Not sure where to put this post. It's not really a "How-To", more of a "How-Not-To".
I'll do my best to list the don'ts and let you figure out the do's. (laughing is permissible in this thread).
(feel free to skip this part)
Start off by asking a buddy that lives a couple of towns away to order you parts. Now remember, you have to get him the money before he can order said parts. So pick a time to drive out there after work when he says he will be home. 9 times out of 10, as was the case this time, he will not be there. Also the backup plan of someone else to be there will also fall through, because whomever was supposed to be there had to run to the store. So go home and google the parts and dealers. Seems as though there should be a shop in the same town as you. Give them a call the next day, they should be closed do to (insert one of the following...holiday, weekend, or winter hours). Wait until enough days have gone by so they should now be open and give them a call. They will probably try to sell you something else then what you want and not have a clue as to the brand you wanted in the first place. Say "thank you", hang up, and call the next dealer. The problem with this is they are not close. Make plans to drive out there at you next free moment. Heck, you know people in the area, make plans for lunch with some of them. Go to store and have them order parts (you need to pay cash is why you didn't order parts yourself and why you didn't call ahead and have the store order them for you). Parts are ordered, now go have lunch. The guys that said they would show up are really busy....so don't. Days pass....store calls you, parts are in. The guys that couldn't make lunch last time feel bad and would like to have lunch the next time you are in town so set that up. Go pick up your parts at the store. The only thing that really has worked out in your favor so far is.....you told the guys to call you at the time of lunch because you will be in town. Since no one has called you...just go home. Now go home and set up an "Epic Garage Time" with some buds for the next weekend, cause you want some support while you work on your bike.
Showing Up
Call before leaving and say you would like coffee and doughnuts supplied, (this actually works because the guy will feel bad about not being there before when you showed up).
Show up just a little late and notice that others have shown up before you and have taken your spot in the garage. Notice how they are all KLR's also. Hmmmm???
Starting the Work
Wiggle your way into the garage and say you forgot your camera so someone else will use theirs whenever they feel like it. Start the disassembly process. Can't really go wrong here.
Now things start to go wrong. Of course the host won't have the proper tools, so some ingenuity will be needed. Of course since everyone else is a KLR dude, they won't want to tackle the problem the same way you would. So instead of taking off the top of the tripple, you drop the forks a little. Yes it works, but a lot of hammering in places you don't really want happens.
Notice the washer. Notice how there is just one washer? Don't know where the other one is, don't even know exactly where it came from since someone else was helping me.
Install the mounting hardware then re-install the forks. Now of course they are not going to slide up easily, people will hammer away needlessly, and tell you your "shit" is bent and tweeked. Tell everyone to stop back off while you take off the front wheel and slide the forks up one at a time.
This is re-assemling the front tire after the forks where successfully installed.
Hardware installed.
Also KLR people will make fun of you whenever possible. Starting with "your mom" jokes, stuff about your clothing, and ending with taking pictures of you when they....well, you get the picture.
(you can skip this part too)
Of course you will never have all the parts needed to finish the job, and with the bike not done yet someone else must donate their vehicle. This is a catch-22. On on hand you get to drive a better car then you have, on the other you will get lost because you don't know where you are going. They give you directions to the place, stand around and wait on someone only to tell you they don't sell Yamaha (remember, KLR dudes sent you here). Luckily the parts guy will call another shop for you and give you vague directions. Call back to the guys once in awhile, call the wife, crank the music, and try to be nice to the brand new Dodge Ram 1500 Hemi you are driving. Find your way back whenever you can. After getting back you will notice they have moved your bike out of the garage.
Button everything up
Now that you are done, ask if you can lube your cables. They will tell you to take all your plastics off so you can get to the bottom of the cables. After you get everything apart they will say, "can't be done". Re-assemble everything again.
Now that things are done, you can finally spend some time making fun of the other people in their struggles. Here is a pic of GTK after he has been trying to spoon on his new tires for at least a half hour. Not too happy that I'm making fun of him.
How many people does it take to spoon on a tire?
EPIC!
Home 
Latest images 
