girlies with spanners?

[surfchick]

alright-
do you girls do your own tinkering and tweeking on your bikes or do you have da boyz do it for you? I've only had my bike a short time & already the chain is loose and bugger if I know how to tighten it... ;)

[jrandom]

Prepare to be deluged with offers of assistance from would-be knights in shining armour.

[tl_tub]

Ive pulled every screw out of my katana, the head is off the engine and im about to open up the carbs. I have a ice cream container of screws/bolts and have no idea where they go, but it sure is fun! Go for it, have a great time with those spanners! :2thumbsup

[tl_tub]

Woops, I didn't realise I was posing into the Biker Angels forum. Sorry! :whistle:

[Waylander]

Prepare to be deluged with offers of assistance from would-be knights in shining armour.
'Specialy from Motoracer lol.

[jrandom]

Actually, adjusting chain slack is a nice easy job, even for a spannering moron like me. I ignored the dangling chain on the Zeal until vifferman tut-tutted me into remorse a couple of months back and then adjusted it for me, after which I went home, stared at it grimly and threatened it with a crescent until its mechanical secrets were laid bare.

I was going to try and explain how to do it, but then I googled and found this:

http://www.obairlann.net/~reaper/motorcycle/beginner/chain-slack.html

which is a good general summary.

[FROSTY]

or ya could come along to the next spanner evening and show these blokes how its done.
-if you really get stuck Kerry at motorhause is a sucker for batted eyelids.
Otherwise give me a PM and ill sort it

[Slim]

I do as much as I can, which includes all ongoing maintenance, but I tend to take my bike to a proper mechanic for internal engine work.

I'm hoping to take the head off it in the near future to check the valve clearances with the able assistance of The Man. But I'm the type of person who prefers to do it herself under instruction ... not let the instructor take control of the tools & do it for me! You can't learn anything that way.

[scumdog]

If you value your hands appearance I would recommend thin leather work gloves for when the spanner/ratchet slip - and rest assured they do.
Scarred knuckles never look as cool on a chick.... :msn-wink:

Or so Chrissy-Bimbo told me as I typed this for her.

[NC]

Mrmelon has taught me a hell of a lot to do with bikes, and even brought me the manual for my bike for xmas.

and for all this, he gets to try and calm me down while I yell at teh bike.. :D

[DEATH_INC.]

Draco (my partner)does most of her own stuff,and a good amount of it on her own.It's only the more serious stuff I get involved in .....

[jrandom]

I think one thing that's coming out loud and clear in this thread is that due to our Western society's inherent preconditioning of girls as mechanical numpties, the best and fastest route to fixing your own bike is to find a husband or boyfriend who knows what he's doing.

I'm glad *my* wife wasn't choosing on that basis, though...

[Motoracer]

'Specialy from Motoracer lol.

Eh what? I may be a knight in stylie blue/white/black armour but I wouldn't have done that. If she had some sort of an emergancy like if her motor was blown and she REALLY had to go to here parent's place the next day and her 4X4 was stuffed as well, then yes I would have offered to get her sorted. Not cause she's a chick but I would do the same for pretty much anyone.

Something as minor as a chain can be sorted by going to the local bikes shop and asking them how to do it. They'll advise you of what size spaners to buy and how to do it. It's pretty simple but to do a proper job, there are a few tricks to it.

[Ixion]

Wrench wenches are sexy !

Seriously, the best diesel mechanic I ever knew was a girl.

[bugjuice]

Wrench wenches are sexy !

Seriously, the best diesel mechanic I ever knew was a girl.
she grease ya good?

[surfchick]

No it isn't :lol:

The best way is to find somone willing to teach ya, or get a mannual and follow the instructions, or do a course.:niceone:

yeah- i'd just be stoked to know the basics- just enough to keep the bike tidy and happy till it sees me through ze learners & restricted. I might watch someone do a chain/do it with them before I do it myself. don't know if i'd get a manual to easy as me bike was floated off the boat from japan about 30 seconds before i bought it. it's slightly different to ze other srv's around/ but prob. mostly the same where it matters... i got to figure out how to get a photo of my li'll flying bean up on the profile...

[scumdog]

Chrissy-Bimbo might not know everything about our H-D or her '62 Fairlane but she does not think of it as a handicap, more she wants to know what I'm doing to her car that she's spending her money on! :niceone:

[Draco]

Hiya Surfchick,
I've learnt most of what i know by working on my bike with a good teacher feeding me instructions on the way. I went from not knowing how to do anything, to being confident enough to pull my own carbs apart. Your welcome to come get some help here anytime, Death (my partner) is a pretty good teacher, you just smack his fingers when he gets too close to the tools! :bleh: Anyway, PM us anytime you need some help.

[Velox]

I try to do as much stuff as I can but sometimes have to resort to the shops to do bits that I can't risk doing myself or that I 'assume' would take them a way quicker time to do. I reckon the best way is getting someone to help you initially (or watch them do stuff to their bike) and pick it up from there. Sounds like Draco's offer would be agood start!

[surfchick]

Hiya Surfchick,
... I went from not knowing how to do anything, to being confident enough to pull my own carbs apart. :bleh: Anyway, PM us anytime you need some help.

that's cool- before recently my focus on carbs was to do with fitness & diets!! I think it would be good to know as much as poss. since the time will come when my baby breaks down mid. flight & and I'm forelorne on some dark highway...
am

[Liv, Norway]

Wrench wenches are sexy !

Seriously, the best diesel mechanic I ever knew was a girl.

Hi Ixion!
I saw you are the only BMW rider in this thread, and I was thinking you may be lonesome here!
I'm a BMW rider, I'm a girl, and I have a wrench on my key ring... and (with some help from an grown up) I adjusted my valves.

And by myselfes, totally alone, I give my Scarver new oil and filter when he need it, and I love to get greasy... :Msn Wink (Did I make a smilie here?)

:-) Liv, Norway.

[aff-man]

mmmmmmmmmmm girlies with a wrench .... hahahahaha

And yes i am sure you'll find plenty of helpfull fellows on this site to show you what goes where etc....
You could just do it my waty and blow up your engine (a cracked piston head which bends the crankshaft should just about do it) and then you get a crash course over 2 days while transplanting and getting going a new engine ahahahaha :shake: :shake: .

From the look of things your bike should be really easy to work on unlike some kawasaki's out there :angry2: :angry2: :angry2:

[Liv, Norway]

Hi aff-man!

If you need a new engine in your bike; why not try one like this?!
I'm sure it's better then those japs-thingie!

And if Kawa's is hard to fix, and BMW is easy; -then the BMW's are girls bikes? Is that what you try to tell me?
All BMW; big K1200LT, big boxers, and funny F650's? I like that! :-)

And yes; it's not that hard to change cylinder and piston on a BMW boxer, but I got an Rotax BMW!
-Not all BMW's are boxers; In 1983 they made the first BMW with an 4 cylinder in line engine, and with injection.

I have an hunch; -there is not that many BMW's in New Zealand?
-Is NZ a place perfect for small and fast bikes?

:-) Liv.

[Motu]

This is a picture of my wife and the 1951 Triumph Tiger 100 she built mostly by herself from several boxes of parts.It may look like a nice original Triumph to you,but there are parts from nearly every Triumph built plus a few BSA bits as well.She maintaned and modified the bike herself over the years,I was only allowd near it if time was pressing.The other picture is of her on her Trident,she kinda likes it as you can see.

[aff-man]

Hi aff-man!

If you need a new engine in your bike; why not try one like this?!
I'm sure it's better then those japs-thingie!

And if Kawa's is hard to fix, and BMW is easy; -then the BMW's are girls bikes? Is that what you try to tell me?
All BMW; big K1200LT, big boxers, and funny F650's? I like that! :-)

And yes; it's not that hard to change cylinder and piston on a BMW boxer, but I got an Rotax BMW!
-Not all BMW's are boxers; In 1983 they made the first BMW with an 4 cylinder in line engine, and with injection.

I have an hunch; -there is not that many BMW's in New Zealand?
-Is NZ a place perfect for small and fast bikes?

:-) Liv.

Nope i just found my zxr250 so much harder to work on than the 400 or even the honda 250 i had :niceone: :drinknsin :drinknsin

[XTC]

This is a picture of my wife and the 1951 Triumph Tiger 100 she built mostly by herself from several boxes of parts.It may look like a nice original Triumph to you,but there are parts from nearly every Triumph built plus a few BSA bits as well.She maintaned and modified the bike herself over the years,I was only allowd near it if time was pressing.The other picture is of her on her Trident,she kinda likes it as you can see.

P.S your lawns need mowing..... Time to fix the mower?? :)

[surfchick]

This is a picture of my wife and the 1951 Triumph Tiger 100 she built mostly by herself from several boxes of parts.

that's cool- i'd like to ride an old bike when i get meself of me pesky learners...

[sels1]

I have an hunch; -there is not that many BMW's in New Zealand?
-Is NZ a place perfect for small and fast bikes?

:-) Liv.

Hi Liv
Plenty of BMWs in New Zealand.
NZ is perfect for ALL types of bikes! :)

[Beemer]

I must confess my guy loves tinkering with bikes, he cleans and maintains the whole fleet so I let him! When I first met him I had the RG150 and one day I came home to find it spotless with a shiny chain. "Wow, have you replaced my chain?" I asked. "No, you dopey cow, I've cleaned it -when was the last time YOU cleaned it?" "Uh, you have to CLEAN them?"

I did a basic car maintenance course when I was a sales rep so I wasn't left stranded anywhere, but everytime something went wrong a guy always came over to help so I never got to use the knowledge!

There are heaps of bikes here full stop Liv, including lots of BMWs - come over and see for yourself!

[surfchick]

"Wow, have you replaced my chain?" I asked. "No, you dopey cow, I've cleaned it -when was the last time YOU cleaned it?" "Uh, you have to CLEAN them?"
!

mm mine's starting to look a bit twiggy and gritty and chewing gum gooed...might be time for a wipe eh :whistle:

[Sparky Bills]

HEY!!
You use chewing gum to hold your chain together too!? :msn-wink:

I thought i was the only one :D

[Ixion]

HEY!!
You use chewing gum to hold your chain together too!? :msn-wink:

I thought i was the only one :D

No, silly, it's not to hold the chain together. She just parks her chuddy wad there until she's ready for another chew.

[Sparky Bills]

No, silly, it's not to hold the chain together. She just parks her chuddy wad there until she's ready for another chew.



Yeah ive heard that chain lube has a nice tangy taste (or was it a burning sensation?)

One of the two anyway :whistle:

[Ixion]

Yeah ive heard that chain lube has a nice tangy taste (or was it a burning sensation?)

One of the two anyway :whistle:

Going for a run over a country road just after cows have been moved on it gives the chuddy an interesting flavour also

[surfchick]

No, silly, it's not to hold the chain together. She just parks her chuddy wad there until she's ready for another chew.

Ba HA HA
:killingme :killingme :killingme

[FROSTY]

Actually I saw this thread and remembered I need to say thanks to mrs SVS
She really helped me at the first race meeting at pukie :Punk: :Punk:

[pete376403]

I do as much as I can, which includes all ongoing maintenance, but I tend to take my bike to a proper mechanic for internal engine work.

I'm hoping to take the head off it in the near future to check the valve clearances with the able assistance of The Man. But I'm the type of person who prefers to do it herself under instruction ... not let the instructor take control of the tools & do it for me! You can't learn anything that way.
Hey Slim, if your Daytona is the new 4 cylinder, you shouldn't have to pull the head off to check the clearances - cam covers maybe, but pulling the head seems a bit extreme. And if you're talking about the old twin cylinder Daytona (which I recall was a 500) definitely no to pulling the head to check clearances, seeing as how they are a pushrod motor.
But more power to you for getting into it and finding out how it works.

[Slim]

Hey Slim, if your Daytona is the new 4 cylinder, you shouldn't have to pull the head off to check the clearances - cam covers maybe, but pulling the head seems a bit extreme. And if you're talking about the old twin cylinder Daytona (which I recall was a 500) definitely no to pulling the head to check clearances, seeing as how they are a pushrod motor.
But more power to you for getting into it and finding out how it works.
I was talking about the CBR600 I had at the time ... but it was never required, thanks to quick sale. :D

[skidMark]

girls with tools....and grease and oil ....damn thats a nice thought :whistle:

[crashe]

girls with tools....and grease and oil ....damn thats a nice thought :whistle:

Settle petal......hehehehe

[Mitch]

I think one thing that's coming out loud and clear in this thread is that due to our Western society's inherent preconditioning of girls as mechanical numpties, the best and fastest route to fixing your own bike is to find a husband or boyfriend who knows what he's doing.


That is a crock of shit!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have always worked on cars and started with bikes about 8 years ago. Found that the car experience wasn't quite enough to get me through so am currently in my second year of a motorcycle mechanics course in Wellington and can now do everything myself. With the exception of corse of any engineering work :niceone: that's why there are engineering courses!!!
There are some really great books that can help you with the basics and would really recommend picking one up!! One trip to the mechanics for simple maintence work and you have paid for the book and some basic tools.
Best of luck mate!!!!!!!!!

[crashe]

I think one thing that's coming out loud and clear in this thread is that due to our Western society's inherent preconditioning of girls as mechanical numpties, the best and fastest route to fixing your own bike is to find a husband or boyfriend who knows what he's doing.

I'm glad *my* wife wasn't choosing on that basis, though...

AHEM.... I have always worked on all my old cars.... started learning about them years ago... sure the new cars are a tad different now. But still do what I can.
I also work on my bike as much as I can or I help a mate working on it to learn more about it. :ride:

Now JRandom, did you not now that many men have no idea what a spanner is let alone a hammer. :rofl: :rofl:

[Stroker Girl]

I'm feeling bit chuffed with myself as I've just done my first oil and filter change! Still a way to go to get up to the skills of some of the other angels on this forum but it's a step in the right direction.

Got a very helpful partner (almost too helpful as I had to scream at him to drop the screwdriver and step away from the bike!) who wants to do it all for me. Unfortunately you will rarely learn anything this way. Only had to get him to help me undo the sump plug as I couldn't untighten the bastard :oi-grr: Incidentally, do Honda go hard out with their fairing screws or what!

Next it's the air filter change, trying to get a nice foam number to replace the grotty paper one.

Cool career move Slim. I was ready one of the aussy bike mags the other day and there was a photo of a girl who had just won 'bike apprentice of the year' over there. :niceone: