[rjs987]

I've seen threads like this on other forums and figured "why not?"

So to start. Today was very windy. Temps are around 74F which is really warm for March in central Iowa. And sunny too. But the clouds are moving in and getting ready to rain about 2 inches in the next 2 days starting tonight.
So my wife and I pulled the Rav4 out of the garage and washed it. It is white, but was starting to look a really darker shade of gray.

While that was being done I decided to also pull out the AK 550 and wash that as well. It was overdue from winter/cold riding. Before I bought my AK I was unfamiliar with how to care for a bike with a Matte finish. I noticed that some people have equated that to a satin finish but those are 2 different finishes... not the same thing. Even the cleaners that are specialized for those finished state they are for Matte AND Satin finishes.

Anyway, before I bought mine I had posted the question about how to properly take care of a Matte finish and the most common reply on a few different forums was to simply wash with clear water and wipe down with a microfiber cloth. NO cleaners (at least never use cleaners made for most car bodies or motorcycle panels) or that will cause the Matte finish to become blotchy and look really bad. And definitely NO WAX. That would be even worse on the Matte finish. As I said above there are special cleaners made for a Matte finish but I figured the most economical method was the most commonly suggested one... rinse well with just water and wipe with a microfiber cloth. So that's what I did. The bike looks new now!

In a few days after the rain is done I'll be going out for a ride.

 

[rjs987]

But in keeping with THE subject of this thread...

What did you DO with YOUR scooter today?

 

[rjs987]

Good to just move forward with it from here.

 

[rjs987]

Not really WITH my scooter but FOR my scooter.
Went to Walmart to get some Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 oil for my AK. Gathering what I'll need to do the oil change coming up in early May, or sooner if I end up riding enough. Their web site said they had it in stock for pickup today so I went in. Half the oil stock on the shelves was missing entirely. And no full Synthetic Rotella T6 anywhere. Lot's of empty space on that wall. I did see they had Super Tech 4-stroke full Synthetic motorcycle oil in 10W-40 in the 1 qt sized, and seemed to have plenty of that. Based on the cost for the Rotella online the Super Tech oil was about $8 more per gallon. I decided to shop around to see if another Walmart or other store in the area had the Rotella since that's what I've always used in all my bikes since 2004. When I came home and looked again the Walmart web site showed out of stock on the T6 5W-40 this time. But they did show a 2.5 gallon jug that could be ordered... for a higher price than the Super Tech qt bottles would be. I am thinking they just didn't update the web site with what they will be able to get now since the price on the one gallon T6 that was out of stock is the same as it was last year. I guess I'll have to go back and get the Super Tech stuff. Same specs. Produced by Warren Oil. JASO MA2 spec. $7.86/qt. Must have oil that is JASO MA or MA2 spec'd, which means nothing that is Resource Conserving, since the AK does have a wet clutch like all my previous bikes. Don't want slipping clutch plates.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Te...-40-4-Stroke-Motorcycle-Oil-1-Quart/556497072

 

[rjs987]

Did go back to Walmart and bought 7 qts of the Super Tech 4-stroke full Synthetic 10W-40 motorcycle oil. It's the blue bottle with the silhouette picture of a sport bike on the front.
Took the long way around on my bike just to burn off a little more gas from the tank, but not real far. The last red bar was already flashing so only rode about 8 miles, so double the distance than if I just went straight there and back. I put 3.06 gallons in the tank after 160.5 miles. Calculates out to just over 52 mpg. A while back I siphoned out the tank and measured how much I refilled to a full tank. I wasn't able to get all the gas out of the tank that time (didn't have a siphon bulb... yet, but I do now) but still put back in 3.4 gal and estimate possibly another half gallon was still in the bottom of the tank. So I figure I had enough for another 25 miles. The official spec for my AK 550 is a 3.9 gallon tank. When the last red bar flashes it is a strong suggestion to start looking for gas, about 55 miles left in the tank. Then when that drops off the red "E" starts flashing and that means I only have about 15 miles to go before the tank is dry.

The next oil change interval (3000 miles) on my AK does not require a filter change. It is the only oil change on the schedule that doesn't. Every oil change, at 6000 miles and every 6000 miles after that, does also show to change the filter. The AK only needs 2.6 L of oil without the filter change and 2.7 L of oil with a filter change. So 2.8 qts with a filter change. The total capacity if I should totally drain the system, such as in an engine rebuild (that I really don't every expect to need), is 3 L or just over 3.1 qts.

 

[rjs987]

Well, did it again. My wife received an email from the local grocery store with a one day sale on Lays chips. As you all know the price of groceries, including chips, is way higher than it used to be just recently. So off I go to get 2 bags of the coveted chips. A 2.6 mile round trip that I turned into a 20 mile ride. My wife was wondering how far that store was that I decided to go to. I told her it was the local store but it was a long way to get back home! A total of 28 miles just today doing errands and shopping to stores that are only 1.3 or 2.5 miles away.

BTW- I do expect the mpg on my AK to improve through the summer months. Any new bike will get the worse mpg when new and that improves for each 1000 miles added. My CTX1300 started out close to 40 mpg but by the time it reached 8000 miles I was getting 48-52 mpg during summer months. These engines love warmer temps also.

 

[rjs987]

Cut down the over grown yews across the front of the house yesterday morning and spent the rest of the day cutting up the branches into smaller bits to put in the recycle bags. We can pack a lot in those bags when it's cut up. Did more cutting this morning. My wife with the loppers for the skinny branches and me with the electric chain saw for the thick branches. When I say over grown I mean 3 yews spanning 15 ft like a continuous hedge that is almost 6 ft tall and very dense. Some of the branches at the base were 5 inches diameter and one or two up to 8 inches diameter. So the chain saw was needed for those. It was getting warm, finally. Today was supposed to get up to just over 70F but actually got up to 80F. So this afternoon I put down the garden tools and went out for a ride.

Rode 104 miles today on a figure 8 loop route on several county roads I had not been on for a little while and a few that were entirely new to me. Mostly all alone on these roads. I did see several groups of motorcycles out today. A few of them of at least a dozen of what looked like Harleys but definitely all V-Twin cruisers. Lots of leather vests and a few leather chaps, all with patches everywhere. But they gave me the biker wave anyway. I didn't look to see if any rider jerked their hand back when they realized I was riding a scooter. I'm sure a few did. No pics of the groups since they were all going the other way as I was riding.

 

[rjs987]

In preparing for my first long-ish trip on the AK I've been gathering and checking a few things. Since I don't have a top case on this bike I am returning to how I packed with CTX1300, which also did not have the top case. I have a large dry bag that I first bought and used with my first 2005 Burgman 650. It sat in storage for several years but I checked and it is still good to use now. That bag is 55 L I think, so it will fit everything I usually would put in a top case (the last one I had on my 2013 Burgman 650 was a 46 L case) plus the few items that will not fit into the smaller under seat storage box... about a half helmet worth of stuff.

While I was out filling the tank today I also stopped by Lowe's and bought a Battery Tender Jr. They had them for $5 less than Amazon and most other places and as a bonus I get a 10% military discount off of that. I normally carry a set of motorcycle specific jumper cables when I ride on longer trips just in case. Same as taking along the tire plug kit and other tools. I already have the Battery Tender Plus for when I park in the garage but that might find its way to being used for the JD tractor so I now have 3 maintainers, one for my wife's Metropolitan, one for the JD tractor and now the BT Jr for the AK. The BT Jr takes up a little less space than the jumper cable set so that will save me a little there, even with the alligator clip cord that come with it. Testing the BT Jr now on the AK and it seems to be working just fine. I really don't expect to HAVE to use it while on the trip but it will be along just in case. I will bring the alligator clip cord just in case someone else at the campground needs a little battery boost. Won't be the first time I've assisted someone with a 1100 or 1300 sport touring bike get running again.

 

[rjs987]

Had some time today while my grand daughter was off to preschool and my wife was getting her long walk in as well as some shopping. So I decided to get the oil change done. 2669 was on the odometer. This was the 3000 mile service interval but since I'll be half way to northern TN when the odo ticks over to that I decided to get it done before I leave on my trip. I also checked the Timing Belt (final drive belt) and measured the clearance from the retainer ring to the edge of the belt. That ended up being 1.5 mm at the closest so within tolerance. I'll leave it for now. When the the rear tire gets replaced, or when the belt needs to be replaced, I'll adjust it to be more centered on the rear sprocket. The oil level was right at mid level on the dip stick before I started. I like having a dip stick instead of the sight glass. I've had a sight glass on all my bikes except my Gold Wing 16 years ago. After the oil change I added about 2.6 L oil. That's all it takes for just the oil change without an oil filter change. Every oil change after this will be with a filter change as well and that should be 2.7 L. This job is easier on the AK than any other bike. Even though there are 2 engine oil drain plugs (one for the engine side of a small divider inside the reservoir and one for the clutch side), both plugs are on the side of the bottom edge of the engine and easily accessed without removing any panels. There is no final drive oil or "transmission" oil to change as on the Burgman (which I always did at the same time as changing engine oil). I reset the oil mile reading and am all set to go until the next interval at 6000 miles. That will be the last short interval oil change so I'll be able to settle into a 6000 mile oil change interval after that.

 

[rjs987]

Finally got around to adding the storage box divider I bought a several months ago. It uses double stick tape on the side channels that hold it so didn't want to even try until temps were above 60F. They were today and will likely stay there overnight and tomorrow in the garage at least. I have a lot of stuff in the storage as always (as you can see) and until the double stick tape sets up on the box sides I won't move anything to behind the divider. The storage box in the AK 550 is sloped from shallow in the rear to deep in front so this will help to organize things. If I need to I can slide the divider out to have the full length of the storage box. I ordered this from AliExpress.

 

[rjs987]

Today I removed some parts and panels on my AK to install the emergency latch release and prepare to install a flashing brake and tail light LED bar. I removed the storage box which is incredibly easy. Just 6 bolts right out there in plain sight and then lift the box right out. Then a few other panels for when I run a pair of wires. Then I installed the latch release cable. I have read at least one incident on a forum where an AK owner couldn't get the keyless switch to turn on so he could not operate the seat latch release to get anything out of the storage box. I think his battery was low, or the battery in his fob was low or something. But the point was that there was an issue that caused the switch to not turn on rendering him locked out of the under seat storage with no way to open it. Since this was a very good idea for the Burgman 650 as well as the 400, and also a good idea for any scooter of any brand or model (you never know what might happen to prevent the normal seat latch release to operate), I decided to put it on my AK 550. It was even a little easier to install than it was on my Burgman 650. I'll include one picture of crimping the cable onto the latch mechanism but of course no pics of the finished product... that's secret.

 

[rjs987]

Amazon FINALLY delivered some connectors I needed to finish the LED brake light bar today. I had been just picking at the install while waiting for the connectors. Amazon messed up the first order so I had to re-order and Amazon refunded my half price for their error. Here is the result.
First the LED bar NOT connected with OEM running lights.

And now running lights with the LED bar connected.

Then the LED bar NOT connected and OEM brake lights.

And brake lights with LED bar connected.

That rope is so I can operate the brakes while standing back to take the picture.

Here is a link to a video that shows the brake LED bar in action.
New video by Robert Shwery

 

[rjs987]

Here is the pdf file for the LED flashing brake light bar I installed.
I will say that working on the AK 550 is easier than working on my Burgman 650. The clips and hooks on the panels are way better. Stronger and less likely to snap or break off and so far the panels and parts I've removed and reinstalled were a lot easier to work with. Many of the plastic rivets are even stronger and a little thicker and the placement of screws, bolts and plastic rivets seem to be better thought out.

 

[rjs987]

Just went out for some errands. Needed some camping supplies (Mountain House food) and a flower for the Mrs.
Long stem roses are long, but I found if I bend the last 3 inches of the stem it fits under the seat just fine without crushing. She usually cuts off about 6 inches anyway. Got her a single yellow rose. She's not real big on a large bouquet of flowers that will only last a few days. She prefers flowers in pots that keep growing all season and some she keeps indoors during the cold season and they thrive. And she likes yellow flowers, but gets all colors to put around the landscaping.

Anyway, rode only 15 miles for a 5 mile shopping trip. Just a little more shake down before my longer camping trip next week to northern TN.

 

[rjs987]

Just went for a little ride today. Needed to take some things to my son at his work... which is way closer than his home. and the fill the tank to make ready for my riding/camping trip. I ended up riding 17 miles today. Filled the tank with only 1.313 gallons for a price of $3.80/gal. Higher price than it has been lately and I thought it was starting to go down. Ran 72.8 miles before the fill-up and calculated 55.4 mpg. I leave on my trip early Wednesday morning.

Still waiting on the luggage rack for my AK to be delivered. It's 2 weeks later than they initially promised when I put in the order and one week later than the first updated ETA. I did receive the Givi Monokey plate that attaches to it but that's no help for this trip if the luggage rack doesn't show up. The USPS is still saying delivery today expected... yeah, I've seen that before.

 

[rjs987]

I'm all set for the start of my moto/camping trip tomorrow. Tank is filled and now the AK 550 is packed. The Givi SR6110 luggage rack did arrive finally today but was damaged so I refused receipt of it and the USPS is in charge of returning it now. So I packed the AK without the aid of a luggage rack giving added support to the tail end of my dry bags. This is how it all packed on. I still had some space in the under seat storage also! Actually the only items I didn't pack in that storage box are my regular shoes and my small camp chair, both of which I did pack in that storage on my Burgman 650. It's possible if I removed the divider I have in there I'd be able to fit the camp chair in there as well but those all fit into that yellow dry bag on the passenger seat. The stack looks tall, and I did notice the extra weight while moving the AK out of the garage and back in for this picture. It is a little more top heavy now but not nearly as much as if I had a passenger sitting back there. That very top dry bag is just below my shoulders. I prefer packing those bags inline with the bike like this because there is nothing sticking out to catch the wind. It is completely behind me. No obstructions in the mirrors like there would be if I set the dry bags cross-ways on the seat.
That white dry bag in the step through tunnel is a 20 L dry bag. This time I do have it somewhat full but enough room for my wind liner to fit when it warms up during the day on my travels. Those dry bags on the passenger seat make for a fantastic back rest! 😁

edit: that green bungee cord is held on each side of the seat by 6" rubber coated steel loops that I put over the helmet pins under the seat. I do normally use one of those loops to hang my helmet on the side since the D ring of the helmet scratches the plastic right at the bottom of the seat but these loops do not.

 

[rjs987]

Well, the Givi SR6110 luggage rack finally came in yesterday. So I installed the luggage rack and plate on my AK 550 this morning.
There are some foam self stick pads that go on the mounting braces of the rack that I put on last night since it's always good to let the self stick adhesive bond overnight.
I also loosely mounted the black Givi Monokey aluminum plate to the rack.
This morning I removed the factory carrier handles and installed the rack with the plate. This was even a little bit easier than installing the luggage rack on the CTX1300 since there was no plastic insert to wedge out.
The plate I have is the Givi M8B black aluminum Monokey mounting plate. Since I don't intend to add a top case at this time I removed the studs that lock into the front bottom of a Monokey top case and saved them for possible future use, just to have a flat plate without those sticking up. I left the locking bracket at the rear of the plate since Givi put some sealer on the screw heads holding it in. Besides, that piece just might come in handy to prevent stuff from sliding off the back of the plate. This plate has multiple slots for securing tie-down straps like bungee cords and ROK straps.

 

[rjs987]

Earlier today I removed the old visor from my helmet that has the Pin-Lock insert on it. When I bought this white helmet I decided to keep using the visor from my older helmet since it was still clear and in good shape. So I had put the new visor from the new helmet in a soft pouch on the shelf. I decided I didn't need the Pin-Lock insert since it doesn't help my eye glasses anyway and I use other means to keep those clear in cold weather riding. I was amazed at how cloudy my old visor had become and how totally transparent the new visor was! It still had the plastic overlay that they ship with on it and I peeled that off when I put it on the helmet. It was like there was no visor there but the wind was being blocked. Was very nice.

Rode to Chick-fil-a for dinner tonight. Very short ride at 4.1 miles. When I pulled into the parking lot and was getting of my bike a lady who followed me in and was headed to the drive through stopped and yelled at me. At first I only heard someone talking loud at me but after I got my helmet off I heard her say that she loved my jacket... she could see me a half mile away! Not very often I get comments about how visible I am to others in monster trucks/SUVs so this was good to hear. It's good to be seen. 😁
I wear a TM Pivot Hi-Viz jacket and a white helmet.

 

[rjs987]

Just a little errand today. Turned 4.6 miles into 13.3 miles to run to Walmart and pickup a bag of Miracle Grow potting mix and a few other things.
First time I actually used the luggage rack since I installed it. The 2 cu ft bag of potting mix extended just an inch or two beyond the end of it. Used the smaller ROK straps to hold it.

 

[rjs987]

Ran out to pick up a birthday present for one of the grand kids today. With the price of gas getting to be 75% higher than it was last year... or more... riding on 2 wheels is more and more the default mode of transport. Of course, I've always considered riding before taking the cage unless there was no way to strap on the bike what I need to carry... like my sliding compound miter saw with its stand. Gas tank was more than half gone so I knew the end of the ride today would be at the gas station. And with daily increases being the norm it was a good idea anyway before tomorrow's increase is added to the price.

Anyway, my grandson likes to create stop-action movies with his Avengers characters and Godzilla/King Kong stuff and needed one of those "helping hands" clamp/stands to do these. Harbor Freight has the smaller ones that can be combined to make bigger ones for half the price of buying a purpose made big one so I tacked on 43 miles to the odometer today riding all the country roads I could yet still get to HF for what I needed. Then I filled the tank just before getting back home. Calculated that the last tank was 54 mpg over 154.8 miles.