Preventing Small Parts Drop

Cover holes in cases where smaller parts might fall in, which could require additional work to retrieve. Blue, painter's masking tape is great for this. It won't leave glue residue, and it comes off fairly easily even if left on for extended times. See photo above.

Before you begin unscrewing bolts, be sure your workspace is prepared, you have the proper tools at hand, and you're confident in your skills. Refer to the Parts and Tools article in this series for details.

Wrenches will slip, parts will drop, and fingers will fumble. Protect your bike by covering the fenders with large, soft rags to protect them from scratching. Do the same for surrounding chrome parts. This applies to both tear-down and build-up.

I highly recommend you take pictures or notes as you go so you remember where everything goes, and where you stored it.

Unless you'll be starting up your bike again within a couple of weeks (or you've added a gasoline stabilizer), drain out any gas left in the fuel tank. Pour it in to your car, lawnmower, or whatever. Note: If you're adding high compression pistons, you'll want to replace it with high octane gasoline anyway.