Hi All,

I'm in the process of my first "real" maintenance session, going through all of the service bulletins, rerouting the fuel lines, making sure everything is A-Ok.

The first thing I noticed after washing my cannibal is that a fairly significant amount of water collected in the plastic tray that holds the computer (under the front plastic, just underneath the air filter). Although there are quite a few drain holes already molded into this plastic tray, I had water pooled in the back of the tray (closest to the handlebars). I drilled 2 small holes in the back corners of this tray at the lowest points and the water drained right out. Kept the holes real small so that there's really no threat that they'll let any dirt back up through the holes.

Secondly, I went to pull my spark plug out to see if it was the 8,9, or 10. Well the spark plug is deep down inside the engine and my spark plug socket wouldn't grip the plug firm enough to bring it up out of the hole after I unscrewed it. So how was I gonna get it out of there? Fingers and Needle-Nose pliers wouldn't fit. My neighbor (a chevy mechanic) wandered into the garage and gave me a really cool trick! We took some rubber fuel line (maybe 5/8" diameter???), shoved it down the hole right over the top of the spark plug and the spark plug came right up on the end of the fuel line. Maybe I'm weird, but I thought it was a neat trick. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Happy Wrenching:

 

Even cheaper solution is to stuff a small amount of a paper towel inside the socket so when it fits over the plug, it holds it real tight when you pull it out.

 

Brian,

The old paper towel trick, I have a vareation of it. One of my buds was being an A$$ so when he went to the head I took some paper towel out, got it good and wet. Stuffed it into his sparkplug boot. Now, while the paper is wet the bike will run, but it does dry and as it does the bike start running poorly. When it is dry it won't run. Of course I waited until the bike wouldn't run. Told him to go ride mine and I'd look at it. I removed the paper, he now thinks I'm a god.

Use with Good friends only, a A$$ whippen could be counted on from this one.

Smitty

 

That's what buddies are for, to play tricks on right??

 

Brian,

Most of mine it's pre-emtive (spelling), LOL

On my week old truck Dodge extra cab one of them was kind enough to remove the pin to the shift linkage under the truck at the tranny. You should have seen my face when I started it, grabbed the shifter and it went to the 5 o'clock postition.

Smitty

 

i purchased 2 magnets to pull the plug out
1 for the garage and one for my trail kit
sears has them in stock, they telescope out
works also for picking up nuts,bolts and sockets that you drop in hard to reach places

 

I use a T-handle plug wrench with a rubber ring in it that grabs the plug, works like a charm.