How much maintenance do you do yourself?

[banshee01]

How much maintenance does everyone do themselves?

 

[fast4d]

EVERYTHING.

even all future warranty repairs unless parts is over $200. that's how much I trust KTM dealers.

edit: except shock rebuilds! I ship it to the shop.

 

[banshee01]

How much maintenance do you do?

Just curious how much everyone does themselves

 

[Lunch Box]

I do pretty much everything myself, with a couple of exceptions. I don't do suspension re-valving and I won't spend more than an hour trying to figure out anything that is electrical in nature.

 

[revnort]

On my BMW I stick to basic maintenance. Fluids, chain, tires. I have installed all sorts of things myself though, but not really maintenance.

I am a little more adventrous on the dizzer, but mostly for anything major I either enlist friend's help or just take it in to the shop.

 

[Hooli]

Depends on the bike. Japanese? Pretty much everything as well. I've stripped and rebuilt more than one. The GSXR is currently being given this treatment.

I have yet to do perform something like my own Desmo valvetrain maintenance but it's something I aim to learn this year.

 

[banshee01]

Depends on the bike. Japanese? Pretty much everything as well. I've stripped and rebuilt more than one. The GSXR is currently being given this treatment.

I have yet to do perform something like my own Desmo valvetrain maintenance but it's something I aim to learn this year.

I plan on taking the class at the moto shop for that one also this year.

 

[5150ninja]

Everything.

Yeah, I own Japanese because they're simple and awesome. I used to race Italian Kart enginies and they weren't worth the hassle, so I'm hessitant to ever consider an Italian Moto. Sexy yes...reliable, huck no! Constant issues in my personal experience.

No experience with German Motorcycles, but autos I didn't care for electrically. Mechanically and handling wise for the autos...

Japanese = relatively inexpensive, dependable, easy to maintain. For some that = boring I guess? For me that = awesome!

 

[rodr]

Somewhere between 2 and 3. I've replaced a stator and R/R successfully, but have no interest in adjusting the valves.

 

[ilikefood]

I do as much as possible, including valve clearance checks, but having enough valve shims in various thicknesses on hand is a pain, and taking cams in/out is a pain, so I usually leave that to the shop.

 

[Honey Badger]

Most everything, although I could learn valves (have done them on generators in the military), I choose to leave that to the pro aka Elskipador because it's not something I want to potentially mess up. Don't really tear down engine internals or crack cases, and the suspension stuff I let my suspension guy aka Jim @ Catalyst take care of, because, again, it's easier for him and he'll get it right, it's not something I've taken the time to study in depth enough to do myself. Studied enough to know I don't want to mess it up and just how much is going on there

Everything else is fair game. I don't trust other people touching my bikes (one bad experience was way more than enough). Granted, that means when things go wrong I pretty much only have myself to blame, but I can deal with that better than being mad that someone else didn't do what I way overpaid them for

 

[Lunch Box]

Most everything, although I could learn valves (have done them on generators in the military), I choose to leave that to the pro aka Elskipador because it's not something I want to potentially mess up. Don't really tear down engine internals or crack cases, and the suspension stuff I let my suspension guy aka Jim @ Catalyst take care of, because, again, it's easier for him and he'll get it right, it's not something I've taken the time to study in depth enough to do myself. Studied enough to know I don't want to mess it up and just how much is going on there

Everything else is fair game. I don't trust other people touching my bikes (one bad experience was way more than enough). Granted, that means when things go wrong I pretty much only have myself to blame, but I can deal with that better than being mad that someone else didn't do what I way overpaid them for

So...oil changes and chain adjustments, then?

 

[Honey Badger]

So...oil changes and chain adjustments, then?

If only that's all there was to keeping a bike going! Although my biggest tear-downs and repairs have been the result of (track) crashes :| but that goes way beyond oil changes

 

[Lunch Box]

Just teasin' you a bit.

I am a crappy mechanic, but I can do just about everything in the maintenance and general repair spectrum (thanks in large part to the interwebs). It might take me WAY too long to do most things, but I feel like doing my own work helps me get to know the bike better, and has served me well on a few occasions in some fairly remote spots.

 

[Honey Badger]

Just teasin' you a bit.

I figured

I feel like doing my own work helps me get to know the bike better, and has served me well on a few occasions in some fairly remote spots.

Much this. Knowing my bike and being familiar with it has saved me from having to arrange a ride home a few times over the years. Plus, I just like to know what's going on with it...and if there's something that is prone to being an "odd" problem, I want to know about it, not rely on some stranger who looks at hundreds of bikes to notice that one little thing that isn't the way it used to be...plus, I find it relaxing to go work on my bikes most of the time. Generally something I enjoy doing.

 

[mean dad]

I do ALL maintenance.

I do not do ALL motorcycle repair work (rebuild shocks, transmission repair, etc).

Maintenance is not the same as working on a bike.

 

[revnort]

I do ALL maintenance.

I do not do ALL motorcycle repair work (rebuild shocks, transmission repair, etc).

Maintenance is not the same as working on a bike.

In that case I do most maintenance. I hesitate to do valves, and while I could do something like suspension at scheduled intervals would rather pay someone.

 

[Cabrito]

I would gladly pay someone, but I'm to embarrassed to bring in my KLR to any shop so I just do it all myself until I break it and can't fix it myself..

 

[SByota]

Everything: Oil changes, tire mounting and balancing, valve adjustments, suspension rebuilds/service, brake bleeds etc. Two reason, first I am super cheap and hate paying for things I can do myself. Second, the wife only allows me so much to spend on moto's every month, so the more I save by doing stuff myself the more I get to spend on cool stuff.

 

[Lunch Box]

Maintenance is not the same as working on a bike.

Sure it is. If you have a bike long enough, you will need to do a bit of top/bottom end repair work. If you have a two stroke, you definitely know what I mean.

I see what you mean, though. The thing is that many people consider oil changes and chain lube to be the extent of maintenance activities. Suspension oil/seal replacement, shock recharging, replacement of shock bumpers, etc. are all general maintenance things, but are often overlooked. Same for the nuts and bolts of the brake systems, clutch, electrical, carb/FI, and so on. Often, these items are overlooked long enough that they change from maintenance items into repair items.