What have you done with your V-Strom today?

[Landsurfer74]

Fitted new screen on 2016 650 ... NICE!!
Anyone want the old one, Aero screen with adjustable splitter £10 + p&p

[tonkie]

Went on an Island tour 

[Upt North]

Is that a tax disc I see Tonkie.
Plus what tyres are you wearing.
Looks good in yella.

[Halam]

Today I upset my headlights and they are in a huff.  I'll have had the bike a week tomorrow so there is a lot I want to get sorted on it.

I took the bodywork tank and airbox off to get to the heated grips connector and install TRE which the previous owner had removed.  I added an extension to the heated grips cables to add heated grips and a USB outlet.

Put it all back together and it still starts, which is, er, a start.  But the headlights don't work.
I have sidelights and the headlight flasher works, so tomorrow I will take it all to bits again to follow the wiring through.  Unless anyone has any hints?

I also noticed the rear sprocket is very, erm, floaty, so I will take a look at that too.

I think it's by working on a bike that we build a relationship and grow to love them. 

Enjoy your evening Chaps,

Halam

[Rixington43]

Classics for headlight issues seem to be the starter button which also interrupts the headlights and the large black block connector clipped into the back on the radiator shield which isn't waterproof and allows contacts to corrode. Best of luck with your tinkering, if it's a first Gen then they're enjoyable to work on as long as the fasteners come undone.
As for a floaty rear sprocket, sprocket carrier bearing perhaps.

[tonkie]

@ Upt North

It’s my Insurance disc, we don’t have road tax here, as for the tyres!
I don’t know, they are the ones that were on it when I bought the bike back in October, I shall have a look tomorrow and report back

Got to agree with you about the colour 

[Halam]

Thanks, It's an 2002 K2 and the fasteners so far have not been too bad.  I hope to never take the exhaust off mind you.   I popped the back wheel out, that's easy with high-level exhausts.  Couldn't find anything wrong and put it back together.  Getting the wheel back in with the spacers falling out all the time needed persistence.

[The Doctor 46]

You can piss a hole through a brick wall with a little persistence. It takes a lot more than a little piss though. 

[Whiterose]

Replaced the rear brake light switch.
Ready for MOT test now.

[Mojo-Jojo]

Thought I would service the rear shock whilst I've got the exhausts and downpipes off, attempting to remove as much surface rust as possible.
The centre bearings on the cushion lever disintegrated when I removed the spacer, more work that was desperately needed.

[graingerblaze]

Nice work there Mojo-Jojo, amazing what a bit of elbow grease can do. I wish more people would take the effort to remove, clean and show a little TLC… it’s sad looking through adverts and seeing much newer bikes looking unloved and abused.

I’ve finally got the tank back on and up and running again, was paranoid that my messing about with connectors would through up fault warnings. Luckily all good, started first go as always and I ran it up and down my street a few times (private road) to get the fresh oil circulating. Will finish assembling this weekend as it’s due its MOT soon and I want to be ready. Roll on spring 

[Upt North]

It's a credit to you "GB".
Looks a blummin treat.
We are changing one of our motors and have decided to buy new, the nearly new ones out there are more marked than my nine year old specimen. I'm old enough to remember when cars were presented for sale, sadly no one seems to give a poop.
Upt'North.

[graingerblaze]

Thank you Upt North, not sure I can take all the credit as Suzuki did a pretty good job on the finish (first gen anyway).

I wonder if people don't bother these days because of insurance companies. If a woops happens, they tend to right off bikes rather than repair unless its a shiny new BMW worth £15k+. If they do right off the bike, the offer you get is based purely on age and mileage, and the condition is just good, average or poor. The difference in settlement money between good and poor is a few hundred, so why bother keeping the bike mint if it's only going to get you a bit more than a winter commuter with no TLC? I can't do that myself as I love looking after my bike (pride and OCD), but I can understand why so many bikes are just unkept. Sad really, so can't blame you buying new.

[timangus]

People comment on the condition of my bike and assume I did my RTW trip on something else. I say there’s no law against cleaning them you know.

[The Doctor 46]

Not all bikes are written off but many are sold or part exchanged so, a good reason to look after it. Also, who enjoys a dirty bike unless you have just finished a long, dirty ride and not going to clean it until tomorrow. Another thing, what better way to check out your bike for loose bits etc than to clean it.

I do understand what you are saying about insurance but in all my time of riding lots of bikes I have only had one written off and that was because a t**t ran into the back of me. I got more than I paid for and spent on the bike. 

[graingerblaze]

As you say I keep my bike spotless for the same reasons, for possible future resale, to spot issues early and for self pride. I just don’t understand why so many good newish bikes just look awful from neglect… insurance payouts might be a reason or just the modern throw away society? I don’t know as all of my bikes have been kept immaculate, but look through adverts and some bikes that should be great because of their age and low mileage just don’t appear to have had any TLC, ever. 

[The Doctor 46]

I know what you mean. Maybe the ability to buy/rent a bike on so much a month then swap or give it back has something to do with it.

I must admit, my bike is kept outside in a very secure place but as I have to ride it down a 100m boggy, muddy uneven driveway to go out or come home it is often dirty. I do know though that it has been cleaned then covered in ASF50 so come the dry weather it will be clean again and it is well serviced so reliable. The battery is indoors at the moment on a trickle charge. I was away in Spain for a month and when I got home it was below freezing. I will be using it tomorrow though, I'm getting withdrawal symptoms.

I wish I could keep my bike in a garage again and clean and polish it like I used to. Your bike is a credit to you. 

[UK_Vstrom650]

160 miles today. All this talk of cleaning is making me think I may need to wash it or at least hose it down again as it's filthy

[stoatsngroats]

Ahh, cleaning, what’s the point, well after 2 weeks of roadsalt etc, it was time to clean and protect, using HBC1 (same as ACF50 apparently) and only an hour or so later, all is good! I even washed Mrs SnGs car, on the way back from shopping!

[Barbel Mick]

MOT time! No problems. 
As the MOT garage is only a mile up the road, after the test, I took my own advice & had a little 30 mile ride afterwards to get it up to running temperature.