Hi I've been riding bikes for years and spent ££££ on servicing and maintenance as never been confident enough to do work on my bikes. I'd really like to find a course to learn basic servicing and maintenance. I live in Essex and wondered if anyone can suggest a course or place i can attend to learn. Thanks
I wasn't that confident either, a workshop manual and a Haynes manual, and of course the massive knowledge base of this forums members, have given me the confidence to have a go myself. I do all fluids, plugs, filters and all brake work myself. Going to have ago at a fork rebuild with uprated springs,after this seasons riding. Good tools are a must.
Yep been looking at Haynes manuals. Gonna invest in one and give things a go instead of wussing out lol.
That's the sprit, go for it. There's a lot of satisfaction to be had by doing it yourself. Also saves you money for bike goodies.
I y i think what worried me was attempting to do something and not doing it correctly and causing damage to the bike...but I agree would get loads of satisfaction from it. About 7 years ago I did a complete VW Beetle refurb so no stranger to tools but...bikes...another beast altogether lol.
The only way to learn is get actual hands on experience doing the work. I'd recommend buying a Haynes manual as they are very good. Take the time to understand how things work, how they come apart etc, before tackling any job. Start off with simple things like replacing the air filter, changing bulbs, dropping the oil and replacing the oil filter. Then when you're confidence builds you can tackle the things people worry about like replacing brake pads, renewing brake fluid, chain and sprockets, fitting power commanders, new exhausts, rearsets etc etc. Of course this all relies on you having a decent tool kit. A proper tool kit is a must for any biker in my opinion. Even if you do happen to get stuck, post a question on the forum and more often than not you'll get an answer from the wealth of knowledge on the forum pretty quickly.
I was, by no means, the most mechanically-confident bloke in the world until I started with bikes. Over the years I've done most of the work on mine myself. Chains and sprocket changes. Brake pads. Brake fluid. Brake lines. Head bearings. Cam chain tensioner. Wheel bearings. I've done the lot. There's no reason to be afraid of it. Get a Haynes / workshop manual. Be methodical and take your time. You don't get points for speed Get a tray with lots of dividers in which to put the screws and bolts as you make your way through disassembly. Keep your work space clean and organised. And most important of all.........tools tools tools If you try to do jobs without the correct tools you're asking for bother. The correct tool for the job makes the difference between enjoyment and swearing and chain-smoking (if that's your bag)
The Honda workshop manuals are good too and easy to get hold off I have a copy of the 08-15 bikes and 04-07 if you need a copy
Something else worth thinking about. How many times have you taken your car / bike somewhere only for the mechanic to do a p*ss-poor job? They're not wizards. They get things wrong too. Only difference is that you have no idea what they've done. You know if you've messed something up when you've been doing the work and will fix it properly. Nobody will take as much care with your bike as you will.
It's already been said and it easier said than done but out some money aside and buy a decent tool kit. There is nothing more frustrating than getting half way through something and finding out you don't have the tools you need to complete the job. That's when you start improvising and shit starts going wrong.......
Another thing that is really useful is to take photos as you go along. Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Spot on. I started off with a tool box like this........... I now have one of these and it's full......
But you could still get what you need for bikes in the box at the top. Tool collecting becomes addictive so try and get decent ones from the start or you'll end up upgrading all the time
The bottom part is full of power tools. Some of which do get used on the bike. Angle grinder, Dremel, drills etc.
I bought the cd version of the blade manual and printed it all off into A4. work were ever so accomodating
Bought decent Allen key set.....got socket set...paddock stands...Haynes manual...read up on JIS screwdrivers and mixed reviews...some say it's just a con...some say they are right for the job...don't wanna spend more money uneccesarily...any other views on these screwdrivers before I purchase some???
