After finding what I surmised to be an oil leak on the bike I had it trailered down to Maxwil Trading in Kilarney Gardens and had a discussion with Claus, the owner. I told him what I had found and also requested the regular service for 110,000kms, he assured me that he would find the problem and come back to me.
After an anxious couple of days Claus called me on Friday to say that he had carefully checked the differential and the engine and there was no sign of any leaks! He had changed the oil in the engine and it was good and clean however the left front fork was leaking and both would have to be re-chromed and have new seals fitted. He quoted me the price to which I agreed and he would call me back when it was finished.
Eventually Claus called me back to say the bike was ready, he had taken it for a run and it had stood overnight and there were no signs of oil leaking anywhere. The service had been completed and the forks were now cean and tight.
My buddy Frank took me down to Capetown and I had a good chat with Claus, in his opinion the bike was in very good condition and good for another ten years and another 100,000kms which was what I needed to hear as I cannot afford to upgrade inless I win the Lotto!
The ride back was fantastic and what I noticed immediately was how different the front felt, over the years (from whenever the fork started leaking) I started getting a very slight vibration in the handlebars which would tend to numb my hands and if I left go of the bars the bike would pull very slightly to the right. This I obviously got used to and compensated for but now the front feel light yet firmly planted and tracks dead straight, amazing!
The power is immediate and exhilerating, very easy to break the law!
Needless to say we went for a ride straight away, it was amazing how much I had missed the big red machine during the two weeks it was away but now it is better than ever and fully ready for my end of April trip to Africa Bike Week in Margate, Kwa-Zulu Natal South Coast some 1,650kms away but more of that later.
If you are looking for a really good bike mechanic I can thoroughly recommend Claus at Maxwil Trading in Kilarney Gardens. He does a thorough job, keeps in contact over things that need to be done but does not replace things unnessarily, which I really appreciated.
Give him a call on 021 5568954 and tell him I sent you. Oh and he doesn't do Harleys!
See you on the road.
3 comments:
I can so relate to your love for motorcycle. I had to take mine to the mechanic recently as well. Worst two weeks of my life without it!!
Woohoo! So glad you got the bike back and are race ready.
Thanks for your comments Brandy and Johnson, it's really quite amazing how much one misses the bike - even if you don't ride it, it's there and you can look at it!
Have a great and safe long weekend and hopefully do some riding.
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