Importance of Maintenance

[monstermick58]

Some of you may know that two of my sons now ride bikes, and a couple of weeks back I took it upon myself to do some maintenance on the front end of son 1 sv650 and found that the front axle was slightly bent, I replaced the fork oil and the brake pads.

Son No 3 has a little Honda CBR250R and I had to move it to the front carport and was shocked to find his steering head bearings as loose as you can get, with the steering clunking around, I told him we are fixing these this weekend.

Well today (friday) we got stuck into those pesky steering head bearings also the fork oil and a brand new, second hand exhaust system.

It was a learning curve for both of my boys as they got to learn a little bit more about their bikes, be a little bit more intimate with them and not rely on a mechanic to do all the work

What did suprise me was the condition of the old fork oil, it was the most putrid foul smelling oil I have ever come across.

I guess what it comes down to is one must learn to get ones hands dirty every now and then, and to freely pass on our knowledge to others that seek it








                                      Mmick

[DUCMONROB]

I hear ya Mick!

[MonsterDorf]

Funny but that story sound so familiar.

Just replaced fork seals and oil, re-build the rear shock, replaced sprockets, chain and tyres on my sons SV also.

Unfortunately when I went to take it off the bike trailer I slipped and dropped it onto the LH side busting the fairing 

Luckily Springwood Suzuki had the part, in the right colour and on special. I guess it could have been worse - would have been a lot more expensive if it happened to my Monster.

[cakeman]

Do we hold "maintenance days" as a group? I would be keen as mustard for one of these. I can do the basic oil, chain, sprockets etc, but when it comes to forks, anything suspension or bleeding lines i am a little hesitant to start these jobs with out having a bit of knowledge around.

[Jukie]

why yes we have had them in the past at Dockstrada workshop, but it has been a while

[suzyj]

When I were young, I had a really cheap old Corolla as a first car.  It was dreadfully unreliable, but had the redeeming feature that when things broke, a slightly less dodgy replacement was always available at the wreckers for "fifty bucks".  Of course being a starving student, I had little alternative but to install these bits myself.  I had this series of misadventures with that, which in hindsight really helped me learn heaps - forgetting to put the oil plug back in when I changed the oil, replacing the starter motor, but laying the lead for it across the exhaust manifold, so it shorted out when the car warmed up.  That sort of thing.

I had older brothers, who would help out with bigger stuff (like when my gearbox broke), but the expectation was always that if I wanted to do something, I should do it myself unless I had a good reason otherwise - dad had a pretty well stocked garage, which was really useful too.

It's nice to do most of the work on my bike myself.  I know that if something's not done right, it's my fault and I should fix it.  And it's really rewarding, too.

[signora monster]

I agree that it can be rewarding to do it yourself. With Nick's supervision, me and my ten year old changed the brakes on my dirt bike. I think it was great for the boy to see these components in pieces to understand how the concept works. He rides his own dirt bike and he really enjoyed the experience. I also enjoyed having a go. Obviously, it is important to know what your limits are and also if unsure, expert advice is always appreciated. Thanks George ! 

[Nickati]

You forgot to mention that it was the rear shoes in a drum brake set up !!
Job well done . 

[monstermick58]

Funny but that story sound so familiar.

Just replaced fork seals and oil, re-build the rear shock, replaced sprockets, chain and tyres on my sons SV also.

Unfortunately when I went to take it off the bike trailer I slipped and dropped it onto the LH side busting the fairing 

Luckily Springwood Suzuki had the part, in the right colour and on special. I guess it could have been worse - would have been a lot more expensive if it happened to my Monster.

I take it that you are refering to Springwood somewhere else not Springwood in NSW







                                                  Mmick

[MonsterDorf]

Yes Springwood Brisbane not Blue Mountains.

[monstermick58]

Do they still have the specials on the fairings? And if I may be so bold, how much was the special price? BTW sons bike is yellow.





                                        Mmick

[DUCMONROB]

Do they still have the specials on the fairings? And if I may be so bold, how much was the special price? BTW sons bike is yellow.

                                        Mmick

Dont' worry about a new panel mate we can repair the one youve got.

Rob

[monstermick58]

Dont' worry about a new panel mate we can repair the one youve got.

Rob

Ah! My specialist mate Rob. 

How so specialist mate Rob (SMR)

Tell me the things you know SMR

I plead to be ignorant of all that you speak SMR







                                       Mmick

[DUCMONROB]

Ah! My specialist mate Rob. 

How so specialist mate Rob (SMR)

Tell me the things you know SMR

I plead to be ignorant of all that you speak SMR

                                       Mmick

SMR....I like it!

[monstermick58]

We can call you  SMR.ROB.




                           Mmick