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What it takes to work on your own bike.by CarlosI think you can avoid some of the painful learning in the early stages of wrenching by pretending that you are a surgeon before every major procedure you do on the bike. It may sound silly, but going into it with a professional attitude can save some major headaches, especially for those of us who are not proficient with the wrench (myself included). Take for example a valve adjust procedure... --First I would suggest familiarizing yourself with what your going to be working with. If you have no idea what an overhead camshaft is, now would be a good time to learn what it is, what it does, and how it works. I just went to Barnes and Noble and sat down with a motorcycle maintance book for an hour or two to get a basic idea of how an engine mechanically works. Having an idea of how your type of engine (or valve train system) operates can help you avoid and spot any basic mistakes. --Second, BUY THE SERVICE MANUALS and sit down with them until you understand exactly what you will be doing every step along the way. These manuals are a pain in the butt because they assume some mechanical knowledge, and because sometimes they are poorly written and translated. But hopefully some basic knowledge would have been picked up by now. I know I had to reread the instructions in the manual more than once. Reading the service manual is like reading a dictionary, sometime you have to refer to other procedures to fully understand everything that you will have to do. This is also the time to take your questions to the list, before you start. You'll probably have many at this point. --Third, after you've received clarification on questions, rehearse in your head how you will perform the procedure, from beginning to end. This is kind of a check for understanding. If you can imagine doing the procedure without any big nagging doubts, your almost good to go. --Fourth, read any tech articles on the KLR website. (or XRL) Now these articles should make more sense and will be better able to help you because they probably expose any snafus along the way you might not be expecting. It also serves as a good review. --Fifth, when you begin working, be methodical. Have all your tools ready, and don't rush. Anything you strip out or break will likely be very expensive to replace. Aluminum is very unforgiving when it comes to using incorrect tools, so buy the right ones, including a torque wrench (spending money on tools is better than putting money it the bank, so don't ever hesitate to spend it on the right ones). Have a clean area available where you can lay out the parts you've removed, and try and keep them logically arranged so the bike goes back together easily. Make sure you have enough time to do what you want to do. Go back to the list if you hit any problems. If you hit any big problems, it may be time for a break so you don't end up damaging the bike in desperation, have a beer or something or just leave it till the next day when you have a clear head. It's also a good idea to make sure your having a certain degree of fun, or at least a sense of adventure when your wrenching. You could be paying someone else to be doing this, but your not... be it because you don't trust your local shop, or because you just want the satisfaction of taking care of your own bike. Wrenching is part of the motorcycling experience, enjoy it like you would a nice ride in the boonies. This may all sound like overkill, but I can guarantee that if you put reasonable effort into preparation before wrenching it will pay off. Chances are that after you are done with any certain procedure there will be very little mystery left about it, and you will feel more confident about wrenching and attacking any future projects. Also, its a good idea to have some rubbing alchohol or peroxide around. Sooner or later you will be shedding blood for the privlage of working on your own bike. In my case it was when I least expected it...I just finished adjusting the chain when I stood up and introduced the top of my head to the bottom of the helmet hook. The result was at least a cup of blood all over the garage floor. If this happens, just walk away from your bike as quickly as you can before you push it over and inflict more damage than you can afford to repair...emotions can run high when you take a stubbed toe and multiply it by ten! :) Carlos Oil Report More Oil FAQ Motorcycle Oil Info Moto Oil vs Auto Oil Oil Articles SAHARA RALLY GEAR Download GearCalc Valve Adjustment Big Fin Head Street Conversion Battery Basics TOP
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