STL to CHI prep

After far too many months (practically years) of not having access to my bike I am preparing to head down to St.Louis and ride back up to Chicago now that I finally have a place to park up here.

Anyway, I left a few things undone that need to be finished before I ride the 300 miles between cities so I figured I would just see if there is anything that I need to check on/replace before I even think about making this trip.

Here is my list so far:
Master Cylinder Rebuild
Replace Brake Shoes
New Tires
Strip/Re-seal Gas-tank
Colortune
Check Drive Chain

I could also go with some recommendations on tires since I really don't know where to start when it comes to the options out there.

 

The easiest site I found so far to look up tires is Old Bike Barn. You can input your year, make, and model and the site will show you specific-sized options for your bike. I tried looking in my Dennis Kirk catalogue and on Bike Bandit but it proved to be a little bit of a headache. I found a set of Kenda sport/touring tires on OBB for my '82 Maxim 550 for about $140 shipped. You get free shipping on orders over $79 at Old Bike Barn.

I'd bring some new oil and a filter if the bike has been sitting that long. Maybe add some Sea Foam to the old oil, get it started and warmed up via idling, then drain and change the filter and oil.

Safe travels!

 

I'd just go through the maintenance schedule and make sure you are up to date on it....which will likely mean do all of the scheduled maintenance.

Do you know that you need to strip and reseal the tank? If you don't have to, don't, and just put an inline filter on instead.

Same thing with the master cylinder...by all means rebuild it if you have to, but it's likely that you need new brake lines instead. They wear out just sitting. Steel braided are worth a lot more than you will pay. Renewing the brake fluid is a good idea too.

Same thing with colortune....that's one of the last steps of a carb cleaning or rebuild....you've done the rest of it, right?

As for tires...I haven't tried them, but after doing a lot of research I'm going with the Pirelli Sport Demon's next time. They're not the longest lasting, nor the fastest...but they are a mix of both. I've heard really good things about them from the local shop, too.

 

Thanks for the Old Bike Barn recommendation Donkey, ended up getting the tires from elsewhere due to a sale, but I will keep them in mind for next time.

My current plan is to take a week off of work for this trip and basically order some of the stuff ahead of time that I _know_ I need to do to make it up here safely. My planned work includes a through run through of the regular maintenance as well as the stuff above.

Just out of curiosity, what is the likelihood of me having to replace the Drive Chain? Should I just order one to be on the safe side? Basically I need to plan as much of this out in advance since I only have a week to get down, do the work, and get back up.

A carb rebuild was actually the first thing I did when I got the bike, so I am on the the last stages of that process (sadly I started school so the project was cut short and is only now getting finished). Going with your advice I am just gonna drop the cash for some new stainless steel brake lines from Chacal when I order some of the other things I need to get.

As for the gas tank, last time I saw it it looked like it was sealed before but not all too well, I don't think it was too bad in there. If I can put off the re-sealing until I get to Chicago I would rather do that. Are there any serious safety concerns? I already installed an inline filter, so I am guessing there shouldn't be any crazy safety issues.

 

Unless it leaks, or is so rusty inside you are clogging your filter and suddenly stopping on I-55, your gas tank is not a safety issue.

PM bigfitz52 about the drive chain. The VAST majority of these bikes are shaft drive. I don't know jack about the chain, but he does.