Where Do You Learn Grease Monkeyness?

[Ryandano]

I am so impressed by how many people have such a good knowledge of how to fix up bikes and in particular I was reading on gaz's racing site how they fixed up a 125 DNA by themselves and I am just wondering how people know how to do this stuff? I so want to learn!
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Theory Passed 50/50 Hazard Perception 65/75 23/05/08 C.B.T Passed 26/05/08 Practical Test A2 Passed 25/07/08 3 minors. BMW F650, Hornet 600, Piaggio X9, Piaggio Zip 100, Vespa ET2, Virago 535, Honda MSX Grom 125 Current

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Buy a cheap wreck of a bike,strip it down and rebuild it.

Even just stripping down to the frame will teach you loads.

Then when you get used to using tools,get a haynes manual and start pulling the engine to bits...

IMO you cant learn from a book,you have to get stuck in
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DRZ-400sm

[Itchy]

My so so mechanics skills have been formed by various things:

Gaz leaving , he used to be my cheap mechanic he did repair jobs cheap but took forever to do them, he emigrated and thus I had to do my own stuff.

Myself being a cheap skate, labour around here other than Pete is about £60-£80 per hour, I say I'm not going to pay that! and buy some tools and do it meself.... most recently being strip and rip of my opposed piston brakes , which can't be done by popping them at the lever as with the NTV.

Pete being always busy, he is the only mech I trust these days but he is always really busy and is a miserable sod. Hence being forced to do it myself.

Having bikes in such a state nobody'll touch them, my CBR spill last year I asked around a few places and nobody would touch it with a barge pole, hence again forcing myself to do the repairs.

Used to be, nope won't touch brakes too dangerous , then did them , won't touch header pipes , then did them , won't touch carbs then did them....
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[yandy_yay]

I agree it is something that you just have to get hands on experience with, i'm 38 now but started pulling engines apart at 14 (albeit not very well and needed help to get it back together) but over the years you develope the skills (and memory) necasary to complete even the hardest of jobs. the manuals can be helpful but they arn't always right! nothing beats experience IMHO

Yandy

[Handsome]

" How do you learn grease monkeyness " ?...

Buy buying a Honda NSR and fixing it every other week...
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Previous Bikes...Honda NSR 125 RR...Kawasaki Zephyr 550...Suzuki SV 1000 S...Yamaha FZ8...Current Bike...Suzuki GSX-R 750...

[ms51ves3]

By tackling jobs myself rather than sending it to a garage to get fixed.

As long as I have a Haynes manual just in case I feel confident doing anything really.

[Frost]

I learned because i couldnt afford to buy reliable bikes, and couldn't afford to get them fixed by someone else. I suspect most people who know a fair bi about mechanics started out the same way. It's not really that hard to be honest, once you have come accross a problem once or twice you know exactly what to do.

[Ryandano]

Thats great so any bike you would reccomend to get to just tinker with and learn a bit? I would love to buy something tatty and try fixing it up just to learn a bit. Is there anything easy to start with?
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Theory Passed 50/50 Hazard Perception 65/75 23/05/08 C.B.T Passed 26/05/08 Practical Test A2 Passed 25/07/08 3 minors. BMW F650, Hornet 600, Piaggio X9, Piaggio Zip 100, Vespa ET2, Virago 535, Honda MSX Grom 125 Current

[ms51ves3]

My RX-S is simple to work on and you can get non runners as cheap as £50 and runners for around £200.

Best get a non runner then instead of just taking it apart and putting it back together you can try and fix things and increase the value of the bike.

[Thom]

I learnt the hard way, by buying a "rebuilt" bike and having to do most of the remaining work myself after a knackered oil pump screwed the bike up pretty bad.

But it inspired me to actually buy a project for £280 and after spending about £650-£700 including the bike it's almost ready, built from scratch.

This forum gave me alot of advice i couldnt figure out for myself but gradually you build up your own history of problems youve encountered before and a solution to them.
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Current Bike: 1996 Yamaha TRX850 (The Japanese-Ducati One).
Previous Bikes: 1990 Honda NSR125 'Rothmans' (The smoking one), 1990 Suzuki GS500e 'Caf? fighter' (The loud one), 1987 Kawasaki GPX400r (The quick one), 1997 XJ600s Diversion (The reliable one), 2000 Kawasaki ER-5 (The spontaneously combustive one)

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Suprisingly,you could place a wanted advert in your local free mag asking for a free non runner-anything considered e.t.c.
I'm picking up a pug speedfight scooter for nowt in the next few days . works perfect,just needs the forks sorting out.

This is from a wanted ad
Worth a try.
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DRZ-400sm

[jack_zxr400]

I agree totally with this thread, I was surprised when I joined at the knowledge, information and help that was given and not just by one member but many..

I believe I have learnt some stuff just by reading already, and putting it into practise..

The other day I de restricted a friends bike for then and they were worried the moped was guna blow up

And today I was talking about my bike and that I'm restricting it to other learners and I was talking about the various ways to restrict a bike and how they do it and they were like "err, yeaa, I'll just leave it to the mechanic"

The more stuff you learn to do on your own the better off you'll be.. even if its basic stuff like cleaning the chain and changing the oil

Although I wana know how keith learnt.. he knows like everything
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Previous Bike: ZXR 400
Current Bike: R6
Test Date: 8/8/2008-PASSED

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[Kickstart]

[ms51ves3]

[ZRX61]

[Frost]

I should image in exchange for servicing all keiths bikes, the mechanic would probably be expecting his house
Keith, have you ever sold a bike?

[petemell]

Don't think you learn greasemonkeyness, comes from the years of when I couldn't afford a decent or newish bike and had to make do with old stuff.

It does teach you a bit though about bikes, having to do the repairs yourself and getting it on the road is a great experience, I enjoy it now, not much good at it but still enjoy it.

[Kickstart]

[iooi]

[Frost]

[salty21]

[Handsome]

[salty21]

[Handsome]