Prepping XTe for winter commute
 

Hi folks

I'm getting my 2002 xt ready for winter commute,full service, Tkc 80's, screen and heated grips.
I was also wanting to fit some extra lights for seeing the edge of the road better using 55w bulbs, but I'm not too sure if the bike can handle the extra draw or not.
Any help would be good

Thanks
Mike

The "miracle" of dielectric grease.

Mezo.

Together with heated grips you should safely be able to use another 35-50w or so.

In winter I Wash / hose down the machine at least ONCE weekly with clean water.

Then - simply cover the whole thing in Duck Oil or WD40 type spray.... Top up after each wash.

I swear by this for Winter. Keeps everything well protected from salt and rust etc.. I should have shares in WD40!

Oh, don't put any on the brake disks/pads. doh (but caliper units can be coated if very careful).

TKC80's are 50-50 tyres (and expensive). If you commute on tarmac mostly, then a better allround tyre might prove better. I fitted Michelin SIRAC's to mine (70% road - 30% light trails).

Stay warm and safe. :thumbup1:

Handlebar muffs (best over the handguards) and two-finger-and-thumb gloves a size bigger than your usual will make the heated grips redundant for the first hour or so. If the extra lights are eating into the battery you get longer and on the first daylight run get ahead. Retaining the heat from what you've eaten and what the grips make also warms the whole hand not just the palm.

Andy

I do the same as kentfallen - regular wash/hose down, spray with WD-40 or similar, and I always add a drop of machine oil to pivots/levers and exposed bits of cable too.

I considered TKC-80s for the winter commute, but decided against it. We don't get much snow, but have a lot of rain, and my only serious 'off' on the road was using 50/50 tyres in the wet, so I stuck with a road pattern. Avon Distanzia are cheap and very sticky, wet or dry. I haven't managed to get them to break away yet. Being a soft compound, they don't last well, but I can live with that. Highly recommended.

Edit: I am thinking of fitting a pair of these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1508186096...84.m1438.l2649

They are LED, so probably better as position lights rather then driving lights, but you need all the help you can get on these dark mornings. They only draw 3W between them, so not an issue for power use. Ignore the BMW in the title, they are universal fit. The illustrations show them fitted close to the indicators, which I reckon is a bad idea as the light could obscure your turn signal from oncoming traffic.

Nordieboy (the Kiwi) has fitted some of those on his XT.

http://sports.nelson.geek.nz/motorsp...824-170434.jpg

http://sports.nelson.geek.nz/motorsp...826-122653.jpg

Mezo.

Don't listen to Mezo he's a colonial light-weight, he doesn't know what COLD weather is there in Aussie. It never falls below 10 degrees there. lol. Just look at all those exotic plants and trees in his pics. He can ride all year round in relative warmth (lucky sod)! :palm::Beach:

That bike looks like it might actually fly with those HUGE handmuff thingy's and shouldn't that wind shield be clear plastic? lol.

I heard Tasmania can occasionally have British weather though? :taz::taz:

Here in the wilds of Kent (back in the Motherland) we have to literally hunker down for winter. :stormy::rain::rain:

Just kidding.
bier

Is it a good or bad idea to cover the exhaust (front pipes) in heat proof tape?

To avoid corrosion. Or could this cook the engine? Have any effect on over heating etc?

I liked my rear distanzia until my last MOT. With well under a thousand miles on it and less than four years old it failed the MOT due to perishing cracks along the sidewall.

Of course, this could just be a faulty tyre, but I won't be buying any more.

I agree with regard to TKC80s. They don't last especially long and while they handle very well for a 50/50 on the road, I'd far rather be on a more road orientated tyre in the rain.

Matt :)

Hi Folks
Thanks for the tips,
My last tyres were distanzia's a good tyre, very predictable too, but my commute can involve some green laneing to and from so i went for the TKC's, my bike is always sprayed with WD40 rregulary .
I fitted a bigger headlamp bulb to see if it was better, so no driving lamps fitted and also a set of muffs as my commute is shortish so my hand will be ok in the 25 mins it takes.
Also all the electrics have been checked through, any thing suspect repaired and all covered in dialetic grease ...

>sigh< Your commute sounds a hell of a lot better than my commute...

:)

[QUOTE=Matt Cartney;396049]I liked my rear distanzia until my last MOT. With well under a thousand miles on it and less than four years old

Blimey. You need to get out more.

Less than 250 miles a year? Tyre probably expired from boredom!!!

I thought I didnt ride on the roads much these days, but I still managed 3500 miles last year!

I fitted the Distanzias about 5k miles ago (can't be more precise as I lost my maintenance records in a hard drive crash). They are total scrap now - rear has no tread at all, and front is so scalloped that it sounds like a fleet of military Land Rovers on tarmac. But no sidewall cracking.

I've taken it off the road for the winter to give it some TLC, but I'll probably fit Distanzias again in the Spring. Apart from the short service life, I can't fault them.

[QUOTE=Timus;396078]Yes, it would be nice. Unfortunately I have arthritis that makes a couple of hours ride bloody painful and something I pay for in aching joints and sleepless nights for about a four days afterwards. Kinda puts a dampener on things...

Still, new hip in November, so crossing my fingers...