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Been Sitting awhile

JustDMR2016

JustDMR2016

Member
I've been cruising through the feeds trying to refresh my gear head brain. I have an 04 1200 that's been sitting...climate controlled but sitting for several years. I'm going to drain all fluids and go back with all new of course, but do I have to go back HD for my fluid and parts (trying to be somewhat cost effective.) Obviously no warranty is left or anything but this bike has sentimental value so I want to make sure I'm doing it justice and preserving its longevity. I see alot of love for Redline, so I may go with that choice and see how it goes.
Thanks in advance.
 
If you don't have the Manuel for your scoot you should get one, you'll find pretty much all you need to know about it.

No need to take it to the dealer, you can do the service it needs.
Take a look in the oil, tranny and primary polls here on the forum, you can see what others are using and why.

Redline is a good product, they have been around for a long time.

Good luck.
 
You said it’s been sitting for several years. Just to be safe I would drain all fuel out of the tank (and carburetor bowl if it’s not F I) and put fresh gas along with fuel system cleaner in it, in addition to changing fluids and filter as stated. I would also contemplate changing the air filter element. No telling, there may be a family of Lord knows what nesting in there.

Edited to add: don’t forget to check the tire pressure and Check for signs of dry rot. Cracks, splits etc. before riding it.
 
All on my honey do it yourself checklist lol. Thank you for confirming my "maybe I better" on air filter. I looked over the tires just briefly and they're holding pressure but my plan is to pull em off and look closer....just to be sure.
 
JustDMR2016 said:
All on my honey do it yourself checklist lol. Thank you for confirming my "maybe I better" on air filter. I looked over the tires just briefly and they're holding pressure but my plan is to pull em off and look closer....just to be sure.
Click to expand...

A couple years ago went with a friend to look at bike he was thinking about buying. It had been sitting up for several years too. Had an S&S Super E carb and S&S teardrop filter with a foam filter or what was left of it. The foam had deteriorated so bad that 99% of it was gone. What was there crumbled at the slightest touch. The seller had it running but I couldn’t help but wonder how much of that filter got sucked into the carb. LOL
 
Welcom from south Texas.

All good suggestions. WRT tires though, I would check the manufacture date and if more than 6 years old, I would replace them regardless of tread wear. I would also suggest the first oil change to be with Shell Rotella 15W40 just to "clean" things up a bit. Dump it after 500 miles and refill with a good 20W50 like Mobil 1 for vtwins, or a similar brand for motorcycle applications.;)
 
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