Terry

21 is the combination of the outer dust seal and the oil seal. I'd also get 26 which is the copper sealing washer at the base of the fork; you can re-use these but old ones can weep sometimes. If the bike has done a few miles you might also consider replacing the sliding bushes 11 and 12; these are teflon-coated on their sliding faces (outside of 12, inside of 11) and that can wear down over time. You will need a least one litre of your favourite fork oil.

looks like you could unload lots of vehicles very quickly with that system...

My 86 made some horrible clattery clacking noises so I pulled my starter clutch expecting this. Actually...not a mark or crack on it at 106000km, even the rollers and weights looked like new. Just the springs looked a bit packed down, so I replaced those.

Although I too live on an island, it is a decent size at 113,000 square km (thanks Google). My ferry journeys have been limited to a harbour crossing to Waiheke Island with my scooter (and wife). Waiheke is in one of Auckland's harbours (the Waitemata) and full of vineyards, holiday homes and rich pricks (apologies to anyone here who lives there). You get there on what can only be described as a landing craft, with a lowering bow door that grinds up onto a ramp at each end. The Vespa was a blast two-up on dirt roads! Other short crossings have been in the Bay of Islands at Opua; a very short hop that avoids a tortuous coastal road, actually a fabulous ride on a bike if you have the time/energy. The ferry is as small as it looks but the journey is only 10 minutes. Not too far from there is the Hokianga Harbour, and there is another small ferry crossing from Rawene to Kohukohu. This one also cuts out a very windy coastal road. I crossed this one on a big day return trip to Cape Reinga; it was nice to take a short break. The biggest ferry crossing here is between the two main islands of New Zealand, between the imaginatively-named North Island and (wait for it) the equally creative South Island. Not far as the crow flies, but 3-odd hours in a large ferry that also hauls freight trucks and railway wagons. Getting on this ferry is very exciting for a northerner like me, as the South Island is a bit larger, much emptier, and geographically wild, which means mountains and rivers unlike the North, and epic, epic riding. They insist that you tie the bike down well, the crossing over the Cook Strait can be very wild indeed. In 1969 a similar-sized ferry ran aground and capsized in a storm with significant loss of life...

BT023's were great on my ST1100, but I moved to 31's on my ST1300 and they were awesome. Currently running PR5's on my MT-10 and they are great, this is after 6000km of enthusiastic corners, wear is very even across the profile and they still feel good.

VTR1000F's are know to have starting problems when water enters the boot where the power cable is bolted to the starter. Corrosion, resistance and a lack of starter grunt result, even with a good battery.

I rode an CRF1000 DCT on a ride day when they were released, and MUCH preferred the ageing motor in my VTR1000F Superhawk for smooth thrust. Times change I guess, and the VTR would probably not meet Euro anything, but it was a lovely, loping motor on the open road. I agree with the comments about the lack of a centrestand, I don't get that at all, unless fitting that and the necessary cat is getting too hard. I'm also suprised at the panniers which seem wide but don't hold a helmet. There's a heap of unused real-estate between the tyre and the inside of the pannier which they could/should have used. Take a look at an OLD ST1300 if you want to see how they can do it properly, full-face in both panniers, relaxed room for a pillion's legs, centrestand, cats in the exhaust.

Isn't this in Nigeria? I'm sure there was an email about it...

https://youtu.be/41hvkx77nAU

Me on my VF400F, Auckland University ride day at Pukekohe racetrack. 1984-ish?

Brilliant, my hat is off to you, Sir, thanks for sharing that. My most memorable rides have happened when I relied on "gut-feel" rather than GPS and have ended up semi-lost on some meandering gravel with grass growing down the middle. Hard work at the time but great to look back on. Us Aucklanders are starting to plan similar escapes, although we are currently free to ride with our own infected city, which has plenty of decent roads but we are starting to get a bit dizzy...

I don't recall exactly but my gut feel is that there quite a bit more preload on the stock springs than you would want with 0.9kg/mm items. Racetech's standard advice is to set the spacer length so you get 10mm of preload with the preload adjusters backed out fully. To work that out put the springs and washers in place and extend the fork fully, then measure down from the fork top to the top of the washer. Back the preload adjuster in the cap fully out and then measure the distance from the point of contact with the fork top to the underside of the cupped washer. Subtract one from the other and that is the no preload spacer length, and add 10mm to that. Then check the sag when you sit on the bike which should be around 1/4- to 1/3 total travel, adjust with the preload adjuster or change the spacer if needed. Changing the oil level won't make much difference to the fork feel excepting bottoming resistance. With decent springs you should also at least consider replacing the compression valves with a set of Gold Valves or their equivalent. That will make the biggest difference to the ride comfort and take the edginess off the bump absorption.

Is the clutch mechanically free? A bike that sits for a long time can have the plates stuck together with cold oil, and that will stall the engine when you drop into gear. If so I would let the engine/oil warm up fully in neutral, then shut off and put the bike in gear, pull the clutch in and try to roll the bike back and forth until the plates free up.

Yes but does the shoulder of the bolt bottom out somewhere in the bore hole?

If the washer/hose holder is not trapped between the bolt and the swngarm, the bolt can bottom out in the thread without putting full clamping force on the eccentric. Or so I've read.