Tuesday, February 20, 2018

RV Lifestyle - Maintenance

After a half year on the road, it's time for some maintenance! Our motorcycle, an 1100 Shadow Spirit, needed an oil change.
We also needed to look into the RV brakes. One of the things that came up on the initial inspection of our Sundancer was we would need to replace the brake pads at some time - we had some usable pads left, but not much. Well, on the way down to Summerdale, the idiot light came on for the brakes. 
We checked the manual, which told us it was the ABS system and just 'needed to be checked'. Since it was driving fine, we waited until February to take it in. Residents suggested we use Countryman's. We took it in, expecting a brake job and maybe an ABS sensor or two. It turns out we had a locked up caliper - and the back brake pads were the original pads!
We opted to go for the expensive fix, which meant new lines, new calipers, new pads, and new rotors for the back brakes. It may be overkill to zero out all the brake maintenance and start over, but since we are 8 tons with trailer and bike...
Countryman's did an excellent job and even managed to get all the work done in  4 hours. Just as importantly, they took the time to take us back into the bay, show us the brakes and the rotors, and discuss options. We appreciate it when a repair shop takes the extra time to make sure we make an informed decision.

Fortunately, the oil change was not as big of a deal (or bill!)  Motor Sports Freaks, in fact, wins for the quickest oil change. The price was reasonable, and their mechanic not only has three decades of working on bikes, but still rides the dirt trails  - in his 60s!

Thank you, Countryman and Motor Sports Freaks!


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