...is important!

It finally got up over 50 degrees here, so i grabbed up the kids and we washed the car and bike today.

While I was drying off the bike, I noticed that my right footboard was angled down (on the roll axis) where it is not supposed to be adjustable. It is just supposed to fold up for clearance when backing the bike up, and down when ready to ride. Apparently, it is how it is machined. It looks like they shaved the metal surface a little too far during the machining process, as the left floorboard looks the same but sits level. I think I can fix it by getting some weatherstripping or other type of all-weather rubber and gluing it to the inside of the 'board, which might also act as further dampening of vibration.

Anyway, while I was at it I pulled out my Allen wrenches to give the various fasteners on the 'boards a once-over. While the two that actually attach the boards to the bike were still tight, a few of the ones that hold the different parts of the boards together were loose.

After I played with the 'boards, I went back to giving the rest of the bike a once-over. In doing so, i noticed that the head of the screw holding the clutch lever in was raised up. Took a look at the underside and the retaining nut was about halfway down the shaft of the screw!

Grabbed a screwdriver and a wrench and tightened that up...and in the process fixed the "mushy-ness" in the clutch lever. It is much more springy now!

After I finished that, I went over everything else before reinstalling the windshield and saddlebags. Fortunately, nothing else was loose.

So, for all the new riders like myself, DO NOT neglect your inspections! I hate to think what might have happened if the clutch lever had come off mid-ride...or the floorboards!