2Wheeltips

Have you done basic maintenance on your bike? Here, you can share your tips and tricks with others!

I've do almost all of my own basic maintenance.

I do all mine , Worked on bikes from 79 to 87 for a living. I presently ride yE oLdiee Winggee ( 77 Goldwing cross between a bobber and a touring rig . Painted like a camo Ratt ) It was saved from the scrap heap and runs on a 32 36 Webber carb breathing through the factory manifold and stock gutted carbs. All the mods were done by me and it runs pretty good to have 61000 plus on it. http://s148.photobucket.com/albums/s14/giturgun/?action=view&current=276d5f22.pbw

Unless it is something major, i do it myself. I have seen some work done by dealers that make you wonder what they were thinking.

-- using locktite to secure the seat bolts. How can you get to your battery or other stuff you carry under your seat?
-- Selling used bikes with 20psi in the tires, bad batteries, old oil
-- not changing the oil filter during oil changes
-- Improper wiring for accessories such as lights, gps and heated clothing
-- lying about the service performed
-- marking all the bolts on a new bike, but not actually checking to see if they are secure
-- marking a bike as sold in the warranty computer before it delivered. The bike owner found out when a repair that was suppose to be covered wasn't because it was "sold" 2 months before she purchased it.

If you can do it yourself, you should. If not, look for a good mechanic or an honest dealer.

hi im newbie riders in philippines i read some of your tips in motorcycle tnx to all

I also do all of the maintenance our bikes, but mostly that entails all of the fluid changes, oil and air filters, spark plugs changes. The more complicated maintenance like carb, valve adjustment, electrical goes to the shop. Since I have two bikes to maintain and soon to be three, I order air and oil filters from on line sites and the fluids I get locally and try to use like fluids in all bikes or at least close as possible. Nothing like having different types of half full oil bottles laying around. I always keep on hand oil filters and oil on the shelf ready for a oil change, never know when that time will come up. But most important of all is to find a bike shop that reputable and honest. The local metric bike shops here I wouldn't take my grandson bicycle to have fixed. I needed a rear tire for my Kawasaki Nomad and to make a long story short I ended up taking my bike to a Harley Davidson shop. They had me hooked up and out the door in an hour and didn't have to wait 2 weeks. The shop was clean and professional, mechanics/technicians where helpful and knew what they were doing. Now I have a Yamaha, Suzuki and looking to get a Ural Patrol and will take them all to the Harley shop, after all a shop hour is shop hour, work is work.

My husband does the maintenance on all our bikes. He is teaching my son to do his own maintenance and I'm suppose to learn also but housework or something always creeps up to keep me out of the garage when they're doing maintenance.(ha ha)