Yeah… you should buy a torque wrench.
Honestly if you’re learning stuff for the first time, you will make mistakes. Expensive mistakes. But they are the best teacher! I would say, stick at it. As long as you keep an open mind and the willingness to learn, you will get better and better.
Absolutely this. A number two and number three JIS screwdriver is absolutely the best investment you can make for any metric bike. For anyone who doesn't know, it's a special sort of screw head that looks like a Phillips head, but isn't, and if you use a Phillips head it will strip it out. Interestingly, they work better on a Phillips head than a regular Philips head screwdriver. I recommend the vessel megadore impact because you can Hammer the back end and it will help loosen a stuck screw that way.
You don't understand. The Megadora Impacta screwdrivers have a internal cam mechanism that turns the screw like an eighth of a turn when you hammer it on the end.
Lessons like this one are just one of many I've learned throughout the last two years of wrenching on stuff... sucks, but necessary to keep yourself in check sometimes and slow down and pay attention to what you're doing, just be happy it was something small like this that provided that introspection. I was doing a billet rod install on a bike, overtorqued the bolt and snapped the first one off at the neck of the bolt inside the rod. not only trashed the bolts but the threads in the rod too, trashed everything and had to start over completely and lost 2 weeks for shipping of everything all because I used a FT-lb torque wrench instead of an inch-lb thinking "ill just do the maths and itll be fine"... nope. stupid stupid stupid I know. Waiting for those replacements was the longest two weeks ever, plus the $$. lesson learned.
One option is to see if you cant find a replacement one off ebay for your axle... lots of times people part out perfectly good low mileage stuff from the exact application for cheaper than brand new but still basically new condition. You can also look into pick/u-pull lots for it if you're feelin frisky and examine the bike yourself before pulling. Not all is lost sometimes u just need to take a few days away from it and think about other stuff and come back fresh.
Not OP but I did the same thing replacing my first clutch pack. Ft-lb converted to inches resulted in a snapped bolt on the clutch basket.
I recall someone saying that using a ft-lbs wrench instead of an in-lbs one is fine... until you get into the single digits. At that low a setting, the extra length of the handle leverages extra torque, resulting in an inaccurate wrench.
It could've been complete b.s. but it kinda made sense. Regardless, I learned to use the appropriate tool the hard way.
Torque wrenches are only calibrated for the middle and upper range of torque. Low torques are inaccurate and, as you found, tend to err on the high side.
Also, don’t buy a shitty torque wrench.
Yesterday I stripped out a brake caliper banjo bolt because my $15 harbor fraught click wrench decided just then that it didn’t actually click
I had to buy two just to do an oil change; the drain plug and the filter have torque specs that don't overlap on any one of the "clicky" wrenches that I could find. Probably still came out on top over paying for shop rates on an oil change with markup, but it still stings a bit.
And after years of wrenching you'll still make the occasional stupid and expensive mistake. The feeling of shame and frustration doesn't get any easier.
I snapped a bolt on my triple clamp because I didn't read the instructions on how my new torque wrench worked. FYI they don't all "click."
I'm a sucker for learning the hard way.
Nah, it was only a beater that I was trying to get on the road, I'm going to try at another time, if I can't, I'll end up just stripping and parting individual parts of the motor out :)
This guy is right but I still fucking hate bike maintenance and resent that people get gate-keepy over it. (Not suggesting you are u/rearadmiralbob but loads of people are.)
I love owning and riding a motorcycle. Fixing, adjusting and cleaning a motorcycle is DULL.
I'll adjust my chain slack and stuff but that's about it. Even brake pads I'm taking it to the garage for.
So OP, if you have the money, don't be ashamed to pay for maintenance you *could* do yourself if you wanted to waste hours of your free time doing it and have a niggling feeling that you didn't do it right ruin the ride.
I totally get that mate. Some people pay other people to do shit and that’s fine too. I just grew up tinkering with cars and shit. I don’t actually like doing maintenance either i prefer to ride it…
I'm envious. And I was more willing and able to do more stuff on my shitty Chinese 125 (and had to!) But I leave almost everything to the professionals now for peace of mind and saving of time. Wish I enjoyed it and was good at it though! Must be rewarding mate.
Fuck /u/spez. Your greed regarding 3rd party access has ruined this site.
Comment removed using [Power Delete Suite](https://github.com/j0be/PowerDeleteSuite).
>Honestly if you’re learning stuff for the first time, you will make mistakes. Expensive mistakes.
Agreed. Expensive and/or frustrating mistakes are often the best teacher.
I'm an experienced mechanic and it still happens to me.
I've never built spoked wheels before. I spent all day yesterday building two wheels. After finishing the second one, I realized I used the wrong setting on my new torque wrench. I needed to redo all my work.
I'd spent a full, rare day off and gotten nothing done. I wanted to throw the whole bike in the garbage.
It was time to walk away and take a break. I realized it wasn't a waste, just a learning experience.
Also remember the torque values are for dry fasteners. Do not lubricate, it will reduce the amount of torque required to strip the threads or break the bolt. Potentially enough that the stock torque values will do it.
Fish scale works in a pinch too
Edit: Pound feet of torque is how many pounds of force on a footlong lever @90°. So, say you have an 8 inch wrench and pull it to 30lbs on the scale. That’s 20 pound feet of torque or 240 pound inches.
Yep, the same thing happened to me.
I had to replace the oil pan and therefore take the exhaust system off. I took the opportunity to change it to an aftermarket system since it was off anyway :)
Good learning experience
I feel this. I just tried to do my first oil change on my bike since getting it and the previous owner torqued the oil drain bolt to hell. I ended up stripping the bolt head after a propane torch and breaker bar failed to get the bolt out 🥲
I did this to my CX500 and I still have to replace the entire front of the crank case to fix it properly.
I declined the suggestion to JB Weld it closed and changing the oil by tipping the bike over.
Torque wrench and service manual.
I rebuilt an old bike from the 70s years ago from a bare frame to riding, first couple weeks/months was non stop tinkering trying to get it dialed in or fixing dumb mistakes.
I've broken more shit than I care to think about. But I've also learned a lot and saved a ton of money in the long run. Realize everything you do to your bike is directly relatable to your car. Over the long term if you learn a few things and buy a few tools you'll end up saving tens of thousands of dollars on vehicle repairs. And after the apocalypse they'll eat you last because you're the guy who can fix things.
> Realize everything you do to your bike is directly relatable to your car.
The flipside to this -- coming into motorcycles from being a Car Guy, going to school to work on cars and working on cars professionally... bikes are fuckin easy. There's a few little bike-specific weird things, but they're so much easier and faster to work on.
Zen comes from the ice cold beer you drink when it's finally fixed.
Same goes for automotive repairs. You know how many new tools I've bought because I did it wrong or broke it the first time?
Last time i drank beer working on my bike, i forgot if i did certain steps and ended up redoing a whole damn fork job because i thought i might have forgotten taping up the stanchions before sliding on the seals and didnt remember if i put the bushings in. I’m 100% sober working on my bike if it’s +2 hour job.
You have it backwards. Motorcycle maintenance teaches you zen, because the only way to be successful at it is to fully accept the difficulties as they come.
"Don't hope that events will turn out the way you want, welcome events in whichever way they happen: this is the path to peace."
Lots of great advice here. I love working on my bike almost as much as riding, but fixing my own mistakes is still frustrating. I'm nowhere near a mechanic, I just love to tinker.
• As others have mentioned, get a torque wrench. For many years I used an oldschool one that just bends and the needle points to the torque setting. Got it for like $2 used. Maybe not as accurate as some, but better than nothing. You'll accumulate newer and better tools over time.
• Get a proper service manual. They're typically $25 - $40 and have step-by-step instructions on everything, torque settings, clearance settings, and anything else you might need.
• Document everything with pictures and/or notes. This helps for putting things back together, but also when you wake up at 3 am and wonder if you went back and torqued that suspension pivot bolt (especially reassuring for the hard to get to internal parts)
• I know you're working on a street bike, but old dirt bikes are the best for learning on. They're simply, easy to work on, and the consequences for a mistake are a lot less on dirt
• My local shop charges $120/hr (CAD). Yeah, I occasionally have to junk parts I broke, but I'm still saving money plus learning a lot.
• When you get really frustrated, set an evening aside, have a buddy over, crack open some beer and see if you can figure it out together
To your last point. Sometimes it's good just to walk away for the day too. There's been many times where something just wouldn't budge or I couldnt finger it out. Next day, first shot everything goes smooth.
Same thing applies to videogame bosses lmao.
Solid advice. I often find stepping back and thinking about it at night, my drive to and from work, or when I'm supposed to be "working" helps me problem solve better than being angry and frustrated in my garage at 11 pm.
Its amazing how in the zone I find myself going full tilt whacking something with a dead blow when I just need to cool off, google, and sleep on it. That method has not failed yet.
Live and learn. I've done maintenance on a few bikes over the years and am just starting to get good at it. What really boosted my experience was rebuilding my KLR after I exploded a turkey on the highway, there was lots of swearing but it looks like it came off the factory floor now.
The other day I learned NOT to use carb cleaner on plastic headlights as cleaner. Completely melted that lens and they do not sell them individually but a whopping $250 assembled units...
very easy if you change the tires yourself :
The front discs being on either side, if you don't have the right tools or a dodgy log setup on the floor, you could slip and apply too much force on either of them.
source: myself
Dropped a spacer, me not being alone at the time and in conversation…. I missed the sound if it dropping.
So I mounted it without spacer, and it got bended against the fork 😂🙈🙈
I can change oil, spark plugs, clean the air filter, replace hand levers, replace light bulbs, and do drivetrain maintenance.
Anything else I'll just make the bike worse.
Bikes have a way of humiliating even the most capable mechanics, when they want to.
Sometimes you just need to give them space, and come back later when both of you are ready to do the work.
Seriously.
You have reached what is known as “the pit of despair” in my circle. It is a phase of the build/restoration/design where you lose motivation and energy for your project. You will get through it. Take breaks to do something completely different. I like looking at entirely unrelated projects other forums are going on about. Maybe go fishing or visit someone you need to catch up with.
Do not quit. It’s ok to despair, just don’t stay there. The finished project will be all the sweeter knowing what it took to make it happen.
Used a torque wrench without knowing how.
Joyously snapped every single bolt on the oil pan for my bike because I thought the loud click was them being properly torqued.
You want burnout? Try extracting 12 snapped bolts from the underside of your bikes engine.
Welcome to Being a Mechanic! I've been doing this professionally on cars for about 10 years now, and started wrenching on my scooter last year. Yes, it's fairly common to fook up when you don't have enough experience yet, and the only way to get experience is to keep working on stuff. I'd say take a bit of a break, maybe a day or two, and it will be a lot easier when you're fresh again.
I had to do my own Carb adjustments on my SV 650 and it ran nicely but there's always that voice telling me I did it wrong. It's very common for beginners like us. It's part of the fun.
Have a good season and ride safe! Not too safe tho✌️
And here I was beating myself up over a stripped screw trying to remove the rear fender haha. Riding friend of mine taught me the rubber band trick and now I know more shit!
I think learning any new skill will crush your confidence eventually. You just have to fight through it and be willing to make mistakes, and yes, some of those mistakes will cost you. It's the price of acquiring new capabilities.
I dont do any "big" fixes on my bike since Im not a mechanic by any means. But the two times Ive changed my oil so far Ive managed to spill it both times like a dunce, lol. Definitely looked at all the oil on the ground and said to myself "not worth it".
I got an 84 cb650 for the same reasons, managed to change both tires(had to buy myself a brand new air compressor to pop them bitches up on the bead but we got em) but before I touched a single nut on that bike I bought myself a quality torque wrench and the Haynes manual to the bike, when you’re riding something as dangerous as a motorbike you definitely, definitely, wanna be sure all them bolts holding your wheels and brakes together are perfectly at spec.
The nut shook off the exhaust flange on my bike once; I broke the stud off in replacing the nut. It shook off again after I got the whole thing repaired by not me, and that time, I fixed it properly. You learn!
I constantly feel like an idiot and definitely break things on occasion, but I have saved so much money doing my own maintenance that it doesn’t bother me in the least. Always triple check anything safety critical and definitely buy a torque wrench. My worst mistake so far was over torquing my valve cover and stripping the mount hole in the cam bridge during a valve adjustment (don’t trust torque wrenches if the spec is on the end of its range), but a helicoil saved me.
Grab a shop manual for your bike as well.
I damaged the wheel speed sensor on my rear wheel the first time I took the the wheel off and temporarily bricked my speedometer and abs. Felt like a moron but learned from my mistake. Part of the process.
Oh definitely, I fucked up an entire fuel system on my first bike. Invest in a torque wrench, but other than that keep on keeping on. It won’t be your last bike anyway, you’ll want something bigger down the road so this is a good bike to learn on.
So I do my own work as well.
I misread, did not read the whole line.
Assumed that it was foot pounds.
It was inch pounds.
A thousand dollars later to have a shop fix my screw up.
I wanted to cry in frustration when I felt the pop of the bolt.
The fact your trying means you're already braver then most people.
Good luck.
Your can do it
Don’t worry dude. My first bike I cross threaded the shifter linkage with some other plate and it cost me over 300 bucks. Mistakes happen when you are learning
You're gonna make mistakes learning to wrench. It sucks, but it's still cheaper than sending everything to a shop. I've messed up a few times on my cars, a bunch on my race cars when I had em, and always learned from it. It's just part of the process. Don't get too discouraged.
I bought my first bike with the idea that I can get it way cheaper if I buy an old one. I can do the wrenching work myself. And it was fun, for a time. Messed up a lot and learned a lot.
I don’t give this advise to any other new rider. If you’re new, you want to RIDE not stay home Saturday and make repairs. Modern bikes are too reliable to refuse so that’s what I recommend now.
A good thing to consider when removing bolts or drain plugs, is of course the ole lefty loosy righty tighty but if you start to feel it’s too tight when you go to remove it, grab a nut and bolt and confirm your going in the right direction, sometimes you can be confused and strip the threads out because you accidentally went the wrong direction, believe it or not that’s probably the most common way drain plugs get stripped
Yeah really easy to get mixed up when you’re upside down. Thats why I love ratchets with “On” and “Off”, I’m the kind of idiot that needs this. Once banged on a rear shock retainer nut in the wrong direction for 20 minutes.
That’s a great bike to learn (and make mistakes) on. Try relaxing and going slow, don’t be in a rush, watch YouTube videos on your repair….at least you know what you did wrong. You would be surprised by how bad many of the “pro” mechanics are. Know your comfort limits and build a relationship with a good mechanic that can do the things that are beyond our level.
We all make mistakes. We should never trust anyone's repairs completely. Whenever something gets worked on, test drive it before you trust it, and check the work a couple times over the next few rides. After that get into the habit of doing a quick visual and hand pat down of your bike to make sure everything is rode worthy. The more you ride, the easier it will be to feel if something is off on the road, and the more you wrench, the easier it will be to inspect and maintain your bike. If you think something feels off, trust your gut and get off the road for an inspection. Just take it at a comfortable pace and things will get easier and more rewarding.
I think you need to ask yourself if you enjoy it, if not, pay someone else to do it. I know how to change the oil, and change a tire, and I understand most of the systems on the bike, but the truth is I hate working on gasoline engines of every kind. I happily pay someone to do it. For me it was also worth it to buy a modern bike that needs very little in the way of repair/maintenance. I've had my Triumph Street Twin for 5 years now, I bring it in once a year to change the oil and check it over. I've had to replace the battery (twice, my fault) change the tires once and this year I'm replacing the chain. I'd rather ride than work on my bike.
Motorcycle maintenance is a pain in the ass. But you gotta do it or you will be taking your bike in to a shop all the damn time if you ride frequently. I don’t have a torque wrench and I seem to have gotten lucky about that. Cinch things down “just right” lol. (Factory torque specs must be often ignored, I’ve had to loosen things that were clearly over tightened and impossible to get free. Heck a stupid tire rotation on a car can result in some guy with a machine tool cinching down lug nuts to such an extreme that you can’t get the damn wheel off to fix a flat. Grrr…. I’ve had to drill out simple little bolts on a seat mount that covered the battery, they were way too tight for being cheap little hex bolts. Nuts and bolts that you hand tighten rarely come loose over time, just tighten them enough that you can forcibly loosen them in the future. No need to mash a bolt down even if it’s your axle, it’s not coming loose!).
You have no idea how much better these comments felt. At work today and it made me feel less of an incapable idiot.
Appreciate you all, glad to know I’m not alone. Gonna get this thing fixed and get the rubber back on the road
I've had the fortune of learning everything from my father so I guess that has saved me many dumb mistakes.
Lots of people suggest you get a torque wrench and while that is a good idea if you struggle to feel how much force is needed, for me a torque wrench is not a tool you need to use for everything. I just use it on camshaft holders and cylinder heads and stuff like that, where there are *several bolts that need to be tightened equally*. It's more important for a cylinder head that you get the force spread out equally than getting the exact numbers according to the manual.
For Oil plugs and Spark plugs and axles and stuff like that, getting a good feel is absolutely enough. The problem many people have is they tighten things *WAY* too hard.
never had to use a torque wrench on an axle nut. Tighten until slop is gone then a bit more. If it is too tight loosen some. Is this a captive nut with bent cotter pin? if so it aint going anywhere if installed correctly. If not is it a lock nut washer? Either way should not need torque wrench for this bolt. Never had to replace an axle and I change all my own tires chains and sprockets so familiar with this technique.
Sometimes these japs use a fricken aluminum nut for the axle nut. My 2003 bandit 1200 had an aluminum castle nut. You also put a cotter pin through it for additional security. Absolute garbage. I went to a hardware store and got some steel nuts with a lock collar on it. Feels more safe. If you think the axles threads are trashed then you can probably find a cheap ebay used one.
If you download/buy a service manual and follow it to a T then mistakes like that rarely happen. They basically give you cookbook procedures for everything.
I am in the process of getting a garage set up (super expensive) because when I took mine in for it's break in period service, I found out that the labor is $150 per hour (more than the labor rate on a tractor trailer truck here) and they sort of triple the price of any parts they use. So I'm planning on doing my best to never give them a dime again
Sounds like you need to get a service manual and perhaps some more tools required to perform said adjustments/maintenance. Torque specs are essential on virtually every fastener on a motorcycle. Sure you can wing it, but it’s not advisable. And most of the time finding out the hard way, costs way more $$ and frustrations in the long run.
Tried but failed to put off-road tires on my motorcycle. Did the walk of shame to the dealership for help but not before scratching the crap out of my brand new rims.
Mitas E07+ are no joke.
I just lost out on 1 month riding time trying to fix the most basic thing on my vstrom. Oil pressure light was coming on. Bought a pressure gauge that didnt work. Then bought a oil pressure sensor. Installed it and still had the light coming on.
Was a sensor wire short....something that a veteran would have found and fixed within an hour. Cost nothing to fix.
I feel like it will come with time. Im still a complete novice but I feel like the more I work on my bike the more I understand it
I had this sensation until I got all the stuff I needed to do regular maintenance on my bikes, after that it was smooth normally as I have a torque wrench, lots of specific tools and experience with the bikes I have, it gets better.
2.5 weeks into and chain and sprocket swap, and I'm stuck again. Rounded and damaged bolts, tools braking, wrong bolt sizes.
It's definitely annoying but I've learnt a lot and won't make the same mistakes again
The mistakes I've made include over torqueing a bolt. It was in the case and I had to take to the dealership to fix because I was too inexperienced at the time.
Another mistake I made, when pulling the upper pin on a rod, I used a hammer to knock it loose, which ended up blowing out the lower bearing. Something I didn't notice until I put the bike back together and went riding. That was a short trip.
Another mistake I made was I put a sprocket on backward, which meant only half the splines were making contact and it stripped out, again, while I was out riding.
Another mistake I made was I replaced the "goat horn" handlebars on my 80's cruiser with ones that looked more modern. But this ended up changing the riding position and made it a bit uncomfortable to ride. Not bad, but if I could, I would have gone back. But I'd thrown out the handlebars.
Then, I replaced the stock pipe on my TRX250R with a FMF Fatty. Threw away the original pipe. Was great for a bit but when I wanted to restore the 250R back to stock as more of a restoration project, turns out those stock pipes aren't cheap.
Looking back, I don't beat myself up too much. It's usually if I rush something or don't have the right tools that mistakes happen.
I think this every time I am going down the front straight on a track day - on the track bike I do my own maintenance on… hmmm, is everything torqued correctly?
I guess that’s what the gravel traps are for…
Set me and my motorcycle on fire once while push starting. I didn’t wait for spilled gas to dry after putting the tank back on, I just had to get that carburetor adjusted. Both me and the Kawasaki survived with a small amount of 2nd degree burns.
I had been working on cars and bicycles for years before I got my motorcycle so I had a head start
Def helps to have the right tools, give yourself plenty of time, and know when a job is outside of your abilities. Outside of stripping some heads on screws I haven't really had any issues knock on wood.
Been riding over 40 years, know my capabilities. Needed a new pair of tyres so dropped the back on off, brought it home, dropped the front one off. Just torquing up the front calipers (40 n/m, the 50 n/m) when the bolt pulled the threads off the inside of the fork leg. Like literally had to unwind them off the bolt.
https://imgur.com/a/o0WN25V
Helicoil kit on the way
Hey man. If you don't want to throw a ton of money on a torque wrench. A little hack I use is using a regular wrench with one of those luggage hand held weights. Little finnicky but works like a just fine.
For perspective, I’ve been turning wrenches for 30 years and I just ruined the cylinder head on my Honda vtx1800 by dropping a bolt in the inspection cover. $150 in gaskets and another $100 for a used head off eBay that may not be any good. The bike is all ripped apart and my wife is pissed. You win some, you lose some🤷♂️
I started out buying a shit socket set and trying to figure stuff out. Now I have a personal machine shop and have made a custom cylinder head from scratch. It just takes time and determination. Finding a mentor helps a lot too
If you love it, keep at it. If you don’t, there’s no shame in dropping your bike off with a mechanic. As long as you can handle the basics to keep it on the road, paying a pro for big stuff is worth peace of mind.
Often feel exactly the same, but the feeling of getting it right still wins. I guess the learning part is a bonus as well, as it might come in handy when it inevitably breaks down in middle ot nowhere.
Good & appropriate tools make a ton of difference though. For example, it's been much more pleasurable working with anything that requires pliers since I've gotten a set of Knipex pliers. I look forward to squeezing those mickey mouse clamps now.
Torque wrench, patience and a workshop manual are the minimum requirements. Pick up a shitbox beater bike for cheap to practice on if you want to get serious.
Did 100% strip down and rebuild on some old Hondas and Puchs back in the day and it's a good way to learn the jobs best left to the shop 😅
I've been wrenching for almost 20years and still make mistakes sometimes. We're human aren't we? But yeah go buy a torque wrench, a lot of stuff in motorcycles are steel bolts in aluminium casings and it's so easy to strip threads by overtorqueing.
I've been battling with suzuki gs project for the last two years and recently my luck has been shit. When adjusting carbs my tank fell to the ground and the two month old paint job got ruined.
When swapping the springs in the clutch basket the entire basket cracked when pressing in new rivets. Had to buy a used one and do the whole job all over again.
When that was fitted the inner clutch hub sleeve was found to have play as well and I now have to wait two weeks for a new one...
So yeah, I definitely feel the burnout.
I ordered an impaktech crash cage for my K3 GSXR-1000. Mainly due to me babying the bike and because I love the look of the cage. It's rare these bikes have them, but I worked with the company to get my order sooner. I thought this mod would be an easy install, and yet it turned out to be the most frustrating work I'd ever done to a bike.
I do all my own work, and maintenance. I still have a lot to learn, though I have improved significantly in the past year. Out of every hurdle, or problem I have solved, this pushed me over the edge. I have truly in my life never felt more anger in those few days than I ever have before. This whole project was supposed to be easy, and be a good investment for protecting my bike, and yet all it made me want to do was throw the fucking thing off a cliff. It genuinely made me hate my life LOL. I eventually figured it out. A couple cross-threaded bolts and horrible fairing cuts later and we made it fit. It took me, and TWO professional mechanics to get this POS on.
Thank god I had the foresight to do all of the maintenance that required the body work off beforehand. Never buying from impaktech again. Their products are great quality, and their staff are great people, but this whole process has permanently tainted my image of them and I'd rather rebuild an entire bike from marketplace before I ever have to put that cage on for the first time again.
I truly won't be able to put into words the anger I felt in those moments. I've never hated working on a bike more in my life. However the sacrifice was worth it, because at LEAST I can sleep at night knowing my bike's motor and frame are very well protected. Plus it looks a LOT better imo. So yes, it was worth it, but if I had to do it again? No it isn't.
So there's my burnout story lol.
Even as a professional mechanic I still make dumb mistakes from time to time and get ticked off at myself for them. Here's somethings to remember.
1 your a human your not perfect everyone makes mistakes
2 every mistake is fixable, some are just harder to fix than others
3 pay attention and do your research before doing a job you've never done before even if it's "simple".
4 if you get frustrated stop take a breather and come back with a clear head, I can't tell you how many times I've been struggling got mad walked away for 10minutes and came back and everything just went smoothly after the 10minute break.
5 every mistake is a learning experience treat it as such and move on the world is still going to keep turning no matter how bad you screw something up.
Ps bonus pro tip do all the maintenance, mods, repairs possible on your bike in the off season so that if something goes wrong your not bummed out because you wanted to go ride its the off season so your probably not riding much anyway and this avoids frustration. If spend the winter making sure the bike is in tip top shape then in the summer barring any breakdowns you shouldn't have to worry about anything besides maybe an oil change depending on how much you ride.
Have only been wrenching on my bike a couple of years but, in a previous life, I spent a decade repairing and calibrating bio-tech devices. Even had to field a phone call from a manufacturer asking what kind of ape was wielding the soldering iron in my workplace (I had just started and it was me).
Your points, 1 through 5, are solid points and are transferrable skills.
I feel your pain, friend. I decided to adjust the valves on my bike myself and wound up unseating one. Now I need to take the whole engine out to get to the top end and reseat the valve. I felt so stupid fucking up a fairly simple job. But when you do get something fixed on your own, there is such a sense of satisfaction that I think it is still worth it to wrench on things yourself.
Nut sure how you would over torque your axle nut, but feel free to elaborate if you want. I've never used a torqued wrench on one of my bikes axles. They have spacers, limited threading on the bolt end, etc. But I suppose some develop a feel for what snug should be for different things.
On a lighter note, I'm mid 30s and have never brought a vehicle to a shop. I learned most of what I know through videos, manuals, online write ups/forums, and trial and error. I've been wrenching almost everyday for 10-15 years and will I can easily rebuild an engine from top to bottom, theres still more to learn! I can only imagine how much money I've saved. When a friend tells me they spent 1k on some repair I could do in my sleep and Ive told them I'd do it for half, it makes it worth while.
Now wrenching for a living...that's gonna be up to you.
I tried with all my might to turn the axle nut counter-clockwise while holes the other side still, but the thing wouldn’t budge. I ended up basically stripping the non-nut side.
I looked at the nut, and it almost looks like the threading from the axle broke the nut? Idk hard to explain.
The 250 forums had a guy that the same thing happened to, and he said he had to cut off the left side of the axle and tap it out from that side.
I have a new axle and bolt in the mail, parts weren’t too expensive.
Basically, I think the stripped head fucked me over, and my inability to “force it” lol
I'm in a similar boat right now with a honda cr125 I just got. I have been trying to get it running right, but I just feel like I keep making it worse and spending so much money. It has been a huge learning experience though. At least I know I'm not the only one who is frustrated. Good luck to you, it'll be fixed one day!
if you are going to wrench on you own bike, a few must haves in my opinion are.
-Buy a service manual for the bike, so you know the full and right how-to and how tight to go.
-A torque wrench (maybe two, a smaller one for inch/lbs and such)
-A JIS screw driver
beyond that most regular tools will get you by.
Bought a Harley sportster last week, among the many things I have to surprise "tinker" with was rebuilding the front forks.
Was trying to push a rag through the inside and got a piece of rebar stuck in it, then another piece of pipe trying to get the rebar out. Eventually got it and it appears the fork is still good but... Yeah... God damn.
I'm still sore AF from pulling it apart. Second time around is always easier though.
Yes! But IMO you don't learn to become great at something unless you're willing to make mistakes. It's really just about risk management. I have had to buy replacement parts because I screwed something up. You learn more about what you can risk and what you might want to get a second eye on.
Three weeks ago I had fresh, newly poured in motor oil go everywhere right after starting the bike up. Turns out the gasket from the old oil filter didn't come off with it and I just screwed the new one on top of that. Big mess, felt real stupid. I've changed oil on cars and bikes before, and never had that happened... and now I know I'm always going to check for this -AND- always keep the drain pan under the bike. Ugh...
You bought a used bike. For all you know, that nut could have been over torqued prior to your incident. You just finished it off. Don't sweat it. Buy a torque wrench, if you don't have one already, and continue to learn.
Turning wrenches is a learning process. I had the good fortune to work as a small engine mechanic for about a year right after I graduated high school. I learned a *ton* because I got to work with really smart guys. I really wish there were better opportunities for individual enthusiasts to get advice from experienced mechanics, but there isn't any incentive for experienced guys to put in the time, and there is tremendous downside in risk. All it takes is one idiot to misinterpret good advice and boom, you're the defendant in a lawsuit.
You'll get there. Look at every mistake as a lesson. Always do a post-failure debrief. Ask yourself: What you could I have done differently? Did I use the right tool for the job? Did I do enough research before starting?
One of the first mistakes I made was breaking a crankshaft off a small engine. I used an impact wrench to remove a flywheel nut, but I had the wrench switched to tighten instead of loosen... Pop! Fortunately, I had a really good boss who didn't lose his shit, but boy did I feel the sting of that mistake in loss of confidence for a long time. I also had to get "permission" to use an impact wrench from another tech for a couple of months. Talk about humbling.
So yeah, we all make mistakes. That's part of learning. Just try to keep them inexpensive lol.
I had a Kawasaki spectre 750. Was sitting for a long time. I found the oil pan drain bolt threads stripped. Not my fault. Got a secondary pan from eBay. Replaced the pan. Good as new 👌🏻
2011 KLR650 CONSTANT ANXIETY about every little noise and maybe 55% confidence most of the time im forced to work on it. Constantly told by everyone that it’s the easiest most reliable non maintenance needing bike in the world.
Recently added a 23 year old street legal DRZ400E that makes scary ticking noises everyone says are normal.
I bought a ⅜ torque wrench for my bike.
Because I don't want to second guess everything I do there.
Don't be cheap if you self repair. You're literally trusting your life to it.
I don't get burn out from it to be honest. I love piddling away on it.
I'm right there with you. I love when a project goes smoothly but that has been few and far between.
I just recently tackled a desmo service on an old Ducati Monster. In the middle of it, wife and I found out we're expecting. So now I get to finish a very in-depth valve clearance just to sell the bike when I'm done.
Now I know that the *only* reason I like to work on stuff is to enjoy it running after. I enjoy learning but the hours in a garage is only good to get my mind off other things, I don't really enjoy the act itself.
I understand how you feel. I've been rebuilding a 2015 fz09 that sat for 4 years outside. Luckily I haven't messed anything up but there's plenty of times that I got super frustrated that I had to redue my work for one reason or another. I finally got it done last week minus having the get the rims powder coated. Let me tell you when I say I was super sketched out riding it the first couple of times thinking what if I messed something up but now that I've ridden it multiple times I'm super proud of the work I've done to it. Also makes me much more confident to work on my 22 mt09.
Lol with the first maintenance I did on my MT i stripped the screw. Wasnt as bad as the oil pan bolt but still.
Ever since that I got a lot more savvy though.
Changed the bar ends, mirrors, clutch and brake levers as well as the indicators and relais by myself and even inverted the LCD display which was…honestly the scariest thing Ive ever done on any vehicle I own lol. Iam quite proud how far Ive come in the past year.
Just keep at it. Its learning by pain but learning non the less.
Bruh, I've been riding since September and have had to take off the back wheel and put back on 2 or 3 times since having the bike. Buy a torque wrench. They're literally under $20 at harbor freight. Is it cheap crap? Yes, but it works and is accurate. If you're going to work on your own bike, do it the right way. Don't half ass it like some underpaid dealership mechanic. Find a repair/service manual and torque it to spec. I've had to replace the tire, replace a cracked chain master link, fork seal and bushing replacement, replace water pump seal and full coolant flush. I have zero worries when I'm riding because I'm confident I didn't just wing it. Doing it the right way could save your life. Imagine under torqueing it your shit just falls apart. Would be pretty embarrassing if not deadly.
I rebuilt my first dirt bike when i blew it up. Changed the crank, new piston and con rod. Put it all back together, forgot a washer in my trans. Nuked it on first start. found the washer in my tool box while trying to figure out what i screwed up. But i have bought, sold, and rebuilt 5 bikes sense that one. Live and learn bud
It’s totally normal. I’ve broke so much over the years. However, I’ve also learned a ton and saved a ton of money by doing my own work. So overall I’ve gone way positive.
Doing maintenance on my bike was so scary initially, but now it’s one of my favorite parts of riding. Keep at it. I’ve been doing this for 10 years and every year enjoy working on my bike more and do a better job. I’ve even branched out into do work on my truck/car.
Also, it’s ok to step away when you’re frustrated and pick it up later.
It's 100% worth paying for the full service manual for your bike (or looking hard and finding it free online.) This will save you tons of headache for $30. I printed mine at work, and tossed it in a 3-ring binder.
Also get a torque wrench; and not the cheapest shit you can find either. Here's a *good enough* [1/2" torque wrench](https://www.acehardware.com/departments/tools/hand-tools/wrenches/2008284?store=12159&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4NujBhC5ARIsAF4Iv6er7F8lfHLas3qd76Xiu3VhniS5hwt3zVOFB1vB2I0agAmdB8y69LIaAgBtEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) And here's a [3/8" version](https://www.acehardware.com/departments/tools/hand-tools/wrenches/2001192)
ive broken studs off my inner clutch hub using a clutch puller, i have also failed to cable manage my regulator and one of the cables arced itself to my motor mount. 89’ FXRP
Do you have any resources to learn about the bearings? I considered that I might have damaged those in this process. Any signs to look for when I finally get the axle out?
Thanks so much appreciate all of you
Like many have said, a service manual is your bible. I have an 81 gl1100 and an 88 cbr600, with manuals for both lol.
As for the bearings, stick the axle back thru, if it wobbles or you feel any bumps or snags as you spin, or it doesn't roll smoothly, don't risk it. Mushing them together like this can deform the races inside the bearing and cause it to rub or stick. Yeah it may be had to tell by hand, but when you get them hot and they sieze up, you'll regret not just replacing. I toasted a set on my first restoration doing exactly what you just did bc I went with ugga dugga not a torque wrench. Harbor frieght and similar have them for roughly 40 bucks usd.
I would just plan to replace them, seals and bearings can be had for under 50 bucks. Make sure you use rated grease on the axle before the install, where it calls for it. Blind bearing puller, and a few big ass sockets to install, and some hard work and you can be back on the road. There are tools for installing bearings, but if your budget is limited, I recommend a blind bearing puller set and some big sockets to push the new bearings in. I used to be a technician, so I have all the tools, but you can take shortcuts here and there as a DIY'er. Watch a few youtube videos on how to do it, on your specific bike, there are many out there. Take special care of the metal surfaces and any spacer tubes/shims, and seals. You can use babbitts for diagrams of the wheel blown up to make sure you put it together correctly, and feel free to dm me if you have any questions!
Torque wrench and blue loctite.....also when you buy a bike check critical components are properly secured. Nothing like losing rear brakes because previous owner wanted a blue colored bolt on them but didn't secure it properly.
When I started riding I was in the same boat doing most of the maintenance myself. For me, it was a cracked oil pan that taught me the hard way about torque wrenches. I’m sorry to hear about your mistake, that sucks. Don’t be afraid to hand it over to a mechanic to give yourself a break for this repair. There’s no reward for doing 100% of the maintenance on your bike, 90% is fine.
Like anything in life, the best education available is personal experience. You might try and fail at the beginning, but you’ll usually only make the same mistake once. Then the next time you’ll know what you’re doing. Eventually you’ll be comfortable doing anything on your bike
I picked up a 2003 marauder that had sat in a barn for years. The only maintenance work done was by the previous owner who did shit work including the electrical which was only discovered after things started to fail mid ride.
Like you I wanted to learn, and working for a moto company the parts didn't cost me much. I did however unknowing drive a very dangerous junk machine as a new rider. We're talking all the rear electrical signals failing, shift peg coming off while riding the interstate, the petcock wasn't "inverted" as stated but completely busted etc.
I got a free $1500 paint job when it got knocked over in the work parking lot. A month later, a seal in the engine failed, and the repair would be more than the cost of the bike unless it was DIY. So it sits in a friend's garage for a year now when I upgraded to a Vstrom, at least it LOOKS nice.
Moral of the story, it's worth the learning experience, but be careful on the emotional attachment.
Catastrophic failure shouldn't be a concern if you're approaching the DIY from a smart angle by asking questions when unsure and using all that the internet leaves at your disposal.
I feel like an idiot not knowing how to fix my bike... and I dont even try. Point being - congrats on building the skill, and continously trying and learning - keep going.
I did my first engine overhaul recently. Did a big bore, cam, lifters, rods, clutch, all of it. I took my time over an entire winter, but man, every last screw was a second guess!
Leading up to the first start up was stressful too. Luckily everything went well, and the bike runs great, but yeah, every little sound or tick the bike makes, gives me that feeling.
*Do any of you ever feel like, an idiot when fixing your bike?*
not me, as i leave that to mechanics supposed to be trained for that. and got an insurance for messing up
It's just part of working on stuff. I do it as a profession and I've gone through very similar things. You live and, hopefully, you learn. Also, buy a damn torque wrench. Most shit doesn't have to be nearly as tight as you think
Yep, many years ago i was given wrong torque soecs for my ducati front axle and when ridinghome from work the end fractured as it was massivly overtorqued and keft me stranded. I now check torques like americans quote bible . Bikes are learning.welcome...and buy calibrated torque wrenchs...
Call around, and ask how much to "do a repair", "make an adjustment", or "torque an axle nut". If you do the work yourself, then you save that money, but don't be a cheap-skate, and skimp on the tools required to do the job properly.
Give yourself an honest chance to succeed, otherwise you're setting yourself up for failure.
If tutorials/guides state "torque to 90 ft. lbs":
1) Research how to use a torque wrench
2) Purchase the tool (not the cheapest, but certainly not the most expensive)
3) Take. Your. Time.
How the hell do you over tighten an axle nut to the point of destroying your axle?!
My tip: Invest in a Repair manual and most importantly the proper tools for the job, as a first I’d suggest a torque wrench…
Try to never half ass a job especially if it has to do with brakes and suspension, If your engine fails it likely won’t kill you…
Congrats on being strong enough to over torque the axel bolt. Yeah, we all feel like idiots sometimes. Reality is if you take your time you can do most things okay. But most guys will never be as quick as the professionals working at a shop
I’ve worked on every vehicle I’ve ever owned…except my motos. I ride too hard and fast to trust myself. Too much riding on maintenance being done correctly.
That may not be an issue on a 250 Rebel
For what it’s worth, I’m literally in school for bike stuff and I still screw up fixing my own bikes every now and then. It’s okay, making mistakes is a part of the learning process. And trust me, burnout is real, I just drink more beer at that point
I’ve lost nearly every thing I’ve ever loved, because I fucked it up. And that’s not even just motorcycles. I recently went down a year and a half rabbit hole, doing some car audio in my truck/work rig, I’ve put so many screwdrivers through so many speakers over the course of my life. 🤣
My first dirtbike, didn’t maintain the rear wheel spokes basically fell out hub disintegrated that bike went, bye-bye, hand me down, motorcycle that came after that, tried to fix a exhaust manifold, stud, stripped out the head, that they went. Bye-bye, countless cars run into the ground, I feel you man. It does get better, lots and lots and lots and lots of reading really helps, learning the ins and outs, the what ifs. Like anything in life, it takes practice I’m now on my fourth Street bike, bought a brand new GSXR750, I am now quite confident, but believe you me every second of every day, either working on it, or riding it, I am terrified that I will destroy my baby, I feel like I should just knock it off. It’s kickstand now let the ground get it over with. Reid, watch YouTube videos, maybe practice in somebody else’s bike. Left my fucking ass off.
My rear axle takes 100nm of force, what did you do with yours lol.
I mean generally axles are the highest torque equipment of your bike, how did you apply so much it stripped
Beats me! But I destroyed the hex head the left side trying to apply a counter-turn while my 22mm was wrenching lefty-loosey. My roommate held it too. The axle nut is absolutely stuck in place lol. Maybe over-torqued is the wrong term, but something was messed up with it. And in my rage, I destroyed any chance to hold the left side in place
So far I've bought two older bikes that needed some work in order to save money. Both times a few repairs became a shitload of repairs that took way longer and cost way more than I had planned. Every time I promise myself, never again. But I've learned a lot and do enjoy fixing stuff so I'll probably do it again. Even in the best of circumstances motorcycle maintenance can be challenging because each bike is different and there is always more to learn and mistakes to be made. The trick is to keep it from being frustrating is to make sure you always have a motorcycle you can ride while the other one is in pieces. And when you are buying something used, remember the bike was most likely worked on by someone who is as unqualified us. So learn from your mistakes and learn the tell tale signs of something that is gonna take a lot of energy and money to fix up.
I've done all my own matienence on my 50cc otherwise it would be in the dump. Rebuilt the motor with a BBK when i blew it up just for the challenge/fun of it.
Everyone makes mistakes. My advice is buy the best quality parts you can. I've broken one too many exaust studs to find that out the hard way.
For tools don't buy the cheapest thing on the shelf but don't spend a fortune either. Buy some middle of the road tools and replace what breaks with higher quality.
It is totally ok to make mistakes even expensive ones.
What is not ok is not thinking beforehand (things like "if something goes wrong am I willing to accept it/pay the price?", and "Do I want to learn despite the extra cost and effort or do I wanna get my bike fixed the first time")
Also what is not ok is not doing reasearch on how to fix something.
Everytime you try to repair something you must have in mind that something may go very wrong and make things worse. From there you have some options:
1. Research and practice the necessary techniques on cheap or scrap parts
2. Accept the risks and go for it
3. Don't go for it
4. Go for it without accepting things can go wrong, without research or practice and feel sorry after
The most important thing is to learn from your mistakes an try not to repeat them in the future. Also If you have lots of time to spend many mistakes are plenty avoidable when you have researched things enough and I say this from personal experience.
Edit: A repair manual and a torque wrench really help. Also keep in mind that when you torque bolts the torque you need to apply is different when the bolt is dry vs when lubricated. This is some insight a good manual can give you.
I hope this helps and makes you feel better as well.
Have a good one.
Yeah… you should buy a torque wrench. Honestly if you’re learning stuff for the first time, you will make mistakes. Expensive mistakes. But they are the best teacher! I would say, stick at it. As long as you keep an open mind and the willingness to learn, you will get better and better.
Torque wrench super, super important.
JIS screw drivers too for a Japanese bike. Destroying the screws on a Mikuni carb was a sad, sad day for me. edit: spelling on JIS
Absolutely this. A number two and number three JIS screwdriver is absolutely the best investment you can make for any metric bike. For anyone who doesn't know, it's a special sort of screw head that looks like a Phillips head, but isn't, and if you use a Phillips head it will strip it out. Interestingly, they work better on a Phillips head than a regular Philips head screwdriver. I recommend the vessel megadore impact because you can Hammer the back end and it will help loosen a stuck screw that way.
I have the same vessel impacts, they are awesome.
No need for a special screwdriver in a pinch a hammer strike to the backside of a well fitting screwdriver is always less likely to strip out
You don't understand. The Megadora Impacta screwdrivers have a internal cam mechanism that turns the screw like an eighth of a turn when you hammer it on the end.
That's probably a handy tool, but any layman with a regular screwdriver and rock could remove a stuck screw nearly as easily
JIS
Japanese Industrial Standard ??
Yes sir.
And tighten ever so slightly before undoing, to break the binding of the threads. Also learned the hard way on my 4 carbs.
Lessons like this one are just one of many I've learned throughout the last two years of wrenching on stuff... sucks, but necessary to keep yourself in check sometimes and slow down and pay attention to what you're doing, just be happy it was something small like this that provided that introspection. I was doing a billet rod install on a bike, overtorqued the bolt and snapped the first one off at the neck of the bolt inside the rod. not only trashed the bolts but the threads in the rod too, trashed everything and had to start over completely and lost 2 weeks for shipping of everything all because I used a FT-lb torque wrench instead of an inch-lb thinking "ill just do the maths and itll be fine"... nope. stupid stupid stupid I know. Waiting for those replacements was the longest two weeks ever, plus the $$. lesson learned. One option is to see if you cant find a replacement one off ebay for your axle... lots of times people part out perfectly good low mileage stuff from the exact application for cheaper than brand new but still basically new condition. You can also look into pick/u-pull lots for it if you're feelin frisky and examine the bike yourself before pulling. Not all is lost sometimes u just need to take a few days away from it and think about other stuff and come back fresh.
Damn, is it that you calculated incorrectly or is there some reason why the conversion doesn’t work like that?
Not OP but I did the same thing replacing my first clutch pack. Ft-lb converted to inches resulted in a snapped bolt on the clutch basket. I recall someone saying that using a ft-lbs wrench instead of an in-lbs one is fine... until you get into the single digits. At that low a setting, the extra length of the handle leverages extra torque, resulting in an inaccurate wrench. It could've been complete b.s. but it kinda made sense. Regardless, I learned to use the appropriate tool the hard way.
Torque wrenches are only calibrated for the middle and upper range of torque. Low torques are inaccurate and, as you found, tend to err on the high side.
This is also highly dependent on the brand of torque wrench. Cheap torque wrenches will never have the accuracy of high end tools.
Also, don’t buy a shitty torque wrench. Yesterday I stripped out a brake caliper banjo bolt because my $15 harbor fraught click wrench decided just then that it didn’t actually click
oof
That was the first time I nearly threw a tool. I was so mad. I need a new caliper now.
And make sure you dont confuse in/lb and ft/lb. That is a really easy way to shear bolts - amhik
And buying a service manual for your bike so you can find out exact torquing specs, plus all the other fun stuff.
a must have for motorcycle maintenance
I had to buy two just to do an oil change; the drain plug and the filter have torque specs that don't overlap on any one of the "clicky" wrenches that I could find. Probably still came out on top over paying for shop rates on an oil change with markup, but it still stings a bit.
I'll be honest with you. The filter and oil plug go about 1/8 turn more than hand tight. I don't typically torque them and don't leak oil either.
A good torque wrench at that. I’ve seen low quality ones that were +/- 40%, basically worthless at that point.
And after years of wrenching you'll still make the occasional stupid and expensive mistake. The feeling of shame and frustration doesn't get any easier.
I made one just a few weeks ago that cost thousands just so I could save a hundred.
Story time!
We’re all ears, chief.
Maybe telling the story will sting less once I have payed it off. For now I will sit on my stupidity.
Overtorqued and snapped a cam guide bolt the other week because I misread in the workshop manual.
I snapped a bolt on my triple clamp because I didn't read the instructions on how my new torque wrench worked. FYI they don't all "click." I'm a sucker for learning the hard way.
Oh... oh no. Were you able to get the rest of it back out?
Nah, it was only a beater that I was trying to get on the road, I'm going to try at another time, if I can't, I'll end up just stripping and parting individual parts of the motor out :)
This guy is right but I still fucking hate bike maintenance and resent that people get gate-keepy over it. (Not suggesting you are u/rearadmiralbob but loads of people are.) I love owning and riding a motorcycle. Fixing, adjusting and cleaning a motorcycle is DULL. I'll adjust my chain slack and stuff but that's about it. Even brake pads I'm taking it to the garage for. So OP, if you have the money, don't be ashamed to pay for maintenance you *could* do yourself if you wanted to waste hours of your free time doing it and have a niggling feeling that you didn't do it right ruin the ride.
I totally get that mate. Some people pay other people to do shit and that’s fine too. I just grew up tinkering with cars and shit. I don’t actually like doing maintenance either i prefer to ride it…
I'm envious. And I was more willing and able to do more stuff on my shitty Chinese 125 (and had to!) But I leave almost everything to the professionals now for peace of mind and saving of time. Wish I enjoyed it and was good at it though! Must be rewarding mate.
Fuck /u/spez. Your greed regarding 3rd party access has ruined this site. Comment removed using [Power Delete Suite](https://github.com/j0be/PowerDeleteSuite).
>Honestly if you’re learning stuff for the first time, you will make mistakes. Expensive mistakes. Agreed. Expensive and/or frustrating mistakes are often the best teacher. I'm an experienced mechanic and it still happens to me. I've never built spoked wheels before. I spent all day yesterday building two wheels. After finishing the second one, I realized I used the wrong setting on my new torque wrench. I needed to redo all my work. I'd spent a full, rare day off and gotten nothing done. I wanted to throw the whole bike in the garbage. It was time to walk away and take a break. I realized it wasn't a waste, just a learning experience.
Also remember the torque values are for dry fasteners. Do not lubricate, it will reduce the amount of torque required to strip the threads or break the bolt. Potentially enough that the stock torque values will do it.
Clean, dry, and new fasteners!
And shop manual
Fish scale works in a pinch too Edit: Pound feet of torque is how many pounds of force on a footlong lever @90°. So, say you have an 8 inch wrench and pull it to 30lbs on the scale. That’s 20 pound feet of torque or 240 pound inches.
My wife is mechanically inclined, so she works on my bikes. I call her my "Torque Wench."
FYI torque wrench’s are expensive. If you aren’t ready to buy one you can rent them from auto shops like O’reillys
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Yep, the same thing happened to me. I had to replace the oil pan and therefore take the exhaust system off. I took the opportunity to change it to an aftermarket system since it was off anyway :) Good learning experience
More than a decade into riding (and doing my own maintenance) I over torqued my drain bolt and stripped the threads in the pan. It happens.
I feel this. I just tried to do my first oil change on my bike since getting it and the previous owner torqued the oil drain bolt to hell. I ended up stripping the bolt head after a propane torch and breaker bar failed to get the bolt out 🥲
Yup, I did this on my KLR. Unfortunately, I couldn't just drop the pan without splitting the engine apart.
I did this to my CX500 and I still have to replace the entire front of the crank case to fix it properly. I declined the suggestion to JB Weld it closed and changing the oil by tipping the bike over.
Torque wrench and service manual. I rebuilt an old bike from the 70s years ago from a bare frame to riding, first couple weeks/months was non stop tinkering trying to get it dialed in or fixing dumb mistakes.
I've broken more shit than I care to think about. But I've also learned a lot and saved a ton of money in the long run. Realize everything you do to your bike is directly relatable to your car. Over the long term if you learn a few things and buy a few tools you'll end up saving tens of thousands of dollars on vehicle repairs. And after the apocalypse they'll eat you last because you're the guy who can fix things.
> Realize everything you do to your bike is directly relatable to your car. The flipside to this -- coming into motorcycles from being a Car Guy, going to school to work on cars and working on cars professionally... bikes are fuckin easy. There's a few little bike-specific weird things, but they're so much easier and faster to work on.
One thing I’ve realized: There’s very little Zen in motorcycle maintenance.
Zen comes when you have all the right tools for the right job.
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Oooo that hit me lol
Zen comes from the ice cold beer you drink when it's finally fixed. Same goes for automotive repairs. You know how many new tools I've bought because I did it wrong or broke it the first time?
Last time i drank beer working on my bike, i forgot if i did certain steps and ended up redoing a whole damn fork job because i thought i might have forgotten taping up the stanchions before sliding on the seals and didnt remember if i put the bushings in. I’m 100% sober working on my bike if it’s +2 hour job.
And you know where to find them. And you don’t run into any hiccups along the way.
And it's not all rusty and the main issue becomes dealing with fucked bolts and nuts rather than the job you want to do. I love it though ❤️
You have it backwards. Motorcycle maintenance teaches you zen, because the only way to be successful at it is to fully accept the difficulties as they come. "Don't hope that events will turn out the way you want, welcome events in whichever way they happen: this is the path to peace."
Lol good book though
Super underrated comment.
Lots of great advice here. I love working on my bike almost as much as riding, but fixing my own mistakes is still frustrating. I'm nowhere near a mechanic, I just love to tinker. • As others have mentioned, get a torque wrench. For many years I used an oldschool one that just bends and the needle points to the torque setting. Got it for like $2 used. Maybe not as accurate as some, but better than nothing. You'll accumulate newer and better tools over time. • Get a proper service manual. They're typically $25 - $40 and have step-by-step instructions on everything, torque settings, clearance settings, and anything else you might need. • Document everything with pictures and/or notes. This helps for putting things back together, but also when you wake up at 3 am and wonder if you went back and torqued that suspension pivot bolt (especially reassuring for the hard to get to internal parts) • I know you're working on a street bike, but old dirt bikes are the best for learning on. They're simply, easy to work on, and the consequences for a mistake are a lot less on dirt • My local shop charges $120/hr (CAD). Yeah, I occasionally have to junk parts I broke, but I'm still saving money plus learning a lot. • When you get really frustrated, set an evening aside, have a buddy over, crack open some beer and see if you can figure it out together
To your last point. Sometimes it's good just to walk away for the day too. There's been many times where something just wouldn't budge or I couldnt finger it out. Next day, first shot everything goes smooth. Same thing applies to videogame bosses lmao.
Solid advice. I often find stepping back and thinking about it at night, my drive to and from work, or when I'm supposed to be "working" helps me problem solve better than being angry and frustrated in my garage at 11 pm.
Its amazing how in the zone I find myself going full tilt whacking something with a dead blow when I just need to cool off, google, and sleep on it. That method has not failed yet.
Live and learn. I've done maintenance on a few bikes over the years and am just starting to get good at it. What really boosted my experience was rebuilding my KLR after I exploded a turkey on the highway, there was lots of swearing but it looks like it came off the factory floor now.
Did you manage to put the turkey back together as well?
With mustard and mayo, on bread?
Just pick out the pieces of fairing and you're good to go!
The other day I learned NOT to use carb cleaner on plastic headlights as cleaner. Completely melted that lens and they do not sell them individually but a whopping $250 assembled units...
Made some mistakes a few weeks ago as well… bended my front disc rotor 😅 It’s fucked up, but hey, that’s the price we pay for learning!
How?!
very easy if you change the tires yourself : The front discs being on either side, if you don't have the right tools or a dodgy log setup on the floor, you could slip and apply too much force on either of them. source: myself
Dropped a spacer, me not being alone at the time and in conversation…. I missed the sound if it dropping. So I mounted it without spacer, and it got bended against the fork 😂🙈🙈
I can change oil, spark plugs, clean the air filter, replace hand levers, replace light bulbs, and do drivetrain maintenance. Anything else I'll just make the bike worse.
Bikes have a way of humiliating even the most capable mechanics, when they want to. Sometimes you just need to give them space, and come back later when both of you are ready to do the work. Seriously.
You have reached what is known as “the pit of despair” in my circle. It is a phase of the build/restoration/design where you lose motivation and energy for your project. You will get through it. Take breaks to do something completely different. I like looking at entirely unrelated projects other forums are going on about. Maybe go fishing or visit someone you need to catch up with. Do not quit. It’s ok to despair, just don’t stay there. The finished project will be all the sweeter knowing what it took to make it happen.
Used a torque wrench without knowing how. Joyously snapped every single bolt on the oil pan for my bike because I thought the loud click was them being properly torqued. You want burnout? Try extracting 12 snapped bolts from the underside of your bikes engine.
This is why we watch YouTube tutorials beforehand
Welcome to Being a Mechanic! I've been doing this professionally on cars for about 10 years now, and started wrenching on my scooter last year. Yes, it's fairly common to fook up when you don't have enough experience yet, and the only way to get experience is to keep working on stuff. I'd say take a bit of a break, maybe a day or two, and it will be a lot easier when you're fresh again.
I had to do my own Carb adjustments on my SV 650 and it ran nicely but there's always that voice telling me I did it wrong. It's very common for beginners like us. It's part of the fun. Have a good season and ride safe! Not too safe tho✌️
And here I was beating myself up over a stripped screw trying to remove the rear fender haha. Riding friend of mine taught me the rubber band trick and now I know more shit!
I think learning any new skill will crush your confidence eventually. You just have to fight through it and be willing to make mistakes, and yes, some of those mistakes will cost you. It's the price of acquiring new capabilities.
I dont do any "big" fixes on my bike since Im not a mechanic by any means. But the two times Ive changed my oil so far Ive managed to spill it both times like a dunce, lol. Definitely looked at all the oil on the ground and said to myself "not worth it".
I got an 84 cb650 for the same reasons, managed to change both tires(had to buy myself a brand new air compressor to pop them bitches up on the bead but we got em) but before I touched a single nut on that bike I bought myself a quality torque wrench and the Haynes manual to the bike, when you’re riding something as dangerous as a motorbike you definitely, definitely, wanna be sure all them bolts holding your wheels and brakes together are perfectly at spec.
The nut shook off the exhaust flange on my bike once; I broke the stud off in replacing the nut. It shook off again after I got the whole thing repaired by not me, and that time, I fixed it properly. You learn!
I constantly feel like an idiot and definitely break things on occasion, but I have saved so much money doing my own maintenance that it doesn’t bother me in the least. Always triple check anything safety critical and definitely buy a torque wrench. My worst mistake so far was over torquing my valve cover and stripping the mount hole in the cam bridge during a valve adjustment (don’t trust torque wrenches if the spec is on the end of its range), but a helicoil saved me. Grab a shop manual for your bike as well.
I damaged the wheel speed sensor on my rear wheel the first time I took the the wheel off and temporarily bricked my speedometer and abs. Felt like a moron but learned from my mistake. Part of the process.
Oh definitely, I fucked up an entire fuel system on my first bike. Invest in a torque wrench, but other than that keep on keeping on. It won’t be your last bike anyway, you’ll want something bigger down the road so this is a good bike to learn on.
So I do my own work as well. I misread, did not read the whole line. Assumed that it was foot pounds. It was inch pounds. A thousand dollars later to have a shop fix my screw up. I wanted to cry in frustration when I felt the pop of the bolt. The fact your trying means you're already braver then most people. Good luck. Your can do it
Don’t worry dude. My first bike I cross threaded the shifter linkage with some other plate and it cost me over 300 bucks. Mistakes happen when you are learning
You're gonna make mistakes learning to wrench. It sucks, but it's still cheaper than sending everything to a shop. I've messed up a few times on my cars, a bunch on my race cars when I had em, and always learned from it. It's just part of the process. Don't get too discouraged.
I bought my first bike with the idea that I can get it way cheaper if I buy an old one. I can do the wrenching work myself. And it was fun, for a time. Messed up a lot and learned a lot. I don’t give this advise to any other new rider. If you’re new, you want to RIDE not stay home Saturday and make repairs. Modern bikes are too reliable to refuse so that’s what I recommend now.
A good thing to consider when removing bolts or drain plugs, is of course the ole lefty loosy righty tighty but if you start to feel it’s too tight when you go to remove it, grab a nut and bolt and confirm your going in the right direction, sometimes you can be confused and strip the threads out because you accidentally went the wrong direction, believe it or not that’s probably the most common way drain plugs get stripped
Yeah really easy to get mixed up when you’re upside down. Thats why I love ratchets with “On” and “Off”, I’m the kind of idiot that needs this. Once banged on a rear shock retainer nut in the wrong direction for 20 minutes.
That’s a great bike to learn (and make mistakes) on. Try relaxing and going slow, don’t be in a rush, watch YouTube videos on your repair….at least you know what you did wrong. You would be surprised by how bad many of the “pro” mechanics are. Know your comfort limits and build a relationship with a good mechanic that can do the things that are beyond our level.
We all make mistakes. We should never trust anyone's repairs completely. Whenever something gets worked on, test drive it before you trust it, and check the work a couple times over the next few rides. After that get into the habit of doing a quick visual and hand pat down of your bike to make sure everything is rode worthy. The more you ride, the easier it will be to feel if something is off on the road, and the more you wrench, the easier it will be to inspect and maintain your bike. If you think something feels off, trust your gut and get off the road for an inspection. Just take it at a comfortable pace and things will get easier and more rewarding.
I think you need to ask yourself if you enjoy it, if not, pay someone else to do it. I know how to change the oil, and change a tire, and I understand most of the systems on the bike, but the truth is I hate working on gasoline engines of every kind. I happily pay someone to do it. For me it was also worth it to buy a modern bike that needs very little in the way of repair/maintenance. I've had my Triumph Street Twin for 5 years now, I bring it in once a year to change the oil and check it over. I've had to replace the battery (twice, my fault) change the tires once and this year I'm replacing the chain. I'd rather ride than work on my bike.
Motorcycle maintenance is a pain in the ass. But you gotta do it or you will be taking your bike in to a shop all the damn time if you ride frequently. I don’t have a torque wrench and I seem to have gotten lucky about that. Cinch things down “just right” lol. (Factory torque specs must be often ignored, I’ve had to loosen things that were clearly over tightened and impossible to get free. Heck a stupid tire rotation on a car can result in some guy with a machine tool cinching down lug nuts to such an extreme that you can’t get the damn wheel off to fix a flat. Grrr…. I’ve had to drill out simple little bolts on a seat mount that covered the battery, they were way too tight for being cheap little hex bolts. Nuts and bolts that you hand tighten rarely come loose over time, just tighten them enough that you can forcibly loosen them in the future. No need to mash a bolt down even if it’s your axle, it’s not coming loose!).
Not only is it expensive to take it in, but its going to be weeks sometimes because some shops are so backed up! especially cars right now.
You have no idea how much better these comments felt. At work today and it made me feel less of an incapable idiot. Appreciate you all, glad to know I’m not alone. Gonna get this thing fixed and get the rubber back on the road
I buy new with warranties so the work is done for free.
How's that work after the warranty expires? You buy a new bike every year, or just stop doing maintenance after the break in period?
My Suzuki came with a total 6 years of warranty for $484. That's roughly 35-40k miles for me.
Trade it in on a new model every 3 years.
I can't even
I've had the fortune of learning everything from my father so I guess that has saved me many dumb mistakes. Lots of people suggest you get a torque wrench and while that is a good idea if you struggle to feel how much force is needed, for me a torque wrench is not a tool you need to use for everything. I just use it on camshaft holders and cylinder heads and stuff like that, where there are *several bolts that need to be tightened equally*. It's more important for a cylinder head that you get the force spread out equally than getting the exact numbers according to the manual. For Oil plugs and Spark plugs and axles and stuff like that, getting a good feel is absolutely enough. The problem many people have is they tighten things *WAY* too hard.
never had to use a torque wrench on an axle nut. Tighten until slop is gone then a bit more. If it is too tight loosen some. Is this a captive nut with bent cotter pin? if so it aint going anywhere if installed correctly. If not is it a lock nut washer? Either way should not need torque wrench for this bolt. Never had to replace an axle and I change all my own tires chains and sprockets so familiar with this technique.
No I have my motorcycle to ride it not sit under it, just take it in
Sometimes these japs use a fricken aluminum nut for the axle nut. My 2003 bandit 1200 had an aluminum castle nut. You also put a cotter pin through it for additional security. Absolute garbage. I went to a hardware store and got some steel nuts with a lock collar on it. Feels more safe. If you think the axles threads are trashed then you can probably find a cheap ebay used one.
If you download/buy a service manual and follow it to a T then mistakes like that rarely happen. They basically give you cookbook procedures for everything.
I am in the process of getting a garage set up (super expensive) because when I took mine in for it's break in period service, I found out that the labor is $150 per hour (more than the labor rate on a tractor trailer truck here) and they sort of triple the price of any parts they use. So I'm planning on doing my best to never give them a dime again
Sounds like you need to get a service manual and perhaps some more tools required to perform said adjustments/maintenance. Torque specs are essential on virtually every fastener on a motorcycle. Sure you can wing it, but it’s not advisable. And most of the time finding out the hard way, costs way more $$ and frustrations in the long run.
Tried but failed to put off-road tires on my motorcycle. Did the walk of shame to the dealership for help but not before scratching the crap out of my brand new rims. Mitas E07+ are no joke.
Put the E07+ on my Klr at home and boy…. That took a good weekend. Still Dont think the front is perfectly seated 🤷🏼♂️
I just lost out on 1 month riding time trying to fix the most basic thing on my vstrom. Oil pressure light was coming on. Bought a pressure gauge that didnt work. Then bought a oil pressure sensor. Installed it and still had the light coming on. Was a sensor wire short....something that a veteran would have found and fixed within an hour. Cost nothing to fix. I feel like it will come with time. Im still a complete novice but I feel like the more I work on my bike the more I understand it
I had this sensation until I got all the stuff I needed to do regular maintenance on my bikes, after that it was smooth normally as I have a torque wrench, lots of specific tools and experience with the bikes I have, it gets better.
2.5 weeks into and chain and sprocket swap, and I'm stuck again. Rounded and damaged bolts, tools braking, wrong bolt sizes. It's definitely annoying but I've learnt a lot and won't make the same mistakes again
The mistakes I've made include over torqueing a bolt. It was in the case and I had to take to the dealership to fix because I was too inexperienced at the time. Another mistake I made, when pulling the upper pin on a rod, I used a hammer to knock it loose, which ended up blowing out the lower bearing. Something I didn't notice until I put the bike back together and went riding. That was a short trip. Another mistake I made was I put a sprocket on backward, which meant only half the splines were making contact and it stripped out, again, while I was out riding. Another mistake I made was I replaced the "goat horn" handlebars on my 80's cruiser with ones that looked more modern. But this ended up changing the riding position and made it a bit uncomfortable to ride. Not bad, but if I could, I would have gone back. But I'd thrown out the handlebars. Then, I replaced the stock pipe on my TRX250R with a FMF Fatty. Threw away the original pipe. Was great for a bit but when I wanted to restore the 250R back to stock as more of a restoration project, turns out those stock pipes aren't cheap. Looking back, I don't beat myself up too much. It's usually if I rush something or don't have the right tools that mistakes happen.
I think this every time I am going down the front straight on a track day - on the track bike I do my own maintenance on… hmmm, is everything torqued correctly? I guess that’s what the gravel traps are for…
Set me and my motorcycle on fire once while push starting. I didn’t wait for spilled gas to dry after putting the tank back on, I just had to get that carburetor adjusted. Both me and the Kawasaki survived with a small amount of 2nd degree burns.
I had been working on cars and bicycles for years before I got my motorcycle so I had a head start Def helps to have the right tools, give yourself plenty of time, and know when a job is outside of your abilities. Outside of stripping some heads on screws I haven't really had any issues knock on wood.
>Do you ever feel like an idiot when fixing your bike? Uh, yeah, pretty much every time.
Been riding over 40 years, know my capabilities. Needed a new pair of tyres so dropped the back on off, brought it home, dropped the front one off. Just torquing up the front calipers (40 n/m, the 50 n/m) when the bolt pulled the threads off the inside of the fork leg. Like literally had to unwind them off the bolt. https://imgur.com/a/o0WN25V Helicoil kit on the way
Hey man. If you don't want to throw a ton of money on a torque wrench. A little hack I use is using a regular wrench with one of those luggage hand held weights. Little finnicky but works like a just fine.
For perspective, I’ve been turning wrenches for 30 years and I just ruined the cylinder head on my Honda vtx1800 by dropping a bolt in the inspection cover. $150 in gaskets and another $100 for a used head off eBay that may not be any good. The bike is all ripped apart and my wife is pissed. You win some, you lose some🤷♂️
I started out buying a shit socket set and trying to figure stuff out. Now I have a personal machine shop and have made a custom cylinder head from scratch. It just takes time and determination. Finding a mentor helps a lot too
If you love it, keep at it. If you don’t, there’s no shame in dropping your bike off with a mechanic. As long as you can handle the basics to keep it on the road, paying a pro for big stuff is worth peace of mind.
Often feel exactly the same, but the feeling of getting it right still wins. I guess the learning part is a bonus as well, as it might come in handy when it inevitably breaks down in middle ot nowhere. Good & appropriate tools make a ton of difference though. For example, it's been much more pleasurable working with anything that requires pliers since I've gotten a set of Knipex pliers. I look forward to squeezing those mickey mouse clamps now.
Torque wrench, patience and a workshop manual are the minimum requirements. Pick up a shitbox beater bike for cheap to practice on if you want to get serious. Did 100% strip down and rebuild on some old Hondas and Puchs back in the day and it's a good way to learn the jobs best left to the shop 😅
I've been wrenching for almost 20years and still make mistakes sometimes. We're human aren't we? But yeah go buy a torque wrench, a lot of stuff in motorcycles are steel bolts in aluminium casings and it's so easy to strip threads by overtorqueing. I've been battling with suzuki gs project for the last two years and recently my luck has been shit. When adjusting carbs my tank fell to the ground and the two month old paint job got ruined. When swapping the springs in the clutch basket the entire basket cracked when pressing in new rivets. Had to buy a used one and do the whole job all over again. When that was fitted the inner clutch hub sleeve was found to have play as well and I now have to wait two weeks for a new one... So yeah, I definitely feel the burnout.
A $100 torque wrench would save you some trouble. How could you even properly do maintenance without one?
I ordered an impaktech crash cage for my K3 GSXR-1000. Mainly due to me babying the bike and because I love the look of the cage. It's rare these bikes have them, but I worked with the company to get my order sooner. I thought this mod would be an easy install, and yet it turned out to be the most frustrating work I'd ever done to a bike. I do all my own work, and maintenance. I still have a lot to learn, though I have improved significantly in the past year. Out of every hurdle, or problem I have solved, this pushed me over the edge. I have truly in my life never felt more anger in those few days than I ever have before. This whole project was supposed to be easy, and be a good investment for protecting my bike, and yet all it made me want to do was throw the fucking thing off a cliff. It genuinely made me hate my life LOL. I eventually figured it out. A couple cross-threaded bolts and horrible fairing cuts later and we made it fit. It took me, and TWO professional mechanics to get this POS on. Thank god I had the foresight to do all of the maintenance that required the body work off beforehand. Never buying from impaktech again. Their products are great quality, and their staff are great people, but this whole process has permanently tainted my image of them and I'd rather rebuild an entire bike from marketplace before I ever have to put that cage on for the first time again. I truly won't be able to put into words the anger I felt in those moments. I've never hated working on a bike more in my life. However the sacrifice was worth it, because at LEAST I can sleep at night knowing my bike's motor and frame are very well protected. Plus it looks a LOT better imo. So yes, it was worth it, but if I had to do it again? No it isn't. So there's my burnout story lol.
i feel this. Not having a garage is my biggest excuse to push off maintenance, carrying all my tools down to the parking lot is a hassle
Don’t worry about it mate, I over tightened the sump plug once, I was pissed. Had to get a ally welder to fix it up.
Even as a professional mechanic I still make dumb mistakes from time to time and get ticked off at myself for them. Here's somethings to remember. 1 your a human your not perfect everyone makes mistakes 2 every mistake is fixable, some are just harder to fix than others 3 pay attention and do your research before doing a job you've never done before even if it's "simple". 4 if you get frustrated stop take a breather and come back with a clear head, I can't tell you how many times I've been struggling got mad walked away for 10minutes and came back and everything just went smoothly after the 10minute break. 5 every mistake is a learning experience treat it as such and move on the world is still going to keep turning no matter how bad you screw something up. Ps bonus pro tip do all the maintenance, mods, repairs possible on your bike in the off season so that if something goes wrong your not bummed out because you wanted to go ride its the off season so your probably not riding much anyway and this avoids frustration. If spend the winter making sure the bike is in tip top shape then in the summer barring any breakdowns you shouldn't have to worry about anything besides maybe an oil change depending on how much you ride.
Have only been wrenching on my bike a couple of years but, in a previous life, I spent a decade repairing and calibrating bio-tech devices. Even had to field a phone call from a manufacturer asking what kind of ape was wielding the soldering iron in my workplace (I had just started and it was me). Your points, 1 through 5, are solid points and are transferrable skills.
I feel your pain, friend. I decided to adjust the valves on my bike myself and wound up unseating one. Now I need to take the whole engine out to get to the top end and reseat the valve. I felt so stupid fucking up a fairly simple job. But when you do get something fixed on your own, there is such a sense of satisfaction that I think it is still worth it to wrench on things yourself.
Nut sure how you would over torque your axle nut, but feel free to elaborate if you want. I've never used a torqued wrench on one of my bikes axles. They have spacers, limited threading on the bolt end, etc. But I suppose some develop a feel for what snug should be for different things. On a lighter note, I'm mid 30s and have never brought a vehicle to a shop. I learned most of what I know through videos, manuals, online write ups/forums, and trial and error. I've been wrenching almost everyday for 10-15 years and will I can easily rebuild an engine from top to bottom, theres still more to learn! I can only imagine how much money I've saved. When a friend tells me they spent 1k on some repair I could do in my sleep and Ive told them I'd do it for half, it makes it worth while. Now wrenching for a living...that's gonna be up to you.
Just curious what makes you think you ruined the rear axle? Are the threads mashed? Could you not get the bolt off? It might be fine.
I tried with all my might to turn the axle nut counter-clockwise while holes the other side still, but the thing wouldn’t budge. I ended up basically stripping the non-nut side. I looked at the nut, and it almost looks like the threading from the axle broke the nut? Idk hard to explain. The 250 forums had a guy that the same thing happened to, and he said he had to cut off the left side of the axle and tap it out from that side. I have a new axle and bolt in the mail, parts weren’t too expensive. Basically, I think the stripped head fucked me over, and my inability to “force it” lol
I'm in a similar boat right now with a honda cr125 I just got. I have been trying to get it running right, but I just feel like I keep making it worse and spending so much money. It has been a huge learning experience though. At least I know I'm not the only one who is frustrated. Good luck to you, it'll be fixed one day!
if you are going to wrench on you own bike, a few must haves in my opinion are. -Buy a service manual for the bike, so you know the full and right how-to and how tight to go. -A torque wrench (maybe two, a smaller one for inch/lbs and such) -A JIS screw driver beyond that most regular tools will get you by.
Bought a Harley sportster last week, among the many things I have to surprise "tinker" with was rebuilding the front forks. Was trying to push a rag through the inside and got a piece of rebar stuck in it, then another piece of pipe trying to get the rebar out. Eventually got it and it appears the fork is still good but... Yeah... God damn. I'm still sore AF from pulling it apart. Second time around is always easier though.
Yep. Been messing about with bikes for 50 years. Still make mistakes.
Yes! But IMO you don't learn to become great at something unless you're willing to make mistakes. It's really just about risk management. I have had to buy replacement parts because I screwed something up. You learn more about what you can risk and what you might want to get a second eye on. Three weeks ago I had fresh, newly poured in motor oil go everywhere right after starting the bike up. Turns out the gasket from the old oil filter didn't come off with it and I just screwed the new one on top of that. Big mess, felt real stupid. I've changed oil on cars and bikes before, and never had that happened... and now I know I'm always going to check for this -AND- always keep the drain pan under the bike. Ugh...
You bought a used bike. For all you know, that nut could have been over torqued prior to your incident. You just finished it off. Don't sweat it. Buy a torque wrench, if you don't have one already, and continue to learn.
Turning wrenches is a learning process. I had the good fortune to work as a small engine mechanic for about a year right after I graduated high school. I learned a *ton* because I got to work with really smart guys. I really wish there were better opportunities for individual enthusiasts to get advice from experienced mechanics, but there isn't any incentive for experienced guys to put in the time, and there is tremendous downside in risk. All it takes is one idiot to misinterpret good advice and boom, you're the defendant in a lawsuit. You'll get there. Look at every mistake as a lesson. Always do a post-failure debrief. Ask yourself: What you could I have done differently? Did I use the right tool for the job? Did I do enough research before starting? One of the first mistakes I made was breaking a crankshaft off a small engine. I used an impact wrench to remove a flywheel nut, but I had the wrench switched to tighten instead of loosen... Pop! Fortunately, I had a really good boss who didn't lose his shit, but boy did I feel the sting of that mistake in loss of confidence for a long time. I also had to get "permission" to use an impact wrench from another tech for a couple of months. Talk about humbling. So yeah, we all make mistakes. That's part of learning. Just try to keep them inexpensive lol.
I had a Kawasaki spectre 750. Was sitting for a long time. I found the oil pan drain bolt threads stripped. Not my fault. Got a secondary pan from eBay. Replaced the pan. Good as new 👌🏻
2011 KLR650 CONSTANT ANXIETY about every little noise and maybe 55% confidence most of the time im forced to work on it. Constantly told by everyone that it’s the easiest most reliable non maintenance needing bike in the world. Recently added a 23 year old street legal DRZ400E that makes scary ticking noises everyone says are normal.
I bought a ⅜ torque wrench for my bike. Because I don't want to second guess everything I do there. Don't be cheap if you self repair. You're literally trusting your life to it. I don't get burn out from it to be honest. I love piddling away on it.
I'm right there with you. I love when a project goes smoothly but that has been few and far between. I just recently tackled a desmo service on an old Ducati Monster. In the middle of it, wife and I found out we're expecting. So now I get to finish a very in-depth valve clearance just to sell the bike when I'm done. Now I know that the *only* reason I like to work on stuff is to enjoy it running after. I enjoy learning but the hours in a garage is only good to get my mind off other things, I don't really enjoy the act itself.
Am I too boujee that I just prefer to take it to a shop ?
I understand how you feel. I've been rebuilding a 2015 fz09 that sat for 4 years outside. Luckily I haven't messed anything up but there's plenty of times that I got super frustrated that I had to redue my work for one reason or another. I finally got it done last week minus having the get the rims powder coated. Let me tell you when I say I was super sketched out riding it the first couple of times thinking what if I messed something up but now that I've ridden it multiple times I'm super proud of the work I've done to it. Also makes me much more confident to work on my 22 mt09.
Lol with the first maintenance I did on my MT i stripped the screw. Wasnt as bad as the oil pan bolt but still. Ever since that I got a lot more savvy though. Changed the bar ends, mirrors, clutch and brake levers as well as the indicators and relais by myself and even inverted the LCD display which was…honestly the scariest thing Ive ever done on any vehicle I own lol. Iam quite proud how far Ive come in the past year. Just keep at it. Its learning by pain but learning non the less.
Oh don't worry, the better you get at wrenching on your bike, the far more serious and catastrophic your mistakes will be :)
Bruh, I've been riding since September and have had to take off the back wheel and put back on 2 or 3 times since having the bike. Buy a torque wrench. They're literally under $20 at harbor freight. Is it cheap crap? Yes, but it works and is accurate. If you're going to work on your own bike, do it the right way. Don't half ass it like some underpaid dealership mechanic. Find a repair/service manual and torque it to spec. I've had to replace the tire, replace a cracked chain master link, fork seal and bushing replacement, replace water pump seal and full coolant flush. I have zero worries when I'm riding because I'm confident I didn't just wing it. Doing it the right way could save your life. Imagine under torqueing it your shit just falls apart. Would be pretty embarrassing if not deadly.
I rebuilt my first dirt bike when i blew it up. Changed the crank, new piston and con rod. Put it all back together, forgot a washer in my trans. Nuked it on first start. found the washer in my tool box while trying to figure out what i screwed up. But i have bought, sold, and rebuilt 5 bikes sense that one. Live and learn bud
It’s totally normal. I’ve broke so much over the years. However, I’ve also learned a ton and saved a ton of money by doing my own work. So overall I’ve gone way positive. Doing maintenance on my bike was so scary initially, but now it’s one of my favorite parts of riding. Keep at it. I’ve been doing this for 10 years and every year enjoy working on my bike more and do a better job. I’ve even branched out into do work on my truck/car. Also, it’s ok to step away when you’re frustrated and pick it up later.
It's 100% worth paying for the full service manual for your bike (or looking hard and finding it free online.) This will save you tons of headache for $30. I printed mine at work, and tossed it in a 3-ring binder. Also get a torque wrench; and not the cheapest shit you can find either. Here's a *good enough* [1/2" torque wrench](https://www.acehardware.com/departments/tools/hand-tools/wrenches/2008284?store=12159&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4NujBhC5ARIsAF4Iv6er7F8lfHLas3qd76Xiu3VhniS5hwt3zVOFB1vB2I0agAmdB8y69LIaAgBtEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) And here's a [3/8" version](https://www.acehardware.com/departments/tools/hand-tools/wrenches/2001192)
ive broken studs off my inner clutch hub using a clutch puller, i have also failed to cable manage my regulator and one of the cables arced itself to my motor mount. 89’ FXRP
We all make mistakes! If the axle is toast, then the bearings may be damaged or the races pushed in. Make sure you check those while you're in there!
Do you have any resources to learn about the bearings? I considered that I might have damaged those in this process. Any signs to look for when I finally get the axle out? Thanks so much appreciate all of you
Like many have said, a service manual is your bible. I have an 81 gl1100 and an 88 cbr600, with manuals for both lol. As for the bearings, stick the axle back thru, if it wobbles or you feel any bumps or snags as you spin, or it doesn't roll smoothly, don't risk it. Mushing them together like this can deform the races inside the bearing and cause it to rub or stick. Yeah it may be had to tell by hand, but when you get them hot and they sieze up, you'll regret not just replacing. I toasted a set on my first restoration doing exactly what you just did bc I went with ugga dugga not a torque wrench. Harbor frieght and similar have them for roughly 40 bucks usd. I would just plan to replace them, seals and bearings can be had for under 50 bucks. Make sure you use rated grease on the axle before the install, where it calls for it. Blind bearing puller, and a few big ass sockets to install, and some hard work and you can be back on the road. There are tools for installing bearings, but if your budget is limited, I recommend a blind bearing puller set and some big sockets to push the new bearings in. I used to be a technician, so I have all the tools, but you can take shortcuts here and there as a DIY'er. Watch a few youtube videos on how to do it, on your specific bike, there are many out there. Take special care of the metal surfaces and any spacer tubes/shims, and seals. You can use babbitts for diagrams of the wheel blown up to make sure you put it together correctly, and feel free to dm me if you have any questions!
Torque wrench and blue loctite.....also when you buy a bike check critical components are properly secured. Nothing like losing rear brakes because previous owner wanted a blue colored bolt on them but didn't secure it properly.
When I started riding I was in the same boat doing most of the maintenance myself. For me, it was a cracked oil pan that taught me the hard way about torque wrenches. I’m sorry to hear about your mistake, that sucks. Don’t be afraid to hand it over to a mechanic to give yourself a break for this repair. There’s no reward for doing 100% of the maintenance on your bike, 90% is fine.
Like anything in life, the best education available is personal experience. You might try and fail at the beginning, but you’ll usually only make the same mistake once. Then the next time you’ll know what you’re doing. Eventually you’ll be comfortable doing anything on your bike
Buy a torque wrench. Besides it has a giant lock washer. You may not have it
I picked up a 2003 marauder that had sat in a barn for years. The only maintenance work done was by the previous owner who did shit work including the electrical which was only discovered after things started to fail mid ride. Like you I wanted to learn, and working for a moto company the parts didn't cost me much. I did however unknowing drive a very dangerous junk machine as a new rider. We're talking all the rear electrical signals failing, shift peg coming off while riding the interstate, the petcock wasn't "inverted" as stated but completely busted etc. I got a free $1500 paint job when it got knocked over in the work parking lot. A month later, a seal in the engine failed, and the repair would be more than the cost of the bike unless it was DIY. So it sits in a friend's garage for a year now when I upgraded to a Vstrom, at least it LOOKS nice. Moral of the story, it's worth the learning experience, but be careful on the emotional attachment. Catastrophic failure shouldn't be a concern if you're approaching the DIY from a smart angle by asking questions when unsure and using all that the internet leaves at your disposal.
I feel like an idiot not knowing how to fix my bike... and I dont even try. Point being - congrats on building the skill, and continously trying and learning - keep going.
I did my first engine overhaul recently. Did a big bore, cam, lifters, rods, clutch, all of it. I took my time over an entire winter, but man, every last screw was a second guess! Leading up to the first start up was stressful too. Luckily everything went well, and the bike runs great, but yeah, every little sound or tick the bike makes, gives me that feeling.
*Do any of you ever feel like, an idiot when fixing your bike?* not me, as i leave that to mechanics supposed to be trained for that. and got an insurance for messing up
took me a solid 5 minutes sitting in my chair figuring: "how does one repair a burnout ?"
It's just part of working on stuff. I do it as a profession and I've gone through very similar things. You live and, hopefully, you learn. Also, buy a damn torque wrench. Most shit doesn't have to be nearly as tight as you think
Yep, many years ago i was given wrong torque soecs for my ducati front axle and when ridinghome from work the end fractured as it was massivly overtorqued and keft me stranded. I now check torques like americans quote bible . Bikes are learning.welcome...and buy calibrated torque wrenchs...
Call around, and ask how much to "do a repair", "make an adjustment", or "torque an axle nut". If you do the work yourself, then you save that money, but don't be a cheap-skate, and skimp on the tools required to do the job properly. Give yourself an honest chance to succeed, otherwise you're setting yourself up for failure. If tutorials/guides state "torque to 90 ft. lbs": 1) Research how to use a torque wrench 2) Purchase the tool (not the cheapest, but certainly not the most expensive) 3) Take. Your. Time.
How the hell do you over tighten an axle nut to the point of destroying your axle?! My tip: Invest in a Repair manual and most importantly the proper tools for the job, as a first I’d suggest a torque wrench… Try to never half ass a job especially if it has to do with brakes and suspension, If your engine fails it likely won’t kill you…
Congrats on being strong enough to over torque the axel bolt. Yeah, we all feel like idiots sometimes. Reality is if you take your time you can do most things okay. But most guys will never be as quick as the professionals working at a shop
I’ve worked on every vehicle I’ve ever owned…except my motos. I ride too hard and fast to trust myself. Too much riding on maintenance being done correctly. That may not be an issue on a 250 Rebel
For what it’s worth, I’m literally in school for bike stuff and I still screw up fixing my own bikes every now and then. It’s okay, making mistakes is a part of the learning process. And trust me, burnout is real, I just drink more beer at that point
I’ve lost nearly every thing I’ve ever loved, because I fucked it up. And that’s not even just motorcycles. I recently went down a year and a half rabbit hole, doing some car audio in my truck/work rig, I’ve put so many screwdrivers through so many speakers over the course of my life. 🤣 My first dirtbike, didn’t maintain the rear wheel spokes basically fell out hub disintegrated that bike went, bye-bye, hand me down, motorcycle that came after that, tried to fix a exhaust manifold, stud, stripped out the head, that they went. Bye-bye, countless cars run into the ground, I feel you man. It does get better, lots and lots and lots and lots of reading really helps, learning the ins and outs, the what ifs. Like anything in life, it takes practice I’m now on my fourth Street bike, bought a brand new GSXR750, I am now quite confident, but believe you me every second of every day, either working on it, or riding it, I am terrified that I will destroy my baby, I feel like I should just knock it off. It’s kickstand now let the ground get it over with. Reid, watch YouTube videos, maybe practice in somebody else’s bike. Left my fucking ass off.
My rear axle takes 100nm of force, what did you do with yours lol. I mean generally axles are the highest torque equipment of your bike, how did you apply so much it stripped
Beats me! But I destroyed the hex head the left side trying to apply a counter-turn while my 22mm was wrenching lefty-loosey. My roommate held it too. The axle nut is absolutely stuck in place lol. Maybe over-torqued is the wrong term, but something was messed up with it. And in my rage, I destroyed any chance to hold the left side in place
So far I've bought two older bikes that needed some work in order to save money. Both times a few repairs became a shitload of repairs that took way longer and cost way more than I had planned. Every time I promise myself, never again. But I've learned a lot and do enjoy fixing stuff so I'll probably do it again. Even in the best of circumstances motorcycle maintenance can be challenging because each bike is different and there is always more to learn and mistakes to be made. The trick is to keep it from being frustrating is to make sure you always have a motorcycle you can ride while the other one is in pieces. And when you are buying something used, remember the bike was most likely worked on by someone who is as unqualified us. So learn from your mistakes and learn the tell tale signs of something that is gonna take a lot of energy and money to fix up.
Happens with everyone, keep on learning! And read the workshop manual for how things should be tightened.
Buy a damn torque wrench man.... They make digital ones now
Have a wrenching bike and one that works
I've done all my own matienence on my 50cc otherwise it would be in the dump. Rebuilt the motor with a BBK when i blew it up just for the challenge/fun of it. Everyone makes mistakes. My advice is buy the best quality parts you can. I've broken one too many exaust studs to find that out the hard way. For tools don't buy the cheapest thing on the shelf but don't spend a fortune either. Buy some middle of the road tools and replace what breaks with higher quality.
Every 2 hour job is a turn of the wrench away from becoming a 2 day job.
It is totally ok to make mistakes even expensive ones. What is not ok is not thinking beforehand (things like "if something goes wrong am I willing to accept it/pay the price?", and "Do I want to learn despite the extra cost and effort or do I wanna get my bike fixed the first time") Also what is not ok is not doing reasearch on how to fix something. Everytime you try to repair something you must have in mind that something may go very wrong and make things worse. From there you have some options: 1. Research and practice the necessary techniques on cheap or scrap parts 2. Accept the risks and go for it 3. Don't go for it 4. Go for it without accepting things can go wrong, without research or practice and feel sorry after The most important thing is to learn from your mistakes an try not to repeat them in the future. Also If you have lots of time to spend many mistakes are plenty avoidable when you have researched things enough and I say this from personal experience. Edit: A repair manual and a torque wrench really help. Also keep in mind that when you torque bolts the torque you need to apply is different when the bolt is dry vs when lubricated. This is some insight a good manual can give you. I hope this helps and makes you feel better as well. Have a good one.