"Reach around and wrench it off!" Where do you fit in?

[R Doug]

I'll stick to what I believe is the easy stuff...

Change oil and filter

Flush and refill radiator

Lube and adjust chain

Change sprockets

Change brake pads and rotors

Anything more technical and I'm paying someone to do it.  

[Busy Little Whiner]

I wonder just where I do fit in???

I'm Mr.RC45's Chief Wrench... no other wrenches are authorized... not to
mention I make my own parts like these tastey magnesium triple trees... sorry Honda...

[DredheadV2.0]

Oh ,this is about mechanical aptitude? Well I thought it was umm nevermind, just forget I said anything

I saw "reach around" and I thought "nuh uh.  He did not just type reach around."

I can take apart the carbs, but something about forks just annoys me.  I'm sending those biatches off for service.  When it comes time to take the motor apart, I ain't touchin' it.

[Tar Snake]

Voted whatever was one was just short of MacGuyver*. I've done it all myself partly out of the enjoyment I get from it, but mostly out of economic neccesity and sheer tight-wadness.

I find I can do most everything if I don't rush. Like Ed said some things (for me tires) are much easier to have a shop deal with them that I just bring the wheels in and pay.

*The only engine I fully tore apart/rebuilt was a Hercules straight 6 diesel while taking a diesel mechanics course. Still an engine though!

[Nesbocaj]

   I no longer trust any dealer to do anything correctly.
I have history with a few dealers that supports my distrust.

  What I don't know how to do, I learn.
Besides, I too am a cheap bastige.

[SilverSTreak]

Being somewhat frugal, I tended to avoid $tealers, but here in Florida, I have tried 3 different ones and been very disappointed with each of them so I pretty much do all my own wrenching, including tire changes, fork rebuilds, valve shims, etc. I knew I had "arrived" when I did my own alternator upgrade on my ST1100 - which required the R/R of the rear wheel, final drive, swingarm/driveshaft - pretty much everything from the engine back. That was 60K ago and she's still running like a top!

Bill
'91 ST1100 - "Silver STreak"
STOC #1137  HSTA #9359

[hazra]

Just bought my first bike lift this weekend.  There isn't much I'm not willing to do to the bike... except tires.  I'm not buying a balancer, and tires are more of a pain than they're worth.  There are a few dealers in the area that give pretty good tire prices, and the $17 per wheel they charge to mount and balance (wheels removed) just isn't worth the aggrivation.  



(the partially disassembled bike to the left is ZZR12's '03)

[ZREXER]

All the really good mechanics work in the oil field in Alberta. I mean if you are a motorcycle mechanic and you are good at, you do it because you love it, not for the money.

What passes as a 'mechanic' at most dealerships is some 18 to 22 year old kid that kind of likes bikes. He may have some basic training, like which end of the hammer to hold. Now he is paid on 'flat rate', so his motivation is to repair your bike in record time taking every short cut he thinks he can get away with. A few extra fasteners left over?...........Well if they are not really noticable, we wont worry about them..............right? Can't find a dropped valve shim?.......well hopefully he did not drop into your engine some where.........depressed yet?

The scary thing is that the so called 'expert' in most cases knows far less about your bike then you do. It is not his baby............he does not care!

I do all my work (well, maybe not an engine rebuild) If you can read and are willing to invest in a few tools and are willing to seek advice when stuck, you can do most of it and know it is done right.

If you find a good mechanic some where, treat him like gold as they are getting more rare all the time!

[JetJaguar]

I voted for working on the carb even though, like others have said, I could take a bike completely apart but I probably wouldn't want to.  It would also depend on the bike.  I'd be more inclined to strip down a 30-year old bike than a modern sportbike since the old bike is so much simpler.  I do almost all of my own wrenching (including mounting tires) because I also don't trust dealers.

Plus when on the rare occasions that I let my dealer works on my bike it tends to come back with flaring panels missing screws...

Funny you mention that, last time my bike was in the shop (for some warranty work), it came back missing a couple plastic fairing rivets.

[Farked Up]

You can't even spell sprockets! You want us to believe you can change them? And, do you know the difference between poll and pole? On the other hand, maybe you would fit right in as a mechanic.  

[1TallTXn]

Never been into the suspension, but I don't mind tearing into the motor.

Rebuilt various and asundry car engines, valve job on the VFR, rebuilt the XR's engine, yeah, I think I can handle it