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

sgallaty said:
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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Yup. sometimes when training a new guy at work, they just dont get it.
Growing up, my step father kept my dirt bikes going, then when my mom left him, I didnt ride till 2004, picked up a suzuki marauder with 1000 miles on it, and debaffleed the pipes, thru in some needles in the carbs, and fora few years when I would really hammer the throttle it would cough and sputter. clueless about carbs, so, suffered with that for a long time.
Fast forward to 2005 , took welding classes, fellow student sold me my first 80 yamaha 650 in boxes, had a busted piston, I rebiult the top end, and bought a low milescrank assembly, and to my amazement, it runs!!!!Tweeking the carbs to get it better and better taught me how to and be brave enuf to dive into my suzuki, and now both of them are smooth, and consistant runners.
Dont be afraid, we were all new at some point. dive in.
 
I have been wrenching on everything I could get my hands on since I was hanging out Dad's garage. Probably started when I was 5 or 6. I just watched what he did because he was engineer, and had a knack for making motors crank. I started with bicycles, then progressed to car maintenance, competition level car stereos(the kind with servo driven amp racks that folded out with the push of a button!), and then I went to AMI to try and really learn the theory behind why and how things work.

Ever since then I stop when I see a biker on the side of the road dead just to help. When you love it, you learn it I guess. I don't have the most expensive tools in the world, but yes they have a lifetime warranty.

My advice would be to read while you wrench. Pay close attention to details, take pictures, and do things the same way each time. Don't mix the order up on things cause you will forget something. It never fails. Don't force anything. With the right force, the right amount of heat, and the right tool everything comes apart. Just remember how to put it all back together!
 
It's very easy to get frustrated, get in a hurry and screw things up. When you get frustrated walk away or go online or into your manuals. Time is your friend. Use it.

Don't be afraid to ask questions and never act like you know what people are talking about if you don't know what they're talking about.

Study up on Internal Combustion Engines in general. Most engine theory can be applied to all ICEs (Internal Combustion Engines.) Learn why things work like they do. I'm always surprised at how many people think they know how to wrench but can't tell you why things work the way they do. A little bit of engine theory can go a long way.

As others mention, the more references you can get the better. There's probably not one single repair manual in the world that doesn't contain at least 1 mistake.

Remember: In order to run an engine needs 3 things: Fuel, Air and Fire (Electricity) And they must come in the proper amounts and at the proper time.

You will make mistakes. You will break things. Most of what you can break is minor and anything can be fixed if enough time, money and expertise are applied.

Even though I've turned wrenches since I was a teenager (I'm 55 now) I still run into things that cause me apprehension and frustration. But each one helps me to improve.

PS. If Hugh (punkstar) tells you something about an XS, it's gospel.

PPS. You can only fix and/or adjust 1 thing at a time. Try to do 2 at a time and you'll have to start over without passing "GO" or collecting your $200.oo.
 
I wrenched on my bicycles. The 3 1/2 HP Clinton engines on the Yazoo lawnmower ( with the knot on the end of the starter rope). The 4 VW's of the family. Overhauled 2 of the engines(They even ran afterwards!) My first bike that I wrenched on was a CB77 that I rebuilt in my barracks roon at Nellis AFB. It ran. I was a crew cheif on fighter aircraft in the USAF for 20 yrs. If I owned it, I wrenched on it. It might have helped that Dad wrenched on everything from triple expantion steam engines of steamships to big round engines of Aircraft Radial engines to jet aircraft CF6 engines of DC-10's.
Manuals are the most important tool.
 
The way I learned was just by getting my hands dirty and exploring if you will. When I would come across something I didn't understand then it was time to reference the manual or the Internet. Everytime I work on something I pick up something new or figure out a better way to go about a task.

Find yourself some kind of old motor for free and just take it apart! Even an old lawnmower or something like that.

And forums like this are great of course too! More than enough people willing to help others out with problems or issues!
 
Greg-NWO said:
The way I learned was just by getting my hands dirty and exploring if you will. When I would come across something I didn't understand then it was time to reference the manual or the Internet. Everytime I work on something I pick up something new or figure out a better way to go about a task.

Find yourself some kind of old motor for free and just take it apart! Even an old lawnmower or something like that.

And forums like this are great of course too! More than enough people willing to help others out with problems or issues!
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Man, you know that is a GREAT idea. I have 3 or 4 650 engines that I paid next to nothing for. I'm scavenging them and building engines out of them - which is a great way to learn.

It's very, very easy to find parts bikes (unless you are in austin) - that's a good way to learn for sure.
 
When I was a kid, my dad sailed the Great Lakes so was away weeks at a time during the summer. If something broke, I had to fix it. I had to learn how or not ride. There was a time way back when I couldn't tune carbs, set valves or timing, lace wheels, change tires, etc. After paying shops and getting shit work in return several times, I decided I could do better myself - and I do. Now I buy the tool instead of paying the shop. Every time I use that tool, I save more money.
 
I guess that bears mentioning too - my dad used to fix cars for extra cash when he was 16-18, and I grew up around him having a full tool set and him building/fixing cars.

That really helped because I usually had the right tool when I needed it growing up.

Looking back on it, I wish I'd invited my dad to help more when I was 16ish but you know how it is. I knew everything by then. Shame I have forgotten so much by now, as my kids will attest now that they know everything.
 
Yep, I fix "know-it-alls" bikes all the time, lol. The kid down the street just put new spark plugs in his bike and it wouldn't start. He stopped by and asked about it. He said he gapped the plugs per the shop manual spec, at .8 something. I told him that was .8mm, he had gapped them to .080", lol. The gaps were so big, the bike wouldn't start. Maybe he knows it all now, lol.
 
Keep in mind the only people who do not fuck up, do not do anything.

The best lessons are the most expensive, frustrating ones. Just the simple point of learning patience with sticking with a problem, and solving it, is life changing. It will serve you well for the rest of your life. Don't think for a second that there is natural talent in building anything.
 
Makr said:
Keep in mind the only people who do not fuck up, do not do anything.

The best lessons are the most expensive, frustrating ones. Just the simple point of learning patience with sticking with a problem, and solving it, is life changing. It will serve you well for the rest of your life. Don't think for a second that there is natural talent in building anything.
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One of the questions anyone experienced in a field asks someone applying for a job is :

"What's your worst mistake?"

The next question is :

"What did you learn from it?"

Noone's born good. We all start out bad, and we learn. From our mistakes, from the mistakes of others, from books and from experience.
 
First I got a lawn mower for free. I took it a part, and put it back together.
Then I bought a Honda 50 for $10 bucks, took it a part, and put it back together.
Next I bought a 59 Plymouth Fury for $10, took it a part, and put it back together.

40 years later I took a 30 Ford Coupe, and a 54 Merc and made one car out of them.
Now Im taking a XS650 and going to make it as light and fast as I can.
 
I took my Daddy's Ford pick-up apart... Then I had to learn to put it back together before he came home or else... It was a good thing that he was in Canada and we live in North Carolina as it took me several days.

Remember: Hammers and vice grips are poor choices when it comes to tools. Use the best tool for the job. Buy the best tools you can afford to buy. And replace Phillips head screws with Allen Head Cap Screws ASAP!
 
ReycleBill said:
As have I but I suspect over all, more stuff is ruined with hammers and vice grips than by any other kinds of tools.
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I have personally ruined more things with well intentioned philips head screwdrivers.

As someone who spent years working on Honda CB750s, I have to stress how lucky we are that the case covers on the XS650s are allen head bolts and not philips head screws.
 
sgallaty said:
I have personally ruined more things with well intentioned philips head screwdrivers.

As someone who spent years working on Honda CB750s, I have to stress how lucky we are that the case covers on the XS650s are allen head bolts and not philips head screws.
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Having owned 6 or 7 CB 750s and 1 CB 550 I'm sure you can understand why I wrote "And replace Phillips head screws with Allen Head Cap Screws ASAP!"

I hate Phillips head screws. :bike:
 

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