I couldn't stand it anymore!

[D-Fuzz]

The sun was shining but the temperature was -5C, -15C when you factor in the windchill.  No matter, I was tired of looking at my Tiger sitting in the garage, so I thought what the heck.  I took it out for a 70 mile jaunt on the highway, hoping to burn through the crappy gas still sitting in the carb bowls.  It ran a bit choppy for the first few minutes, but I opened it up on the highway and it improved pretty quickly.  Most everything was warm, except for my face as the cold wind managed to come up under the chin and keep things a bit frosty.  Oh well, let the new riding season begin! :D

[Putts255]

Way to go!!

I knew you would get it out before me.  

I may dig a path in the snow to the shed n the back yard tonight or tomorrow and push the bike to the garage to start with my list of to do's.

Congrats!!!

[D-Fuzz]

The good thing is the streets are dry, so other than the cold, it wasn't too bad.  The heated grips worked great, hands were nice & toasty warm.

[D-Fuzz]

Well, another chilly day, too cold for highway riding, so I decided to test my skills with the Tiger off-pavement.  I explored some gravel roads and frozen dirt roads in the area, eventually putting on about 40 miles or so.  For the first few miles I certainly noticed the weight of the bike, but after that I settled in and the bike was awesome.  The tires that are on the bike were the lone weak spot, but that will be remedied in the next few days.  Other than that, it was a great ride.

[Mustang]

are those T66 Michelins I see ?
They are more than likely the original tires if they are , I always  thought they sucked even when they were new  

[D-Fuzz]

You have a keen eye.  That is what they are.  The front is original, the rear has been replaced with another one.  You are right, they do suck.  Hopefully they will be gone by the next ride though.

[Mustang]

did you know that under those rubber covers on the foot pegs is a fairly kick ass steel off road peg

[D-Fuzz]

Those rubber inserts were removed about 5 minutes after I got home.  The pegs do the job but a set of your pegs is on my list of things to buy.

[Bob Tosi]

I always thought they sucked even when they were new  

The new Kenda Big Blocks are an AWEsome tire for the Tiger.  I just put them on and went on a long ride:

http://tigertriple.com/forum/index.php/topic,9398

They preformed very well.  The price was right also.  I paid $227 for both tires from a local BMW dealer. these tires are made to compete with the TKC80.

If you want something to replace yours I'd check these out. They work really well on the asphalt also.

[Putts255]

Well D-Fuzz I got lots done to the bike this weekend.  At 2pm decided I had enough tinkering.

I usually do not start riding until the main roads have been cleaned of all the pea gravel from winter sanding, but like you I needed a ride.

I was cold by the time I got home.  Rode for about an hour....it was good to get out.

[D-Fuzz]

Awesome! How did it run?  Any photos of the first ride of the year?

[Putts255]

No photo's.  I shoulda but I didn'ta.

Ran real nice.  The neutral light stopped working, I think it is the new LED bulb I used that popped out.  I can fix that in a jiffy.

Only have a few things left to do.  Crash bars, tires, coolant flush, front fork oil change, thats about it.

Changed the fuel sender unit today, man that was so easy, and I was all worried.  Fork oil I think I will just use a hand pump to extract the old oil and then add in the new.  The bike only has 6,400 or so km's so I am not too worried about the oil being that bad.

I need to drop it off at the dealer on Friday, have 4 recalls they are doing to it.  I may bring the tires along and ask them to mount them rather than do it by hand.  Depends on how much they want to do it.  I am cheap at heart.  

I will try and take a picture tomorrow after work...

[Bixxer Bob]

Fork oil I think I will just use a hand pump to extract the old oil and then add in the new.  The bike only has 6,400 or so km's so I am not too worried about the oil being that bad.

You won't believe the crud that builds up in them,  it's not that much extra work but if you change your mind, do flush them properly to get it all out.

[Putts255]

So Bixxer, is this the same as my fear of changing the fuel sender?  

I guess I figured getting everything off the front forks etc would be a major pain in the you know what.  If it is not that bad then maybe I will reconsider.  

Or maybe I use the plunger to pull the majority out and if it is not too bad go from there....eh?  What you think?

Cheers!

[Bixxer Bob]

Just pulling the oil out with the plunger won't get at the crud at the bottom.

I'm not familiar with Steamer forks as I have a Girly, but it's like any job:

a.  Take your Time.
b.  Have a good manual to hand.
c.  Make lots of notes / take lots of photos as you take it apart and label everything if your memory is going.
d.  Support the bike properly so it doesn't topple on you while the forks are off.

If there's not a post about it on here already I'm sure Mustang will outline what you need to do.