"How to" section in mechanics forum?

[dynamite9585]

been trawling the net for how to stuff, and always seem end up back here asking questions.
was thinking this site could benifit from a how to section that things can be posted in there.
from oil changes, to carb cleaning and balanceing.

i have found enough info on the interwebs about home made carb balancing tools to make one of my own and plan on making a rather detailed guide on how to do your own.

just an idea that might give us newbies a good starting point before heading down to the bike shop or pestering the wise ones for the answer to a question they have been asked 5000 times.

[SS90]

So you would like that some experienced people sit down for hours and hours a day typing out " how to do things on your bike"?

Good luck with that mate.

Something worth pointing out..... The majority of the people who REALLY know what they are talking about on this or any other site are, infact from the industry, and, as such, make a living from repairing and or servicing customers bikes.

The idea that the same people would spend hours and hours typing this hard earned information out so that you can erode their business seems somewhat unrealistic.

The Internet is now full of " experts" who, thatks to the magic of keyboards, can, with a few posted links and clever wording, come across as " knowledgeable"...... Be careful what you take as gospel when it come to information off the web.

[dynamite9585]

i'm not asking for people to spend hours typing stuff out.
and i do understand that there are alot of people earning thier crust from repairing bikes. so when i mess it up i'm glad they are there to laugh at me, fix my mistake and remove an arm and a leg for the hassle.

there are also alot of people out there who are garage warriors and don't mind sharing the info they have aquired over the years, most of them just as knowlegable as the guy earning his crust.

[SS90]

there are also alot of people out there who are garage warriors and don't mind sharing the info they have aquired over the years, most of them just as knowlegable as the guy earning his crust.

Yes, fair enough, but I would take exception to the comment that " Garage warriors are just as knowledgeable as the guy earning his crust"

There are some experienced "with it " guys teaching themselves, but there are also many that " don't know what they don't know"

Just be forewarned that there are many people who write how " that is easy" and so on, when the reality is somewhat different.

Most of the time, it is like going to a Tattoo artist, we all hear stories about the guy with the "home job tattoo".

Best advise I can offer is to get a Haynes manual for you bike... Any bike mechanic I know would agree. They are well written great pictures, and even show you how you can make your own special tools.

[dynamite9585]

Yes, fair enough, but I would take exception to the comment that " Garage warriors are just as knowledgeable as the guy earning his crust"

that was poorly worded sorry.
what i was getting at is that a mechanic has the advantage of knowing damn near everything.
the garage guys are generaly specailists (frank does carbs, john does eletrics ect)

[SS90]

That is actually quite true.

I remember meeting a guy who really did know all there was to know about Norton Commando's..... in talked with him at length a few times, and he was really interesting and a wealth of knowledge.... Never worked in the industry in his life, and I would be 100% certain that there would not be a mechanic in NZ that knew more than him.

He had no idea about any other bike though!

Like I say, Haynes manuals are bloody fantastic, and generally speaking, you can get one from your library.

And, they also make manuals specifically dealing with Japanese carbs, from most models ( assuming that it is information on carbs you require)

[dynamite9585]

carbs are just the current topic in the forefront of my mind.

as for the hynes manual, sadly they didn't make one for the suzuki IL4, plenty on the twins tho.

[tri boy]

The knowledge is one thing. The ten-twenty thousand spent on tooling is the other thing.
But all bikes come to bits with a screw driver and a hammer though..........don't they.

Learn the basic maintenance well. That gets you up close and personal with things that develop into bigger problems. Cleaning your ride is the best learning curve ever.

[SS90]

carbs are just the current topic in the forefront of my mind.

as for the hynes manual, sadly they didn't make one for the suzuki IL4, plenty on the twins tho.

Oh, I see you have a GSXR250...... They have a big problem with the emulsion tubes and needles wearing prematurely, and causing rich running, hard starting, and cutting out when hot..... Contact R1madness on here via pm, he is the owner of just motorcycles in ChCh..... He has worked out a perminant fix for this problem, by making stainless steel emulsion tubes and fitting new slide needles,

The problem is well known in the industry.

[doc]

So you would like that some experienced people sit down for hours and hours a day typing out " how to do things on your bike"?

Good luck with that mate.

Something worth pointing out..... The majority of the people who REALLY know what they are talking about on this or any other site are, infact from the industry, and, as such, make a living from repairing and or servicing customers bikes.

The idea that the same people would spend hours and hours typing this hard earned information out so that you can erode their business seems somewhat unrealistic.

The Internet is now full of " experts" who, thatks to the magic of keyboards, can, with a few posted links and clever wording, come across as " knowledgeable"...... Be careful what you take as gospel when it come to information off the web.

Where would we be with out the backyarders like "Burt" ?

[F5 Dave]

Where would we be with out the backyarders like "Burt" ?
Sleeping in?

Have a good poke around the Factorypro website. heaps of info if you dig deep enough & there is a bit about emulsion tubes as SS describes (although 250s won't be covered).

[dynamite9585]

this has gone slightly off topic.
as for my issues, they all fixed now, the tube and needles wernt worn, just dirty and a couple of perished o rings. had been cleaned and tuned now and not blowing any smoke even at 16k RPM.

[Brian d marge]

So you would like that some experienced people sit down for hours and hours a day typing out " how to do things on your bike"?

Good luck with that mate.

Something worth pointing out..... The majority of the people who REALLY know what they are talking about on this or any other site are, infact from the industry, and, as such, make a living from repairing and or servicing customers bikes.

The idea that the same people would spend hours and hours typing this hard earned information out so that you can erode their business seems somewhat unrealistic.

The Internet is now full of " experts" who, thatks to the magic of keyboards, can, with a few posted links and clever wording, come across as " knowledgeable"...... Be careful what you take as gospel when it come to information off the web.

Yup +1 on that , and some in the Industry ( present company excluded ) are a bit of a worry too

Stephen

[SS90]

this has gone slightly off topic.
as for my issues, they all fixed now, the tube and needles wernt worn, just dirty and a couple of perished o rings. had been cleaned and tuned now and not blowing any smoke even at 16k RPM.

I'm not sure it would be considered "off topic", interesting to hear that you bike was running rich and a few o'rings and cleaning jets fixed it.

at the same time where new plugs fitted?

I would be interested to hear how it runs over the next few weeks.... I spent 5 years working on Japanese imports, straight after I finished My 3 year apprentiship working on new Suzuki's Aprilia's Guzzi's and Harley's.....and most of that was on the 250 ILF's..... They can some times break your heart with running problems ( the GSX-R 250's that is)

keep us informed, I always like to hear about 250 IL4's and keeping them running..... They always a place in my heart!

[dipshit]

I agree with SS90.

Reading the workshop manual and/or a Hynes manual should give you enough indication if you are up to tackling a particular job or not.

Reading stupid "how to" threads on the interweb written by god knows who (usually a computer geek idiot) is like the blind leading the blind at times.

[Katman]

Reading stupid "how to" threads on the interweb written by god knows who (usually a computer geek idiot) is like the blind leading the blind at times.

Cheers. :drinknsin

[bogan]

yeh, kb is probably not the best site to be getting how to's from, not many people write them here, and less would peer review. We have a lot of how-tos on the hawk/bros forum, which is specialised enough that if someone posts stupid shit, they will be schooled pretty quickly, and 99% of the time without a :girlfight: too!

[BAD DAD]

Good stuff Dynamyte9585. I recently saved myself about $500 on some job on my wife's car. No mention of the problem in any manual, someone on another forum had had the same problem and worked out a solution. Others had followed his lead and refined the instructions slightly. Dumass me had a go and bingo job done quite easily. Turned out that my truck developed the same prob not long after and so it was an easy fix by then. Long live amateur mechanics and their forums..

[SS90]

Good stuff Dynamyte9585. I recently saved myself about $500 on some job on my wife's car. No mention of the problem in any manual, someone on another forum had had the same problem and worked out a solution. Others had followed his lead and refined the instructions slightly. Dumass me had a go and bingo job done quite easily. Turned out that my truck developed the same prob not long after and so it was an easy fix by then. Long live amateur mechanics and their forums..

Interesting.

There are times when people on this forum write some interesting, factual stuuf, that they have done themselves...that is fine, however, the thing that really urks me is the people that simply post something they have read on the internerd, and have not ever done themselves... to an experienced mechanic, you can spot these guys (they usually refer to every job as "easy").

The average guy that is asking for help, is unable to identify this, and quite often goes ahead blindly, and usually ends up enduring more expense and or inconvenience as a result.

I don't have anything against guys doing things themselves, and I am willing to offer advise from my experience, I just caution everyone against believing everything you read on the web...... the best place to learn is plain old fashioned books..... they have things called "editors" that check facts, figures, and sources........ the good old internet does not!

As you where.

[dynamite9585]

easy is a relitive term.
if i asked you about valve clearances you would probably say that easy just takes time.
to me it would be a hell of a mission!

[dipshit]

We have a lot of how-tos on the hawk/bros forum, which is specialised enough that if someone posts stupid shit, they will be schooled pretty quickly

Bike specific forums can be a good source of information and useful tips... but at the same time you can still get bad advice if you take everything you read as gospel.

Like a "how to" on a GSX-R forum I am on had one four doing a spark plug change. All pretty basic stuff yet it was advised to use anti-seize compound on the new plug threads.!

Now, both NGK, Denso and the like advise against using anti-seize compound on the threads as they are plated so there is no steel to aluminium contact occurring in the first place, plus the lubricant will throw the torque settings out the window and you will be over tightening them if you just follow the recommended torque specs.

But most people simply not knowing any better take it as gospel and think it is the proper way to do it. They then themselves recommend to other people to use the anti-seize compound on plugs... simply because they read it somewhere on an internet forum.

:blink:

[tri boy]

Anti seize works. Simple as that.
NGK engineers never have to remove 10yr old spark plugs from old trail bikes that had no antiseize.
Once again you show "on line mechanical knowledge".

[dipshit]

Anti seize works. Simple as that.
NGK engineers never have to remove 10yr old spark plugs from old trail bikes that had no antiseize..

This is why I don't like bush mechanics working on my bikes.

[tri boy]

This is why I don't like bush mechanics working on my bikes.

Then call the NGK engineers next time you screw something up.:yes:
Ask Shaun Harris if I'm a bush mechanic mother fucker.:finger:

[YellowDog]

i am a member of a Tiger 1050 specific forum and I must say that the How to section is invaluable.

Whilst I do have a manual, seeing someone else put up their experiences and the gotchs you might face is a real big plus.

Some of the guys are so proud of their work that they put up step by step photos, which are far more informative than the manual can ever be.

[SS90]

i am a member of a Tiger 1050 specific forum and I must say that the How to section is invaluable.

Whilst I do have a manual, seeing someone else put up their experiences and the gotchs you might face is a real big plus.

Some of the guys are so proud of their work that they put up step by step photos, which are far more informative than the manual can ever be.

My experience is that many of the "how to" things on model specific bikes can be a help for someone who for one reason or another do the job themselves, however, I hasten to add that many of the time, the jobs that they are doing take extraordinary amounts of time ( not including photo work), and I have never heard of anyone who recorded exactly how long a job took....... It's always " it took about 3 hours" and so on....... You have a massive advantage with doing things at home, pressure wise, as well as no customer moaning about time, or boss in your ear about profit errosion..... generally speaking none of the guys really work on other bikes, so it could be said that many of the things they speak of are quite specialized, but I have seen so many things that are just incorrect written on this and other websites, that if followed, lead to wasted time and money.

Again, workshop manual and experience are the answers.

[YellowDog]

My experience is that many of the "how to" things on model specific bikes can be a help for someone who for one reason or another do the job themselves, however, I hasten to add that many of the time, the jobs that they are doing take extraordinary amounts of time ( not including photo work), and I have never heard of anyone who recorded exactly how long a job took....... It's always " it took about 3 hours" and so on....... You have a massive advantage with doing things at home, pressure wise, as well as no customer moaning about time, or boss in your ear about profit errosion..... generally speaking none of the guys really work on other bikes, so it could be said that many of the things they speak of are quite specialized, but I have seen so many things that are just incorrect written on this and other websites, that if followed, lead to wasted time and money.

Again, workshop manual and experience are the answers.

Fair comment. From my point of view, it has been for things like fitting accessories and changing the air/oil filter.

I guess you would need a specialist How to section for every model, which would be a complete nightmare.

[Mental Trousers]

Anti seize works. Simple as that.
NGK engineers never have to remove 10yr old spark plugs from old trail bikes that had no antiseize..

This is why I don't like bush mechanics working on my bikes.

That bush mechanic as you call him has over 20 years in the bike industry, mostly on the tools fixing the fuck ups of people who know better.

Not only did he build my race bike but he's spannered for plenty of racers over the years, including Shaun.

If tri boy says something about bike engines I listen.

Back to the point of this thread, there's a wiki on this site for this sort of thing. http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/wiki/Main_Page

[SS90]

Yes, he is actually quite right, a small amoount of anti seize on a plug thread is a good idea (actually grease is ok), but just a light smear, as too much can cause a problem for sure.

I can't think of any plug I have put in the last 15 years that I have not done it... as has been said, try taking a plug out that has been in for a few winters, the sports bikes are really bad, of the drain hole for water get blocked (all the time) the plug recesses fill up with water, and many times seize the plug in the head solid.

The manufactures say not too, but they also recommend replacing them every week so they sell more plugs!

[Gibbo89]

possible suggestion?

what about like 'finding oil filter' type thing?

there was a thread here where a fella couldn't find his oil filter on a 250 hornet.

i assume most hondas have the filter in the same spot, so a thread for honda and then a sub thread regarding 'basic' things like locating oil filters and the do's and donts regarding them.

[tigertim20]

been trawling the net for how to stuff, and always seem end up back here asking questions.
was thinking this site could benifit from a how to section that things can be posted in there.
from oil changes, to carb cleaning and balanceing.

i have found enough info on the interwebs about home made carb balancing tools to make one of my own and plan on making a rather detailed guide on how to do your own.

just an idea that might give us newbies a good starting point before heading down to the bike shop or pestering the wise ones for the answer to a question they have been asked 5000 times.

Hey. Kb isnt really the place for it. what you want to do it join a site that is specific to your bike. when I had a cbr600, I joined a cbr site, i have an R1, so I joined an R1 site, and so on and so forth.

If you join a site that is dedicated to your bike, you will find that site already has a how to, mechanical section and a whole host of other things that you will find very usefull.

The problem with asking for help on here, is that there are only a handfull of peole with the same bike as you. maybe 20-30 if you're lucky. and of those, only a few people will have had the problems you want help with at a particular time, and even less again will remember how it was fixed.
Thats where bike specific forums come in real handy.
Im a member on here and I use this for seeing whats going on, read the jokes, talk about bike issues and bike related politics etc.
Im Also a member of a south island site, which is where i go for info on regular local rides and other stuff.
Then I have the bike specific forum where I go for information and advice on troubleshooting and modifications.

KB is an OK site, but its not a one stop shop for every biker!!

[motorbyclist]

So you would like that some experienced people sit down for hours and hours a day typing out " how to do things on your bike"?

Good luck with that mate.

I've done one or two..... I normally take photos as I go along anyway and the hour or so writing is mildly enjoyable - and saves me constantly having to repeat the same advice.

whether this warrants a whole subforum or just for writers to include keywords and searchers to use sensible search terms is another issue.


I mean, yes there are other bike forums, yes there are haynes/clymer manuals and yes those are great, but sometimes it's good to see a "general" howto, such as carbs or brakes.

obviously, if the author hasn't a clue there will be comments made - maybe even if just to give alternative methods!

There's a lot of guys out there who aren't mechanics who DO know what they're doing on a particular job, jut as there are mechanics who DON'T know what they're doing on a particular job. It's all good for "industry" to rag on about trained mechanics, but frankly the "industry" has in the last decade only driven me to have more faith in the garage specialists and "one-man-band" mechanics than the bike shops who put the parts boys onto the menial jobs all too often while still charging $70/hr for them to fuck it up! On both sides of the fence there are the idiots who ruin it for the rest - at least if they're posting online with photos there's opportunity for discussion before money is wasted (and the real munters probably aren't that literate anyway :p)


but, as I said before, i doubt it warrants an entire subforum - just use google: *insert component/task here* photo howto guide *insert bike here, remove if no hits*

possible suggestion?

what about like 'finding oil filter' type thing?


wouldn't it be great if people left the owners manual under the seat where it can't get lost?