More new parts

After long thinking about changing the crashbars i made a decision, i will change the Motea high crashbars for the Heavy Duty Enduro which are low mounted.
First thing to do is take Ragnarok to pick up the shipments from the parcel service point and then wash Sporherre, makes working on him a bit nicer. Take a last look at the bulky looking crashbars.

During the washing i also took the skidplate off because i also going to change the oil and filter.
When i was finished i took him for a little spin to air-dry him and get the oil on temperature so it is thinner and drain a bit better.
During the time the oil is seeping i had lunch and after that i took the crashbar off.
By then the oil was cool enough to take the oil filter of but that was by far an easy task.
It was tighten so hard the oil filter spanner kept slipping. Happens often and in those cases hammering a screwdriver through will do the job but i’m only tearing the filter apart and bend the screwdriver, using the spanner together with the screwdriver also failed.
Notching the edge and hammering it loose with a big screwdriver did the job but still with a lot of effort and cursing.
The drain bolt also was very tight and the fork legs last week too so i called the dealer and asked if the mechanic was used to work on big rigs because this was not fun and it might cause them problems as well.

As i said the oil drain bolt was also tightened way too much which destroyed the seal washer. Luckily not the thread in the oil pan, that has an active topic on the T700 forum.
I never changed a washer even though all manuals say you have to change them every oil change but this time i have to but i can’t go to the shop yet.
In my PostNL app i had a notification of a package on the way but i should get a quote first??
I called with my tyre dealer to ask if he already had some information about the new Heidenau K60 Ranger but no news yet, not even a release date.
Because the Michelins got very expensive he had to see what he could do with the price for me and i asked him to give some options in the quote.
Also had 4L Motorex oil and a filter for Ragnarok on the order but when i looked into oils for Sporherre (wanted to run full synthetic in him) i came across Kroon Expulsa RR which was cheaper then the Motorex so i ordered 8L for both bikes.

Turned out he made a mistake and send it off instead of mailing me a quote.
He asked if i was willing to accept the shipment with some extra discount.
I do like the Anakee Wild which also was on it already and Ragnarok always ran on Motorex so let’s accept it and keep the Kroon for the next change in Sporherre.
With Ragnarok i always changed the oil every 15 – 20k km, it’s a low RPM engine and he always made long rides.
For Sporherre i want to keep it between 7,5 and 10k km making the Kroon needed soon enough.
Luckily the timeslot for delivery was soon enough to get to the shop for a seal washer so i decided to have some lunch and right after lunch the delivery guy came, just perfect.

Once back i screwed the drain bolt back in and filled him up, time for the new crashbars.
They fitted without a problem and i reused most of the bolts that came out and only used the shiny ones that came with the crashbars in a spot you hardly see them.
The low ones where the same size so i could reuse those black bolts in the same spot and the ones that came out of the high front mounting position i could use on the high back mounting point, those from the front where the same size i needed for the back and in the front i did need the longer bolts from the set because there where some spacers needed.
I saw on YouTube on the Motorcycle Adventure channel (Pavlin from Bulgaria) a comparison between the HD Enduro and the HD Adventure which are similar to the Motea i had and that also helped with the decision because it showed that they had the same protection but the Enduro looks way nicer.

Before i put them on i weighted both and the Enduro where 1,7kg lighter without the hardware but the Motea had more hardware so it would be even more and that is without the low crashbars that came with the Motea set i still had to install.
Reason i didn’t install them yet was because i was waiting for the moment the skidplate had to come off anyway and that would be the first oil change.
For the HD the skidplate had to come off too because i was almost sure it wouldn’t fit together.
Sporherre just past the 7500km mark so i opted for the early oil change, extra early because a new bike needs an oil change at 1000km and Sporherre had his at 1100km but it is also not bad to change the second a bit sooner also.
Because the tyre came in unexpected but like i mentioned the last time it was needed i decided to call it a day and do the rest the next day.
It was getting late and time for diner, after that the neighbours probably wouldn’t be happy when i started on the skidplate.
It didn’t fit as expected and the solution needed a angle grinder and/or a big hammer.

Sunday, easy start to not have the same problem making a lot of noise late at night but then early in the morning when neighbours might want to sleep in but around 11 i think it’s late enough to start bashing the bashplate, another name for a skidplate.
When i held it in place i and looked at it from different angles i had good hopes i could reshape it with a mallet , now the next hope is that the paint/coating doesn’t come off.

It is a proper quality aluminium because it was very hard work to bash it into the shape i wanted but i managed and the paint/coating also held up.
There are a few chips but that is because it already done it’s job and i have not the illusion it stays pristine. I’m very pleased with the result.

Next job is the rear tyre.
Took it off with the tools from the onboard toolkit and this was also overtightened, good thing i bought a new plastic hammer for the garage and put the old small and lightweight in the kit.
Didn’t really needed it but as i explained last time it’s best to use the onboard kit also at home. I could have had a puncture before this maintenance job.
One downside of the chain-guard i installed last week, it has to come back off because the chain has to come off and the job of that guard it to prevent that.
But it’s just 2 bolts, take one out and use the other to let him hang on the rear hole of the guard in the front hole of the swingarm. That works and good to know because that’s also a better way when you get a flat on the trail.
When the wheel comes out the caliper also comes off and you have o good look at the brake pads and quite unexpected at 7500km they need to be changed and i did not encounter for that.
After checking my stock pile i found a set for Ecstasy and it turns out they are the same… lucky me, no extra costs and i can finish it. I could have go on for another week but then i had to do it again a week later.
I know i can fix a tyre on the trail so now i make it myself easy and use the tyre machine.
A fresh install is also harder than a used tyre.

When i have a caliper off at home i always give it a good clean.
The new Michelin was very stiff and hard to get on ad i had to do it twice because i had a pinch flat.
After the patch repair i worked on the brake wile letting the glue dry and after that time for attempt number two.
The tyre grease was already off so i use a bit soapy water in a spray can and used another technique with the Bead Pro bead breaker tyre irons which worked better than the long heavy ones that came with the tyre machine.
When i put the pressure up bubbles came from the spokes… fuck no… not another pinch flat? For the third time i took the tube out but no leak??
What a dumbass am i…
When you put air in the tube the air in the tyre is pushed out by the tube, of course the soapy water bubbles at the spokes…. what a blunder but i like to look at things from the positive side and see it as a good practice.

The Monday after i made a bracket for the LED bar and installed that on Tuesday evening but this is getting quite long so i keep that for the next time.
I leave you with a few pictures from the result in daylight.

Until the next one….