My bike is back!

I got the call yesterday that my bike is all ready, and I picked it up from the shop at lunchtime! I’m so excited to have it back!

Final total: $781 and change.

I got new brake pads, front and back. They replaced the front brake master cylinder. They replaced the turn signals (and it turns out I think they used the same turn signals I got from eBay – the ones that didn’t work – so I’ve bought them twice, apparently). They re-aligned the forks. I got new tires, and they balanced them.

And it turns out my electrical system was completely effed up – someone had done a real number on it before. There were random wires ran to clamps in random places in the system (one wire terminated in a clamp on the radiator, for example, that didn’t need to be there) and the issue that was causing problems with my taillight was a short near my ignition switch. Apparently, every time the oil light came on, it was blowing a fuse. It took them two hours to fix that issue, but they only charged me for one.

I’m really happy with Riverside’s service. The gf told me they were great – that’s where she used to take the bike before she sold it to me – and I’m happy to second that. The guys were great at communicating with me (I spoke with Rich on the phone several times) and he answered all of my stupid questions. They gave me a detailed breakdown of what they did to the bike, and I think they were good to me in terms of doing a few extras without charging me out the wazoo. It was a bit more expensive than I’d planned when I dropped it off, but it all needed to be done.

And ZOMG the bike rides great now.

I didn’t know any better before, but the new brake pads make a world of difference. The brakes are much more responsive. The new tires are nice and grippy. Having the forks properly aligned makes the bike a joy to ride again, instead of making me a nervous wreck like I was when I took it to the shop.

In short: it’s awesome.

I’m going to change the oil today, and put the new windscreen on. And then my bike will be ready for whatever I care to throw at it!

I am marginally apprehensive because when I picked it up, Rich told me that the tires will be a bit slick because there’s a preservative that they put on the tires that will wear off as I ride. He said go easy on it for the first 100 to 150 miles. The last thing I want, with a recent crash under my belt, is slippery. But the tires are awesome and grippy, and it looks like we’re doing a day-trip tomorrow, so I should cover the break-in period for the tires during the outbound portion of the trip.

Now that the bike is home and rideable, I want to ride it! And am re-thinking the trip I was planning for June… I might try to do it after all, even with only a few weeks of riding under my belt. We’ll see.

So the bike is pretty much all ready to go – I just need to put the new windscreen on, and do a bit more painting on the fairing. It’s not going to be pristine, but it’s good enough that you can’t see any damage from 5 feet away. All you can see up close is the brush strokes from the paint.

I’ll take that.