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Hunter420

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Hello Everyone! My name is John Hunter but you can call me Hunter for short. I joined the forum about a few months ago but due to some internet problems I wasn't able to actively post on it. A bit of information about me. I am a Double Bassist going to college for Music Education. In my junior year at the moment.

I fell in love with the xs650 a few months ago when I saw a friend of mine riding it. I made it my goal to try and obtain one by next summer. I also want to learn how to repair and/or restore bikes so I called a nearby shop to see if they take volunteers to learn how to fix bikes. Problem is that I am completely new to auto mechanics. My brother was supposed to teach me at least the basics but we kind of had a falling out. So I am a clean slate at the moment. The shop I called said to call them later on so I could meet the crew so I am excited and nervous at the same time. Any tips for a newbie like me that is going to start getting into Auto Mechanics.

--Hunter
 
Welcome!

As 2Many said, this place is pretty much the XS Bible, any question you can come up with, someone here can answer.

Specific to starting out as a mechanic, I've been turning wrenches on a hobby level since 1970. I even made my living at it for a while. Here's a tip:

You don't need to spend your prospective kid's inheritance on tools. Of course, you need decent tools, but they DO NOT have to be Mac or Snap-On. Spending enough to buy a half-dozen XS's on a Snap On toolbox is just silly.

Big Box Store tools are fine. Home Depot/Husky or Lowes/Kobalt or Sears/Craftsman are plenty good enough for ordinary hand tools. Same for tool boxes. Heck, you can even get a perfectly adequate box at Harbor Freight.

Save your big expenditures for tools that require high precision such as torque wrenches or micrometers.

The only Snap On tools I have are some I picked up at a yard sale, a bucket load for $20. Are they nice? Yup. Are they necessary? Nope.

Might be different if you were making your living working on Maseratis and Ferraris, just not necessary for something as simple and accessible as an XS.

Also, buy what you need as you find you need it. I'm not a big fan of buying the 999 piece set and finding that 800 of them are bits I'll never use.

***************

Edit to add: If you're a musician, your hands are your tools. Protect them. Wear gloves whenever possible and ABSOLUTELY wear gloves when working with solvents and petroleum products. I like the blue nitrile gloves for most things.
 
Welcome Hunter to the forum:
Decades ago I started university after being in the work force for 6 years. One of the first things I did was get a part time job, that's just the sort of person I was.
You should realize that 2 or 3 shifts a week is going to significantly reduce your availability to expand on the educational opportunity that you or some one close to you is paying for, plus dilute your focus on what should be your total commitment to your studies.
You will miss weekends on campus with your peers, chances to jam with visiting artists, club activities and so on. You marks will suffer and I sure there is lots of competition for jobs down the road that will go to focussed musicians, rather than more rounded personalities like your self.
You may even want to spend some time fixing things with your brother if I may be so bold.
Think twice before you return that call. Hobbies can come after you have a solid base in your career.
 
What downeaster said. i get a lot of tools out of pawn shops. you can learn some thing from any body. every body has a different back ground. oil field, trucking, mining, steel fab. have your ears open and dont blow the old guys off.
 
Working in a motorcycle shop is a good way to learn some basics of course. However, modern bikes with fuel injection, fuel management systems, and a place to plug in a laptop are a far cry from bikes of the sixties and seventies. Most of the guys working in the back of modern dealerships know nothing of tuning and synchronizing carbs, points and condensers, and the multitude of things on these older bikes that make them such a joy to work on. These are machines that will teach you what you need to know.

As suggested, pick up some basic tools, if it's going to be a metric bike choose metric tools (I have a preference for pawn shops), and at least two good manuals that cover the bike you have, (I like Haynes and Clymer). Read, read, read the tech sections of this forum, particularly the carb guide and electrics sections. Once you get your head around those two systems the rest will be cake.

Oh, and welcome to the addiction.

roy
 
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Hello there hunter, I am also new to the site and the hobby. I recently bought one of these great bikes as my first bike and am loving it and joined this forum for it's vast knowledge. I have however been a mechanic for many years and agree whole heartedly with these guys about the tools and time dedicated to working on vehicles. I work in a chevy dealership and have many snap on and Cornwell tools but I regularly go to pawn shops and the Lowe's down the street for many of my tool needs. I recommend getting a rideable bike as soon as you can for the fun of riding and the fact that owning one will help you learn to fix and maintain it as you enjoy it, full emergence into the hobby and all. Best of luck to you, keep us informed. Now's the time to ride!
 

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