Apr 29-30, 2023
0 miles

With several days’ worth of riding completed after last year’s clutch job, I was beginning to feel that things weren’t quite all in tune yet where shifting is concerned. While I was happy with the actual response while changing gears, the improvement threw into sharp relief the action of my clutch lever, which felt sloppy and spongy. I had to really pull it almost all the way to the grip when changing gears, and the lever itself had at least one inch of vertical play in it. When comparing it to my newer low-mileage ST, it is simply amazing what you get used to when riding the same bike all the time! I’d also experienced a sporadic mysterious fluid leak from the clutch reservoir area that has permanently stained my left side plastic, so I hoped to also fix the source of that once and for all.

The final straw came on the recent Harry’s RTE ride, when I stalled out in traffic at some point and scrambled to restart the bike, having to quickly kick it to neutral first. This had happened a few times at intersection stops, not being able to start it in gear, even with the lever pulled all the way. I hadn’t really considered it a priority matter until now, and it’s very clearly a safety issue that requires fixing. so I did what I usually do and pored over articles and posts on st-owners.com and determined that I would need to at least clean, if not replace the clutch switch to fix that particular issue.

Considering all of these related issues, I decided to address them all at once, with at minimum a rebuild of the clutch master cylinder, which seemed way overdue. Since parts can often take a couple of weeks to arrive, I just added all the possible parts I might need to my order, including a new clutch lever. The shipment actually arrived within a week for once, so I dedicated this weekend to working on giving the bike some TLC.

First up was an easy win – installing my new Zumo XT Lock from motopumps.com. After the XT came flying out of the mount last year at full speed over a construction bump during the LDX rally, I determined that the windshield vent had most likely hit the top button on the Zumo mount and released the GPS. This clever little bracket will ensure that button cannot be pressed without some finagling to remove the security screw.

While the yankee in me moans at spending $70 for what amounts to three small pieces of metal, I respect that they designed a very lightweight and unobtrusive solution that solves two different problems (in my case) with the Zumo XT – security and premature ejection. 😳 So with the Big Dance coming up soon, I broke down and forked over the cash.

So that was easy. Now this:

After covering the fuel tank with a big contractor bag, I used my Mityvac compressor attachment to empty out the clutch reservoir completely, which of course you would normally NEVER want to do, for fear of introducing air into the hydraulic lines. However, it was necessary for the rebuild so slurp, slurp slurp! As I began the disassembly of the lever and master cylinder, I could easily see how worn down everything was when compared to the new parts.

Closely following the guidance off the ST forum, I got everything apart, cleaned with acetone, and stuck all back together with new parts in what I hoped was the correct arrangement. Not too difficult a job actually, even for me, given the right hand-holding.

The following day, I continued with the work. I’m getting a bit more familiar with the process of bleeding the lines as well, and there was a great tip about cracking open the banjo bolt at a certain time in the process to release stuck air. It all went pretty smoothly, in fact. I topped things off with a fresh reservoir gasket, as the old one was quite deformed and very possibly the cause of the mysterious slow leakage.

The lever felt so much better, and I could tell I would now enjoy much finer control over my shifting. While I tried out contact cleaner on the filthy old clutch switch, I couldn’t get it working so I gave up on it, having already spent for the part. The new switch worked perfectly, allowing me to start the bike back up while in gear. I was super happy with the results of what had turned out to be pretty straightforward maintenance.

While reviewing my maintenance logs in preparation for the IBR, I realized that I’d somehow neglected to change my spark plugs for 100K miles (!). I really am spoiled owning a Honda. 🤭 So I took this opportunity on a maintenance day to install fresh ones. This time I decided to try the optional hi-temp model allowed by Honda for the ST, thinking about how hot the engine was likely to get over the upcoming 11 day IBR. There was a bit of rattling from the engine after firing it up the first time with the new plugs, but reseating a couple of the hard-to-access coils seemed to settle things down.

On Wednesday, I found time after work at last to get out for a ride to test things out, and it felt like a new bike, shifting-wise. There were storms in the area, due to arrive a bit later, so the skies offered a dramatic backdrop as I tore up my regular hour-long loop.

 

Now, of course, that the clutch was fixed and feeling really tight, I noticed how really squishy my brakes were feeling, especially the rear…

 

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May 6, 2023
~103 miles

Time for a full brake fluid flush – my log revealed that I’d neglected this a bit too long as well… for about 100K miles. Yikes – those miles certainly fly by! After work Thursday I had to make an unplanned run to the local dealer to stock up on brake fluid. I’m planning to do the other bike as well so I bought like 10 bottles. The clerk at the dealer said he never saw anyone buy so much at once – LOL.

This morning, I attended NER’s annual Meet & Greet in West Boylston MA, helping the other admins play host, pass out stickers, collect lunch money, etc. It’s always a great time, and we had a stellar spring weather day for it. Turnout was huge after the pandemic hiatus.

Then, rather than listening to my id and joining a group for the traditional ice cream ride, I packed up and headed home to get done what needed doing. I pulled into the garage and got right to work.

On an ST, a full brake flush requires removing the right-side plastic from the bike, always a fun process for any major maintenance. Flushing the brake lines  is an orchestrated procedure, since the front and rear brakes are linked and so the lines must be done in a specific alternating order, moving from caliper to caliper, to ensure all the old fluid and air pockets are bled out. I was used to the mechanics of the process by now, and just hummed along with my tunes as I worked.

It’s easier with a helper to fill the reservoir as you bleed the lines, but Char was away today, so I managed it solo, if more slowly. The liquid that came out of those lines, especially the rear, was almost the consistency of water. Filthy, muddy water. Yuck! How I was ever stopping the bike with the brakes in this condition remains a mystery.

It’s slow work (for me), but I got it all done and the brake response was feeling nice and stiff, even the rear brake pedal now, with the fresh fluid running in her veins. I buttoned everything back up by the end of the day, excited to have renewed braking capability for the spirited group ride I am leading tomorrow.