Learning to maintain and service

[JellyBelly12345]

Hi guys,

Been reading the forums for a while now (i'm one of those weirdo's that sits in the background and reads on forums and never posts) but I was curious as to how people learn to tinker with their bikes?

I have been riding now for over 6 months on a GSX750 and can do the minor things like changing the engine oil, adjusting chain etc but aside from a haynes manual where do people learn to do the important things? Is it just trial and error?

I'm thinking of buying a cheap 125 to take apart and play around with, seeing what goes where etc, would this be the best way or are there courses for this sort of thing you can go on?

Nothing worse than having a lot of tools and no clue how to use them!

Cheers,

Ollie.

[fullscreenaging]

There are courses at colleges, but I've heard they are few and far between for Motorbikes. Try your local college.

[eastanglianbiker]

i started many years ago by just tinkering and doing small jobs then as time went by i tried doing the bigger jobs and just learned from my mistakes which im glad to say wernt many also using a manual to guide you along helps

[megawatt]

I never even thought to get someone else to work on my bikes. I bought a Honda SS50 in 1975 and a Haynes manual about a week later. Buy some decent tools and give it a go! Loadsa info on here and bike specific forums. Loadsa info on Youtube with demos. and if you are ever stuck or really worried a bout a particular job, PM yer number and I'll talk you through it. Yes, buying a cheapo Jap 125 to strip and rebuild is an excellent way to learn. Don't waste yer time with a cheap Chinese though.

[Colin the Bear]

So what's not in a Haynes? Follow the book. Shout when stuck.

[XmisterIS]

Start small and work up from there, that's what I'm doing.

I have a Haynes manual, and when you do little things like changing oil filter, air filter, etc, you get to have a good look at the bike and see that it's not as complex as you thought. I'm now looking at some of the more challenging things in Haynes and thinking, "yes, I could do that!"

I'm currently in the middle of changing brake lines (a saga in itself, but not for lack of competence on my part, but we won't go into that in this thread - I've devoted a whole other thread to my rantings about that!), and it's not so hard at all!

If you're anything like me, you'll learn 10x faster by being shown rather than being told - there's a whole load of excellent vids on YouTube that walk you through various bits and pieces. E.g. I had no idea about how to bleed brakes, let alone strip the lines out and fit new ones until I found an excellent set of instructional videos on YouTube that showed how easy it really is.

As I say, I have the kind of brain that if I read it, then try and do it, it takes me a while, but if I'm shown it, it sticks in my mind and I can remember the whole procedure no problems.

[Jonabonospen]

I have learnt, and still am learning, by a combination of buying old cheap bikes to just mess about with in addition to my day to day bike, and then I also did a 6 or 10 week one-night-a-week evening course at "Wakefield College skillsXchange". One other thing I did was find a garage that rented benches and tools out and also gave assistance and advice if needed, and then I bought an old ZXR750 in pieces in boxes and took it to his garage and put it all back together at his garage using all the tools there and getting plenty of advice along the way.

Now I just tackle new projects in my garage at home after steadily buying a good selection of tools. I went from no knowledge at all to rebuilding a ZXR750 from pieces, turning an old SV650 in to a rat / stealth bike, doing various jobs and moditfications on my day to day bikes I have had, and then now recommissioning an old CB750KZ that has stood for 20 years and turning it in to a cafe racer.

Other option is to see if there are people about on here or other bike forums that are doing a projects and who wouldnt mind you turning up and watching and chatting. I have mates that come round to just stand chat and drink tea with me while I work on my bike, and friends that come help me when I am stuck. If I can help to share some of my limited knowledge with other bikers then I am happy to do so.