Garage & Tools Tips & Tricks...

[tvpierce]

Back to brake bleeding... after I installed my SS brake lines, my front lines felt like there was still air trapped.

I made a rubber backed plate to fit over top of the reservoir. I attached a Mity-vac, applied some vacuum, and then pumped the lever in and out. I did this several times. The front brake feels like it's on Viagara now. And, I wasted no brake fluid in the process because I was only pumping air.

David,

That's brilliant!

Thanks.

[Papa Lazarou]

WHY ISN'T THIS THREAD A STICKY?

[Leanintree]

Because the signal to noise ratio is still high grasshopper...


Oh, and a bajillion lit candles in your garage makes it into a potential fire hazard (particularly when you use flammable chemicals).  <--------TIP

LT

[William]

Oil change tip... Keep an empty 5 qt oil jug in the garage and mark with permanent pen the proper amount of oil for each of the bikes you own. Measure out the oil for your bike into the jug, and mark the level, label that mark for that bike. Repeat for each of the machines you own, so that at each oil change you fill to that mark for that bike and pour into the engine. That way you're really only doing a precise measure once. I've got marks for changes with and without filters.  

[chornbe]

Oil change tip... Keep an empty 5 qt oil jug in the garage and mark with permanent pen the proper amount of oil for each of the bikes you own. Measure out the oil for your bike into the jug, and mark the level, label that mark for that bike. Repeat for each of the machines you own, so that at each oil change you fill to that mark for that bike and pour into the engine. That way you're really only doing a precise measure once. I've got marks for changes with and without filters.  

I do this. It's worth the few extra minutes.

[knolltop314]

William ...... THANKS!  

[bomber]

(cue V8 head slpping loop here)

Good tip, William -- I learned something today.

Must be time to lay down.

[knolltop314]

(cue V8 head slpping loop here)

Good tip, William -- I learned something today.

Must be time to lay down.

So u need the nap today, huh?  

[bomber]

;-}

[HipGnosis]

Speaking of oil changes.

My maint logs are now on the computer (surprise!).
My log files for ea vehicle have notes on:  oil viscosity, how much (w/ and w/o filter), filter #s and a list of all the tools needed.

It's so much easier to grab all the right tools (and only the right tools) from the start.

Bonus tip; putting lotion on your hands before you do any mechanical work makes clean up a lot easier.

[Andrew]

When doing a valve adj/check write down the clearances (or put it on the computer)
When you go back to recheck them the next time it is a lot easier to track the changes.

If you have shims and have to remove the cam/cams to pull them, measure all of them and put the info in the log. If they are out next check you will not have to pull things further apart just to find out what shim you will need. From the notes you made you can determine the correct size needed. Saves a bit of time.

[chornbe]

These are among the things for which a helper is a great time saver. If you have, say, a teenager interested in learning, you can explain to him/her exactly what you're checking and why, and he can write down what you dictate, while you keep working. He can also take pictures if you're the type to do a picture log. I usually am if it's a job that I'd like to share or the first time I'm doing something new, or the first time I'm doing a job on a bike I've never done that job on before.

[Sputnik]

....If you have, say, a teenager interested in learning.....

Oxymoron  
At least with the 2 I have left at home.

[William]

For a little extra grip on your ratchet extensions, wrap some grip tape around the shaft. Helps when you need to turn the extension without a ratchet...

[Andrew]

Grip tape around the shaft

  Sounds painful  

[HipGnosis]

When dealing with a stubborn bolt or nut,  sometimes it helps to apply force the opposite way of the way you need it to go.

[TuffguyF4i]

I keep all of my maint records with a sharpie on the wall of my garage.  

Its not super neat but when someone comes to buy a bike, they def believe i do all the required maintenance.

[bomber]

YAY, this thread's stickied!

[Papa Lazarou]

YAY, this thread's stickied!

 

[William]

Grip tape around the shaft

  Sounds painful  

It's more comfortable than you'd expect at first...

On topic:

Don't throw out that old baking sheet or cooking pot from the kitchen.

They make excllent trays to disassemble stuff in to catch little parts falling off and to keep fasteners from wandering off the edge of the workbench as you keep working.

And they make nice durable parts cleaning containers. I keep several shapes & sizes handy along with a huge collection of cleaning brushes. Lots less wasted solvent.