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What motorcycles teach about maintenance

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Re: What motorcycles teach about maintenance

#31

Post by WirelessGigabit »

Kapura wrote: post #24

I've been watching mechanic channels on YouTube recently when I need some background noise, and It's very interesting to see them do their once overs on the car, and hear their initial theories get confirmed or disconfirmed as they move through the vehicle. You can feel their experience for the sorts of issues that are likely or unlikely, and the focus on root cause (whether a botched repair job or something broken f…

If we're talking about the same channel it also shows the fallacy of having a small engine.

A 1L 3cyl Ecoboost w/ 120hp has the same highway MPG as my 3L 6cyl w/ 340hp.

Smaller engines push in extra fuel to cool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aO2vC_iMTI

Re: What motorcycles teach about maintenance

#32

Post by StayTrue »

dclowd9901 wrote: post #28
Kapura wrote: post #24

I've been watching mechanic channels on YouTube recently when I need some background noise, and It's very interesting to see them do their once overs on the car, and hear their initial theories get confirmed or disconfirmed as they move through the vehicle. You can feel their experience for the sorts of issues that are likely or unlikely, and the focus on root cause (whether a botched repair job or something broken f…

If you enjoy these, I highly recommend the show Wheeler Dealers, especially the seasons where Ant Anstead and Mark Priestly are acting as shop mechanics. Their systematic approach to diagnosis and clever problem solving are incredibly cathartic. And they’re also very good at what they do.

Agree the shop parts of WD are very cathartic. That contrasts with the buying/selling aspect of the show. I use the ffwd function liberally to edit episodes to half their length.

Re: What motorcycles teach about maintenance

#33

Post by moudis »

mikestew wrote: post #7
1970-01-01 wrote: post #4

>One time, when a customer asked him to help revive a beloved 1983 Honda Magma V45 that hadn’t been driven for two years, Crawford responded harshly: “Assuming it’s got all the usual problems from sitting, you’re looking at a thousand dollars to get it back on the road. First, it is the Honda Magna . Second, this mechanic took him to the cleaners. The Magna isn't nearly as complex as a Goldwing. $1000 for cleaning th…

You obviously RTFA, but it's intellectually dishonest to state that all it needs is a new battery and a little carb cleaner. Sure, you get it running, and take it down the road. Now the forks seals demonstrate that they're dried out and cracked, and leaking oil. I don't know how old the bike was at the time of writing, but let's assume 30 years old. Odds are really good that the brake lines have never been replaced.…

It discounts what you're liable to run into once you start disassembling things on old bikes, really. Sometimes you discover that a previous owner or mechanic thought red Loctite belonged on the screws holding the four carburetors together[^0], and your afternoon now involves a torch and chasing threads in old aluminum carburetor bodies. Sometimes you find that the bike was last touched in an era before anyone knew what a JIS screwdriver was, and every fastener is nearly stripped. Sometimes it's not even the bike, but that the last supply for a part is some shop in Maine that just happened to hold one for two decades.

My last encounter with a VFR750 involved a heat gun and a pry-bar to remove the carburetors, they're no joke.

[^0]: I love my GS1000G, but this wasn't my favorite part of getting it roadworthy.

Re: What motorcycles teach about maintenance

#34

Post by dwater »

1970-01-01 wrote: post #4

>One time, when a customer asked him to help revive a beloved 1983 Honda Magma V45 that hadn’t been driven for two years, Crawford responded harshly: “Assuming it’s got all the usual problems from sitting, you’re looking at a thousand dollars to get it back on the road. First, it is the Honda Magna . Second, this mechanic took him to the cleaners. The Magna isn't nearly as complex as a Goldwing. $1000 for cleaning th…

"The carbs will need to be gone through, it’ll need new fork seals, new battery, new tires, probably new hydraulic lines, and who knows what else."

The parts for that these days would probably be over $500, and around here shop labor is $100/hr, so it would probably be more than $1000 today.

Re: What motorcycles teach about maintenance

#36

Post by bee_rider »

kube-system wrote: post #5

What Motorcycles Teach About Maintenance: fuel injection is great.

I just revived a car that’d been sitting way too long, just needed a new battery and an oil change (actually, it already ran OK, but I got the oil change just in case). Fuel injection is magic. So, what car stuff has taught me about the universe is… mistreat objects, they aren’t sentient, you just make them do what you want.

Someone needs to write “Zen and the art of keeping my filesystem tidy” or “Zen and the art of keeping a rolling release distro up to date.”

Re: What motorcycles teach about maintenance

#37

Post by jethro_tell »

artisanspam wrote: post #30

I’m curious to hear the perspective of someone who is both into motorcycles and bicycles, as I’ve only ridden on a motorcycle a handful of times, while I cycle nearly daily. Bicycle maintenance can be annoying, but it doesn’t seem nearly as time-intensive as motorcycle maintenance. On the other hand, the process of cycling feels better to me compared to being on a motor bike. It’s quieter, slower, and great exercise.…

Sometimes going fast is the point, there's a certain peace of being so fast the world can't touch you.

Sometimes going slow is the point, and there's a certain peace of be able to view and interact with the world in that way.

Re: What motorcycles teach about maintenance

#38

Post by bluedino »

Kapura wrote: post #24

I've been watching mechanic channels on YouTube recently when I need some background noise, and It's very interesting to see them do their once overs on the car, and hear their initial theories get confirmed or disconfirmed as they move through the vehicle. You can feel their experience for the sorts of issues that are likely or unlikely, and the focus on root cause (whether a botched repair job or something broken f…

I think I enjoy both hobbies because diagnosing a failure in a car is a lot like figuring out why something is broken in some program/system etc. You just get a lot dirtier working on a car.

Re: What motorcycles teach about maintenance

#39

Post by Fradow »

inconceivable wrote: post #20
Swizec wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My local motorcycle shop charges about $200 per mechanic hour. I would love a $1000 bill! On the bright side, I’m learning more and more about sidewalk mechanic-ing. It’s a lot of fun. Very flow state in that way that programming just hasn’t been able to scratch in years. You go to replace some mufflers and what feels like 5 minutes was actually 2 hours.

the trick to wrenching on your own stuff (including home maintenance) is to take your time and never rush anything. read the directions and watch the youtube video 10x before you start. just assume it's going to take hours and hours. go to the auto parts store or amazon as many times as is needed to get it done right. get the right tools, even the cheap version will save you tons of aggravation and frustration. a lot…

Also have a plan B if things go south. And yes, that means not working on your daily (or someone else) if you don't have a backup transportation solution.

Because just like we have bugs in production, things break when you wrench on them, even if you do everything by the book (note: first-hand experience there).

But those are just setbacks, and no big deal if you are prepared for them.

Re: What motorcycles teach about maintenance

#40

Post by throwaway5d097 »

marssaxman wrote: post #11
kube-system wrote: post #5

What Motorcycles Teach About Maintenance: fuel injection is great.

...and shaft drives are the way to ride.

I abuse O-ring/X-ring chains on my dirt bikes, haven't had any failures besides a mangled master link clip I caught
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