30,000km (18,000 miles) service - anything to look out for??

[Viking]

Morning all,

I've always had the Falco serviced by reputable mechanic people, but have decided to finally take the plunge and start doing things myself...

I've done a search through the forum here and read the service manual - it all looks fairly straight forward to do the 30,000km service myself.

The two things that are worrying me are:

• * changing the fork seals (because the service manual says so)
  * checking the valve clearance (never done a bucket & shim before)

Do I need any special tools? Are there any possible problems I should look out for?

Oh, and where's a good place to buy the oil filter and spark plugs from?

Thanks,
Viking

[HisNibbs]

Do the fork seals when and if they show signs of needing it. Valves worth a look and probably for peace of mind only. Just make sure the ratchet on your socket set is pretty fine as there is not a lot of space around the cam covers.

[Falcopops]

If the seals aren't leaking then leave them.

The valve clearances will probably be ok, but worth checking. The front is a pain to get to the front nuts, but can be done with kncukles and extension bars, last tim I did mine I went throught the gap above the rad from the front.

Do the rears 1st pretty easy and will give you the idea of what you're doing.

Also on the frontbe aware that the cam position sensor wire may need to be sealed a little instant gasket should do and take care to get the gasket properly in place when putting the rocker cover back on, it's difficult at the front and awkward to see properly, I've done it by feel in the past, but I did pinch it the 1st time I did it and it pissed oil, so had to reseat it which means taking the cover off again, so well worth getting it right the 1st time.

No special tools required apart fromthe aforementioned knockle joint for the ratchet set, a decent torque wrench and hex(allen) bits and holder for the end of your ratchet (cant remember the size of the allen key).

IIRC there is an Aprilia shop on Elizabeth Street and EuroBrit motorcycles should be able to help, but they are expensive.

Make sure you get the correct length oil filter. If you've upgraded to the longer filter the cap it hides behind will be obviously proud of the surrounding cases and the bolts will be well behind the end of the cap. If you've got the original filter the cap does not stand out and is pretty flat against the rest of the casing, the bolts are close to the end of the cap.

IIRC the short filters are 2.75 inches and the long ones 3.75 inches.

Found the link to explain, with pics of the different caps

http://www.af1racing.com/store/scripts/ ... oduct=7770

[wayno]

Totally agree about the fork seals, thet're a service item where the term " if it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies. If you screw up fitting the new ones slightly you will have knackered a set for no reason

[Viking]

Thanks guys. I was wondering why Aprilia would want me to change a set of perfectly good fork seals.

Which sort of leads in to the next question - how hard is it to replace the oil in the forks? (Have done "right-way-up" forks heaps of times, just never touched a set of "upside-down" ones before.)

Do I have to pull the forks out? (I hope not, as I don't have an Abba stand / headstem stand... And I don't think the beams in the garage would appreciate me hanging the Falco from them.)

I guess I'd better put the shopping list together and hit the bike shop(s) on the weekend...

[wayofthedarkhand]

I've past 18,000 how come my service light never came on?

Going to get it done in Jan anyway

[Aladinsaneuk]

I have just had my forks serviced

Reason was because I could - and I figured that after 13 years they probably did need it

I paid 175 quid - to me that was worth it

(I use a headstock front lift btw..... Remember to slacken the hard to move things first - and turn the bars to remove the axle...)

[blinkey501]

When you have done the valve clearance check, and when you screw the bolts back which hold the rocker covers on.
I would advise you put some copper grease on the bolts has you will be screwing the bolts back into aluminium.
This will allow easy removal next time and stop the aluminium threads from corroding

[Viking]

So much for doing the service over Christmas....

Never got a chance to touch the bike. Maybe over a few week nights, depending on the missus and the baby.

[Viking]

And the bike is in my workshop! Yay!

All I've managed to do so far is get the yellow-spring shock back into it (bloody hell that blue-spring thing was terrible). But it's a start.

Next on the list is the HID kit, then the service and the Renegade "airbox" and the Gabro chip and the RSVR mirrors and the adjustable foot pegs.

At this rate, it might be next Christmas before I ride it again....

[Viking]

Got the HID installed. What a prick of a job.

Got the oil and filter changed, too. It looks like the sump plug has a helicoil in it, so some monkey must have stripped it when I had the bike serviced by a bike shop...

Interestingly enough, the secondary drain plug hiding just to the rear of the oil filter was done up so tight I couldn't get it out. So I left it. The same went for cleaning the in-tank oil filter.

It makes me worried when bolts that are supposed to be easy to remove aren't. What else did the monkeys do?

[Falcopops]

The second drain is done up super tight from the factory and takes a bit of brute force to move it. IIRC it has a magnet on the end that picks out the ferrous swarf, worth doing it next oil change.

I wouldn't worry about the helicoil, plenty have them and they're stronger than the original thread.

[mangocrazy]

I wouldn't worry about the helicoil, plenty have them and they're stronger than the original thread.

I'd second that - mine went on only the second oil change from new, as I was carefully doing it up with a torque wrench. I had a Time-Sert put in by the local shop and it's stronger than new now. It's probably saved you doing it yourself at some point, to be honest.

[Viking]

This is turning into the world's slowest service...

I got the coolant drained last night. Mostly into a bucket, a big puddle on the floor and a lot on me... Tonight's job will be to mix up the proper witch's brew of coolant and water.

How do I get the rear cylinder rocket cover off with the tank in place? Or do I have to remove the tank? (It's about 3/4 full of petrol, and I don't have anything to siphon it into - looking at the hoses makes me think petrol is going to piss everywhere when I disconnect them.)

[Viking]

The Falco got a half-service in the end. The oil and coolant got changed, but I've left the old spark plugs in and not done the valve clearances. They can wait a few weeks until the autumn / winter weather arrives and it's too cold or wet to ride.

In the meantime, it's had:

• * Yellow-spring Mille shock installed.
  * Oil and coolant changed. The old oil was very black and nasty.
  * HID headlight fitted. Hasn't been used in anger yet, but I'm looking forward to trying it.
  * Renegade air filter system fitted.
  * Gabro chip installed
  * MFW footrests from Scottie58 fitted. I need to fiddle with the gear lever and brake lever position, but it feels a lot more comfortable than the standard pegs. For a lanky bastard like me, that's important.

The Gabro chip / Rene kit makes a HUGE difference to the stock SL chip and airbox. The throttle response is almost like a light switch now. I gave the throttle a hefty twist on the way to work this morning and it was a 'Holy F**K!' moment. I'm glad I didn't fit a 15-tooth front sprocket.

The only downside is that there's a lot of snapping / crackling / booming when I close the throttle. I don't know if I like it or not. (And I can't hear that induction roar, either - the pipes seem to be drowning it out...)

After spending the last couple of months riding a rather soft and comfortable Monster, it's... interesting... coming back to the Falco.