Its getting to that time of year again when thoughts turn to motorcycling, especially after last weekends trip to the UK for the MCN London Motorcycle Show.  Usually we ride all year, just missing the heat of August and a bit of rain in January, however this year we have had a considerable amount of rain and even snow on the Costa Blanca.

First job was to start the oil change, necessitating a nice warm engine to allow the old oil to flow out.  This can be achieved on the drive with the bike ticking over for 10-15 minutes, or a nice short run will have the same effect.  Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your point of view my short run turned in to a 45 minute jaunt along the coast road to Altea and back.

The return journey was made all the more enjoyable as I was following a Dutch registered Harley Bagger with open pipes whose rider was trying hard to hustle it round the bends, very entertaining.

After giving him a wave I headed up the N332 towards Benissa and home at a slightly faster pace to warm the engine thoroughly.

Removing fairing panels on the bike isn't too much hassle now after 17 years of ownership and many a service, I still go slow and steady though.

With the oil flowing I turned my attention to the clutch, having fitted a new cable in a rush a few months ago i decided to adjust the mechanism to ensure a smoother action.  This is a little fiddly as you have to swing the coolant reservoir out of the way first to get to the cable adjuster before you start on the clutch actuator itself.

With an improved action achieved and everything still loose a liberal coating of ACF50 was applied to the engine casings and components to fend off the inevitable corrosion.  This is a new product to me as we don't see much corrosion generally but friends in the UK swear by it so why not.

With the HiFlo filter removed and replaced with a wrench from Wemoto it was time for the new oil.  This time opting for Rock Oil Guardian in 10w40.  Over the years the GSXR has had a range of oil some cheap some expensive and it doesn't appear to make that much difference.  I have to say though that it gets replaced regularly and doesn't do too many miles, having covered just over 28,000 miles in 17 years.

Before replacing the fairing, the petrol tank was lifted and all components treated with more ACF50, then the slow job of putting everything back.

In the end an enjoyable afternoon and a bike that's ready for the new season.