Back in the saddle again

charlie55 · Post by **charlie55** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 3:40 pm

Well, almost a month since my accident, and while I had hoped to get back on the road sooner, it took a bit longer than I expected to get my leg back in shape. However, the extended downtime did allow me to do a complete tear-down on the Blur, perform the entire "first service" myself, and repair the damaged plastic.

All in all, I spent the most time getting the plastics off and on (talk about your jigsaw puzzles). The actual servicing was a snap - the valves were well within spec, and the fluid and filter changes were real easy. The most tedious part was "loktite'ing" and then torqueing the bolts to spec. Since loktite isn't recommended where plastics are involved, I tried something different where the sheet metal screws tie into the metal fold clips in order to hold most of the body panels in place - plain old mastic. It's the removable putty-like adhesive used to stick posters to walls and the like. Placed a thin strip of the stuff on the screw thread and then tightened. Works like a charm, is totally inert, and is easily removed.

As for the oil filter and fluid drain plugs, I took the added precautions of scribing witness marks into them so that I can tell if they're working loose, and then placing a dab of silicone across them and the case into which they fit. While the silicone doesn't hamper their removal, it may help to keep them from loosening from vibrations.

Repairing the plastic was easy as well. Filled the scratches with Squadron White Putty (from my model railroading days). The stuff dries in a few hours and sands beautifully smooth. The charcoal color was an easy match from Autozone, and required just a light overcoat of flat laquer to blend it in. The orange was a dead-on match to a spray can of Valspar I had lying around.

Also took the opportunity to pick up a Tourmaster Air Intake armored mesh jacket and a pair of EVS knee/shin guards. While not inspiring overconfidence, they really do provide peace of mind for the type of crash I endured.

Took 'er out for a run yesterday, and everything's humming. Would've loved to take it to work today, but the weather's looking pretty crappy for most of the week. Just happy to have the scoot and myself back to OEM condition.

Regards,

Charlie

Racenut · Post by **Racenut** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 4:09 pm

Glad you're back on the road.