Who loves the gear, the wrenching, et al, as much as the riding?

[Honey Badger]

I love it when I have a project like that, get it back together and then find one of those little rings on the floor.

Shhhhhhhh

 

[Climber]

I do almost all of my own maintenance, that way I can be confident it's done right with a care for me and my family's safety.

I let the pros do the things that they know and can do better.

 

[Dave H]

One of the biggest surprises in the 1.5 years I've been riding has been how much I enjoy the maintenance aspect of having a MC. Loving the riding kinda goes without saying but I can also happily spend time doing some basic maintenance, reading the service manual, cleaning it etc etc etc.

 

[89fj]

Today's little project since the weather is crappy anyways plus, this way, I think I can get the parts in, everything reassembled, and have my bike back together in plenty of time for the season opener later this month!

cassette type transmission? ooh, trick

 

[Honey Badger]

cassette type transmission? ooh, trick

Yes, and with the problems these transmissions seem to have, it's a really good thing LOL! Start to finish (not counting the time waiting for parts), it's about a 5 hour-ish job - at my pace.

 

[FXCLM5]

Poll needs "bike life" added, but this means diff things for diff groups of riders

 

[Climber]

How many people have a parts cleaner with a pump?
I'm thinking of getting a pretty small one for cleaning the grease and grime off of parts.
Anybody use them? As useful as they look? Recommendations?

 

[TheRobSJ]

How many people have a parts cleaner with a pump?
I'm thinking of getting a pretty small one for cleaning the grease and grime off of parts.
Anybody use them? As useful as they look? Recommendations?

You missed the boat on those. Seems like around ten years ago, they had to change the formula of the solvents used in those types of part washers. I swear they’re about as effective as a sink full of Dawn and warm water now.

 

[nakedape]

You missed the boat on those. Seems like around ten years ago, they had to change the formula of the solvents used in those types of part washers. I swear they’re about as effective as a sink full of Dawn and warm water now.

The parts washer we had in the shop circa 1986 stunk up half the area. Of course they are proscribed these days. Better to have a large ultrasonic cleaner.

 

[TheRobSJ]

The parts washer we had in the shop circa 1986 stunk up half the area. Of course they are proscribed these days. Better to have a large ultrasonic cleaner.

Ooo I’ve seen those ultrasonics. Very nice.

 

[Climber]

You missed the boat on those. Seems like around ten years ago, they had to change the formula of the solvents used in those types of part washers. I swear they’re about as effective as a sink full of Dawn and warm water now.

I worked in a mechanics shop back in the mid 70's, the solvent used back then removed everything and did not seem safe to either breath or leave on your skin for longer than seconds. Nobody really used gloves back then, most mechanics had scaly skin.

 

[TheRobSJ]

I worked in a mechanics shop back in the mid 70's, the solvent used back then removed everything and did not seem safe to either breath or leave on your skin for longer than seconds. Nobody really used gloves back then, most mechanics had scaly skin.

Yeah. But the stuff worked though!

 

[Climber]

Yeah. But the stuff worked though!

That it did!

 

[TheRobSJ]

I have been wrenching long enough to remember the good stuff. But I’ve come across guys older than me who used it a lot with no gloves. One guy never wore gloves for anything, has hands that look like the orange thing from the Fantastic 4 comics.

I’m still guilty of not wearing earplugs when I probably should, but I don’t take my hands for granted. I burn through more pairs of latex gloves than probably anyone. And yes I know latex doesn’t do well with solvents and so on, but nitrile never wipes dry once you get oil on them.

 

[Hooli]

Ride or wrench? Riding will always win unless the wrenching will improve the riding LOL

Wrenching can improve the ride if it fixes something that prevents you from riding.

50/50 for me, especially if shiny aftermarket bits are involved.

 

[ZimZam]

I wish I knew how to wrench beyond the basics of oil change, brake pads, changing plugs. Any advice on what's the best way to learn? I didn't pay attention in auto shop.

 

[nickb]

I wish I knew how to wrench beyond the basics of oil change, brake pads, changing plugs. Any advice on what's the best way to learn? I didn't pay attention in auto shop.

Disclaimer: Any idiot can keep an old Bandit running. I'm not God's gift to wrenching and do it only on a non-professional/hobbyist basis.

That said I think it depends on your learning style. Some, like my wife, do best with formal instruction. She attended an MC maintenance class at CCSF some years back. Sadly I think there are no longer any Bay Area community college MC tech programs, hope I'm wrong about that but I don't know of any.

I learned from a few trusted friends & associates who helped me through maintenance basics (chain/sprocket, valve adj, carb sync, etc.) on my own bike until I was comfortable with general mechanical skills. Stayed overnight on couches a few times. Then Clymer manuals and asking questions at bike-specific forums (e.g. FZ1 Owner's Assn.) were enough for routine stuff. Still haven't done involved services like engine swap or steering head bearings but I'd do them myself if I had to. It helps to have bikes with almost no resale value that shops won't work on. I also paid attention in auto shop

EDIT: I also made a lot of mistakes, one of which caused me to tow my bike to a machine shop. That's part of the process, or at least my process.

 

[Kurosaki]

Working on cars/bikes used to be more fun. But that's more because I was learning and developing skills and it was all new.

Don't get me wrong, there's always more to learn but I know enough to do the majority of what I need to do. Now, anything new is more of a matter of having the right tools and right instruction.

Plus I have a lot more interests now I value my time not spent in the garage more now than I did when I was 16-21. I don't not like wrenching, it's just more of a necessity than an interest. And it saves money.

I'll tell friends all the time NO when they ask should they buy [insert car/bike here] because I know they're only doing it because they're going to expect me to help them. They aren't wrenchers, they just like neat cars.

In college, I had a friend that had a 300ZX. I helped him change the turbos once. The turbos went out again some years later and I told him I'm not doing it again this time. We ain't broke college kids anymore, you're a doctor, pay somebody to do that. Or you do the work and I'll walk you through it but I'll be sitting in a chair drinking a beer.

 

[Honey Badger]

I wish I knew how to wrench beyond the basics of oil change, brake pads, changing plugs. Any advice on what's the best way to learn? I didn't pay attention in auto shop.

1) Get a service manual. If you understand most basic wrenching you can eventually figure out a lot of it.

2) I know Moto Guild offers classes and courses, and they have mechanics that will work with you. May cost you a little bit, but you'll have the knowledge after that.

3) Find a generous fellow rider or friend who's willing to help teach you - only issue here is, they may or may not actually know what they are talking about, might want to verify that information sometimes.

I've gone from very basic maintenance to far more detailed work (currently working on my second transmission rebuild), but have yet to actually crack engine cases - but feeling braver and braver on those kinds of tasks.

Often the biggest hold up is a lack of tools or proper set up in my arsenal. Some things you can get away with not having the proper tools by your side, but other times, that doesn't always work out so well. I've headed down the path of "having the right tools can make a BIG difference." These transmissions alone have increased the size of my available tools by quite a bit