Don't run dry! / 20,000 km service

["Anderson, Neil G" <AndersNG@xxxxxx>]

Hello all,

Last week, the Orient Express was in for a 20,000 km service (that'll be
12,000 miles for the imperialists, or anyone out there who counts on all
twelve fingers)  They did all the usual stuff (all the exhaust valves were
in tolerance, three of the inlet valves were a bit tight and were adjusted,
back brake pad changed) & loaded the latest sports tune and the next day the
Lovely Ballast and I rode down the Autobahn to meet Jonathan in Darmstadt.

The fuel consumption was a bit higher than usual - possibly because we were
going into high winds, possibly because we'd set off late and I decided to
give the bike a good high speed test (see, I can actually go quite fast as
long as it's in a straight line).  The tank ran dry about 500 m before
Jonathan's flat, just round the corner from a handy petrol station.

For the rest of the weekend, the bike was running a bit rough - especially
noticeable in mid-range revs in the lower gears.  I thought this might have
been dirt in the bottom of the tank getting into the injection system when
the tank ran dry; I took the bike back to the dealers this week and went to
pick it up this evening.  The boss himself had looked at it and said he'd
adjusted the idle air stepper motor and throttle bodies (or whatever they're
called in English on an FI engine) and loaded the tune again and it was
running much better when he tested it.  Apparently the stepper motor
position is reset as part of the 20,000 km service work, presumably when
they take off the air box.  He said the computer resets the stepper motor
position over the next 100 km or so.  Something worth bearing in mind if
your bike isn't running right after the service?

He also said the front disc rotors were slightly warped and he has asked for
replacements for them (and the pads, with luck) from Triumph under
guarantee.  Since I'm away on business for the next ten days, I left the
bike with him to fit a new chain - it was just OK at the service but went
really loose & rattly over the 1,500 km weekend.  He'll be putting on
something better quality than the Triumph standard, he said, and now I've
finally got the Scottoiler oiling the chain rather than the air, I expect
the new chain to last a lot longer!

He'll also be putting on Metzeler MEZ 4 tyres** to replace the squared-off
Michelins.

So the Orient Express will be a new bike when I get back the week after
next.

Cost for the lot?  DM 880 for the service (I think that's about US$450?),
tweaking the stepper motor and swapping the rotors should be free and I wait
with clenched wallet to see what the chain and tyres** cost!

Jonathan & I have both had our bikes running rough after the tank ran dry,
so it's probably worth avoiding running out of fuel just in case the same
happens - unless you enjoy aerobic exercise pushing the bike!

Neil
** OK, so I can spell proper English! ;-)

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