Today we installed fresh front brake pads on daughter’s bike. This would’ve actually been easier with the bike on the ground and not strapped to a lift, because turning the wheel to the left would’ve created a bigger space to work in, with more light. I’ll remember that for next time.
Next up was a coolant flush. The service manual didn’t warn me that the drain plug for coolant is squarely behind the left muffler. We had pre-read the service manual steps and there was no mention of it. I cussed the Suzuki engineers, who clearly hated mechanics, as we undid the pipes we had meticulously installed the day before. Had I known, I’d have sequenced these jobs a bit better.
Finally, the oil change. Mindful of the fact that I had been taking the lead on all the maintenance items so far, I told her I wouldn’t be touching the bike for this part, and it would be 100% her hands doing the work. That was a nice theory but she needed me to loosen both the drain plug and the filter.
The photo is one she had wanted to take, showing off her greasy hands.
