What ever happened to the BASAT requirement?

tim saying i could ride a bike

[timwilky]

Originally Posted by Miss_Undaztood

What was the worst ?

Despite starting to type an answer. I have decided not to name and shame.

However, It is my personal opinion, that if somebody asks for help/advice only those properly qualified to answer should. Opinions do not help.

I am no expert. however, I am by profession a Mechanical Engineer, by training an Automotive Engineer. I was a research and development engineer specialising in vehicle performance and durability. I additionally worked for a number of race teams on preparation of Chevron B19/21/26 and for formula Ford/Atlantic/5000 etc. and as such judge myself competent to understand most concepts and to advise on some.

I would however hope that I am wise enough to know the limits of my knowledge and would not pretend to give authorative advice whilst talking out my derrière.

Ah go on go on go on go on, lol.

Nah I didn`t mean name and shame, I just meant in general over the years.

For instance, I was told by someone who took their car to a garage to get serviced, that when they asked to get the steering checked as it seemed a bit heavy, the "mechanic" simply put 60psi in the tyres. Instant power steering.

[yorkie_chris]

One of best on here was guy who took his bike to get a new chain, and they drilled holes in sideplate of rivet link bigger to make it easy to fit

[timwilky]

I am not referring to the sillies other people/places have done. But about forum members who advise other member to do something wrong/unnecessary etc. Those who have the ability to make a diagnosis on partial information and present themselves as being authoritative. how many on here have told others that their R/R is screwed before full checks have been complete etc.

Originally Posted by Sid Squid

Poor? You're a very generous man Mr Wilky.

Most of it is nowhere as good as 'poor'. Guilty

Being anything like right would be a great start.

Discussion is good, dissemination of information is what a forum is for obviously, repeating other people's knowledge while not understanding it fully and in the wrong place doesn't help - this happens too often. Guilty

Originally Posted by Miss_Undaztood

What was the worst ?

Got a fair bit of competition for repeating a method of removing the fork internal recently. That didnt go down too well, I wont name an shame the person who initially offered me the information. Just proves the point squid made above, it shouldnt be repeated if its not understood.

Originally Posted by timwilky

Despite starting to type an answer. I have decided not to name and shame. Should have carried on, we're all big boys/girls might be a slap in the face to the deserving.

However, It is my personal opinion, that if somebody asks for help/advice only those properly qualified to answer should. Opinions do not help. What if you've trialed by completing the same task yourself but have no paper to say you're qualified? Im not tryin to be an ass I jus mean for eg, this time last week I knew nothing of valve clearance or even what a shim was. Now I know an icle bit but Im no more qualified that I was last week. At what point does your opinion become valid or would it be fair to say those like sid, YC and spannerman should be the only ones offering the know how?
Again, genuine question not trying to be a dik.

I am no expert. however, I am by profession a Mechanical Engineer, by training an Automotive Engineer. I was a research and development engineer specialising in vehicle performance and durability. I additionally worked for a number of race teams on preparation of Chevron B19/21/26 and for formula Ford/Atlantic/5000 etc. and as such judge myself competent to understand most concepts and to advise on some.
Add yourself to the above list of qualified personel lol, thats quite a CV.

I would however hope that I am wise enough to know the limits of my knowledge and would not pretend to give authorative advice whilst talking out my derrière. Guilty

Originally Posted by Sid Squid

Did it not mean 'Big Ape Sound Advice Test'? As in; information supplied should be able to pass a reasonable test of its validity.

Think this is fair enough. I'm a very amateur bike mechanic, but I can tell somebody how to change a shock or fork springs, or replace most of the bodywork, or fit a relay, or carry out a service, etc, etc. All the things I have done myself, and I think that's a fair test. But no way could I advise someone on how to check valve clearances, I'd take it to a dealer for that myself.

Or if somebody posts up "rear light flickering on and off", I can tell them to check the block connector under the pillion seat as it corrodes, because that happened to me, but ask me anything remotely complicated about electrics and I'll run away

The forum is a useful source of SV information because there are so many owners on here with experience of their own bikes. A spanner monkey who works on all different makes and model probably actually knows less about the common faults on a particular make/model, than a collective group of that bikes owners. The reason the spanner monkeys on here know so much about SV's is because they've owned them, and through this forum read a lot about other owners experiences and serviced a lot of other owners bikes.

At the end of the day everybody knows they are reading advice on a forum, and unless your a gullible muppet you don't act on that advice unless you trust the member posting it, or you have had a page of answers that give a common theme.

Re-posting information can be useful when a newbie joins and fails with the search feature too, so long as it's nothing complicated and something that is very common knowledge and you absolutely know it to be correct. For instance 3 or 4 06 plate bikes in SV Ecosse have suffered coil failures. Almost every long serving SV Ecosse member would be able to answer "check your coil" if a newbie signed up and complained of a sudden loss of one cylinder, in dry conditions, checked the HT leads, etc, etc.

IMO it's all about self regulation and honesty, only post it if you've done it yourself, or if its a newbie asking a really common question that you absolutely know the answer to be correct. The issue arises when somebody is desperate to appear knowledgeable (for some strange reason because what value is kudos when it's only attached to a faceless forum username).

The forum would loose it's knowledge base and usefulness if only certain people were deemed qualified to answer. I often come in from the garage to do a search or post a question, and one of the things I love about this site is how quickly you get a response. I posted a question about sprocket bolts yesterday on two forums at 4pm ish. The first response on the other forum was in the early hours of this morning, and it was a different opinion to every other response given since, but the same question posted on this forum was discussed by 5 people including Sid and YC and a conclusion reached by 11pm.

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

I posted a question about sprocket bolts yesterday on two forums at 4pm ish.

OK, the other forum was actually 6pm ish. I have just posted on the other forum, a thanks for everyone's replies, and an explanation that I am going to obtain and use the OEM studs, not try and find new alternative hi-tensile bolts.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...046#post287657

I have reposted this information from YC as an explanation of why I have made that decision

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Because a bolt moves with respect to the thread as you apply torque increasing risk of tearing metal. Especially with cheesium yammy alloy.

Stud, threads are stationary, you apply torque to nut so apply direct tensile force to metal of threads rather than combined tensile/surface traction (or frictional shear or whatever you want to call it)

It is something new I have learned, I've explained that it's info that somebody else has given me from another forum, and I trust the source, so I see no harm in posting it on the other forum as an explanation of why I am sticking with studs rather than bolts. Now anybody else who reads that thread can now learn as I have done why the manufacturer used a stud not a bolt. There can be no harm in that. Reposting is not always a bad thing, so long as you 100% trust what you are posting to be authoritative. That's why I think we shouldn't need hard and fast rules, just a bit of self regulation.

[yorkie_chris]

If you've done a job yourself you're qualified to comment on your experience of doing it. Bits of paper mean F all.
Repeating 3rd hand information your cousin heard down the pub is a no-no.


Sids reasoning for using shouldered studs was more valid than my in that case

[timwilky]

By all means having done the job, of course you are qualified to offer your opinion.

However, there are many ways to skin a cat. Who is to say you have used the correct method.

My favourite gripe is the misuse of WD40 as a penetrating oil. Despite many saying it is a water dispersant, people will still argue that it still has a lubricating quality. Maybe, but nowhere near as good as actually using plusgas etc.

I don't want this to be a rant/gripe whatever. Just can we please check our facts before telling others how to do something.