Frustration at my own Incompetence

Does anyone else share my frustration in their lack of ability to take care of thier own bike? If not how did you go about learning?

Serious, I have the workshop manual and enthusiasm but for the life of me have no clue where to start.So I say to myself "Well My goal is to clean and re-lube the chain and sprocket". I take off peices of the fairing and start to look at removing part of the final drive when it hits me when I can't undo a bolt with the allen key in the tool kit.... do I need a tourqe wrench or something? In frustration I throw the key somewhere and close the door on it.

*sigh*

Would there be anyone in Brisbane willing to give me assistence in teaching me what tools do and where to use them and in general how to take care of my bike?

Cheers

A profile would be nice ....



just sayin'

When you see a big ass allen bolt, typically you need to slip on a pipe or something to extend it to get more leverage on it.

You usually don't need to take the chain off the bike to lube it.

What sort of bike do you have?.

It's a ER6n, I thought cos everything is so filthy with dirts and grime, eg, the sprockets have gime afew mill thick, the swing arm is covered with crap, and the front sprocket is just leaking grime onto the exust that removing the chain and sprockets to clean them in kero would be a logical idea.


Need to find a bit of pipe then... But wont the allen key bend/snap?

Allen keys are pretty tough, but depends on the size of the allen bolt. If its too tight it might strip, and which case, you might need to find another method of removal.
I usually dremel cut a slot to fit a big arse flat head screwdriver.

Anyways, you can clean all that without removing it all. Get an old toothbrush with kerosene and start scrubbing. Probably just needs a good detailed wash.

Hey, everyone's gotta start somewhere, and I salute your determination to acquire the skills & knowledge to do this sort of thing; I'm sure you have skills that come naturally to you that would have many of us scratching heads and sucking teeth.
At this stage, I'd suggest that it would be worth having a chat - even over the phone - with someone who's a competent DIY bike maintainer, before you climb in and risk breaking something.
Sadly, broken things on most bikes are expensive!
The basics will be pretty-much the same on most bikes, but some of the more model-specific stuff might need some detailed knowledge - like removing bodywork - each brand of bike seems to have subtly different ways of doing things and often, what looks straighforward - isn't.

It's all do-able, but the first few sessions with a mentor nearby will greatly boost your confidence!

Good luck!

IMO the first step in maintaining your bike is learning to keep it clean. I'm not talking about Harley style polished within an inch of it's life, just cleaned after using so you can see if anything needs tightening or replacing or something like that.

Thick dirt and grime makes it hard to see what needs doing.

Maybe a photo or 2 of what you are trying to remove may help.

If you have a mate in your area that knows his shizzle, have him come and watch while you work. Thats how I learnt to rebuild front diffs in 4b's. if you stuff something, or look like your going to he can assist, or laugh, depending on the situation.

YMMV

Yes Issac I share your frustration But my mechanics probably love me for it lol. I wish there was a basics mechanics course at Tafe or something. Just learning how to do the little things like changing a tube and basic maintenance would be great. I have had a couple of people here offer to help me though which is great! Just need to find the time now to take them up on it

Your not another cop are you ?

There's a great bunch of inmates in the Brisbane area, perhaps if you had a put your suburb down it would be easy for someone to put their hand up to help you.
Thanks for the profile BTW.
Don't be daunted with the aspects of maintenance, it comes easy with the more time you get to spend with like minded others.

welcome to the asylum btw

Well it seemed after some thinking instead of raging, that the tools in the tool kit can be put togeather to create a tool to be used as a leaver.



I'm an idiot for that folly....

Bit of the fairing is off that has the pillion pegs on it.



Now looking around for the socket set....


Nope not a cop, but joining next year...

Thats the way to do it

You can also use the end of a ring spanner for leverage in tight spaces. Or buy a nice big set of T handle allen keys.

thanks for the warning.

You should be able to clean it from there. No need for the sockets.

In reality, the chain isn't that dirty either. Kero, toothbrush and lube and it should be right (if adjusted correctly).

How you get better at working on your bike....is from working on your bike.

Expect the odd mistake, but you'll save a whole heap of money just from learning the basics (oil, filters, chain maint).

Good on you for asking questions some people wouldn't have the courage to ask - and keep posting up pictures, there's always fellas on here who know their stuff.

Yeah Turborob I would agree at this point but I contunied.... and found this..



I have no clue what the thing is infron of the sprocket is but its covered in shit... So i removed it... (sorry to ask but what is it if anyone knows... )



And everything is covered in grey slime....

Hey,everything looks fairly good mechanically speaking,Just bung it on the centre stand & spin the back wheel aiming the spray at the 'inside' of the chain.
BTW,We all have to learn mechanics,bit like computers but with added pain if you crash or stuffup...
Yeah,BTW...A lot of mechanics is being aware of simple things,start by washing the bike,keep an eye on oil level,chain slack etc Dont get too over confident...
When I was eighteen I had a secondhand much abused Honda 750/4 which developed a worn cam follower in the motor.
A simple fix really but I somehow stripped the whole motor down for a look and decided it was ok reassembling it with a new (to me) cam follower.
Trouble was I used silastic on the cylinder base gasket blocking off an oil line to the cylinder head & cam!
It went about twenty miles & locked up...
Restarted it cold & went a bit further for help...:eek1
A shop stripped it down & said they'd never seen a camshaft so bad...
I now do everything myself...and would you believe my current beast is reliable

I agree you need to associate yourself with skilled people who don't mind teaching.

Beer is good too, while you are learning (for the teacher)

Also you need to ask yourself:

1/ do you have mechanical aptitude? I've been into this shit since I was a kid.
2/ do you like to work on bikes? (I do)
3/ will your work be safe?

There is a lot to learn but I dont see why you can't do the basics.
Bear in mind, if you don't understand it, don't touch it.

I have sessions at my joint with mates who need a hand and I enjoy it:

Twice in one day, you poke Fate in the eye with a greasy Italian salami....
Mate, you are SO going to be catching the bus before Xmas....

Name the Pop-group...?





The Smashing Pumpkins......