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Old bike, new member

kmvreter

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Mar 12, 2020
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Hi Everyone,

after years of traveling on my Trusty 1988 Transalp, the old girl is ready for retirement.

I need something new to cover my many miles with, and I could get a good deal on a well used NC700XA so I took it! The dealer is ironing out some minor details at the moment, but I'm picking her up end of the week.
She done 88k kilometers, so roughly 55k miles with her first owner so far. Seems to be in good condition, the engine and gearbox feel 'as new' and I noticed no play in the forks, steering bearings, etcetera.
Some pitting on the front forks (can't fathom why Honda didn't design some plastic covering there) and the exhaust bends are exposed as standard.
The rear shock and swing arm are also a sore sight, again not protected against road grime and water from factory.

It's as stock as they come, bar a chain oiler in the back, so she does need some modifications.
I'm guessing my first stop is going to be a center stand to make life a lot easier with regards to maintenance. I have one of the Alp as well and it's a must.

The plan is to run her on the maintenance plan as prescribed by Honda (I already have the manual) and see how many more miles I can rack up.
Since I'm paid by the mile/kilometer I do everything myself (but with OEM or good parts) to stay within budget. Because there is no paper confirmation of any maintenance done in the past (oil looks clean though) I'm going to start off with a big service so spark plugs, all fluids (including fork and brake oil), filters and a valve clearance check. Tires and chain/sprockets are as new.

I plan to stick with the stock (low) windscreen for now since I'm 5 foot 9 and I would need a humongous screen to actually deflect the wind from my helmet, might as well have it on my chest for now.
She has to earn her mods :) but the first ones are probably going to be fender extenders and some fork protection.
Come winter I'll transfer my Oxford Hotgripz over from the Transalp and maybe fit some side cases to keep my gear while in the office or with customers.

I don't have any plans to tune the bike or change the exhaust, it's nice and quiet and I like it that way (the Transalp is way noisier).
Since fuel savings are interesting due to my usage, I will forego a topcase to reduce drag and won't add any extraneous weight such as crash bars or skid plates.
Also, I really wanted a white one, so come summer I will be re-painting the red plastics :):).

I hope to be able to ask you some questions down the line when I start my maintenance plan and minor modifications.
I'm no newbie when it comes to maintenance (duh, I run a Transalp as a commuter bike) but things always pop up.

regards,

kmvreter
 

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Welcome from Quebec, Canada, South Shore of Montreal. Where is MofN?

The Middle of F* Nowhere ;) to you guys at least. I'm way over in Europe, but figured you guys rack up the miles like I do.
Makes sense to get your views on things like maintenance, good mods for the NC and such.
 
Well I found my first niggle: Fuel tank float is stuck. Fuel gauge is stuck on 3 bars and won't move whether the tank is full or empty. Something to look into.
 
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