650 service

[daverave]

i thought I would service my bike, im no mechanic, but have basic mechanical skills. did oil & oil filter, transmission oil & gear oil relatively quick. then came the air filter that was a bit tricky & then the spark plugs. what a nightmare, first one was easy, but the second one was very tricky. after quite some time I removed the radiator brackets and moved it downwards and that made a difference.

after refitting the radiator I have noticed that in the past when 3 bars appeared on the temp gauge, the electric fan was always clicking on & off, now though 3 & even 4 bars and the fan doesn't come on. the fan is free moving, but the top of the radiator seems to be hotter, unless in the past there was an air block.

does anybody have any advice on this matter?.

I now need to change my brake pads are they relatively easy to fit?.

[daverave]

is there a particular brake pads that works better then others?.

[Steve_D]

I'd double check the connections on the radiator fan switch first.

[poldark]

Brakes are pretty normal, as long as previous owner/mechanic has copperslip'd the pins. Use a bungee to hold the caliper stable once you've unbolted, from memory use same pads/pistons as Bandit 650.

Make sure to use red rubber grease on the relevant bits, brake cleaner/toothbrush for cleaning the pistons to make sure they move easily. To expose the pistons for cleaning but avoid them popping out and then the fiddly fluid bleeding process I've used a trick of putting an old pad between current ones then gently squeezing the lever.

Unless you intend to replace the brake fluid as well, in which case it'll be worth fully dismantling, I was surprised by the amount of crude underneath the seals I cleaned out, but mine was an older model.

[Data]

As Steve says...check those electrical connections to the sensor first. But yes, you may have introduced an airbubble to the top tank which is having problems getting out but not too likely I'd have thought. Check the coolant level in the coolant resevoir to see if it's normal or gone up, or down since you last checked it.

[stuart brown]

I had similar issues after trying ( and giving up) to change the plugs.
Turned out there was some corrosion in the electrical connecters to the cooling fan and the disturbance must have been terminal (sic)
Stuart Brown

[victor]

when doing your brakes at front remember to cover your mud guard before putting bungee over and hanging calipers