Previously I mentioned my buddy with the ST (109K mi) having a coolant leak from an unknown point of origin. Several of you surmised that it was coming from the top and just giving the appearance that it was from the water pump housing.
A call from the White Courtesy Phone and a visit was scheduled for Saturday.
Igofar graciously gave us access to the OCD Garage gear and expertise. Under his supervision we were able to accomplish a lot. My buddy had already removed all the plastic in and left it in his garage so access was easy.
First all the upper hoses were loose and took several turns to snug the clamps up. They were fairly new and in good shape so they stayed. When it's time to replace them we may go with constant pressure clamps. The thermostat was in pretty fair shape but will probably be replaced along with the hoses. The thermostat housing got a new O-ring. New coolant a burp and the system was sealed up.
While the hood was still up so to speak the ST got a sync. That wasn't all that easy doing it by proxy. "Turn it one click to your left. NO YOUR OTHER LEFT! Wax on wax OFF!" Then the 5-way T was cleaned and all the hoses replaced. But it got done and the result was a bike that idled much smoother and fired right up barely spinning the starter.
The clutch had a problem. The bushing and housing and other bits were severely worn and the entire reservoir/lever assembly had been replaced but was still subpar. Bled a couple of times it was still soft. Larry said to crack the bolt at the base of the clutch reservoir. We did and air came hissing out. Somehow my buddy couldn't get all the air out when changing assemblies. Now a bleed fixed the clutch right up. A lot of air was purged.
We were about ready to leave when Larry tapped the SMC with his toe. With almost no pressure it rocked back and forth with a loud clunk and about a .5" of play. I couldn't quite do it with my hand but it was easy with my foot. The same thing didn't budge my SMC. It seems the piston was stuck in the bore and wasn't budging. The SMC got replaced and my buddy learned how to bleed the brakes in a more efficient manner. Mucho air from the system. Once around and the brakes were great. Prior to the new SMC he tried four times and the brakes were never right probably because of the SMC.
Lastly we had to check the rear shock preload. The preload knob spun in all the way with no resistance. So that came off and we didn't top it off. We FILLED it and the hose to the shock. Larry had us bounce the back end and find a setting where the rear didn't pogo when released. All the other work made HUGE improvements in function (and safety). But the preload adjuster refill brought the biggest smile. He remarked on Sunday how smooth the ride home was. He said it was like a different bike. He rides it every day rain or shine (torrents are a different matter) and just got used to an inferior ride. This make him practically giddy.
There was one tweak that I really liked and will do on my bike:
No that's not LED headlights with incandescent position lights. Those are the factory halogens with amber 194 incandescents. I really like the look. I'll try some LED equivalents. Not looking forward to changing them though.
It was a long day before Larry let us go but we did some much needed maintenance and the ST is so much the better for it.
Larry- thanks for all the guidance and teaching moments. We couldn't have done it without ya!
A call from the White Courtesy Phone and a visit was scheduled for Saturday.
Igofar graciously gave us access to the OCD Garage gear and expertise. Under his supervision we were able to accomplish a lot. My buddy had already removed all the plastic in and left it in his garage so access was easy.
First all the upper hoses were loose and took several turns to snug the clamps up. They were fairly new and in good shape so they stayed. When it's time to replace them we may go with constant pressure clamps. The thermostat was in pretty fair shape but will probably be replaced along with the hoses. The thermostat housing got a new O-ring. New coolant a burp and the system was sealed up.
While the hood was still up so to speak the ST got a sync. That wasn't all that easy doing it by proxy. "Turn it one click to your left. NO YOUR OTHER LEFT! Wax on wax OFF!" Then the 5-way T was cleaned and all the hoses replaced. But it got done and the result was a bike that idled much smoother and fired right up barely spinning the starter.
The clutch had a problem. The bushing and housing and other bits were severely worn and the entire reservoir/lever assembly had been replaced but was still subpar. Bled a couple of times it was still soft. Larry said to crack the bolt at the base of the clutch reservoir. We did and air came hissing out. Somehow my buddy couldn't get all the air out when changing assemblies. Now a bleed fixed the clutch right up. A lot of air was purged.
We were about ready to leave when Larry tapped the SMC with his toe. With almost no pressure it rocked back and forth with a loud clunk and about a .5" of play. I couldn't quite do it with my hand but it was easy with my foot. The same thing didn't budge my SMC. It seems the piston was stuck in the bore and wasn't budging. The SMC got replaced and my buddy learned how to bleed the brakes in a more efficient manner. Mucho air from the system. Once around and the brakes were great. Prior to the new SMC he tried four times and the brakes were never right probably because of the SMC.
Lastly we had to check the rear shock preload. The preload knob spun in all the way with no resistance. So that came off and we didn't top it off. We FILLED it and the hose to the shock. Larry had us bounce the back end and find a setting where the rear didn't pogo when released. All the other work made HUGE improvements in function (and safety). But the preload adjuster refill brought the biggest smile. He remarked on Sunday how smooth the ride home was. He said it was like a different bike. He rides it every day rain or shine (torrents are a different matter) and just got used to an inferior ride. This make him practically giddy.
There was one tweak that I really liked and will do on my bike:
No that's not LED headlights with incandescent position lights. Those are the factory halogens with amber 194 incandescents. I really like the look. I'll try some LED equivalents. Not looking forward to changing them though.
It was a long day before Larry let us go but we did some much needed maintenance and the ST is so much the better for it.
Larry- thanks for all the guidance and teaching moments. We couldn't have done it without ya!
