Pondering Maintenance
The GTS is running great. But I’m doing a lot of thinking and riding. Thinking I should do some serious service on the scooter yet riding it gives no clue that it needs much of anything. And with 45 thousand miles on the clock and on the road since January of 2007 I wonder if it’s worth doing much of anything to it.
What have I been pondering? Well, a valve check for one. It’s never had one. Ever. It starts fine. Runs fine. Why bother even though it is suggested to check them every 6000 miles or so.
New front shock maybe. New steering bearings. New rear brake caliper. The list goes on and on as my logical mind runs down an engineering checklist.
My free spirit brain says ride it until it explodes and then buy another.
Thinking and riding is what I do. I would like to do less thinking about service and maintenance.
The Current Love Affair
I hesitate to say how much I love this motorcycle. Part of me feels I’m betraying a legacy of scooter worship by being enthralled with this 2001 Kawasaki W650. And another part doesn’t care at all, knowing I can love more than one machine in the garage. There are days when all I want to do is go out on the Vespa ET4. Or I’ll be sitting in the house daydreaming about riding the Himalayan across a particular trail on the Allegheny Front.
But there’s some novelty at work with the Kawasaki. Things will normalize. And as winter approaches the Vespa GTS will move into the number one spot since it is the most capable winter riding machine.
Thinking and riding. It’s what I do. All the time.
Kawasaki W650 Video
During a recent late day ride I began recording my thoughts and ideas about whether my desire to buy the motorcycle was actually satisfied by riding it. And form of thinking and riding. If my speech is halting and slow it’s because I’m thinking on the fly. Not my strong suit.
Lest something think I’m suffering over all this thinking and riding I’m not. It’s just a fact of riding being a big part of my retired life. And thankfully if things get to be too heavy, I can always go for a ride to unwind and loosen my grip on the things that surface when thinking and riding!
Thinking and riding. Good therapy I must say.
I think so to Karl. Aside from thoughts specifically about machines and the ride, it also gives me an opportunity to practice awareness. When I learn to be aware of my life, things change. I’m better able to make positive, healthy choices when I know what’s happening and how I’m feeling. It’s so easy to just sleep through life.
Yes as a Heart Patient it is great therapy!
I concur with that assessment!
It is the black side of the “multiple bike syndrome” – maintenance. It goes up exponentially with the number of bikes because of more disuse. Tires, batteries, fluid/filter changes we all accept, but less use means more corrosion, dry rot, battery maintenance (1 maintenance charger for every battery, more checking/filling for flooded cell batteries). If you still trust Kissel Hill, get their take on the questions you have, but I generally try to follow the manufacturer’s maintenance guidelines – which is always quite a bit more than any Toyota, Honda or other reputable auto maintenance.
The Multiple Bike Syndrome you speak of was not on my radar. Life is certainly easier with only one machine. But I do have time and money so it isn’t as bad as it could be. I keep a close eye on things and make sure things like tires, brakes, oil, and battery are in good shape. And as you say, a lot more maintenance with a bike or scooter than with either of my Honda cars.
I think this is a first world problem…
Somewhere I read that, as we age, if we’re fortunate enough to have “won the game,” we should use money to buy back time. This has been a difficult concept for me to accept and implement, but I’ve done so selectively to great effect. I no longer mow my lawn, for example, have contracted that out to a landscaping service, which leaves me free to leave the house for extended periods of time and not worry about the height of the grass. So if the free spirit in you says ride the Vespa GTS until it drops, and then buy a new one, I’d be on board with that. The time saved in maintenance is more time for riding!
I won’t have the opportunity to outsource mowing since we only have 5 minutes of mowing. But the naturalized landscape is complex and time consuming with myriad time consuming challenges. None of which a landscaping company can or is willing to take on. It would require a skilled gardener who knows the difference between a “weed” and a Wood Aster. Or understands the unique requirements of various mosses and ladder ferns. Path maintenance, pruning, bamboo runner surveillance. The list is long. Thankfully I find the process meditative so I don’t feel robbed of time engaging it.
Cooking and cleaning though is another story. We finally broke down and hired someone to clean the house every two weeks. Expensive but man why did we wait so long. It’s great to be able to do it.
As far as maintenance goes on the scooters and motorcycles I am fast evolving to none on my part. I just wish I had a trailer to take them to the shop for service.
At one time wifie and I had 5 bikes. Now we’re down to 1. Certainly does make upkeep, registrations, inspections easier.
I like your peaceful videos. I shall save this one for a quiet time.
“Contracted (mowing) to a landscaping service.” Hmmmm.
I’m getting organized to I can handle all the details you’ve mentioned. It’s not so bad with four. For now. I hope you like the video. Familiar territory for you.
Re: your concern about the frequency of maintenance on your Vespa… I don’t think I know of anyone who rides their bike(s) more gently than you, Steve. Maybe you simply don’t need to adhere to a maintenance schedule designed for a worst-case scenario?
You may be right. I certainly don’t push hard on any of my machines. At least not for long. So far the maintenance I’ve been doing must be ok. Nothing has exploded or died!
Many years ago I had a Kawasaki 1000. At 1,000 miles I took it in to the dealer for its mandatory first checkup. It had one valve out of spec out the eight. At about 10,000 miles my brother and I rechecked the clearances and one valve was a thousandth or two out of spec. We replaced the shim and off I went. At 38,000 I checked and none were out of spec. Life went on, I rode it a lot not giving the valves a second thought. At 125,000 it passed to my brother who gave the bike a good going over performing many maintenances that I hadn’t ever done. He called me up laughing, since I gave him the log of maintenance and repairs. “I just checked the valves. There are none out of spec.”
People who don’t run the wheels off their bikes get many, many miles between adjustments. Just ask me.
I’m hoping that’s the case with the Vespa scooters. Time will tell.
And with the W650. The valves were just adjusted so I suspect they’ll be fine until I can’t ride anymore.
The Himalayan is a different story. They were out at 300 miles when I checked them. Next check is at 3000 miles. I’ll let the dealer do those and see how things go. I am a gentle rider so hopefully I’ll have similar success to you.
So, about valve checks, Steve….had I been more thorough/faithful about checking the valve clearances on my TW200, I probably would have caught the loosening nut on the intake valve and not have it come off and cause damage which eventually led to a top end replacement!
Don’t tell me that. But then, think of how nice it is to have a freshly rebuilt top end!
I’ll be checking out your youtube channel. I love those W650 Kawasakis.
The W650 is a great motorcycle for me.
I hope you find the videos enjoyable to watch.