anyone has done this

Being totally new to bikes I decided to look for some advice. This sounds pretty reasonable and could teach me all the skills need. Anyone has been/done it?

http://www.thebikery.co.uk/

I can't see anything about prices on their site. That troubles me.

Depends how much it is really... They say "For the price of a new set of 'Sports Tyres'" then you are looking at a fair few quid (IMHO!)

I booked a course with my local tech college for £60 (couple of hours a week over 12 weeks...) Good fun, learnt a few new things... A lot cheaper than 'a new set of sports tyres' too

Wow, that's close to me and I hadn't even heard of it! Oh well, the local college offers a 10 week evening course (two hours a week) for £60 starting in September - I did it last year and can highly recommend it if you're local enough to make the trip.

I'd say it's the kind of stuff you can learn for free. Go volunteer at your local bike shop, tell them you want to learn and will work for free. I've heard of people who got into race team's pit crew this way.

price is £250 I believe. I like the idea of you fiddling with your own bike. £250 as one off including grub and 1 night stay sounds OK to me. Would prefer to do it cheaper but as I want to learn ASAP I have no alternatives. As far as working in a shop for free .... well, I don't know. If you count the time then it is not free anymore. College for £60 sounds OK but it is only theory I suppose so that is no help for me as theoretically I know what to do. Practically I wouldn't know where to start.

[rictus01]

Much cheaper solution is to make friends with though that know, a pint down the pub and a couple of brews whilst helping you out is all it costs.

Originally Posted by Dave The Rave

price is £250 I believe. I like the idea of you fiddling with your own bike. £250 as one off including grub and 1 night stay sounds OK to me. Would prefer to do it cheaper but as I want to learn ASAP I have no alternatives. As far as working in a shop for free .... well, I don't know. If you count the time then it is not free anymore. College for £60 sounds OK but it is only theory I suppose so that is no help for me as theoretically I know what to do. Practically I wouldn't know where to start.

Bugger me sideways £250? You're having a laugh right!

I probably at least saw all of what they're offering (and more) just by having the bike serviced by Spanner Man. Yes, I'm lacking the tools, but a serious confidence boost in stripping the bike apart (if I can find the time).

I got the 11k service done & a lot more (see my 11k service thread), for just over half that price!

If it came to it, and I had the tools, I'm pretty confident that I could have the forks of the SV, change the oil & put them back now. Before the service, I wouldn't of had much of a clue about even the engine oil filter!

well bugger me with a spoon, i would show you those things, as well as let you sleep over for half of that, take it to a dealer and get it for half that,

hell, why pay all that money, your doing the work yourself, the idea is to pay someone else the money so they get their hands dirty

The basic service – we train and help you

1. Oil – drain and replace

2. Oil filter - replace

3. Plugs check, clean, regap or replace

4. Chain – clean, degrease and regrease, tension

5. Electrics – check, improve or repair as necessary

6. Fault diagnosis – we won’t promise a fix, but you’ll know what to ask your garage to do

7. MOT pretest – before you leave we show you what the tester looks for

8. Gearbox/driveshaft - oil change

9. Air filter - clean or change

10. Fastenings checked, replaced, greased or locked, tensioned

11. Brakes - dismantled, bled if required, checked, cleaned, refitted

12. Cables - checked, oiled, retensioned

my haynes manual and the .org taught me all of those things.

Originally Posted by Dave The Rave

College for £60 sounds OK but it is only theory I suppose so that is no help for me as theoretically I know what to do.

The course at Telford College of Arts and Technology (TCAT) is all hands-on on your own bike in their garage facilities. It's a car garage though so they didn't have paddock stands. I took mine in and the tutor kept them for me so I didn't have to bring them each week.

Tools and copper grease were supplied, but we had to provide our own oil, brake fluid, seals, etc.

You can move at your own pace - I spent much of the course just on brakes as I'd not done any maintenance before and you have to be able to get the bike back together at the end of each session so you can only do so much new stuff in a session.

The advanced course starts in March. The tutor is going to supply some engines we can strip and rebuild and we can carry on with our own jobs too. Given my level of experiance (low) I've still got plenty of basic service items I've not tried yet (plugs, valve clearance, cable oiling and adjustment, carb balancing, etc). Oh and chain and sprocket replacement, tyre replacement, etc.