25th-27th June
After an uneventful drive down the freeway to get back to Aloha on Friday, I once again say hello to Jorge, Sheila, Cricket and the spare room…
On Saturday morning, Jorge & I take the rear wheel into Portland Motorcycles (I’ve decided that I might as well have a new rear tyre – this one only has 1000 miles or so left in it). We arrive to find that the parts are all in - $1700 later (including $230 for the tyre and the diagnostic work on the old final drive). We pick up the old parts (Jorge is going to try and get them re-furbished and mail them back to me in the UK).
Then it’s time to return the rental car to the airport. We leave the rental agent looking at what I’ve just driven in and trying to make a mental connection between that and the immaculately clean vehicle he gave me 6 days and 2600 miles ago…
So, we’re soon back home and attacking the Adv, still in bits on the garage floor. First order of business is to remove the front part of the drive shaft. It won’t disconnect. Despite extensive use of heavy percussion tools, it remains resolutely in place. Scott (Knary) turns up to do an oil change. Out of ideas on how to move on, we visit the local auto-parts store looking for special tools and pullers – nothing. We do, however, buy a new pair of vice grips and a larger hammer – this does the trick! Unfortunately, it now proves impossible to get the drive shaft out of its housing. All the advice says it should slip out easily. We try all manner of ways, but it sticks in there. Eventually, Jorge removes the swing arm and we get it out. It’s quite clear that there is no way this drive shaft was ever going to come out – it seems that a standard GS has a different drive shaft and it was this part that all the advice referred to…
Now the job starts going very well. Soon the new drive shaft and rear drive are fitted. Jorge manages to do this whilst also helping Scott to change his oil & filter and replace his alternator belt (and composing a symphony and re-decorating the lounge).
All of a sudden it’s time to go out for dinner. We know this because Sheila keeps appearing in the doorway, looking at her watch, and disappearing again. Eventually, even Jorge takes the hint and we clean up and drive over to Connie & Greg’s (Deacon) house and enjoy a superb meal of freshly caught King Salmon in Hoi Sin sauce. Greg has been fishing for the last week and has brought back a coffin sized cool box full of his catch. It’s an excellent evening, at the end of which, Greg shows us around a house he’s building for a client who has 6 children – the house is enormous and has a full sized ‘High School’ Gym attached to the side, complete with electronic scoreboard.
On Sunday morning, we have a slow start, but soon get to work again. We fill the rear drive up with oil, then start the job we’d planned for last weekend before the breakdown got in the way – changing the fork oil. I’m hoping this is going to cure the bikes slight tendency to ‘head shake’ when decelerating. It’s not a major problem, but if I take my hands off the grips at 40mph, there is a slow, rhythmic shake of the handlebars – it stops immediately I put my hands back on, but it’s indicative of some problem with either the load or the suspension set up.
With the exception of breaking the tip of an Allen Key whilst trying to undo the left drain plug, the job goes smoothly. We replace the 10 weight oil with 15 and put everything back together. It makes a difference – the weave moves up to 60-70mph – it’s steady as a rock at 40. I’m clearly going to have to play with the suspension settings.
We replace the panniers, cleaning off the old sealant and liberally re-applying new stuff, in the hope I can keep the dreaded water ingress at bay.
Suddenly, we’re finished. I spend the rest of the afternoon sorting out my kit and packing up a parcel to go back to the UK – I’ve decided to get rid of a load of stuff I’ve not been using and return them, along with my leaking Daytona boots, to Paul & Mandy for storage/repair.
As the sun goes down, setting Mount Hood ablaze on the horizon, we eat more King Salmon (a present from Greg
) – this time grilled in tarragon & honey mustard - superb. I’ll be leaving first thing in the morning…
After an uneventful drive down the freeway to get back to Aloha on Friday, I once again say hello to Jorge, Sheila, Cricket and the spare room…
On Saturday morning, Jorge & I take the rear wheel into Portland Motorcycles (I’ve decided that I might as well have a new rear tyre – this one only has 1000 miles or so left in it). We arrive to find that the parts are all in - $1700 later (including $230 for the tyre and the diagnostic work on the old final drive). We pick up the old parts (Jorge is going to try and get them re-furbished and mail them back to me in the UK).
Then it’s time to return the rental car to the airport. We leave the rental agent looking at what I’ve just driven in and trying to make a mental connection between that and the immaculately clean vehicle he gave me 6 days and 2600 miles ago…
So, we’re soon back home and attacking the Adv, still in bits on the garage floor. First order of business is to remove the front part of the drive shaft. It won’t disconnect. Despite extensive use of heavy percussion tools, it remains resolutely in place. Scott (Knary) turns up to do an oil change. Out of ideas on how to move on, we visit the local auto-parts store looking for special tools and pullers – nothing. We do, however, buy a new pair of vice grips and a larger hammer – this does the trick! Unfortunately, it now proves impossible to get the drive shaft out of its housing. All the advice says it should slip out easily. We try all manner of ways, but it sticks in there. Eventually, Jorge removes the swing arm and we get it out. It’s quite clear that there is no way this drive shaft was ever going to come out – it seems that a standard GS has a different drive shaft and it was this part that all the advice referred to…
Now the job starts going very well. Soon the new drive shaft and rear drive are fitted. Jorge manages to do this whilst also helping Scott to change his oil & filter and replace his alternator belt (and composing a symphony and re-decorating the lounge).
All of a sudden it’s time to go out for dinner. We know this because Sheila keeps appearing in the doorway, looking at her watch, and disappearing again. Eventually, even Jorge takes the hint and we clean up and drive over to Connie & Greg’s (Deacon) house and enjoy a superb meal of freshly caught King Salmon in Hoi Sin sauce. Greg has been fishing for the last week and has brought back a coffin sized cool box full of his catch. It’s an excellent evening, at the end of which, Greg shows us around a house he’s building for a client who has 6 children – the house is enormous and has a full sized ‘High School’ Gym attached to the side, complete with electronic scoreboard.
On Sunday morning, we have a slow start, but soon get to work again. We fill the rear drive up with oil, then start the job we’d planned for last weekend before the breakdown got in the way – changing the fork oil. I’m hoping this is going to cure the bikes slight tendency to ‘head shake’ when decelerating. It’s not a major problem, but if I take my hands off the grips at 40mph, there is a slow, rhythmic shake of the handlebars – it stops immediately I put my hands back on, but it’s indicative of some problem with either the load or the suspension set up.
With the exception of breaking the tip of an Allen Key whilst trying to undo the left drain plug, the job goes smoothly. We replace the 10 weight oil with 15 and put everything back together. It makes a difference – the weave moves up to 60-70mph – it’s steady as a rock at 40. I’m clearly going to have to play with the suspension settings.
We replace the panniers, cleaning off the old sealant and liberally re-applying new stuff, in the hope I can keep the dreaded water ingress at bay.
Suddenly, we’re finished. I spend the rest of the afternoon sorting out my kit and packing up a parcel to go back to the UK – I’ve decided to get rid of a load of stuff I’ve not been using and return them, along with my leaking Daytona boots, to Paul & Mandy for storage/repair.
As the sun goes down, setting Mount Hood ablaze on the horizon, we eat more King Salmon (a present from Greg
) – this time grilled in tarragon & honey mustard - superb. I’ll be leaving first thing in the morning…
