When replacing brake discs, it’s good to clean the seating surface. This is after cleaning, but it’s surprising how much corrosion and pitting can occur.
Is the Vessel electric ratchet worth buying?
I’m testing it in various situations. In my case, I rarely use a 3/8 ratchet, so it has a somewhat specialized tool element.
I can’t say for sure without using it more, but there are definitely good and bad aspects.
Replacing brake discs and pads at the same time is the best. Since we’re replacing the pads, I also cleaned the caliper.
Smooth sliding is everything for a single-piston caliper
This boot can get surprisingly stiff and cause movement issues. Usually the boot expands and makes more contact with the slide pin, which causes sluggish movement.
The grease used on slide pins should be something like silicone grease that doesn’t expand the rubber too much, and it’ll last longer.
Let’s replace the drain hose while we’re at the coolant change
Sometimes there are motorcycles with no coolant drain plug. When the system is just pull the hose and drain the coolant, it splashes everywhere, which is a bit annoying.
After replacing it a few times, the fit gets loose, so replace it when the timing is right.
We replaced the brake fluid.
Since we change it regularly, the fluid was clean. Brake fluid doesn’t circulate, so if the top is dirty, the bottom is being heated and cooled, so it must be even dirtier.
If you neglect brake fluid changes, it can become a pretty painful expense, so “don’t skimp on the fluids” is really important.
The rear mirror is sagging, so let’s replace it
When asked what mirror I recommend, it’s Yamaha OEM, hands down.
As you get older, “no vibration, easy to see, easy to adjust, easy to get” becomes really important.
When I was young, I thought “the smaller and cleaner it looks, the cooler it is,” but while riding, I’ve come to understand “the importance of being able to reliably see behind you.” If we can raise safety by even 1%, “the odds of an accident or getting pulled over should go down.”
Even though it’s OEM, the arm is very short, yet you can still see behind you clearly—it’s a wonderful mirror.