Someone to do my APS sensor adjustment

[maximo]

I recently learned about the APS adjustment thing and I’ve read the very well explained steps on how to do it.  And despite me being completely useless with a wrench, it seems simple enough that I may be able to do it myself. Thing is, I don’t want to do it myself. I absolutely hate doing mechanical things on vehicles. I’d rather spend my hard-earned cash on a mechanic to do it. That’s how much I hate wrenching.  So my question is this: is there any legitimate reason why a dealer might refuse to do it?

[BBB]

A 2015 bike is outside warranty so I can’t see any reason why a dealer could refuse the work. They will have to remove bodywork and the fuel tank and have the knowledge to use the diagnostic menu on the dash, but if you provide the instructions from here there’s no reason why an independent bike shop couldn’t do the work either.

Is there no-one from the forum near you to offer beer tokens to?

[betoney]

57 minutes ago, BBB said:

A 2015 bike is outside warranty so I can’t see any reason why a dealer could refuse the work.

My 2015 was bought at the end of 2016 and has almost 2 years left on the warranty but I cant see why it would affect warranty at all.  Its just an adjustment like taking the slack out of your throttle cable, you loosen a set screw, move the sensor 1-2mm then tighten the set screw.   

[maximo]

2 hours ago, BBB said:

 

Is there no-one from the forum near you to offer beer tokens to?

This is a good idea, maybe it's easier to throw out the bat signal and see who's around?

[betoney]

48 minutes ago, maximo said:

This is a good idea, maybe it's easier to throw out the bat signal and see who's around?

By the time you look for an assist or take it to the dealer to adjust for you, you could have easily completed the job.  10 minutes to remove the body panels, 2 minutes to adjust the sensor and 10 minutes to put the panels back on. 

I understand you don't like to work on your own bike but this is one of those things that is just way too simple to take to a dealer.

[maximo]

13 hours ago, betoney said:

10 minutes to remove the body panels, 2 minutes to adjust the sensor and 10 minutes to put the panels back on. 

 

Oh, you severely underestimate my incompetence!  Without exaggeration, this would take me anywhere from 3-5 hours, and quite likely something broken along the way. 

[mingo]

 If we had someone on here take the lead and do a youtube video, it would help us all too! 

[maximo]

It was my good fortune this morning to realize that I had a leaky valve stem on my FJ, so I took the bike into the shop, along with the printed instructions on how to do the APS.  The guy at the counter seemed like he was going to say no, so I parroted what you guys all said "I was going to do this over the weekend, shouldn't take more than 10 minutes, it's no different than taking the slack out of a cable." The guy gave me the side eye, and walked back to the mechanic.  I overheard the conversation, and I heard the wrench say "let me see...(glances at the paperwork), oh yeah, put a half hour on the ticket, it'll be less than that." 

So now I wait... 

[maximo]

Reporting back. I just picked up my bike and rode it through town for 15 minutes, and all I can say is that the bike is transformed! Throttle response, while not buttery smooth, is well within the acceptable range. I was even able to put in on cruise control at 35 mph without the bike doing its best to throw me off. I'm actually going to have to relearn how to ride it again, not having to overcompensate for snatchiness in the throttle. 

It really is an unbelievable change. Thanks for writing up the instructions!!

[betoney]

@maximo - Glad you got it sorted out and are enjoying the bike even more now. 👍

[maximo]

I had a little bit more time today so I took the bike out for a spin in the twisties. I went on Hwy 70 in the Feather River canyon, and I finally got why so many of you are so high on this bike. I've said before that I like the bike, but still learning to love it. Clearing up the snatchy throttle did the trick. A mode is now spot on - it is buttery smooth across most of the RPM range, with no grabby throttle that threatens to mess up my line and squirt me into the other lane. I was able to trail brake deep into the corner with no problem with opening up the throttle leaned over. After about an hour of riding I realized that I was spending zero mental energy on managing how to open/close the throttle, and my shoulders were relaxed, instead of being tense from the anticipation the bike would lunge out from under me. 

Std mode still has a little bit of the snatchiness, but it is reduced to an annoyance rather than impactful. But honestly, with A mode being so good now, Std mode becomes redundant. 

It almost feels like I have a completely different bike.