Do you girls do your own maintenance?

[Pixie]

Control issues?

no, mechanics are monkeys

[Trudes]

Awwww aint you sweet! Just all the basic stuff - oil change & filter, chain adjustment and all that stuff. What to look for and worry about...all of it!! Got a week to spare - heh heh. I'm sure my fella would like some tutorage too. We have some very basic tools and I guess we'd also like some ideas around what's stuff we need to effectively maintain our bikes.

Well neither of us are mechanics and don't know everything, but we've been doing our servicing for a while and pissing about with buckets and have knowledgeable friends who are but a phone call away, and service manuals are fantastic books so we could probably muddle through .... or you could bribe Bistard or Jim to supervise

[Ms Piggy]

Well neither of us are mechanics and don't know everything, but we've been doing our servicing for a while and pissing about with buckets and have knowledgeable friends who are but a phone call away, and service manuals are fantastic books so we could probably muddle through .... or you could bribe Bistard or Jim to supervise

Sweet as luvvy. I reckon I'll start by getting me a owners manual and then ask for halp when I need it but before I feck it up!

[sondela]

I taught my sons to fix bikes, so now they do my maintenance for me, heh

[surfchick]

I do alot more now - I had a dirt bike and that broke the mould for me with all the gaddam oil filter changes every 5mins. I`ve must admit I like tidying the bike, tinkering with it... adding little upgrades to it... on weds I had that thing where you take off the fairings to sort coolant and when you put them back on one of those irritating black popper things was extra... so now if you ride behind me you might score a free r6 panel...

[davebullet]

Women are probably best suited to be mechanics... after all, they'll ask for help if needed and they'll actually read the manual!

[marigami]

Women are probably best suited to be mechanics... after all, they'll ask for help if needed and they'll actually read the manual!

AAAa
Ha hah !! So what's of men

[buffstar]

For the first year or so of dirtbiking I left it up to my parter - soooo understand the pink and blue!! lol
For the past two years however I have been more involved in my bike maintenance, air filter gets cleaned after every ride, and as we ride mainly in sand a very thorough clean after each ride is essential - the salt fks everything if you dont keep on top of it. (have become a little OCD with the cleaning now tho - even have a toothbrush to really get into the engine area) I find it a little bit Zen to just get into it these days and have pulled plastics off on occasion - the farkn things neva go back on as easy as they come off - thats when i usually start drinking!
needing a top end rebuild about now but theres no way I'm taking that on!! off to the shop she goes......... is always less friction if a third party shows me what needs to be done as oppose to my Mr!!

[ceska]

i've had my vtr250 for the past 18mths & i've done some interesting things, the most memorable was when i had a friend install heated hand grips for me, then hand me over super glue with a warning - ensure i only used a small amount!! I then proceeded to go hm & super glue my throttle tube firmly to the handle!!

well, hubby wasn't going to fix it, so thankfully i'd previously arranged a workshop manual & ordered the new throttle case. btw good friends, logic, fb chat & my manual i managed to get the job done over the space of 4hrs! it was one of the hardest things I've had to do mechanically & personally won't do it again cos it was crap! good thing is i know where my carby is located LOL!

these days i oil my own chain, keep air in my tyres, inspect the bike b4 riding anywhere, pump fuel & hav a trusty mechanic for anything else

oh & with the dirt bike I've delagated that to hubby 4 upkeep!

[danielle]

I would love to learn how to do my own maintenance but have no idea really on where to start

[Danae]

I would love to learn how to do my own maintenance but have no idea really on where to start

Start with changing the oil and filter; that's the easiest bit and your manual should tell you exactly how to do it. Also clean/lube your chain (probably a two-person job)

[CibbyBabe]

I share my bike with my hubby and he does all the maintenance.. but i do help him and watch a lot but its a bit hard to get my head around. im sure i could do some things - if my husband let me - haha

[I'll C U Jimmy]

Marigami...theres nothing sexier than a chick with a spanner! seriously..the more you do the more you learn, so when the day comes and your bike shits itself at the roadside, you have half a chance of getting it going again.

[CookMySock]

Marigami...theres nothing sexier than a chick with a spanner!

Yes there is. A chick doing a stand pivot. Chick doing a wheelie. That sort of stuff.

Doing your own bike maintenance is easy. It's knowing lots of the little things that get you in the crap that's hard - like dropping the O ring from behind the filter and not realising (yes theres an O ring seal in there), making sure the replacement part you have is the right one, and figuring out how to tell the parts guy what exactly want.

Much of this sort of stuff should really be done under supervision. Then there is having the right tools, and not hurting yourself.

I'm bloody impressed with a few of the ladies on KB, who quite on their own, ripped into biking, racing, maintenance, everything! And some of them don't even have a helper to put their bike on the trailer! Much respect! Much love.

Steve

[Love my Bonnie]

I used to do my own oil & filter changes on my 250.
Easy as, just ask for help from a dude who knows what hes doing.
Most fellas are only to willing to give insruction. (in exchange for beers)
I did oil change, air & oil filter chango on my Bonnie at 20000 ks.
Not much different from the 250 really
Just that the parts costy more