In today's bike maintenance class, I put the spare clutch and throttle cables into place (running them right next to the existing cables, so to save valuable space & be able to swap them over very quickly in case of a breadown). Clutch cable was easy, throttle cable meant taking off the fairing and briefly removing the exisiting cable from the fuel injection.
Then I wanted to run the Loobman chain oiler down the swingarm but had forgotten a few bits at home.... d'oh!
Next: Brake disc. The old one was below it's legal minimum anyway, so I got a cast metal one. Cast metal is cheaper (half price), performs equally (or better when it's wet) and it's more lightweight (hence reduces unsprung weight). That's how I like it!
Last but not least: practicing a tyre change. To cut a long story short: I know I should get used to the thought, but I am NOT looking forward to doing this on the road – no matter how enthusiastic I might feel on the day.
To start with, it seems I'm simply too lightweight to break the tyre bead. I'll try again soon, using the side stand to break to bead (or using the swingarm as a leverage point whilst the wheel is still on the bike).
Finally, using tyre levers to put the tyre back on might pinch the tube. Hussain (our workshop hero) showed me a neat little trick of 'walking the tyre in' without using the levers. But again: I'm probably too lightweight to do so. I might try again once I've got some more sturdy boots.
