Joined
·
239 Posts
Having recently joined the ranks of the unemployed (retired) and with a CA trip coming up, I thought it would be a good time to do a spark plug check. Realizing that the plugs hide in cramped quarters behind the radiator, I decided to remove the front wheel and fender first to give me a little more room to work. This of course meant that I had to support the front end somehow. Not particularly wanting to work on a bike that's threatening to fall on me, I took some time figuring out how to use my car's scissors jack along with a bottle jack as a back-up to raise the front end, talk about overkill! It almost wasn't worth the effort, however, as I soon found out. I knew that after removing a screw, the radiator could be pulled forward, as my VStrom and SV 650 both worked that way, what I didn't realize was that the Burgman's radiator was a little different in that it is hinged on the right hand side and swings forwards, like a gate, only not quite so far, in fact, hardly at all! Anyway, I managed to sqeeze my hand in and remove the left hand plug, but the right hand bugger lives close to the hinged side of the rad and there was no way to get in there. I couldn't even SEE the plug cap, never mind get my hands on it! OK, so I unbolted the hinge and tried to pull the rad forward, but no way, the water hoses were connected to the top and bottom RIGHT hand side of the rad and prevented any noticeable movement. Since the hoses are connected to the back of the rad, there is no way to get at the clamps to unscrew them, even with the maintenance cover removed. In fact, according to the manual, to remove the rad, one has to first remove the leg shield and floorboard. To remove the leg shield, you first remove the handlebar covers, the front panel and lower leg shield! No, I'm not kidding.
So now my Burgie is back together, safely on its centerstand, with one clean sparkplug, waiting for a time when I feel up to doing a complete teardown!
For those wishing to attempt this procedure I have posted some pics on the photo page. Good luck!
So now my Burgie is back together, safely on its centerstand, with one clean sparkplug, waiting for a time when I feel up to doing a complete teardown!
For those wishing to attempt this procedure I have posted some pics on the photo page. Good luck!