Long trip preparation.

[pete roper]

Heading off to Far North Queensland next week so I thought I'd better check the Mana over.

Push onto bench and put on centrestand.

Elevate bench.

Scratch head and think "Only changed the oil about 3,000km ago."

Look at chain, decide to adjust it a bit. Spend five minutes frigging about with it an end up with it immeasurably different than it was when I started. (Incidentally this is the original chain on original sprockets and it has now done nearly 25,000 miles and is only six bars showing!).

Front brake fluid was new when I swapped the forks so that's good. Chucked the hygrometer into the rear reservoir? All good.

Check lights, horn, swing arm and steering head bearings. Check for loose nuts and bolts. Check rear brake pads,(Good as new, I don't use the back hardly at all and the fronts were new with the forks and big brakes.).

Take off cap, scratch head a bit more. Replace cap, shake head. Roll bike off bench.

I mean? What's a bloke to do? The bloody thing is essentially maintenance free! Since I've had it I've replaced the belt once and then had the huge embuggerance last Christmas when the starter motor piked out in the middle of the Hay Plains but apart from that it just *Works*, day in, day out. What a smashing little motorbike!!!

Pete

[oldspice]

For all the bitching that occurs on this forum (I'm including myself in that mix), you'd think the Mana was a flaming turd. But, it really is a solid bike, isn't it? Aside from a chain/sprocket swap (that'll happen if you clean the chain in concert with the appearance of Haley's Comet), and the belt change at 14,000 miles, all my "problems" have been purely routine maintenance issues.

[vrider]

Yup, it is a solid bike, I have trouble even finding loose nuts and bolts. So far I had the belt changed at 17,300 miles, and am bringing it in today to have a valve check/adjustment at 22,100 miles. Chain is still in great shape, 5 lines showing, I lube it frequently. A forum is the place people come to when they have an issue, so we only read about it's problems, just like hospitals are full of sick people.

Pete - have a great trip, ride safe.

[vespa]

Pete, which mana of yours are you taking...the older version or your white GT? Have a great trip!

[pete roper]

The red one. The GT lives in Los Angeles. Should be a fun trip, I'll be leaving Bunged End on the 17th and meeting up with a mate on his 2004 Hydro Cali outfit and some othe Guzzi riding rat-bag he's cajoled into riding with him in Gayndah on the 19th We'll then head north again probably spending another night in a flea-pit pub on the way and lob into Townsville on the 21st. Jude's flying up on the 20th and we're going off to do a bit of exploring. This time of year is brilliant up there. Temperatures in the mid twenties centigrade and very little rain as its the dry season. Anywhere north of Bundaberg will be beautiful, I'm just hoping it isn't pissing with rain from Bungendore to Gayndah!

Pete

[oluckymana]

....sounds like an 'iron butt' ride Pete....FNQ is a FN long ride....piece of piss on a Mana though....check your credit card....that will give you more grief than the bike....

[shekel]

Pete, I Stayed in Gayndah last December on my way home from Bowen. Gayndah is nice town and I had an excellent feed at a big old pub in the main street - can't recall the name but it is in the middle of town on a corner left hand side. Don't know if they do accommodation, but couldn't be worse than the crappy pub and meal I had in Monto on the way up.

Suggest you stay on the inland route at least as far as Rockhampton and look out for cashed-up miners in their shiny new V8s, and of course the QLD Highway Patrol, though they are a lot friendlier than their brothers on the southern part of the Bruce Hwy. I can vouch for their leniency by the fact that I received friendly two 'slow-down' waves from oncoming Patrol cars on my two days coming south. Just lucky I guess, although on both occasions I was not too far over the limit. 950kms in one day on the Shiver was a bit painfall, but you should be more comfortable on your Mana. Have a good trip.

[pete roper]

Just got the call from my mate. Gayndah's off due to work commitments. Looks like I'll be eating scrub and desert all the way to Charters Towers. No worries, I love deserts and it's looking like it might be wet on the eastern side of the Divide.

Connected up my new Gerbings jacket and gloves today. Amazing what a difference a bit of warmth can make when you're an old fart. Toasty-toasty! Much better than heated grips and the jacket actually fits my weird body! Gerbings must specialize in clothes for freaks!!!

Pete