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Just bought an 06' with 24K miles

Hey there,

Last week I sold my BMW R1100RS and over the weekend bought a single owner 2006 C10.

The bike is very clean for its age but will need a little attention. Buying the Clymer manual today.

There is a slight leak causing near the transmission output seal but can't tell exactly until I get the plastics off and get under there.

Valves have never been checked so I'm a little nervous about that, but the previous owner only commuted to work and hopefully didn't work it too hard.

I put about 300 miles on in over the weekend and except for some crazy brake dive at low speed I'm very happy with it. I know there are lots of threads on suspension set up and I've been poking around trying to decide on a plan. I'll probably get Racetech cartridge emulators and stiffer springs, but we shall see.

Nice to meet you all. Looking forward to setting up the bike and going for some long rides.
 
Just swapping out the old fork oil should help right away. I think on the 2006 u have drain plugs at thr bottom of the forks... my 98 didnt...

And the valve adjustment is a breeze compared to the c14. Why they changed from screw and lock nut, to cam over buckets kills me...
 
My son's 87 has drain screws at the bottom of the fork. My 05 and 01 do not. Ted found some knock off emulators for around 50 bucks on eBay. There is a thread in the suspension section. Enjoy the bike! Welcome!
 
The '06 does not have drain screws at the bottoms of the forks. It is possible to vacuum the oil out via a Mity-Vac or similar tool. Biggest challenge is re-installing the fork caps.

Brake dive is a known issue but can be mitigated with new springs and cartridge emulators. Remember this bike is (essentially) 1970s level suspension and braking technology. I suggest that you consider trying to find someone with a copy of CHALKDUST (a long-time member who joined a while back, pre-C14), should have one. Lots of good maintenance tips there.
 
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Thanks everyone! Really nice to get so many kind and helpful replies to my intro post. Not every forum has this level of participation.

Just swapping out the old fork oil should help right away. I think on the 2006 u have drain plugs at thr bottom of the forks... my 98 didnt...
I can't believe they would remove the drain plugs. Anyone hear of people adding their own? Seems like a mod that would fit in with what I see elsewhere in the community.

Ted found some knock off emulators for around 50 bucks on eBay. There is a thread in the suspension section.
I'll look at that. I'm curious how well they work. I know damper valves are fairly simple devices but I imagine it is easy produce poor designs.

I suggest that you consider trying to find someone with a copy of CHALKDUST (a long-time member who joined a while back, pre-C14), should have one. Lots of good maintenance tips there.
I have never heard of that and will look for it.

I have about 500 miles in on the new bike and looking forward to many more, especially after getting it set up a bit more to my liking. Rifle windshield (4-6 week lead time :confused:) is on the way as is a Clymer manual and bits and pieces for an oil change and valve adjustment.
 
This will help.

See post #14 for more details;

Ride safe, Ted
 
CHALKDUST is a compilation of articles, tips, hints, etc gleaned from the membership over the 20+ years of C10 production. I passed my copy on to the new owner when I sold my bike. It's available in the COG Library (Tech section) to full members.

In addition to the Clymer manual, try to find a factory service manual. IMO, Clymer has better pictures but the FSM has better instructions.

It's easy to suck the fork oil out with a Mity-Vac. Just use a length of metal brake tubing to reach down into the fork. You can use the same tube to measure the height of the replacement oil which is the recommended method.

I put a set of Sonics on my C10 and used (I think) 15 weight oil. Be REALLY careful when you remove the fork cap as it's under significant pressure and will make every effort to fly away and/or damage you or itself in the process. Reinstalling the cap is another place where care is absolutely required. They are a fine thread and easy to cross-thread PLUS there's that whole spring tension thing to overcome.
 
Before you take the wheel off, I like to use a speed handle and a good 6 point socket to take the cap off. You can stand on the pegs and hold down pressure on the cap while you turn the speed handle back and forth as needed. No repositioning of a wrench or ratchet when you are at that last bit of threads. I have an old Craftsman one with a bulb on the end so it can be leaned into with your shoulder and the one hand can be on the socket/cap and the other used to turn it. Every thing is controlled as the threads disengage.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I've seen comments mentioning the difficulty of installing the fork caps but didn't take it so seriously. I've taken apart a few other fork tubes and the preload was never a big deal. I'll approach this one with a bit more caution..

I've changed the oil but keeping the bike parked until I can do the valve adjustment. I'm just waiting on the Clymer manual. I had my fun 500 miles the first week and now I need to be responsible so I don't continue to risk burning the valves as the mileage is now 24.5k with no valve adjustments ever :oops:
 
Don't know if you've seen them or not but long-time COG member and Concours expert, Steve in Sunny Florida (Shoodabeen Engineering) has some excellent Youtube videos on C10 maintenance.
I've come across his posts on the forum but haven't seen his videos. In the last year I've started watching a lot of youtube videos but for moto maintenance mostly just stick to the books. I'll be sure to check out his videos. Thanks for the recommendation.
 
....and unfortunately i do not have my copy of Chalk dust.... pretty certain i gave them to the prrosn who bought my c10 years ago... sorry. But as ranger jim pointed out, full cog membership gets u access to all yhe technical bits. All for only $35...

Jiin for the bike, stay for the people....
 
....and unfortunately i do not have my copy of Chalk dust.... pretty certain i gave them to the prrosn who bought my c10 years ago... sorry. But as ranger jim pointed out, full cog membership gets u access to all yhe technical bits. All for only $35...

Jiin for the bike, stay for the people....

+1 I have only got into my shop manual a couple times since joining COG .
 
I'd planned on only using the Clymer manual because I bought it already, I like to have a paper copy in the garage and ideally I'd only look in one place for instruction, but my first time using it there are some steps kind of obviously missing that give me pause. To check valve clearances it doesn't say anything about removing the gas tank, but I think it would be near impossible to get in there without removing it.

Unfortunately when I got in there all of the exhaust valves had zero or minimal clearance and at least some of the cam lobes had wear marks the whole way around. I'll compression test it after work and hope that I caught it before any real damage occurred.
 
There are factory manual websites where you can download a pdf copy of the pre 94 shop manual. Manualslib.com has a copy. Go there and search for zg1000 and see what happens. HTH Consider joining as a full member. šŸ™‚
 
Some good info here .
Yeah, I just watched it. Should have watched it before setting the valve clearances. I set the valves one at a time, like a complete amateur, instead of in pairs as Steve showed. I imagine it will be fine and I'll remember for next time.

Anyways, I did a leak down test and found all four cylinders are in great shape which is a huge relief. The exhaust valves had about zero clearance when actually running at temperature and it just seems very lucky that they didn't burn up.

Now that I know I have a good engine I think I'll join COG šŸ„³
 
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Yeah, I just watched it. Should have watched it before setting the valve clearances. I set the valves one at a time, like a complete amateur, instead of in pairs as Steve showed. I imagine it will be fine and I'll remember for next time.

Anyways, I did a leak down test and found all four cylinders are in great shape which is a huge relief. The exhaust valves had about zero clearance when actually running at temperature and it just seems very lucky that they didn't burn up.

Now that I know I have a good engine I think I'll join COG šŸ„³

Yeah it should be ok . Ive done mine both ways . Be sure to check out his other videos .
 
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