Progress Report – Bubo

They say that when you buy an old motorcycle you'll end up spending the purchase price on parts and repairs so it's important to get that old machine at the lowest price possible! As I work to bring Bubo back to rally shape I've spent about half the purchase price to-date. The most recent collection of parts and repairs include:

• New Michelin Road Classic tires + new tubes - I carried in the wheels and my friends at Engle Motors mounted and balanced the new tubes and tires
• New Ikon shocks and Progressive fork springs + fresh fork oil from Ted Porter's Beemer Shop
• Previously-enjoyed pannier racks

All these parts and repairs were required as a big step to bringing Bubo back into shape for regular riding.

Fork oil isn't supposed to be brown. I was hoping I could simply pull out the old and drop in the new fork springs but time was not on my side. I started on the right fork and things looked pretty good - at least the fork oil was still recognizable as fork oil! I removed the old spring, dropped the new one in, and then moved on to the left fork. That's where things took a turn for the worse. The first challenge was getting the cap off the fork. Using a wrench from Otus' tool roll I attempted to remove the cap but it put up a fight. As it turned out, the cap was stuck to the nut and they came off together. When I removed the nut it was discolored with brown liquid from the fork so I knew I'd have to drain and re-seal the fork. Fortunately I had all the parts on hand for the task. I drained the left-hand fork and found the oil was completely discolored and the bumper that sits in the bottom of the fork stanchion screw plug had turned to goo. A good clean-up, a new bumper and crush rings, and the left fork was sealed up and ready for the new spring and fresh fork oil. While I probably could have left the right-hand side alone I went ahead and flushed, cleaned-up, and buttoned up the right side as well. New springs and fresh oil all around makes the front end feel much better!