Motorbike Mechanics

Richard tea

I have often wondered this when reading through Boards, biker or IBF. How many posters here are actually trained mechanics. For example there are a few posters here who know their stuff when it comes to bikes and problem solving IMO. These posters are the life line of biker forums as I reckon most people join up to a biker forum when their bike develops a fault.

Whilst doing some work on the bike recently I came to realise that removing the carbs and engine is not such a scary task after all. Ill admit though my bike is 20 years old and I prob would not attempt such a task with a modern bike.

So the question is, how comfortable would you be

• servicing your bike,
• Changing chain + sprocket
• replacing fork seals
• Finding an electrical fault
• Removing Engine & carbs , stripping them and reassembling them.

AgileMyth

I'd be ****ed trying to change my chain and sprockets.

Its shaft drive!

Wonda-Boy

I know my limits but I will attempt anything the 1st time as long as I have someone there who knows his stuff and thankfully I always have done in the past. I learned an awful lot from him and I am much the better DIY mechanic for it. I have saved a fortune since I started biking servicing my bike.

Does not matter if you are the best mechanic in the world if you have not got the tools you be F**CKED!

Cienciano

I'd do the basics, pads oil, replacing certain parts that go. Would have zero idea of anything to do with electrics, but lucky I have family that are experts in that.
TBH, any problem I have with a bike, I'd go to the bike specific forum. http://www.ducati.ms/ at the moment, and www.ukgser.com are both brilliant.
Boards is an irish forum, so it's great for local knowledge, same with the others.
But for instance with my GS I had one or two problems and you'd have an exact answer and a link where is cheapest to get the part and a couple of locals willing to help you fit it within the hour, brilliant community.

lintdrummer

Richard tea wrote: »

So the question is, how comfortable would you be

• servicing your bike, ~~~Very, There's nothing daunting about a regular service.
• Changing chain + sprocket ~~~Last bike was shaft drive so haven't had cause to try this. I've had a look at what's involved and I'll give it a go on the BROS when the time comes.
• replacing fork seals ~~~Lining up to do this very shortly. Won't have the correct tool for driving the seals which could be problematic. Looks like a fairly straight forward job though so happy to give it a go.
• Finding an electrical fault ~~~Wouldn't be massively confident with electrics but I have a multimeter and I'm not afraid to use it!
• Removing Engine & carbs , stripping them and reassembling them. ~~~Don't know how in depth I'd go. I've rebuilt the carbs and it was a grand handy job. Also checked the valve clearence bur haven't gone any deeper than that.

I'm not a motorbike mechanic but I am training in a mechanical job (no piston engines) so I'd be confident enough to give most things a go. As has been said having the correct and good quality tools takes a lot of the stress and wasted time out of any job.

Richard tea

Good points regarding tools. Its usually half way through a fix when you realise you haven't a ''special tool'' to complete the job.

@Lintdrummer, I think a length of wavin pipe can be used to drive the seals back.

lintdrummer

Richard tea wrote: »

@Lintdrummer, I think a length of wavin pipe can be used to drive the seals back.

Cheers! I've seen a couple of methods now, from hacking old seals in half to using insulation tape wrapped to the correct thickness on the inner tube! I'll probably use a bit of pipe like that I think. Figure it out on the day!

Wonda-Boy

Wavin pipe and the old seal does the job perfect. Cut the pipe in half along the vertical and pry it over the fork its sits perfectly on top of the old seal and tap with a rubber mallet.

Hotblack Desiato

Richard tea wrote: »

• servicing your bike,
• Changing chain + sprocket
• replacing fork seals
• Finding an electrical fault
• Removing Engine & carbs , stripping them and reassembling them.

Did all the above. Dropped a CBR6 motor in my parent's house driveway, carried it through the house (with help) and changed the head gasket in the back yard, then carried it through the house again to put it back on the bike. Changed the camchain on a GPz9 (cams out, then you have to readjust all the clearances with screw and locknut.) Balanced carbs. Put on a full new exhaust system. Changed brake discs, rebuilt calipers, changed hoses. Rebuilt a 2-stroke top end a few times, split the cases and changed the crank bearings once. Eventually on that 2-stroke I could get the motor in or out of the frame in less than half an hour

Haven't changed head bearings or swingarm bearings, or done valve clearances on a shim bike.

CJhaughey

I grew up around bikes, father and grandfather had them and my family has a good few engineers in it.
In saying that I learnt more hanging around Motorcycle workshops in my youth and watching very experienced mechanics (ex-race) work on all manner of machinery.
Reboring Nikasil 2 stroke cylinders and fitting cast iron liners for BBK, fitting Helicoils when thats all there was available, porting and balancing cranks etc.
I am confident enough with mechanical stuff and diagnosing problems but not great on electrics.
Modern bikes haven't changed much apart from more sensors, but mechanically they are still the same.
Canbus wiring might be a little more involved but I don't intend on buying anything with that on it anyhow!

cantdecide

I've done all of the above without any real training or experience apart from watching youtube, reading forums and reading the Haynes. There is a lot to be said for having access to a decent set of tools to make things more doable. I'm still at the stage where if I do a job I'll still seem to find another bunch of bits and pieces I have to buy outside of the chain breakers and such. I definitely plan on doing as much to my own bikes while I have older bikes and am not interested in keeping service history together (apart from a diary and receipt folder).

I wouldn't be very mechanically competent. I changed the exhausts with a bit of help. I replaced the fuel tank today by myself. The mt-01 can be a pig to work on. Small jobs become day long excercises in frustration because of the way yamaha put it together. I usually just bring it in to the shop for servicing.