Getting Down and Dirty!

[dk31285]

I recently decided I would like to paint my bike.  At this point, I've got every piece of plastic stripped off.  Only the tank remains, for now.  In stripping the bike, I have had the opportunity to learn more about my bike.

What I've learned so far:

1)  There isn't a single piece of plastic on the bike that has every fastener that it could.  There are probably 5-6 missing.  Being an '04 with multiple owners, I wasn't too surprised.

2)  When figuring out how to remove the front fender, I learned that my fork brace only has one of the four bolts in it!  (Of course the fender has all four of its PITA bolts w/nuts!  )

3)  I found what appears to be a slight oil leak, seeping from a gasket.  (Head gasket maybe?)  Not all too familiar with the various mechanical parts and their placements yet, but I'll snap pics later after work.

4)  Also, I have had some front end noise since my low side, but haven't nailed it down yet.  It does t seem to affect the handling of the bike in any way, just more noise than ever before.  Kind of a Mechanical/rattling sound?

While I have the bike so naked, I'm going to keep poking around and see what else I can find in there!