Learning to fix your own bike

[Bishbosh1999]

Any ideas on where to start with learning to fix your own motorbike/replace clutch handle etc etc?
Just over 3 months riding experience and i wanna look towards fixing the clutch/brake levers from my newbie bike drops as well as trying to save a little bit of money on repairs
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Rieju MRT (50cc) (sold) - Yamaha WR125R

[Az]

Haynes manual and YouTube... Although you shouldn't need them for a lever change, it's a fairly easy job. Give it a go and if you do get stuck look at some YouTube videos.

[Bishbosh1999]

[talkToTheHat]

Been watching a lot of delboy's garage on youtube of late. A lot of sensible advice on how to do things on a sensible budget. I occaisonally flip out at vloggers who spend more on pointless carbon bits than they do on fuel and then try to be objective about running costs.
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Bandit. does. everything.

[Snop Doog]

+3 for YouTube.

Levers are easy and you can do them in seconds.

Bulbs/indicators are easy depending on your bike. For example on my bike I've got to strip it right down to gain access to where I need to get to. Whereas on other bikes I've seen only a few little panels need removing.

I had a go at changing my front brake pads recently but I messed up and I was left without a front brake. I'm lucky that my local bike shop is only a few minutes away.

I don't trust myself with taking the engine apart. The only thing I'm comfortable with doing right now are oil changes.

Adjusting your chain is relatively easy, I haven't done it myself but I've got a few friends who help me with it.

[M.C]

Also have a look online for your service manual, you can normally find them free, think this forum even has a thread with a load listed. I like Haynes manuals as they have lots of pictures

[Rogerborg]

[Oldie]

Join a bike specific forum, if there is one for your bike, buy a Haynes and check out youtube vids.

I found that I was put off doing bigger/complex jobs simply because I thought that I didn't have the ability. However, once you start the job you soon learn that most of it is straightforward. Always take photos of any dismantling you might do.

If you do get stuck then come on here and show a picture of the problem. Most problems are actually daft things like rounding off fasteners but you'll soon find ways around these issues.

[panaceasaurus]

I'm a complete newbie and not even any good with DIY really (no intuition for it, although I have changed light switches before - that's about it!)

But on the weekend,with the aid of a Haynes manual and a couple of 'changing clutch lever on bike' Google searches (before my Haynes arrived), I managed to change my clutch lever after my bike fell over last week

Was very proud of myself, even though I think it's a simple task
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-- Avatar by DestinyBlue: https://destinyblue.deviantart.com/ --

[Going]

Mostly just take things apart then wonder what the bits I have left over are for Have a read around forums and blogs on what you want to do.
I did watch a youtube video before changing the clutch, that was on a completely different bike to mine, as heard they where mostly the same. It was easy.

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

If you can download the manufacturer's service manual for your bike that can be useful too. Take photos (or sketch) before you start and as you go so you can see what goes where, and in what orientation. When you get to the stage of stripping major components, bag and label the parts.

[Silver_Fox]

Even something as daft as fairing bolts. Keep them in order of removal. Mine are different lengths and I didn't realise until my bits were flapping about unnecessarily in the wind. The bikes too

[Val]

+1 for all the above plus:

find your bike parts catalog booklet or an online parts catalog that shows the diagrams with the parts, for example Yamaha online parts catalog:

https://www.shopyamaha.com/parts-catalog/lines/star-mcy

First you order the right parts numbers and second the parts catalog diagrams are good source to see expanded view of some assembly.

That is good source to see how to disassemble or assemble something if you do not have service manual.

Also do not forget to take pictures with your phone before you disassemble something and during the process.

That really helps when assemble it later

Sometimes even Hayness or OEM service manuals do not show enough details...
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Adrian Monk: Unless I'm wrong, which, you know, I'm not...
Yamaha Fazer FZS 600, MT09, XSR 900

[talkToTheHat]

Yeah, there's some teffing. But he's also the kind of useful teffing that explains how to make a large allen key out of a bolt and how to fix screwdrivers properly. And the why if it all. And he's right enough for me not to throw metallurgy books at the screen.

Bike specific forums are good if you have a bike specific problem, but they're not always the best places to pick up best practices or transferable skills. If you have a 125, expect your bike specific group to be fairly newbie oriented without many experienced old dudes, with the exception of those that have cult/collector/race cred. On the virago forum there was much fix-by-religion going on; if you didn't run autolite ap63 plugs they didn't want to know, whether or not experimenting with a hotter or precious metal plug had any effect on the problem in hand. And seafoam. Seafoam magically fixes viragos.
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Bandit. does. everything.

[whitedevil]

When i got back into bikes in 2010 id never done any work on them, just ridden them.
Ive just got my bike back together after doing a valve clearance adjustment, new plugs, air filter, throttle cables, fitted pair valve block off plates. Drilled out a bolt on a stuck front caliper.

I just give stuff a go armed with a few manuals and you tube its easier than ever.

Good Luck
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GPZ500 sold ~ CBR600FS-2 sold ~ ZX6R sold ~ Street Triple R

[BravoCharlie]

a lot of which as already been said.

Del's garage is a bloke who has tons and tons of videos on maintenance, a lot of which are relatable to any bike, i first watched his videos when doing brake maintenance and then a few videos there after.

https://www.youtube.com/user/Moonfleet41
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Current: Kawasaki ZL600 Eliminator
Past: Suzuki GZ125, Kawasaki GT550, Kawasaki GPX600R, Honda vrx400,Kawasaki Zephyr 750, Suzuki SV650 K5
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.

[recman]

[rubyhorse2]

[talkToTheHat]

[alexknight200...]

Another thumbs up for moonfleet aka delboy.

Simple to understand maintenance videos.
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Current stable: Yamaha XVS 650 1996 - Honda Super Magna VF750 1988.