How to raise the dead?

[Steve]

While at the store getting MMO I looked at Diesel oil and found 5w-40 and 15W - 40,,, What weight would be right?? _ I think the manual calls for 10W-40 -- And is any brand good??

Yes, the manual calls for 10w-40, mainly because back in the day that these bikes were built, your choices were pretty much 10w-30, 10w-40, 20w50 or straight-weights. The 15w-40 in the white jug (Rotella) will be OK, especially if you only ride in the warmer months. The 15w part of the viscosity rating is for how it works in colder temps. It is a little thicker than either a 10w or 5w oil and will not flow as easily when the bike is first started. The 5w-40 oil in the blue jug (Rotella again) is a synthetic oil. The 5w will flow easier when the bike is first started and the 40 will be the same when the bike warms up. Being synthetic, it also tends to work better when warm and possibly last a little longer, but the transmissions in our bikes, which are lubed by the same engine oil, tend to shear the molecules, hence the shorter oil change intervals than for cars.

Also what brand of "sticky good" brake pads are the "hot ticket" these days?

Not sure if they're the "hot ticket", but I use EBC pads. Decent price and readily available.

I'm going to try my hand at getting a brake caliper apart tonight - never been inside one of those either -- Any tips??

Yeah, don't split the caliper unless you really need to. You usually only need to pop the pistons out, clean the bores with a scotch-brite pad, then clean the grooves and install new seals for the pistons. If you split the calipers, please spend the couple of bucks extra to get new o-rings for them. They don't usually go bad, but once you disturb them by splitting the caliper, it only makes sense to replace them.

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[007jag]

Brakes - Lube & Lotsa cleaning

Good morning,
I got distracted last nite, so I'll get the pistons out of the calipers today.
What about the master cylinder - Any insights as to what to watch for??

Also I did find that the right front brakes had worn more then the left side.
Is that an indication of a problem - or just more or less normal?

It seems I recall that more then one GS rider has blocked off the "anti-dive"
What would be your advice on that?
Any pro & cons on doing it?

I live in Portland, OR (Rkt-Rch) so we do get snow and temps in the freezing range. Not that I ride in the white stuff, but if it is clear I'll ride in the cold.
Should I look for a lube lower then 15W-40?

I was also thinking about tires, I used to ride Metzler me33 laser up front and me99 perfect on the back. I looked online quickly but it seems they don't make those any more. I went with the sport touring compound and usually got around 6k from the rear & 10k+ from the front.
One summer way back in the day, another rider had a Yokohama sport compound on the back of his bike, that he said had gone 12k and it still looked like new. So I tried it and loved the way it stuck like glue as I do like to attack a twisty piece of road. But that was right after I had put the Yosh pipe and jet kit in. and I was getting wheel spin shifting to 5th @ redline.
Needless to say I wore that tire out in 1200 miles. Later we went for ride together & I found out why his tire looked so new, he never pushed it - at all. And I ended up pretty much riding alone with him some miles back - lol.

Basically I'd like to find some tires with at least as good stick as the Metzlers - but more mileage would not be bad.
Any suggestions??

Regards,
Jack

[Steve]

What about the master cylinder - Any insights as to what to watch for??

You can get a rebuild kit for the master cylinder, it's about $15-20, usually. Not a bad idea. The biggest thing to watch for in the master cylinder is the little bleed hole in the bottom of the reservoir. This is just ahead of where the piston sits in the relaxed position and allows pressure to equalize between the caliper and the reservoir. If that hole is plugged, the fluid that is warmed by the friction in the calipers will expand, but have nowhere to go (usually it expands back into the reservoir), and it will press on the pads, making you slow down. Just blast some brake cleaner and/or compressed air through the little hole when you have it all apart and you will be good.

Also I did find that the right front brakes had worn more then the left side. Is that an indication of a problem - or just more or less normal?

Although not uncommon, I would not call it 'normal'. Probably an indication that the piston in the left caliper is hung up on some crud. Cleaning the piston and the bore, then installing new o-rings and seals should fix that.

It seems I recall that more then one GS rider has blocked off the "anti-dive". What would be your advice on that? Any pro & cons on doing it?

The reason many will block off the anti-dive is because it is tied into the brake system. When you squeeze the brake lever, the first bit of travel is used to move the anti-dive mechanism, which delays brake activation just a bit. It is also sometimes a bear to bleed the brakes properly because of the extra hoses and fittings.
The pro: Removing the anti-dive will firm it all up.

The con: The front end will dive a bit more when applying the brakes. This can be fixed by upgrading to Progressive Suspension springs and possibly using heavier fork oil.

I live in Portland, OR (Rkt-Rch) so we do get snow and temps in the freezing range. Not that I ride in the white stuff, but if it is clear I'll ride in the cold. Should I look for a lube lower then 15W-40?

If you keep your bike inside, the 15w should be OK, but lower would be better.

I was also thinking about tires, I used to ride Metzler me33 laser up front and me99 perfect on the back. I looked online quickly but it seems they don't make those any more.

Your ME33 and ME99 have been replaced by the Lasertec line. Don't know anything about them, other than the fact that they exist. Popular tires here include the Pirelli Sport Demons, Bridgestone Battlax BT45, Shinko 230 Tourmaster and Dunlop E3. I am sure there are others, but these are mentioned regularly. My own experience is limited to the Cheng Shin Hi-Max (no longer available) and the Dunlop E3. I went through three sets of E3s on my Goldwing, getting 21-23,000 miles on each set. The Hi-Max set was on my wife's 850L, and went just over 14,000 miles. Your mileage may vary, of course.

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[007jag]

All was good - then.

Hi Steve,
Hey can you give me some advice on how to pull the oil seal and other parts out of the fork??
I followed the link given earlier on fork seals and everything was working right up until the end.
Got the snap ring & washer out that sit above the oil seal, grabbed the inner tube and used it like sliding hammer. It started to pull the seal and got it flush with the top of the bottom tube, then the inner tube just popped out??

Now what??

I did try and get my screwdriver behind the seal and work it out - but it did not really work. Plus I did not want to damage anything as a couple of others have said you can re-use the old seal as a cover over the new when driving it in.

Thanks,
Jack

[Steve]

It has been a while since I have done fork seals, but I seem to remember that the hardest part was getting the two parts of the tubes apart. After using one like a slide hammer, when it finally came out, I don't remember any particular problem getting the seal out.

To put the new seals in, get a piece of 1 1/2" PVC tubing that is about 18" long. Cut a slit down the entire length so it can expand, if necessary. Make sure that one end is cut square (the original cut end works well), use that to apply even pressure to put the seals in place. I don't have any pictures handy of my PVC and will not be home for another week to take some, but will put that on my list of things to do when I get home.

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[007jag]

Hi Steve,
Well the screwdriver worked - YES!
It appears the the Oil lock piece is still at the bottom of the lower tube. Not sure if I need to get it out to finish up?
And what do you use for cleaning,,, Got any suggestions?
Thanks,
Jack