First wrenching weekend for the bikes! (alt. title - Fuck Michigan weather!)

The first proper weekend of great weather without a chance of snow the next week was the first weekend of May. What the actual shit..... But I made great use of it and managed to do some much needed upgrades to the KLR and begin the repair on the TDM!

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I had already replaced the rear tire on the KLR so this weekend was buttoning it all back up and replacing the windshield. Unfortunately, I forgot to tighten the rear brake caliper down sooooooo I may or may not have deposited a bolt somewhere between my house and the gas station down the street......Oops!

Illustration for article titled First wrenching weekend for the bikes! (alt. title - Fuck Michigan weather!)
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I did upgrade the windshield from the stocker to the moose racing windscreen (sized at +4 inches over stock). I might get a windshield riser too, depending on how the next few rides pan out. Overall installation was a breeze and I look forward to less buffeting right on the lower part of my helmet when going into work so I feel like the wind is trying to lift me off by my head.

Illustration for article titled First wrenching weekend for the bikes! (alt. title - Fuck Michigan weather!)
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Finally I began the teardown of the TDM 850 over the weekend. I was going to replace the battery wholesale and be done with it, but then I found out you need to teardown the entire back half of the bike to get to it and I have decided that that is entirely within “Fuck that” territory for right now. So the old battery got charged up and I began doing some basic servicing to it with an oil and air filter change. I have a new stator if the charging problems are more than just the old battery, but I was able to confirm this morning that my battery is at least “good enough” to get the bike started and to test the electrics on the bike.

Illustration for article titled First wrenching weekend for the bikes! (alt. title - Fuck Michigan weather!)
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I also took off the grips and bar ends for the TDM since they were old and beat up. I “restored” the bar ends with some sandpaper and some leftover duplicolor paint, but I do need to buy new grips. I think they’ll do a lot to help freshen up the look of the bike once I get a buffer out and polish the rest of it.

Hopefully April’s snowstorms and blizzards are the end of it. I still wake up to sub 40 degree temperatures so I haven’t swapped on summer tires yet on the FoST.