Nothing is perfect, and a used 750cc motorbike with over 20,000 miles on the clock is going to need some changes, so here’s my list:
Centre stand
It doesn’t come with one, so maintenance tasks are made more difficult, even just chain lubrication and adjustment. And other stuff like engine maintenance and tyre changing will be much easier with one. So I’ll have to get one. But at around £190 list price from Honda it’s way over-priced. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for a slightly used one. I’ve seen YouTube videos on how to fix one on, and it seems quite easy.
Chain oiler
Regular oiling by using a spray can is especially mucky; using oil is cleaner, just not as easy. But there are a few auto and semi-automatic oilers on the market at various price points and with various mechanisms, some easy some awkward. I’ve seen one by a company (bloke) called Loobman, and I’m tempted by that at about £25. BUT I’ve just found a v-system Scottoiler, so let’s see if I can get that installed ok…
Workshop manual
Can’t own a bike without its workshop manual, else you just can’t mechanic it right! I’m on the look out for one, but at a typical new price of around £60 it’s a bit of an ‘ouch’ to buy one. I may have to bite that bullet sometime soon as a mistake in maintenance could easily cost that to fix, so…
Hand guards
Not having a wide fairing I’ve found that the wind blast on my hands is quite severe, so wind chill is serious in cold weather. Some hand guards will sort that out, but preferably not the sort that will break my hands if I should take an undignified motorcycle exit forwards…
Satnav – first mod!
I want to enjoy riding the bike on long days out, but I’d rather not get lost, so a on-board satnav I consider essential. I’ve found an old iPhone 6, installed the TomTom and MyDrive apps on it, and it looks like it’ll work well. Battery alone it’ll run for at least 4 hours, so that’s a good start, and with a battery brick in the ‘frunk’ (the tank storage unit), it’ll last all day. I’ve made up a mount using RAM parts and it works great, so I think I can tick this one off already (although some ‘proper’ rides may prove me wrong!).
General sorting out
The corrosion points need to be addressed. So far I’ve sorted the front brake lever…
Next, some new hand guards...