Where/How did you first learn to work on your bike?

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Sidewalks

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Hi everyone. I'm completely new to XS650.com and completely new to motorcycles. I've had a keen interest in XS650s and learning the mechanics for years now and I finally took the plunge and got my liscense and took riding classes.

I look in this forum and almost all the topics are about very specific problems using lingo that I have yet to learn and I was wondering how did you learn what you now know about the workings of a motorcycle? My goal is to be able to self-service it and fix easy problems and be able to identify complications when it arises.

Are there books in the library to take out? Websites with diagrams that breaks it down so a complete newbie can understand?

Thanks for all your time and bear with me!
 
First let me say welcome to our little slice of the XS650 world.
Some of us have been spinning wrenches for a long time. On many things. I started with bicycles in the mid 60's, now almost 50 years later I can't say for sure who taught me what.
Most things with fuel operated engines have simular lingo. Most engines have pistons, cams, cranks. Just to name a few parts.
The repair manuals are a good place to start learning. A lot of the places online that sell parts Like yamaha-motor.com have parts breakdowns on the bikes. This can help identify and name parts.
Just reading through the old posts can help.
Up at the top of the page, click on 650 Tech, this leads to a list of topics. Reading these will help you get a start on the lingo and the basics of the machine and how to maintain it.
Leo
 
It's all on the web. The internet has transformed vehicle repair, maintenance, and modification.

More particularly, this site is FrEAKING AWESOME! Couldnt do it without XS650.com.
 
There used to a lot of books with general information about fixing vehicles. One big influence on me was Auto Repair for Fun and Profit, or something close to that. Excellent and slick book with great general information, such as for example push down on the wrench, not pull up, so gravity is working with you instead of against :) Or use wrenches instead of vice grips :D Although every tool has its place... And you can judge a mechanic by the condition of his tools, and so on.

In college I had a house mate and good friend who was a mechanical engineering student who had worked in a garage during his high school summers. I credit him with a lot.
 
I think when you love doing something like workin on bikes or whatever it may be you will always fine a way to get the job at hand done be it through friends or reading every little thing you can find about it. So go at it with an open mind and don't be afraid to ask questions and when you have the answer ask why. Lol. Take care of your tools and they will take care of you(someone told me that once) most of all have fun doing it
 
How did I learn?
By getting dirty....usually I can get it back together correctly. If not, I ask around here. Check out online oem part suppliers, (bikebandit.com etc..)they offer exploded views of parts/assemblies, and then you can correlate the numbers on the diagrams with the names listed on the price sheet! Also, invest in a decent set of metric combination wrenches & sockets. Oh, and metric hex/allen head wrenches as well.(My favorite have the ball-end on them) Don't go and take out a 2nd mortgage to get tools, but try to spring for some that have a lifetime warranty, and if possible, double up on your 8,10,12mm combination wrenches/sockets and 5 & 6mm hex wrenches....you will be happy you did.

Lastly, don't be afraid to ask.:thumbsup:

Good luck, & JUMP IN!!
 
I learned by having an old Honda C90 when I was a teenager that I had to tear the head down every so often to put the overhead cam chain back on.

Later I got into a cb550 that had bad carbs, and graduated to buying up old cb750's and rebuilding them.

That got me enough knowledge to get a part time summer job as a mechanic at a little motorcycle repair shop and to pass the state certification tests.
 
i always knew how to wrench a little bit, changing oil, and brake pads and such. but when i got into xs650s i learned everything i know now from forums and my manual.

if your going this route (forums/manual) then my best advice would be to break it up. spend a night reading through the engine section of your manual, read up on different oil people are using, what products are good to use from mikesxs, how the clutch works, how to adjust valves/cam chain. spend the next 4 months reading through the carb manual. http://www.amckayltd.com/carbguide.pdf

it can be a slow process, but its fun to be able to answer peoples questions on the forums, or go out to the garage and diagnose an electrical or fuel problem or do general maintenance with some confidence.

not to sound dumb, but xs650's have changed my life. :thumbsup:
 
I am learning to wrench because I want a running motorcycle and don't have the money to get it going any other way. Plus I want to be able to fix my own bike.
 
Welcome!

I have learned everything I know thus far (and continue to learn) about this bike from the folks here, and by researching on the web. You will find that these will be your most valuable resources in overcoming any fear you have of working on your bike. Exceptions to this are likely quite rare, such as limitations of tools/equipment, time, space to work, etc.. Knowing your limitations is a good thing, but you can only really discover them by pushing past what you think may be one. Often, you'll discover that it was not a limitation at all, but merely insufficient self-knowledge.

TC
 
I learned to wrench by being a farm boy and I didn't have money to buy a bike so I put a 3 horse water pump motor that I bought for $26 and put it in a 26 inch bicycle frame with wheel barrel tires and a jack shaft set up to line it up with the motor. No brakes, didn't need em. Ride like the wind. This was when I was 16 and a long time ago...
 
Pure-Pork said:
I learned to wrench by being a farm boy and I didn't have money to buy a bike so I put a 3 horse water pump motor that I bought for $26 and put it in a 26 inch bicycle frame with wheel barrel tires and a jack shaft set up to line it up with the motor. No brakes, didn't need em. Ride like the wind. This was when I was 16 and a long time ago...
Click to expand...

That's just amazing to me. :) Hell... I struggle to service a front hydraulic brake with everything I need at the ready... :p

People like you are the ones who make sh*t happen, man. Awesome. :)

TC
 
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I am learning on this bike as I go. One reason I got an early 70's bike. Cheap to buy so if I kill it not as much financial loss.
 
I learned by not being willing to pay overpriced mechanics.
Everything you need to know can be found in a good manual, and on this website. If you can't find what you need, you just have to ask the question (after searching the site, of course) and people will help. This is how I got what my wife called "that rusty pile of crap" back on the road.
It is a simple bike. Just take your time and don't rush it. If you aren't sure of something, research it first. Or you may cause more problems than you started with.

Anyway, good luck on your project.
 
Thanks everyone for sharing their experiences and knowledge. I felt really overwhelmed at first just by how absolute beginner I am. I feel better now and will take it one step at a time. Thanks for sharing all the great resources! They are priceless.
 
I don't know what advice to give a complete beginner. There are some great books about mechanics in general - and so much stuff I (and all of us) know that we take for granted and wouldn't know to explain to someone.

When to apply heat to help loosen stuff, how and where to apply force (and not to), how to avoid breaking stuff and busting knuckles, how to keep track of parts when dismantling, what hand cleaner works, what to wear when you are working on stuff, what the proper tools are for various jobs...

There is so much we take for granted, really. I wouldn't know where to start.
 

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