Hi All,

I’m getting a great bike in the worst way. The guy that got me into all this at like 10 years old passed on, and as no one in his family rides, the family wants me to keep the miles rolling.

I’m thrilled, and while I was a little intimidated by the size, it’s only 20lbs heavier than my KLR, and the height is no issue as I’m a tall rider; I can flat foot just fine. Took it around the block and it was… transcendental. I had no idea that much power could be that nimble.

My question is what are some big maintenance items I should prioritize? I’m coming from the unkillable pig of a KLR. this is going to be a bit of an adjustment. Also, the bike was very well maintained but his health was bad for about a year. The ride I took around the block was great, but the front suspension seemed a little bumpy for pavement. It’s got mixed use tires on it so it’s possible it was just the tread on pavement, just being a little paranoid.

I also smelled some burning plastic when I fired it up, but am willing to bet it might have been some kind of weird dust in the exhaust; there was nothing dangling anywhere hot and it did go away.

So yeah, just looking for some general tips and icebergs to avoid. I do most of my own maintience but again that’s on gen I and gen II KLRs

  • @RenorcMEnglish
    3•9 days ago

    Sorry for your loss. My advice is not 1190 specific, but just best practice for a new used bike. Look up the service schedule and perform the last service due for its mileage. Change oil/air filter, brake fluid. Perform the scheduled inspections; swing arm, headset bearings, shock/fork seals, brake pads, brake lines, tires, etc. If it’s been sitting a long time get rid of the gas. After that take it for a long ride, stop somewhere nice and have a beer reflecting on your friend’s memory and thank him. Enjoy.

    • @RubberElectronsEnglish
      3•8 days ago

      I’d like to add on, just for shits and giggles you ought to change brake lines regardless of whether they seem ok.

      E: aneurysm typing

      • @batmaniamOPEnglish
        2•8 days ago

        thanks, I’ll look into it for next season. They seem pretty good now and I want to get to know it first. Coming from the KLR all the “robots” on this thing make me a little wrench shy.

    • @batmaniamOPEnglish
      2•8 days ago

      Thanks. I’m going to cycle through the gas, I’ll do the oil. I gave the air filter a good air blast and it’s in good shape. I was able to find the service items for the upcoming 8500 miles, and it was basically all of those things. Brakes are solid, although the robots in them compared to my KLR make me nervous to evaluate. Fork seals seem in good shape, I think the road bumps was just the tread or dampening settings (or like I said, just knobies on pavement). After taking it around the block and loading it by doing some aggressive front braking and popping in and out of gutter, there was no line on the forks or anything. Chain tension looks good as does lube but I’ll put some fresh on anyway.

      We used to do dirtdaze up in NH about this time (obviously missed this years). Hoping to get a good long fall ride in before the seasons change.