I finally finished my marathon maintenance session today. First I changed the spark plugs, that's so much easier to do when there's no front end on the bike.
This is (I think) the second plug change I've done after I started using that O-ring method to help seal the coil stick (it's described here at
https://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?threads/water-in-plug-wells-prevention-a-possible-solution.23850/ ). This is what my old plugs looked like when I took them out:
The Number 1 plug is the one on the left side of the bike, where a lot of guys have issues with corrosion. It's right at 12,000 miles since my last plug change, and I've ridden a lot in the rain.
The coil sticks are still looking good too. These are originals:
This is a tool I made to help me install the plugs. It makes it a lot easier to tell if you've cross threaded the plug when you're screwing it it. The tubing allows you to retain your manual dexterity so you can quickly feel if the plug is binding, and the tubing will start to slip to keep you from continuing to try and tighten the plug if it's cross threaded:
It's just a piece of 5/16" ID vinyl tubing with a piece of aluminum tubing inserted partway into the vinyl. The aluminum tubing gives the vinyl some rigidity, which makes it easier to get the plug threaded. I wrapped some tape around one end of the tubing to give my fingers more surface area to grab.
I find it best to leave myself little notes around the bike to remind me of stuff, especially when some maintenance tasks (like headset service and fork service) overlap each other:
Once the plugs were in, I reinstalled the front forks, tires, etc, aligned the forks, and took it for a test ride. The steering was right on the money, and nothing exploded, so I think I'm good to go. Barring routine maintenance like oil/tire changes (or something actually breaking on the bike), I won't have anything major until next year, when the clutch and brake systems and the radiator will be due for service.
Man, am I glad to be done!