Motorcycle Maintenance Time Coming Up ...

The Italica Bulldog 150 is about to hit 3,000 miles. That may be the last time I take it to the shop for regular maintenance. I'm fully capable of changing the oil (and, when needed, gear oil) myself, but after the mods I had the shop do, the guy wants to look at the variator upgrade (w/kevlar belt) at 3k anyway, so I'll just have it all done.

Especially since it's using a little oil (about 1/4 of a quart since it hit 2k). I haven't found a leak, but it's going somewhere.

I've had both the Bulldog (twice) and the Lifan KP Mini 150 (once) out for fairly short trips the last few days.

Both Bulldog trips involved carrying stuff back from a store, and the Bulldog is permanently set up for that with the built-in storage compartment and the rear top box I've been keeping on it. To carry anything substantial on the KP Mini I either have to put on saddlebags or wear a backpack. Which I will do if I'm making a 100+ mile trip that's mostly highway, but not for a 2-10 mile trip that involves low-speed-limit streets. I ran the KP Mini out to a store just now, but it wasn't for anything that wouldn't fit in its small tail bag; I mostly just like to make sure it gets out and about at least once a week.

Embarrassingly, I laid the Bulldog down on one outing. No damage to me or the bike. I was on the cowpath between our house and the paved road, going maybe five miles an hour, when I perceived a need to stop (because my phone rang -- one of the kids reminding me of an item to get at the store) just as the rear wheel was doing one of its little slaloms in the sand and I braked. My foot came down in soft sand as the bike stopped -- exactly the way I put down the old 50cc scooter a few years ago. I think I may start putting my phone on silent when I ride.