Somewhat off topic, that bypass of the sidestand kill switch? Not a good idea, in my opinion. My Monster came without one, and I've dumped it once, and almost dumped it a second time, because I forgot to put the sidestand up before riding. *smacks self on head*
**snip**
If the bike's been sitting for 18 months, it would be a good idea also to have the brake fluid (and clutch fluid, if you've got it) replaced with fresh fluid. It does break down with time.
I've dropped my bike 3 times. The first was my neighbor knocking it over as I was walking in my door. The second was a sidestand bypass issue, but not quite, although if I had a kill switch, it would have saved me this this time. I was starting my Monster while off the bike. It was, of course, in first. It might not have gone over, but at that time I had a suicide sidestand. I DOVE under my bike and suffered a bruise or two, which healed quickly. My bike suffered zero damage. The third drop was a parking lot drop at a standstill. D'OH! Forgetting to do something happens to all of us. For some, it's forgetting to break that stare at an object that is coming closer and closer (target fixation) and it causes a major crash. For others, it's minor stupidity that causes minor grief for now, but major laughs later. I don't think that anyone would call taking off with a sidestand down lacking in the mastery of a skill.
The second part of this is very good advice. Clutch fluid and brake fluid are the same thing and need to be bled periodically. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, which means it absorbs water very quickly from the atmosphere. Brake fluid has low compressibility (very good for hydraulic applications, like brakes and clutches) and a very high boiling point. When water is introduced, it increases its compressibility and lowers the boiling point. Your brakes will feel increasingly "spongy" and if you do tons and tons of hard braking (like at the track), you'll actually end up losing all braking ability entirely. Ideally, clutches and brakes would be closed systems, but we all know there is no such thing. There will be a certain amount of leakage and over time the fluid will become less and less effective.
If there are basic points you want covered in a service, you really need to delineate them. I have found out the hard way that one person's interpretation is often different from mine. So rather than get mad at a shop for goobering something, I chalk it up to my own inexperience and inattention to detail.
My only experience in this area is that I brought in my bike and said "make it run". I had already replaced the starter solenoid and was frustrated to hell. It turned out I also had a bad battery at this point. I didn't know this. I was brand new to working on bikes. So not knowing what the issue was, they had me sign a $250 labor estimate just to be able to run some basic diagnostics. So the first place they checked was the battery, which couldn't tolerate a load. So one new battery later, and the bike was fine. So when I picked up my bike, I was wondering what kind of battery installation costs $250. Well, they winterized my bike for me. HUH?
I had signed that estimate, so they were going to use the money. IT WAS THE END OF SEPFORKINGTEMBER. Yes, it was shady, but it was my own damned fault for letting them take advantage of me. I was the one who signed. Nobody was holding a gun to my head.
Now I do almost all my own work. If something is over my head (has only happened once since that debacle) I have one mechanic I trust. I ask to inspect the old parts and ask that oral authorization be obtained for every expense. I do this mostly just so I learn everything I can, but it's also just a good practice in general.
