RCinNC
Well-Known Member
Today I hit a milestone that I’ve never achieved on a motorcycle before:
Just a few weeks shy of nine years since I bought this bike, and today along I-74 I watched those numbers roll over to six figures.
To give an idea of what nine years of maintenance looks like, here’s a recap:
Just some additional info on the recap:
The oil filler cap cracked during an oil change a few years ago.
One of the rear wheel bearings was bad at 61,400 miles, so I had both of them replaced by the shop. I had the front wheel bearings replaced by the shop at 97,500 miles as a preventative maintenance measure.
I replaced the OEM rear shock at 44,300 miles. I bought a used shock from a 2012 Super Tenere from a member on the forum, and had that rebuilt by Norwest Suspension. The OEM shock just wasn’t up to the task of a lot of loaded two-up riding.
I rebuilt the forks at 66,900 miles. New bushings, seals, oil, etc. I bought the parts in advance, but once I took the forks apart, there really wasn’t any real signs of wear. Since I already had the parts, I rebuilt them anyway.
I had the OEM cam chain tensioner replaced at 84,000 miles while the bike was having a valve clearance check. It was working fine, but I figured it was a good time for a new one. The new one was the latest OEM version.
I replaced the lower steering head race at 90,400 miles after I found some corrosion and pitting. I had to have the lower steering head bearing replaced by the shop, since I couldn’t get it off.
I’ve replaced two rear brake rotors, one at 41,000 miles and the other at 67,700. Either I’m tough on rear rotors, or else the bike is. On one of those times I was using EBC sintered pads, and they seemed like they were pretty hard on the OEM rotors.
I’ve gone through, believe it or not, 9 headlight bulbs.
I swapped out the OEM radiator hoses at 97,400 miles for a set of AS3 silicon hoses. The old hoses still seemed serviceable, but I changed them based on their age. Plus, the OEM ones were on backorder for who knows how long.
In 100,000 miles, the bike’s been in the shop for a problem a total of one time. That was on a trip last month when I had an ECU warning. It fixed itself, and the shop figured that it was due to riding for a whole day in pouring rain and then the bike sitting out in the rain all night.
Based on my limited math skills, I figure I’ve used a little over 25 gallons of oil and just shy of 2300 gallons of gas in nine years.
I’ve done the majority of my own maintenance over the years. I take it to the shop for valve checks, and I had them replace the wheel bearings and lower steering head bearing. I’ve definitely got the hang of doing tire changes after doing it over 30 times.
This is, hands down, my favorite bike that I’ve ever owned. I’d buy it again in a heartbeat.
Just a few weeks shy of nine years since I bought this bike, and today along I-74 I watched those numbers roll over to six figures.
To give an idea of what nine years of maintenance looks like, here’s a recap:
Just some additional info on the recap:
The oil filler cap cracked during an oil change a few years ago.
One of the rear wheel bearings was bad at 61,400 miles, so I had both of them replaced by the shop. I had the front wheel bearings replaced by the shop at 97,500 miles as a preventative maintenance measure.
I replaced the OEM rear shock at 44,300 miles. I bought a used shock from a 2012 Super Tenere from a member on the forum, and had that rebuilt by Norwest Suspension. The OEM shock just wasn’t up to the task of a lot of loaded two-up riding.
I rebuilt the forks at 66,900 miles. New bushings, seals, oil, etc. I bought the parts in advance, but once I took the forks apart, there really wasn’t any real signs of wear. Since I already had the parts, I rebuilt them anyway.
I had the OEM cam chain tensioner replaced at 84,000 miles while the bike was having a valve clearance check. It was working fine, but I figured it was a good time for a new one. The new one was the latest OEM version.
I replaced the lower steering head race at 90,400 miles after I found some corrosion and pitting. I had to have the lower steering head bearing replaced by the shop, since I couldn’t get it off.
I’ve replaced two rear brake rotors, one at 41,000 miles and the other at 67,700. Either I’m tough on rear rotors, or else the bike is. On one of those times I was using EBC sintered pads, and they seemed like they were pretty hard on the OEM rotors.
I’ve gone through, believe it or not, 9 headlight bulbs.
I swapped out the OEM radiator hoses at 97,400 miles for a set of AS3 silicon hoses. The old hoses still seemed serviceable, but I changed them based on their age. Plus, the OEM ones were on backorder for who knows how long.
In 100,000 miles, the bike’s been in the shop for a problem a total of one time. That was on a trip last month when I had an ECU warning. It fixed itself, and the shop figured that it was due to riding for a whole day in pouring rain and then the bike sitting out in the rain all night.
Based on my limited math skills, I figure I’ve used a little over 25 gallons of oil and just shy of 2300 gallons of gas in nine years.
I’ve done the majority of my own maintenance over the years. I take it to the shop for valve checks, and I had them replace the wheel bearings and lower steering head bearing. I’ve definitely got the hang of doing tire changes after doing it over 30 times.
This is, hands down, my favorite bike that I’ve ever owned. I’d buy it again in a heartbeat.
