I'll argue that it's both, I've known a good number of motivated individuals that should have been beat soundly about the head and shoulders with large heavy blunt objects for even looking in a tool box much less trying to use them. I've had the pleasure of unscrewing more projects that someone with no skill thought they could handle. Many a poor shovelhead has suffered clueless owneritist.

 

There's a bunch of us here that remembers that if you rode Harley back in the day, you also knew how to wrench on 'em. That was absolutely a given. And there was a brotherhood among Harley riders in those times. Not so much any more.


Anybody who's been broke down at the side of the road and watched dozens...even hundreds...of Harley riders motor past without even a glance will attest to that. Or...maybe they won't cuz they're oblivious...

 

True that, but mistakes tend not to get made over and over when one has real skin in the game.

Last time I really f^&%ed up, I forgot to fully tighten a lower radiator hose after doing a water pump on the car. That 2.5 mile walk to get a new hose clamp gave me plenty of time to reconsider the ramifications of not double checking things......

 

I used to work on my stuff back in the day when necessity demanded it. It was never exactly something that I enjoyed or considered a hobby. Didn't mind it all that much. It just was what it was.

These day I don't have to. So, mostly I don't. I'll avail myself of the services of a good reasonably priced Indy and move on down the road. Feel good about it... supporting my local businesses/community and all that. Besides, I already have enough other crap to do - making free time limited enough as it is.

 

Look closely at the cylinder heads and the two carbs sandwiched between them. There's no belt pulleys because it has a driveshaft. The only thing that motor has in common with Harley is two cylinders in a V, but nothing else beyond the cooling fins. Not a high res photo, I know.

 

Very true. Working on your bike, depending on the issue, was very often a collaboration of your riding buddies. Very few know/knew everything or had every tool.... but we had that "mindset" someone mentioned. Most were at least somewhat mechanically inclined out of necessity. With the introduction of the EVO, it all started to change.

 

I've always done my own work. The only exceptions are I don't do roller lower ends, and I can't do anything that requires the Harley scan tool. Fortunately those situations are rare. I will have to take my '17 to someone with the tool when the ABS brakes need flushing.

I did stop busting rubber a year or so ago. Now I just pull the wheels and take them with my mail order tires to the local Jap indy. $20 including balance and disposal fee, makes it dumb for an old guy to wrestle with new tires on an oil barrel.

 

2nd that. I always tell people that is why I can afford to own equipment is doing my own service and maintenance.

 

I don’t mind changing fluids etc, but anything complicated I’ll leave it to the professionals.

 

I use to but don’t have the time anymore with three kids that play sports all over the northeast. But I think I’m gonna find time though due to recent experience, I have a local shop that I use for parts, inspection and apparel and I decided to give him some work just to support the local guy and plus he is very helpful, simple bolt on stuff, shocks, exhaust, front tire and new front end springs. Get the bike home and go for a ride and the bike won’t go into second or neutral, pull over to investigate and there is a small bolt stuck in the linkage, luckily a biker stopped by and had a small tool kit. A couple of days later while trying to dial it in I noticed that the exhaust was not torqued down at the heads, gases were escaping, so I did it myself.