Posts

Cleaning the airfilter

Image
Pulled the air filter on the Honda CRF 300L Rally to see how it was holding up after a stretch of dusty Thai backroads. Spoiler: it needed it. Bike up on the side stand, tools out. Honda CRF 300L Rally — the workhorse. 1/4" ratchet with a Phillips bit. That's basically all you need. Side panel screws come out first. Panel off. The airbox cover is sitting right there behind it. A few more screws around the airbox cover. Cover lifted away. Old filter element exposed. And there's the culprit. Yellow-brown, packed with Thai backroad dust. Definitely overdue. Empty airbox. Quick wipe with a clean rag while it's open — no point putting a fresh filter into a dusty housing. New filter, clean side. Wire mesh on top, pleated element underneath. Side-on view before it goes in. Pleats are crisp, no gaps. Drop it in. Pleats facing up, gasket lined up with the airbox lip. Seated. Push it gently — it should sit flush, not proud. Cover back on, both clips snapped home. Don't forge...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Honda CRF 300 Rally and oil change

Image
 So we moved to northern Thailand and riding single tracks in the jungle these days. The 690 would not cut it as it is too clumsy so needed a more nimble toy to play with. The answer was a pimped up Honda CRF 300 Rally. I have only ridden it for a few months but already stacked up 7000+ km so really time for an oil change. Well, by the book it is 12k km but since I ride dirt it should really be at 3-4k km intervals. Anyway below are the quick steps on this very simple oil change. Parts needed Oil filter Crush washer 1.5 liter fully synthetic oil Oil filter box gasket Drain oil Use a brake cleaner to clean the outside of the crank case   Remove drain plug and take away the crush washer Raise bike upright and wiggle it until all oil is out. Put back the drain plug with the new crush washer on. Replace oil filter Remove oil filter cover on right hand side  Remove oil filter and pay attention to spring Clean with brake cleaner Put new filter in Fit new gasket on lid   Pu...
Post a Comment
Read more

New spark plugs and topped up coolant

Image
As there is now only two days left until I'm leaving the bike with the shipping agent I quickly scanned the user manual for things I haven't checked. Two things popped in to my mind when reading the service schedule: spark plus and coolant. Spark plugs requires most attention so will be more details below. Getting the spark plugs from Ben, in the picture above, who is the local Hong Kong Husqvarna dealer and this was likely the last visit to his shop for a year or so. To remove spark plugs first use a torx tool to unscrew the ignition coil holders. There is one screw on each side. Remove the connectors and pull out the coil plug The inner one is a bit tricker to reach so you can use a screw driver as leverage Once the coils are out you can wiggle out the coil holders and expose the spark plugs. Unscrew the spark plugs with a 14mm hex key. The diameter of the hex key has to be about 20mm or less in order to fit into the inner plug hole You can now unscrew the spark plugs and tak...
Post a Comment
Read more

A new set of tyres and tubes

Image
  Since I've been riding around on the same tyres for the past 6 years I reckon it made sense to put on a new set of tyres. Not that the old ones were totally used up but it just felt better to have fresh rubber when you start the trip. I also like to put in heavy duty (3mm) or ultra heavy duty (4mm) inner tubes to minimize the risk of punctures. The tools needed Lift the front wheel off the ground with the enduro stand. Undo the four front bolts with a torx key and undo the main bolt with a big wrench. Empty the tyre of air by removing the valve stem (if you have the tool) or just pressing down the little spike inside the valve. Put the tyre on top of the new tyre and break the bead so the tyre comes off from the rim. Repeat on other side. You can also use the tyre irons to help doing this. Start about 20 cm right of the valve with one tyre iron and another 20 cm further away to get the tyre off the rim. Press down the tyre on the other side so it stays in the center drop to give ...
1 comment
Read more