Wrenching?
#81
Mechanically, I have tackled anything short of engine / transmission work but now chose to spend my free time riding instead of wrenching, especially with the expansion of all the electronics in today’s bikes.
People have different skill sets. One doesn’t make you more of a man than others. I am not a mechanic, but I am a retired Green Beret who still works in national security. I am impressed by a man’s competence and passion in his field more than I am the field itself. A busy doctor or IT professional is no less of a man than a blue collar, mechanically inclined, worker regardless of what some people’s egos say.
It doesn’t matter how you get stuff done. It just matters that you get it done.
People have different skill sets. One doesn’t make you more of a man than others. I am not a mechanic, but I am a retired Green Beret who still works in national security. I am impressed by a man’s competence and passion in his field more than I am the field itself. A busy doctor or IT professional is no less of a man than a blue collar, mechanically inclined, worker regardless of what some people’s egos say.
It doesn’t matter how you get stuff done. It just matters that you get it done.
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GREENOHAWK69 (05-22-2018)
#82
Money: I've got a friend who does very well. He drops his bike off and they give him a loaner (because he could write them a check if he crashes it). He doesn't have the tools or desire to do it himself. Buys a new bike every 2 years. The dealer bends over backwards for him and he'd just rather not bother. Could he do it himself, yes. But, he's got f-u money so he doesn't.
Skill: Join a sport bike forum for a few months. Some people just don't understand why they do something, let alone how to do it. So many self inflicted problems it's not even funny. The commonality is that they all thought they could do it. When you thread a course threaded screw into a plastic hole, do you turn it backwards until you feel it drop into the threads, or do you just insert and go? Do you know how to convert ft lbs to in lbs? Do you even know what a torque wrench is? Basic mechanical experience (ability is secondary) is absent in a lot of people. Frankly, a motorcycle is not the place to gain it.
So if you don't know how, you pay someone. If the expense doesn't bother you, you pay someone. What do you do if you don't have the money or experience? You start a "help me" thread on a forum.
#83
#84
Even today 80% of all learning is through trial and error. There were no schools when the Minoan, Greek, Roman and Egyptian engineers and architects built structures and system that today's engineers with phds can't even figure out.
Tear into it. You will learn how. Lay it out in the shape and sequence that the fasteners were removed. Put back in reverse sequence. It is not skill it is the capacity to observe and analyze.
Tear into it. You will learn how. Lay it out in the shape and sequence that the fasteners were removed. Put back in reverse sequence. It is not skill it is the capacity to observe and analyze.
#85
#87
Lets just say the average harley rider today isn't what they used to be. Was you had to be a man to ride one now it just a takes a good credit rating..
And in their defense bikes today are not exactly user friendly when it comes to wrenching, oop's cost's lots more....
And in their defense bikes today are not exactly user friendly when it comes to wrenching, oop's cost's lots more....
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Last edited by Backforty; 02-04-2023 at 10:03 PM.
#88
I wrench on my own bike because I aint got ****in money to spend on dealership hours. 160$ an hour is enough motivation for me to learn to do it myself. I got a service manual and access to youtube and the various harley forums.
Learning aint hard.
I wear a headcam every time I install something on my bike so I can get an exact record of what I did and how and how it came apart if necessary.
It's been a really useful thing for not just my own records and memory but taking snapshots for other people and getting them images of things they want to know about.
IT's not perfect or flawless but it helps a lot with tracking what you were doing.
Learning aint hard.
I wear a headcam every time I install something on my bike so I can get an exact record of what I did and how and how it came apart if necessary.
It's been a really useful thing for not just my own records and memory but taking snapshots for other people and getting them images of things they want to know about.
IT's not perfect or flawless but it helps a lot with tracking what you were doing.
Last edited by FranBunnyFFXII; 02-05-2023 at 02:20 AM.
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MarlinSpike (02-05-2023)
#89
I can afford to pay for it, but I don't trust anybody else to work on my stuff.
I turned wrenches for a living for a long time, and now run 3 shops that repair other people's engines, etc.
I have all the tooling, and still enjoy wrenching. Every single time I pay someone to do repairs for me, something goes wrong, I would just rather do it myself.
I turned wrenches for a living for a long time, and now run 3 shops that repair other people's engines, etc.
I have all the tooling, and still enjoy wrenching. Every single time I pay someone to do repairs for me, something goes wrong, I would just rather do it myself.
#90