FiremanBob

I keep a travel-size pump bottle filled with H2O2 in my tank bag. It has a plastic cover that prevents leakage. Since most of the schmutz on the helmet visor, windscreen and headlight consists of bug guts, peroxide is the best cleaner for it.

Another question I have is this: How do you find a mechanic whom you can trust to do the job right?

I sold my Sabre about four years ago, so I can't check it. But the guys here can help you: v4hondabbs.com

$60? I use an old screwdriver, place it against the bearing and tap, going around the bearing evenly until it drops out. Takes about 2 minutes. If your wheel has a spacer between the bearings, you may need to knock it aside to get a purchase on the bearing race. Remember to clean the bearing bore well and spread a thin coat of oil on it before installing the new (frozen) bearing. I use the HF bearing/seal driver kit to tap it in. The key thing is to make sure the bearing is going in squarely from the start. And if you have a spacer between the bearings inside the wheel, MAKE SURE TO INSTALL IT BEFORE INSTALLING THE SECOND BEARING. I see on the Bird's rear wheel diagram it is part #8, called a "collar". If you don't, you'll have to do it over and may ruin a bearing on removal. DAMHIKT. For swingarm bearings, I rigged up a press using a threaded rod and some large hardened washers and nuts. The bearings went in nice and slick.

I had a very good experience with Waynesville Honda in North Carolina.

The cost of the Givi/SWM setup definitely hurts, but you only cry once. I'm glad I bit the bullet. With my 52L topcase and 45L sides, I can go on a two-week business trip and still have room for souvenirs, or grocery shopping at Sam's Club. Best thing is that once I get to the hotel, I can remove the racks and cases and run the Dragon (or whichever twisty) without feeling like a moving van.

From the ones I investigated, it would take nearly 100K miles worth of oil changes to justify the expense of the SS filter. Also, I don't see how holes in the metal sheet core could be as effective as the synthetic, non-woven medium in the PureOne and similar quality filters.

I put an 18T on the front. There is still more acceleration than I need (as proved on US129 and nearby roads last week). I get 37-40 mpg in all-around riding with side cases installed. I also found that the speedometer is now dead accurate, checked against my GPS, whereas Honda normally sets the speedos 5-10% optimistic.

Try swapping the plug wires (at both ends) to check whether it is the wire that is bad first.

I got a good deal on parts from Waynesville Cycle in North Carolina.

Received the Park-n-Move today. It works perfectly, just as Dave said. Very well made, heavy platform, quality casters.

Thanks, Dave. I'm still unclear about how it actually works and would appreciate your clarification: 1. I accept that it will pivot the bike on the front wheel, essentially turning in two bike lengths. 2. Does it allow you to easily tip the front wheel up so that the bike will spin within its own length, using the dolly as the axis? When you do that, does the bike become unstable on the center stand? I just want to be sure so that I can avoid having a returned merchandise issue if it doesn't work as I envision it. Returns are a buttpain and a cost for all involved.

Thanks, Dave. Is that discount something I can glom onto?

I just bought a HF dolly on sale for $80, put my Suzuki on it and it works pretty well. I need another stand of some kind for the Bird. One weakness of the HF dolly is that it has only one side extension for the side stand. It would better if I could ride in, give the bike a 180, and then ride back in without having horse the dolly around so the extension faces the right way again. I want to use a dolly to spin the bike around in the garage so it will be easy to come and go without having to do an 8-point turn inside the garage. My driveway is to steep to turn, or even stop, a bike on. Having two bikes in a one-car garage is tighter than I thought it would be. I searched and found some other dollies that go under the center stand. In the video, a smiling woman spins her Gold Wing around by pushing down on the tail to make the front wheel come up. It seemed effortless. But I am doubtful that it would work so well on my Bird. For some reason they seem to cost about $200 also, which is 2.5x the price of the HF one. Have any of you all tried these, and if so how did they work for you?

Well, it's been nearly a year since that woman driver put me down, requiring replacement of the right-side fairing and the center cowl piece. I put on new pieces but the damage to the old ones isn't bad. I'd like to repair them and then either keep as spares or sell. Where could I go to get these repaired to as-new condition? What should I expect the repair to cost? Preferably someone within a 2-hour drive of Charlottesville, VA. Thanks.