[dhgeyer]

mrlmd1:

Thanks for the tip on the battery. The one that was in it when I first looked at the bike was dead and gone. They put the replacement on a quick charger for 2 or 3 hours. I know that this is not the ideal way to charge a new battery. I will, as you say, keep an eye on it. They can't cost that much, so, at the first sign of trouble I'll just get a new one and charge it properly myself.

I will look into the tires you suggest. I have heard good things about them on other bikes.

Day two, and this morning before breakfast I:

Removed tank, and checked valve clearances. The intake side is spot on, the exhaust is on the tight side of still within spec, but I like them a bit on the loose side, (still within spec) so I'll adjust them as soon as I buy/make something to turn the adjusters. I gotta say, the valve adjustment on this bike is even easier than on the BMW, and I thought that was the easiest. I did the 16 valves on the Concours (I still have that bike) a couple of months ago, and that's an all day job by the time you get all the plastic and other stuff off and back on.

Checked tire pressure. Oddly, they were way over what the owners' manual calls for, which is very low. I would normally never set tire pressure as low as what this manual calls for. But, since, as we have discussed, these tires are old, I did set them at the low pressure, since, all else being equal, this will add a bit of traction.

I installed a GE Nighthawk headlight bulb. Same watts, same volts, more light. I adjusted the light, as I do on all my bikes, so the high beam points straight ahead, just a little higher than level (not much, just a little). It puts a very powerful light into the eyes of oncoming drivers. I don't ride at night, so the only purpose for my headlight is for me to be seen. I have mentioned this in other forums, and it has started an argument in some cases. The argument goes "I might make people mad, or blind them, or whatever.". My wife is permanently disabled due to an accident we had, riding 2 up on the Concours two years ago. Young woman didn't see us and pulled out right at the last minute, giving no indication or any of the normal clues that she didn't see us. All that MSF training saved our lives, as I swerved automatically and avoided T-Boning her, but she still grazed us and we went down. I tumbled and rolled 100 feet, got up and walked away. Thank you good safety gear! Sue was not so lucky, despite full gear. Anyway, people can get as mad at me as they want as long as they see me. I haven't had any case where anyone didn't see me since I started with the "In your face" extra bright headlight. Anticipating comments: I don't think modulators do anything worthwhile. Just my opinion. I always see the motorcycle at least a second before I notice the flashing headlight. I almost always wear a hi-viz motorcycle jacket, or in hot weather a high-viz vest over a mesh motorcycle jacket. Also a white helmet. But I think it's probably the very bright light that people actually see first.

So, I'll call the local Suzuki dealer and see if they have an oil filter, and maybe even a valve adjuster. I will change the oil and filter before I ride it too far, even though the oil looks and feels just fine. I want to get a couple of hundred miles on it today/tomorrow to see what kind of mileage I'm getting.