Dear GS500 pals and palettes,
OK, it's a gorgeous, sunny, lovely day here in central PA and I decided to do some basic maintenance on my beloved 1991 GS500E before heading out tomorrow to visit friends in NJ via my bike.
I adjusted the chain and lubed it.
Check.
I tightened the header bolts and miscellaneous nuts and bolts all over the bike.
Check.
I adjusted tire pressures, 33 PSI front, 41 PSI rear.
Check.
I do an oil and filter change. Remove engine oil drain bolt and remove old washer from bolt, replacing it with a fresh new copper washer, reinstall engine oil drain bolt and torque to 18 foot-pounds..
Check.
Remove three oil filter cover nuts, remove old oil filter, clean inside of cover, clean oil filter engine cavity, clean spring, remove old oil filter cover o-ring, put some oil in cover o-ring groove to hold new o-ring in place, lubricate and install new oil filter, replace oil filter cover, torque nuts to 60 inch-pounds.
Check.
Pour in 3.1 quarts of fresh Castrol 10W-40 oil, reinstall dipstick and start engine to circulate oil and check for what will certainly be non-existent leaks because I am such a careful, meticulous and skilled mechanic (I've only been doing oil changes for 31 years). Let engine idle.
Check.
Look under bike to see oil POOLING out from the oil filter cover, gushing onto the pavement.
That's when I noticed the brand new oil filter cover o-ring sitting next to me on the sidewalk, still wrapped beautifully in it's little plastic parts bag, with the Suzuki part number sticker staring me in the face.
I was careful, I cleaned everything, I was knowledgeable and enjoying myself, and all I did was forget one little step -- putting the new oil filter cover o-ring into the cover's carefully lubricated groove.
Priceless.
Lesson learned?
Even an expert can be a noobie. So don't sweat such things. Besides, it's fun to laugh about these things later and share our tales with our friends, which is why I'm telling you all this story.
So learn from my silliness, and have fun out there.
Honestly, I've hardly ridden since our 25-year-old friend, Rich Christie (Phaedrus), died on July 1 in a motorcycle accident that wasn't his fault. His death, by being hit by another motorcycle head-on, really hit me hard and made me wonder about the sanity of having a motorcycle. I've been riding for 31 years and his death really affected me. We had e-mailed each other several times and left cellphone messages for each other but never actually connected before the PA ride in late June. I'd never met him but he wasn't a stranger.
I even listed my GS500E on the board for sale recently because I wasn't sure I could get back on it.
But today, I finally wanted to go out and play with my bike to get it ready to go riding this week. I'm finally ready again. I can't wait to hit the road in the morning. :)
I think Rich would have been glad to see me working on my bike today in my backyard and smiling again, and I know he would enjoy my missing o-ring story.
Have a great weekend everyone, and let's be careful out there.
Your friend,
Trwhouse
Good story....I have done worse like forgetting to put the drain plug back in and start filling it with oil :icon_rolleyes:
I fired up the engine to make sure my new headgasket was sealing properly ... and quickly realized that I forgot to put the exhaust pipe back on. Oops!
Something similarly stupid happened when i was fixing up my ZXR with my dad. We'd done a number of jobs, new exhaust system, carb balancing/cleaning/adjusting. All sorts. Then it came down to the last two jobs. Change the oil and filter and check a dodgy HT lead and the spark plugs. I began draining the oil out and dad came in a few minutes later and started checking all the spark plugs and leads. All the oil drained and i was just fitting the new oil filter when dad asked me to come up and help him check the leads and plugs. At this point a premanition popped into my head of starting the bike without putting the oil in as i was going to get distracted doing this other job with dad. So i made a mental note to make sure i put the new oil in before starting the bike. Well we set about checking the leads and i told dad to also remeber we needed to finish the oil. So we set about doing the leads and plugs fixed them which took about 20 mins and then he quickly tightend the exhaust bolts up properly. Put the airbox and tank on and then he said lets start it to see if weve fixed the problems changing the exhaust and fixing the plugs and leads. And guess what we had forgot the oil. So he started it and it fired up after about two revolutions, soon as he started it we were both like b****cks no oil, thankfully no harm done. But it was just a lesson to not rush and to check everything and do one job at a time.
I once had a DT175mx, I had it rebored new piston etc. Forgot to put the circlips back in that retain the gudgeon pin......but it lasted just over a year before the pin floated out and siezed it up again.
Quote from: Mandres on August 13, 2006, 12:59:16 PM
I fired up the engine to make sure my new headgasket was sealing properly ... and quickly realized that I forgot to put the exhaust pipe back on. Oops!
Been there, done that. :laugh: Only mine was after replacing one of the stud bolts that holds on the oil filter cover.
It's amazing how loud an engine is without pipes or muffler, especially when you're in a garage. :o
change the oil, never. 15,000 miles and it still looks good.
I thought about Rich on the ride today, too.
Hi all,
I just got home today from my first real ride since Rich's accident.
As I described earlier this weekend in the tale that began this post, I haven't really been into riding since his death.
Well, after working on the bike this past weekend and enjoying that experience again, I rode yesterday from my home in PA 130 miles each way to New Jersey to visit friends and had a grand time again. The trip home today was also lovely.
I needed that, believe me.
I thought about Rich as I rode down the PA Turnpike and I smiled.
He's out there somewhere, looking out for all of us, I bet.
It feels good to be back on my motorcycle, enjoying a perfectly gorgeous day and racking up miles singing and smiling under my helmet again.
Let's all be careful out there, and have fun.
yours,
Todd
Quote from: coll0412 on August 13, 2006, 12:34:28 PM
Good story....I have done worse like forgetting to put the drain plug back in and start filling it with oil :icon_rolleyes:
I did that last month... My parents weren't too happy about the HUGE oil stain on the driveway
I am not big enough to admit my stupidity ...
Yea the shadow spewed oil out the overflow cos I filled it a 1/2 quart too high - OK Its honda's fault not mine.
Cool.
Srinath.