Am I missing something obvious?

[BastrdHK]

Looks like it has lived near saltwater at some point.  It is certainly not terrible, but good to catch the rust/oxidation now and prevent it in the future.

[wrl]

Looks like it has lived near saltwater at some point.  It is certainly not terrible, but good to catch the rust/oxidation now and prevent it in the future.

It's lived between Pensacola and Panama City FL its whole life. Catching and cleaning corrosion is one thing, but is there some sort of spray-on treatment or something I can do to prevent it?

[Raux]

http://www.mywd40.com/protips/blog/2011/10/13/the_newest_member_of_the_wd-40_company_family

[Curmudgeon]

FWIW, the other day I used some M-Pro 7 cleaner on a cheap Chinese chrome adjustable wrench which had some surface rust. Damn cheap steel no doubt. Anyway, with a light soak and minimal rubbing the rust vanished! Wouldn't want to try it on paint or plastic necessarily, but it's non-toxic. Anyway, I was impressed! http://www.mpro7.com/mpro7-gun-cleaner.html

Maybe worth a try? Gander Mountain might have it or you could just buy it at Midway USA online. If you try this, afterwards use some spray furniture wax or similar on the bolts, (NOT the disc braking surface naturally! ), as it leaves no protection after cleaning. On a firearm we use an oil or grease for that.

[wrl]

MSF, done! License and moto endorsement, done! Now to pick insurance.

[muskrat]

If you have medical insurance DO NOT get PIP, you don't need it.  Progressive is pretty cheap IMO but so is Geico although I don't do business with them for reasons I can't say on this forum.   

[Dry Martini]

If you have medical insurance DO NOT get PIP, you don't need it.  Progressive is pretty cheap IMO but so is Geico although I don't do business with them for reasons I can't say on this forum.   

Where are you located? Around here (S.C.), geico is a major ripoff for both car and motorcycles coverage. Progressive not much better. State Farm is best price here. Homeownership may be a requirement...

[muskrat]

State Farm is a rip-off here, they quoted me 1700/year when Progressive is at 600 for two bikes.

[wrl]

So, I'm all insured and legal now. Put on about 200mi since. During a dismount, I re-broke the rear left indicator which was previously broken/glued during the previous ownership. Now it's just flopping around until I remember to temporarily superglue it. That's got me looking at tail chops (Motodynamic, maybe Evotech) and integrated tail lights (Motodynamic). It's pretty grungy under the seat, so while I'm in there I might as well take apart the seat frame and give it all a good cleaning (reference earlier photo). That got me thinking--I could pull off the tank covers and give those a good cleaning as well as the handlebars. The tank covers seem to be missing bolts (again, reference earlier photo) and I saw a set of titanium bolts I could order from some website or another. And..and..and..........

[Raux]

So, I'm all insured and legal now. Put on about 200mi since. During a dismount, I re-broke the rear left indicator which was previously broken/glued during the previous ownership. Now it's just flopping around until I remember to temporarily superglue it. That's got me looking at tail chops (Motodynamic, maybe Evotech) and integrated tail lights (Motodynamic). It's pretty grungy under the seat, so while I'm in there I might as well take apart the seat frame and give it all a good cleaning (reference earlier photo). That got me thinking--I could pull off the tank covers and give those a good cleaning as well as the handlebars. The tank covers seem to be missing bolts (again, reference earlier photo) and I saw a set of titanium bolts I could order from some website or another. And..and..and..........

welcome to the disease

[wrl]

Ha, riding along the beach to check out Spring Break developments, I realized that there are a lot of flat, straight roads here. 

Of course just before I got back home, the opportunity to throw some lean into a turn presented itself at a wide intersection, but I freaked out when I noticed all the puddles of car fluids directly in my arc of travel and wussed out.

Anyone want to buy the unused rubber from my sidewalls?

[wrl]

I pulled off the tank covers, seat, and tail for cleaning & Evotech tail tidy install. Each of the side tank covers has four bolt holes near the front and three of them have threaded clips on the holes. Should there be four clips? Also, it looks like the previous owner took out the side covers' front 4(?) bolts and chucked them for whatever reason (the holes look rusty). Would I be able to find replacements bolts/clips at say...HD/Lowes, etc? Size? I think I need to stop by there anyway. While trying to steel brush+WD-40 away the rust developing on the factory tail, I scraped down to bare metal. I guess I should get some paint to touch it up.

Installed this week:

Evotech tail tidy
Integrated tail light (not sure how effective this is going to be, might switch back)
DP mini LED turn indicators (now I have 'two' sets of rear turn indicators functioning simultaneously)
Tankslapper 3M kit

Putting on the Speedymoto frame/fork/axle sliders and cleaning/lubing the chain this weekend. Sidi Adventure boots came in. The seat & tail have been in pieces on the floor for days due to a busy week at work, though I should get it back together tonight. Haven't gone for a ride in a week; weather is saying rain all weekend. *grrr*

[cactus-pits]

thinking about a different exhaust yet?
 

[wrl]

Ok, I figured out the clips & missing bolts. Got everything done. Oil is a bit low, so I'm off to the store to top off and get some Goo Gone for the frame sticker residue. Should I be worried about the surface rust inside the hollow of the rear axle? I just installed the rear sliders over it...

Obligatory photo:

thinking about a different exhaust yet?
 

Ha, I'm already planning to do it at the 7,500 mile service.

[wrl]

Quick question. Considering that I don't know what they put in at the last oil change, am I OK topping off with a quart or two of Mobil 1 Racing 4T 10W-40 until the 7500 mile service in a month?