Get Over It!

I just had to get over it. I wiped the “shit” from my hands (See the Gummed Up post) and really rode the mule today for the first time in over a month; that was not a trip to a mechanic or to a friend’s to wrench on it. I still think the clutch is, at the very least, not working right, and that it was running poorly. I changed the oil, continuing the use of Mobile1 4T, and re-replaced the rear sprocket. The sprocket I replaced was the brand new, less than 100 miles, black powder coated Drive Systems™ branded cog that came with the new D.I.D.™ chain kit. (Like the ™’s? I watched the Love Guru last week. You will need to see it to get the joke I guess). The coating immediately came off and the bits of powder coating, which I can only assume would be somewhat abrasive, coated my brand new chain. I replaced it with the OEM sprocket.
Everything I had done was merely scheduled maintenance, some a little early, to keep from having one giant repair bill all at once. What have I learned? The dealer’s mechanics really prescribe to a “ride till it breaks” philosophy. Presumably problems are easier to diagnose & repair if they are broken. I guess that is why you see so many motorcycles on the side of the road?
On the road this morning the mule ran great on a semi-spirited back roads route to the office. While waiting at what seemed like an exceptionally long red light I realized how much I missed riding in to work the last month and a half. The light changed I popped the mule into gear, released the clutch a little fast and something “slipped”, “popped”, “skipped”, “lurched” or “slid” as I accelerated away from the light! It felt clutch-ish or chain-ish or it could have simply been the rear tire spinning in some oil at the light. I pulled off to check out the bits & pieces and after a quick inspection I was on my way. My WTF moment was left behind in the parking lot I had just left. There is nearly 18,000 miles on the clutch, close to the natural life expectancy for a fat guy’s bike, and I doubt the new chain jumped a cog. It could have been a film on the clutch plates from sitting for several weeks??? Who knows, who cares, I am just going to ride it. If it breaks and I cannot fix it there are people for that.