95 Shadow ACE 1100

[murphyslaw1978]

I got the bike last year and I have done the following maintenance items. The bike is 12 years old with 12,000 miles, so I wanted to get it all done:

- Changed the oil/filter (once per year, Amsoil)
- Flushed brake fluid
- Flushed cooling system
- Changed rear gear oil
- Replaced air filter
- Replaced spark plugs

I have a new fuel filter that needs to be installed, but that seems like kind of a pain to do, since I have to take everything apart. Also, it looks like most of the rubber hoses are looking brittle and need to be replaced....

Questions:

1.) Is there a kit that I can buy that includes all the fuel, breather and misc rubber hoses for this bike?

2.) How important is it to change the front fork fluid?

3.) What else should I do before my 2100 mile trip to the BRP from Chicago in July?

Thanks, gurus!

[murphyslaw1978]

One more question:

I used BG44k in my Porsche, but I'm told not to use that in my bike. When I took the plugs out, I had just run a concentrated Chevron/Techron through about 1/2 a tank with 8 oz of the stuff. Anyway, the plugs looked good (not too lean or rich), but they still had tons of carbon on them. I suspect I've got a lot of carbon on the valves and piston crowns.

Anyone have a fuel treatment recommendation to clean inside my engine?

[Clint]

Sounds like you're off to a great start. The fork oil level is critical for proper damping (and control), so if you have no record of it being done, I'd do it before the trip. It can get pretty nasty over time. Others here will be better equipped to verse you on the procedure.

How are the tires? Old bikes sometimes have tires with good tread, but are cracked with age. The rubber compound gets hard, too. If they're more than five years old, I'd replace them. They're critical.

I can't speak to the carbon deposits question, but I'm curious to what others say.

[murphyslaw1978]

I forgot to mention that the tires are 3 years old with 5,000 miles or so and have zero cracks and plenty of tread. 4,000 of those miles were from me

[robertc729]