Slightly chilly, cloudy day yesterday, so I finally got around to fixing a few things on the new bike.
I knew from reviews that the "rubber" used on some of the bits on the my bike was rubbish, so I inspected it fairly well before I bought it, and I left there with two new turn signal stalks in a box, because the ones on it were cracking already...
And..... I've been dragging those around with me for over three months...
Turns out to have been a pretty simple swap. All the wiring up front on the bike ends up inside the headlight, so I had to remove two bolts to drop the headlight down, and then one little screw to get the lens off. The wires on the turn signals are color coded, so even a non-mechanical idiot like me couldn't screw that up.... remove the bolt on the stalks, trace the wires, pull the old ones, thread through the new ones, button everything back up..
I also fixed one of my bar end grips. The bushing that compresses and holds it in was chewed up (did I mention all the rubber on this Taiwanese made bike are rubbish?) Disassembled it, sanded it down a little so it was smoother, and reinstalled.
Weather permitting, I'll probably change the oil and clean the air filter next week.
Still haven't taken any long rides on it, but it has come in super handy for quick trips to the grocery store and such.
Oh, and while I had my brand spanking new metric wrenches out (I had to pick up a set when I bought the bike....) I re-tightened all the bolts on my cheap Harbor Freight hitch mounted carrier. There were a couple that were a little loose, but none of them were "scary" loose. Plan is to check them each time I stop for an extended stay.
Thus ends my day of wrenching. Thankfully it's a dead simple design, because thus ends the extent of my mechanical knowledge as well :-) I blame my dad. He could barely change the oil in our cars when I was growing up. Don't underestimate the gift of having a mechanically inclined parent....
