top of the red ring.
The bash plate, mud guard, and panniers were put back on the bike. The final step was to clear out any faults I may have triggered during the service and reset the service needed warning to 42000 miles/1 year with the GS-911wifi.
Finishing the service today leaves me with a dilemma for tomorrow: which bike shall I ride to breakfast?