10 August 2009 Seattle, Washington

This morning I immediately started replacing the rear brake pads. I then removed the rear wheel. I asked Ken if he could clean the swing arm and all the components that went with the removal of the rear wheel. I suppose you all are picking up that Ken did a lot of cleaning on this motorcycle for me. If he wouldn’t have, I would have been the one cleaning and replacing all the worn parts. I am eternally grateful for all his help with this motorcycle. I removed the tire from the rear wheel then used gasoline to cut the grease from the rim. Every time you lubricate the chain the overspray from the aerosol can falls on the rim and after months of oiling the chain you get quite a buildup. So that’s why I cleaned the grease off the rim with a wet gas rag. I was going to change the sprockets but I think I’m going to hold off on that until I get out of the gravel in Alaska and the Northwest Territories. By that time the chain and sprockets will be junk. Not fit for motorcycle, man, nor beast. After the wheel was cleaned I put on the new tire. This Michelin tire was a whole bunch more difficult to remove from the rim than the front tire. And the mounting of the new rear was even more difficult. The f word slipped out a few times during the process. The tire was really stiff. I eventually got it mounted. I got the tire timed with the valve stem and then inflated it with my trusty motorcycle air compressor. I blew it up to 40 psi and let it set over night. The tire kind of stretches some and then I reduce the tire pressure down to 32 psi. I was going to put the gas tank on but it started raining. The lady next door called up to tell us this because I had all my tools and radio setting out. We rushed out and covered up the motorcycle. Everything else was either covered up or taken into the shed. So ended my work for today.