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Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Clean Up The Kwak! - Walnut, CA – 10&11 June 2018


10 June 2018 – Today I’m going to start the process of refreshing my motorcycle for the trip home. I first have to remove both saddle bags, the side panels on both sides, and the gas tank. I want to flush out all the dirt that has accumulated and be able to pressure wash off any stuck-on chain oil. The rear wheel hub, spokes and the rim is coated in chain oil. The swing arm on chain side was equally covered in chain oil. So, the plan is to coat the engine, wheels and swing arm with Gunk Jell degreaser and let it soak for some time. Then use my brother's garden hose with high pressure through a jet nozzle and spray all the grease and dirt that has come loose off the bike. 

All of the above was only about 75% per cent effective. This is about par for the course. So, the next course of action is to wash all the remaining grease off the wheels and the swing arm. A messy job to say the least. I drained some gasoline out of my gas tank into a pan. I put on rubber gloves and took a rag saturated with gasoline and wiped down the wheels, spokes and hub. I did this several times to get all the grease and road dirt off. I then wiped off as much of the swing arm as possible. I re-applied the Gunk Jell again and let it soak for a while again. Then I rinsed off the motorcycle once more with high pressure water. I dried it off in the sun and called it good. I will clean it some more as I refresh the motorcycle. 

I drained some more fresh gasoline out of my gas tank and then wiped all the grease residue off my saddle bags. It took several tries but they cleaned up nicely. I washed the underside of the gas tank because that’s always the dirtiest. I moved all my saddle bags, plastic side panels and seat into the garage. I wanted everything out of the way when I started tearing into this motorcycle. I am glad that I have my motorcycle mostly clean. I see the new Michelin Anakee III rear tire that Mary mailed to me is here. That will be the first thing I will tackle on my motorcycle. 

11 June 2018 – Today I will remove the rear wheel and clean the swing arm, axle, spacers, axle adjusters, swing arm side shields, sprocket assembly and rear brake caliper bracket. I also will check and see if I need new rear brake caliper pads. Everything will be cleaned and ready for re-installing the rear wheel with a new tire.

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