My foray into motorcycle maintenance (warning: long)

[s44678]

Having only recently got into bikes (<1 year), much of their inner workings was a complete mystery to me. I enjoyed riding them, and was happy to leave it at that. This was pretty much my mentality with cars as well. I couldn't really be bothered to learn even the basics of how to maintain one (bar putting oil and washer fluid in it). I always just took it to the garage, then went down the pub. I like designing things, but don't really like getting my hands dirty. And I am spectacularly lazy.

But then came the time for the annual service of my mysterious but incredibly fun to ride zx6. I downloaded a service manual off this very forum to try and predict how much this service was going to cost me at the garage, and to make sure I didn't get ripped off. You know, in case they tried to tell me my 'golly-sprocket filter-mesh needed replacing' and I could say: "Hahaa got you, thats bollocks, because the golly-sprocket doesn't need changing untill 40,000 miles" etc. Having looked at what needed doing, and the things involved I thought to myself "well it doesn't look that difficult", so I bought some tools from the hardware shop and set about ordering all the consumables and other bits I wanted doing.

Well ultimately I've learned a lot. Some bits were fun, some were a complete headache and I feel a lot more connected to the bike now (bit weird I know), and the knowledge that I maintained it myself is quite satisfying.

Although it's difficult to say if I've actually saved myself any money, becuase I had to buy all the tools and pay the garage to correct some of my - ahem - mistakes. And thus we come (in typically long-winded style) to the point of my post: I really wanted to share my progress so far so you (we) can rejoice in my relatively small successes and also have a laugh together at my n00b-ish failures.





1. Fairings off: took the fairing off to give everything thorough a thorough clean and to get access to the gubbins. Put all the bolts in little labelled baggies like I saw on a youtube video. Knew this was for my own benefit but still felt a bit OCD. Amazed at how much it now looked like my old bandit.
SUCCESS (Hey it's a start)

2. Oil and Filter change: Tried like buggery to get the sump bolt undone. Strained at swore at it but it wouldn't budge. Figured it was seized (seemed to be a bit of corrosion on it). Went out and bought a special socket set with flat sided sockets as advised to get more torque on the bolt. Still wouldn't budge. Borrowed a heat gun from work and sat there for about 2 hours one Saturday morning trying to heat the sump up to free the bolt. Still no joy. Started thinking "sh*t I'm gonna have to go to the garage, failed at the first hurdle!" Only then I worked out that becuase the bolt was effectively upside down, I had actually been trying to tighten it all this time Tried again the right way, came out straight away Rest of the procedure went smoothly. Felt VERY manly smearing oil on the o-ring in the new filter before it went on. Got a bit of a stiffy.
PARTIAL-FAIL.

3. Horn: This wasn't working and I found out it was a potential MOT fail. Looked pretty corroded on the connections, so took it out, cleaned it, replaced the connections and it still didn't work. Took the switchgear on the handlebar apart to check inside there. Looked ok. Sprayed it with WD40. Still didn't work. Scratched my head for a while before thinking to check the fuses. Replaced the horn fuse and it worked. Doh. Should have tried that first.
FAIL

4. Wheels off to get new tyres put on: I knew I couldn't do tyres myself, so I thought at the very least I'll take the wheels off and get the garage to put the new tyres on loose rims. Took the calipers off. Came to the last bolt on the axle clamps and it rounded out "f*ck!". The next week was pretty much spent going to my garage after work to try a new technique of getting the bolt out which I had picked up from someone at work and on these forums. Smashing a torx bit into the socket, cutting a groove in it and getting a flathead screwdriver on it, drilling it and getting a stud extractor into it (I even bought a stud extractor kit) all failed and the bolt was now a right mess. In frustration I tried to undo the axle anyway with this last bolt still in. It came out about 1/2 inch then wouldn't budge. I thought "sh*t I better not do that so tried to screw it back in. Then it wouldn't go back in either! Instead of forcing it and doing some damage, I admitted defeat and booked it into the garage for them to fix my mess and put the new tyres on. I didn't want to put the calipers back on because the disc was now slightly mis-aligned and I didn't want to warp the discs. So I pushed it the 1/2 mile to the garage with no brakes and arrived sweaty and embarrassed. Interestingly though, I still got given the biker 'nod' even though I was just pushing my bike along the pavement.
COMPLETE-FAIL

5. Check the air filter (so that's what an airbox looks like, cooool), check oil/coolant/fuel lines, put new battery in, replace the right brake lever/pedal assembly which had a crack in it.
SUCCESS


6. Brakes: Ordered some Hel brake lines off Sickpup in stealth black for pure tart-factor. Ordered some new pads as well. Drained the old fluid and got it all over myself and the bike. Didn't strip any paint though, but did taste like sh*t when I ate a sandwich straight after. Thought I may as well replace the brake pads and clean the calipers while they were off the bike. Inhaled an unhealthy amount of that brake cleaner stuff whilst doing it which made me feel a bit trippy. Put the new pads in and re-fitted the calipers to the bike. Only then realised I had put two of them in the wrong way round. Had to re-clean all that silver grease crap off the surface of the pads then tried again. Took great satisfaction in torquing up all the bolts to the correct setting and feeling the little 'click' from the torque wrench. It's like a little pat on the back from the tool saying 'well done lad'. Fitted the lines and then spent approx 3 hours trying to re-fill the system with fresh brake fluid and bleed the air from the system. Complete pain in the ass but got there in the end. Went out for a ride, brakes worked, didn't die.
SUCCESS.


Anyway, that's it so far. It's a mixed bag. It's not much compared to the seasoned grease-monkeys on here, but it's a start. I'll definitely consider doing the next bit of work myself unless it's rated 5 spanners (aka don't even THINK about it n00b) in the Haynes manual.


Sorry if you just read all that but hey, that's what general bike chat is for.

[nowhere.elysium]

The oil change and horn don't class as fails, dude: you got them done, which is the important bit.
Rounded out bolts are a bastard, regardless of experience levels, so there's no point in kicking yourself about that, either.
If it's any consolation, you've done far more to the bike already than some people I know of: they're terrified of even charging the battery...
And you've saved yourself money in the long run: you now have a more comprehensive set of tools, so you can do more work yourself. Plus you've done the first-time work, which is always the bit where you start panicking, regardless of whether you're getting it right or wrong.

Pat on the back time.
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'10 SV650SF, '83 GS650GT (it lives!), Questionable DIY dash project, 3D Printer project, Lasercutter project

[The Disapproving Brit]

Count yourself lucky on the sump plug. I made the same mistake on mine, and stripped the threads. Thankfully, I have a dad with an entire metalwork shop at his disposal, purely for tinkering purposes, so not a horrendous deal, but had me thinking "oh shit, this'll be expensive" when it happened.
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Current Bikes: 1983 Honda VF400FD / 2003 Honda VT750 Shadow
Bike Test Passed 18/03/09, Car Test Passed 14/05/13

[quacker_boy]

[Villers]

well done that man, Im similar myself. Apart from an oil change on the old CBR Ive never taken an interest. With the hayabusa I find it all a challenge and get stuck in, Ive had the wheels off, brakes changed, oil changed, suspension put back to normal, fitted new horn etc etc. One tip for the horn not working is to check the wires from the bike with a multimeter. One should be earthed and the other should get the 12v when the switch is pressed, that will eliminate quite a few things!

One downside about it is the obsession with buying new tools, even if you dont quite need them. The other day I caught myself in Halfords just looking at them.

Anyway, Im off to look at some now on the internet with no intention of buying them........


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RS125 > CBR6 > SV650S > ZX636R > GSX1300RZ Hayabusa > 06 RSVR Mille > SV1000S > Street Triple 765 RS

[yen_powell]

If ya don't do, ya don't learn.

With regard to the sump bolt. If you are using a ratchet, just set it to undo when you're looking at it the right way up, before you get all upside down and confused (I still have to sometimes think hard before twisting when at odd angles, even after all these years).
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Blackmail is a nasty word........but not as nasty as phlegm!
XT1200Z and a DR350 in bits

[Harold_Shand]

Done the same thing with sump plug, blow torch, the fucking lot

You don't make that mistake twice.

I ended up using a socket with a jack pushing it up hard and a decent sized breaker to undo 2 hours worth of tightening it up

I'm laughing to myself now, but what a cunt. The missus even said, "You sure you're going the right way round?"

Yeah, course I'm sure, love, I know what I'm doing. Anti clockwise.
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BCF's 6th favourite poster 2009-2010

Harold_Shand's theory might be the best explanation.

[mistergixer]

[Ingah]

Just in case it helps anyone regarding which way to turn the screws/etc:

Lefty-loosey, righty-tighty.

That one stuck with me.

And good job there skluff, i was recently impressed with myself for simply removing the rear wheel so you've gone far further than i've dared (the very idea of playing with brakes makes me sweat!)

[s44678]

[alone]

It's all good fun, and an interesting learning curve. Well done for trying it all! Most people wouldn't dare on their own. I find it more fun to wing it though, yet to buy a manual for my Sprint. Most bikes are so similar where basic stuff is concerned.

Good luck for the future
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Bikes; '06 Triumph Sprint ST 1050 (for sale) - '95 BMW R1100GS

[ncrn]

Cool stuff, I wouldn't think of where things haven't gone so smoothly as fails; think of them more as learning experiences. As hopefully you won't make the same mistakes twice and might help you with your thinking skills for future problems.

When you get down to it most the maintenance on the bike is simply undoing nuts bolts and screws, checking/replacing what you need to and then putting the nuts bolts and screws back in again. If you are feeling brave I'd really suggest getting an oldish 2 stroke and stripping the engine down, that was a massive learning experience for me; and as the engines are fairly simple there isn't much you can do wrong. (If you do make sure you put all the gears from the gear box in the right way round as it is a pain to discover you have done it wrong after you have put the engine back together ).
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Past: 55 Sym Jet, 91 ZZR250, 03 NSR125R. Present: 97 ER-5.
https://www.nsr125.co.uk - NSR Owners forum.

[quacker_boy]

[neil.]

Having, 15 months of riding experience behind me, I can remember only a short time ago shitting myself when it came to maintenance (in my mind was the thought that any mistake I made could cost me my life if something were to bugger up), and basic things like adjusting chain tension etc would take me ages. It's amazing how quickly your confidence grows after a few goes at it and how much faster you are too. My next DIY job is going to be a chain and sprocket change soon as I just hit the last notch on the adjusters this morning.
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CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[daz_d_biker]

I must say, I have tightened chains maybe, 100 times, and still find it a ball-ache job which I hate doing with a passion.

Daz.
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"bikes are replaceable - but a complete nutter aint."