Learning the ropes from a mechanic?

binaryferret · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 24 Jun 2011 Karma :

After a years time I will have more free time, I was hoping to start learning a bit more about bike mechanics and fixing 'things. I was thinking how to get some experience and I was hoping if someone could tell me if this idea is retarded.

Find a bike mechanic, and offer free labour for a few hours each week (maybe more than a few) as I learn the ropes in their garage/shed/place of business.

Basically I was trying to find something that would benefit both people.

Stupid idea? I know one con is that my free labour wouldn't count for much at the start as it would require effort in order to teach me the ropes, thus could just be told where to go.
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CBT: 07/2011 | Theory: 08/2012 | Current Bike: Yamaha YBR 125 Custom 2009

Blau Zedong · Banned Joined: 26 Jun 2006 Karma :

Vincent · Banned Joined: 16 Oct 2006 Karma :

I did exactly the same, (offered to work for free), when I found out someone I know had just got a job maintaining some blokes vintage car collection. Didn't work for me though.
Why not buy an old wreck and take it apart? That's how I started to learn. The bike never ran again but you can learn a lot by pulling something apart and seeing what makes it tick. It teaches you some basics on how to use tools properly too.
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Space Is Deep

binaryferret · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 24 Jun 2011 Karma :

yaigi · World Chat Champion Joined: 28 Jul 2012 Karma :

My Dad owns a garage and has been known to take on college students so they can get experience but he's stopped doing it in recent years cos he says its more bother than its worth. Having someone around that knows how to do bugger all mechanically isn't the greatest of help, there's not always a situation or job that would be good for teaching (you only get what comes in, which could be super complicated stuff or something not worth learning), and they have quite often caused accidents.

Having someone constantly watching you asking "what does this do" and "why did you just do that", I would imagine, would be darn annoying too.

My friend did do a little part time evening mechanics course that wasn't too expensive though, perhaps there is something like that around your area? You'd sure learn a lot more a lot quicker, and you could concentrate on specific things you wanted to learn rather than just seeing whatever comes through the door (which could be anything from a flat tyre to a blown head gasket!)
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What would you do in life, if you knew you could not fail?
Currently own - Fazer 600, 2000, Red. (But no riding as baby on board atm)

matto · Crazy Courier Joined: 18 Apr 2012 Karma :

The biggest issue is finding someone who is going to trust you to be in their workplace, with their tools and their customers. That's without considering the legal implications should you actually injure yourself or damage something (it's health and safety gone mad!).

It's one of those things that if you had a family member or close friend they would probably welcome you in, but some random garage owner is likely to tell you to sod off.

binaryferret · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 24 Jun 2011 Karma :

J4mes · World Chat Champion Joined: 18 Mar 2011 Karma :

Don't bother with night courses. Get a cheapo wreck of a bike, get a haynes manual, take your laptop to the garage and log on to the BCF workshop subforum.

All the information, help and advice you're likely to need will be here.

kotachi · Traffic Copper Joined: 26 Mar 2012 Karma :

I want to do exactly the same thing, not very mechanically minded but I want to be!

I got given an engine free with the bike I just bought, one with a gearbox fault so ready to be scrapped but the rest is fine.. I intend to take that apart and play with it, work out how it functions Smile

should be a good start! And night classes is a good idea, I've thought about that also...
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CBT done - 24/03/2012, theory test done - 03/04/2012.. Mod 1 done -26/06/2012, Mod 2 done - 29/06/2012. Current steed: Cage.
Suntan Sid said: "Look at it this way, your employer wants to pay you the minimum amount, it thinks it can get away with, and extract from you the maximum amount of graft. Ergo it's your responsibility to ensure that karma is restored and you do as little work as you think you can get away with, for the maximum amount of money."

Vincent · Banned Joined: 16 Oct 2006 Karma :

dungbug · Could Be A Chat Bot Joined: 05 Feb 2012 Karma :

Another vote for getting a wreck, makes no odds if it never runs again. You'll learn a lot from just stripping it and seeing what goes where & why. I did this with the first VW Bug I bought, it was never going to see the road so I stripped it down to learn from it. Thumbs Up

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CBT: Pass 25/06/2011 Theory Test: Pass12/06/2012 Mod 1: Fail 08/07/2012
Mod 1 Retest: Pass 15/0702012 Mod 2: Pass 03/08/2012
Suzuki GN125 (Sold) ~ Current bike: Yamaha YZF 600R Thundercat

binaryferret · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 24 Jun 2011 Karma :

Vincent · Banned Joined: 16 Oct 2006 Karma :

Once you start spannering, you won't stop Wink

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Space Is Deep

jjdugen · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Jun 2011 Karma :

If you know little or nothing, the learning curve is like the north face of the Mattahorn, gigantic, daunting, dangerous. A motorcycle is a simple concept but each manufacturer will do things in different and individaul ways (patents, ideaology, production faciities).
Next hurdle is equiping yourself with all the tools you need, once again, each manufacturer does things differently.
Next is your physial and mental ability. Working on motorcycles is a surprisingly physical undertaking, not only in strength, but the ability to spend hours stooping over and under the things.
Then you must have a logical mind, with the ability to think out of the box for the really puzzling problems.
I can't blame youngsters for ignoring the game, the rewards are very poor. But, if you want to learn, more power to your elbow.
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The CBR900RR has been sold. Aprilia Falco worms its way into my heart.
Try Soi 23 on Amazon for a good read.... Self promotion? Moi?

_Iain_ · Banned Joined: 01 Feb 2012 Karma :

karthead · Trackday Trickster Joined: 01 Apr 2012 Karma :

Contrary to what all of you have been mentioning, I learned absolutely everything of youtube and had a great fascination on how engines work. After watching hundreds of 2-stroke animations and 4-stroke animations on youtube I got a bloody good idea on how these things work, and finally whipped up the courage to take a part a whipper snipper motor. Then I put it back together- and hey, It worked. I think this was when I was 11-12. There were however simple things I missed when putting it back together, which without someone with more knowledge telling you what to do, you'll easily skip it, such as setting the gap for the flywheel/ignition coil when putting it together (I didn't have a feeler gauge, nor knew what it was).

So then I got excited and rebuild several other whipper snipper motors. Then I started tinkering with a mower which wasn't working and it started. Then I fixed a motorbike engine (which earned me the title 'safety pin boy'. During this period I also learned a crap load of things, I mean, a crap load). Then I rebuilt/put back together a lawnmower engine for a metal tech project, which I didn't learn anything off cause it was quite simple. Then I fixed a blown head gasket on my first car (my parent's old car) which was quite a major project for me. Mind you, I'm still working on the bloody fuel injected thing cause the ECU is playing up and making it run like shit cause of faulty coolant sensors.

Well, thats my story. Watching lots of youtube videos is extremely helpful and gives you a good idea in what you're doing. Then you can get into rebuilding stuff with a bit of knowledge behind you, and slowly work your way up to bigger and better things Thumbs Up

Good luck

Pol Anorl · Banned Joined: 13 Apr 2010 Karma :

ruck bodgers · Trackday Trickster Joined: 31 Oct 2010 Karma :

sounds like a decent idea to me . would be great to work with someone with an in-depth knowledge in the trade to just tell u how everything works and how to go about things .
i know i am stating the obvious there but it would be the ideal aye .
i know some colleges offer free courses in motorcycle maintenance

most people learned by just getting stuck in and working it out ourselves . read some haynes workshop manuals and get a knacker to tinker with .

i learnt that way because i am one of those slow witted people who can only learn through first hand experience . all practice no theory

i dont know the name of a lot of items but im more than confident i can fix any bike whatsoever . the difference between us and a proper mechanic is u wont have bits of matchboxes and gaffa tape sticking out your engine Laughing

bcf bodgers society

karthead · Trackday Trickster Joined: 01 Apr 2012 Karma :

Clarkie · Borekit Bruiser Joined: 01 Sep 2012 Karma :

Vincent · Banned Joined: 16 Oct 2006 Karma :

nowhere.elysium · The Pork Lord Joined: 02 Mar 2009 Karma :

The chances of a mechanic allowing you to shadow him are pretty slim, since effectively it'd be the equivalent of a) free training, and b) eliminating future custom.

More to the point, have you ever had a work experience kid follow you around at work? It's that annoying.

Buy a knackered bike, tear it down, learn how the bits go back together, level up your home mechanic skill that way. Bonus points if you get hold of the manufacturer's service manual as well as a Haynes Book of Lies. For general reference, Haynes manuals are best regarded as a starting point, not as the word of God. They're full of inaccuracies and incorrect photos, as well as the methods described often being for the wrong bike.

In my experience, the typical hierarchy of reliable information goes something like this:

1) Manufacturer's Workshop Manual
2) People on BCF who actually know what they're on about*
3) Clymer Workshop Manual
4) Scrawled notes from a drunken advice session down the pub
5) Yahoo Answers
6) Haynes Manual.

*This is an incredibly important distinction. There is a great deal of shit offered as advice in the workshop, and you need to learn to differentiate the good from the bad. A non-exhaustive selection of good sources is CHR15, FizzerThou, Kickstart, Robby, Stinkwheel and so on. A non-exhaustive selection of people that you should never accept workshop advice from is andresoccer10, covdude, SyrisTheIndomitable, TheSmiler, and so forth. In fairness, neither Smiler nor covdude are likely to offer their mechanical opinions, so that may be a little harsh of me.
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'10 SV650SF, '83 GS650GT (it lives!), Questionable DIY dash project, 3D Printer project, Lasercutter project

_Iain_ · Banned Joined: 01 Feb 2012 Karma :

karthead · Trackday Trickster Joined: 01 Apr 2012 Karma :

nowhere.elysium · The Pork Lord Joined: 02 Mar 2009 Karma :

Andre, no one here has got it in for you, we just pick up on bad advice very readily, and the advice you've historically offered on this site has been exactly that: bad.
Might I suggest that you spend less time posting in the workshop, and more time reading in there? There's every chance that you'll learn something, and it'll minimise the chances of an established member hanging anything to pick holes in when you do post.

You're young, you're inexperienced, and you're quite spectacularly enthusiastic. None of these are bad things, although they're a deadly combination when you seek to instruct others. As such, do the smart thing: sit back, learn, and when you've picked up enough to be able to do what you're referring to single-handedly, then offer advice. Talking about things from a theoretical standpoint does nothing more than highlight your own ignorance.
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'10 SV650SF, '83 GS650GT (it lives!), Questionable DIY dash project, 3D Printer project, Lasercutter project