After a few months went by, the engine suddenly wouldn’t start, so we got a maintenance request.
It turned out to be a poor ground connection on the coil fastener. I thought I heard a ticking sound before removing the tank.
First, the lever area. A little cleaning and lubrication now and then gives you that satisfying snap when it engages and snaps back—really nice operation.
The throttle is pretty rusty. We’ll scuff it and coat it with rust preventative before reassembling.
The speedometer cable. Completely dry and rusty. With used bikes, checking these things early on makes a real difference.
The brake pedal. This one’s also pretty much bone dry.
This cast-iron caliper. Even after washing, it doesn’t get that clean, so we figured we might as well take it apart and check it out.
Like new
It’s faster and cleaner than just scrubbing it by hand. We’re reminded every day how important good equipment is.
The rear support came out looking beautiful all at once.
The tapered joint on the nipple is another spot we want to clean up.
We brush on metal rubber and reassemble.
We do the same with the front—take it apart and clean it up.
It feels really good. Honestly, every time I wonder what we’re doing, but when everything works properly and looks good, you really grow attached to the bike.
The front pads are worn out, so we’ll replace them. 
We clean up the backing plate before reassembling.
When the parts are clean, your enthusiasm goes up when you’re putting it all back together.
We wipe down any areas we can clean.
Oil grime comes right off in a flash if you just wipe it with a rag soaked in cleaning oil.
We’ll leave the bearings as they are this time.
The axle shaft is in good shape.
We also replaced the air filter. We changed the fluid too.
That wraps it up for this time.
