"Old Bike" maintenance?

[dboogie2288]

Hey all, so those of us with ZG1000 units, well, the newest one is 16 years old at this point. What are some maintenance items that I should be watching out for at the ole girls age?

I've got all steel brake lines, so no rubber rotting there. I just did coolant, and brake fluid. I did pad changes last year. Oil gets done before every season regardless of mileage. Tires as needed. I did Steve's Carb job w/ overflow tubes in 2018 I think it was. I feel like she's fit as a fiddle for now, but curious to see what others would be concerned about at 16 years old.

[DC Concours]

How many miles on your bike?

You should replace all fluids everywhere. I am sure you have over the years.

Many delay general lubrication service including the shaft drive joints and rear spline (both best done when you are replacing the rear tire).

[Stasch]

My 2000 C10 is 22-23 years old with almost 110,000 miles on it.  The 2003 has over 66,000 miles.

They both start and run like new.

I do normal routine maintenance at regular intervals like oil and oil filter changes, valve adjustments, carb sync, air filter cleaning, checking brake pads, greasing shock linkage zerks, etc. just like lower mileage C10's would receive.

Just did a valve adjust and noticed some oil in a couple of the spark plug wells.  That was my prompt to replace the valve cover grommets with new ones.  Still on the original valve cover gasket!

Already have braided brake lines in front, but not on clutch or rear brake systems.  Probably should be considering that at some point.

Winterizing (something not all bike owners have to do) is important.  When properly done, it results in easy startup the following spring.  My carbs haven't been off the 2000 since 15,788 miles since way back in July of 2004.

I keep a proactive eye on stuff and address things when spotted, rather than waiting for something to fail or wear out completely.

Probably over due for coolant system hose change out and its been quite a while since I replaced hydraulic fluid in brake and clutch systems.

I keep a log of all maintenance, checks and fixes with date, mileage, maintenance type and specifics of what was done.  With multiple bikes and other vehicles its a must to keep everything straight and stay on top of maintenance schedules.

[Daytona_Mike]

I would be wanting to service the forks by changing the fluid and checking for stiction  .. service / inspect the  stem bearings  and  one  biggie that got me..   change the 'O' ring seal on the thermostat housing..  you will understand when you see the old one has now  turned into a soft goo like substance.  ..oh.. carry a spare throttle  cable with you.. ( the pull  cable )  That one got me too.

[Strawboss]

Maybe the way you worded it, but I change my oil at the end of a season, so the bad stuff does not sit all winter, but it also starts the season with new oil. Seafoam in the fuel before winter storage. I do pretty much what others do here. But the simple task of regular fluid change is probably the single best thing you could do for your bike to keep it running well. A Kawasaki shop manual will tell you everything that needs attention, follow that and you will be fine.

[dboogie2288]

Maybe the way you worded it, but I change my oil at the end of a season, so the bad stuff does not sit all winter, but it also starts the season with new oil. Seafoam in the fuel before winter storage. I do pretty much what others do here. But the simple task of regular fluid change is probably the single best thing you could do for your bike to keep it running well. A Kawasaki shop manual will tell you everything that needs attention, follow that and you will be fine.

See what I've seen suggested is the opposite of your opposite. You purge the old junk after the winter that could have some condensation built up in the crankcase and possibly contaminate your oil....I dunno. I have 4 motorcycles, I'm changing oil long before it ever needs it simply based on my maintenance routine.

[Boomer]

Condensation is just water and that gets evaporated once the oil gets up to temperature for the first time so it's not going to contaminate anything.
Leaving the engine for several months with REALLY old oil in it won't do it any good as oils can go acidic with extreme age, but if you are changing it annually or better then that's not an issue.
Personally, my bikes never get left without being started and run until the fan kicks on at least once every 2 weeks. However, I don't live where it gets REALLY cold.

For the maintenance, everything has been covered above, and then some. I have never lubed the final drive splines where they slot into the wheel. 199,685 miles and counting and they looked fine when I last had the wheel off. I try to follow the maintenance chart in the Service Manual but I do my oil changes every 5k miles (instead of every 6k) simply because it is easier to remember. Valve check, final drive oil, air filter, carb-sync are every 10k miles and brake/clutch fluid change and coolant change every 2 or 3 years. So, the next service is gonna be a biggie as at 200k he ("Otto") gets all of the above. May also need a new final drive seal as that has started leaking for the first time.

[Stasch]

I have never lubed the final drive splines where they slot into the wheel.

Thats amazing.  I'm not doubting you but am trying to imagine how you've gotten away with that.

I believe the FSM calls for heavy moly grease (that won't fling off) to be applied to the splines at each tire change, at least that's what I've been doing.

The wheel side splines are designed with softer metal as a wear item, in theory to prevent wear on final drive side too? 

I've seen some wheel side splines worn to a razor's edge rather than their original trapezoidal shape, and other's with varying degrees of wear, again all wheel side.  The 'pumpkin' side has always looked the same.

There have been other incidents where some of them are worn smooth, causing the rider to think somethings wrong with the clutch because the bike won't move when in gear and the clutch out, just rev.

[DC Concours]

I just apply a little regular grease when I change the tires.

[Boomer]

Thats amazing.  I'm not doubting you but am trying to imagine how you've gotten away with that.
I believe the FSM calls for heavy moly grease (that won't fling off) to be applied to the splines at each tire change, at least that's what I've been doing.
The wheel side splines are designed with softer metal as a wear item, in theory to prevent wear on final drive side too? 
I've seen some wheel side splines worn to a razor's edge rather than their original trapezoidal shape, and other's with varying degrees of wear, again all wheel side.  The 'pumpkin' side has always looked the same.
There have been other incidents where some of them are worn smooth, causing the rider to think somethings wrong with the clutch because the bike won't move when in gear and the clutch out, just rev.

It does say "Apply grease to the splined portion and the circumference of the rear wheel coupling" but I have never done so. It always seemed odd to me to grease something that shouldn't move at all except when removing/fitting the rear wheel. The only movement in that entire area should be between the coupling and the wheel itself via the cush-drive rubbers. I have never seen a damaged rear wheel coupling and I have several spare rear wheels and have worked on a lot of GTR1000s over the decades. Since Ottos pumpkin is now leaking there will be oil in the coupling now but he is due his big service shortly so I'll strip and clean the coupling/wheel & cush-drive then and inspect the splines on both sides. If I remember I'll take pics and post them here.

[DC Concours]

Just to make us feel warm and fuzzy, please apply some grease there when you are servicing Otto this time around