Actually, you should take stock and make plans not on January 1st, but when the season closes.)
Yesterday, October 7th, I rode my last day of the year — clocked something around a hundred kilometers, got cold, got nervous — traffic, put it away and removed the battery.
Now the plans, or rather the to-do list for the new season, on top of the standard stuff (oil and oil filter change, spark plugs and coolant change), also include:
- punctured the front tire. Hadn’t even properly broken it in, and by the end of the season found a little hole. Patched it with a raw rubber thread kit, but it still loses air down to 1.5 atmospheres over a week. So I’ll have to take it off and get it vulcanized.
- tightened the chain — just once this whole season, but I think it’s worth having someone take a look and maybe re-tension it — it’s a bit noisy. Either that’s normal and I just never noticed, or it might be asking to be replaced — I’d like an expert opinion.
- clutch cable — started fraying, needs to be replaced.
- the clutch itself is jerky — some experts already looked at it and found nothing. What to do — unclear for now.
- the battery didn’t want to start with the first light frosts. Once I jump-started it from a portable jump starter, the second time it started on its own eventually. We’ll see in spring — seems too early to replace it, it’s a relatively fresh Yuasa that was carefully stored in the apartment last season.
- a footpeg — one was straightened for me, so the other one needs it too.
- the dust cover on the brake lever — fell apart, need to order and replace.
- a tank strap — well, I do want one. Maybe get it done over winter?…
On the same note — since it’s too cold to ride, it’s also too cold to drink beer. Switching from cooling drinks to warming ones — tea, Jägermeister, rum….