Bike Maintenance Courses

Since buying my bike and joining the .org, I have realised that I actually know nothing. Really nothing. And I only have 2 or 3 biker mates (non of them with enough time for a chat on maintenance), I wondered if it was worth me payin the dosh to go on a course?

Any advice would be simply smashing.....?

i couldnt comment as to if its worth doing a course or not...but i knew nothing, like really nothing when i bought mine a few months ago and im an office lad so no technical background....best thing I did was get a haynes manual as its simple step by step guides are really good,
also as you do things..ask on here for advice there is always someone whos done it and can offer advice and put your mind at rest.
from knowing nothing..in the last few months I have changed air filter, changed oil and oil filter, learnt to reajust levers (sounds simple but i didnt know!) clean and lubricate chain..properly,....I changed the main jets and had the carbs out the bike (lots and lots of advice from the org on that one couldnt of done it without them)

so if you dont have one, IMO id get a haynes manual first and have a read

HTH

[Mr Speirs]

Fettle around with your bike.
This is what I did. Found the bike was just asking for me to take it apart and see how it works.

I knew nothing about mechanics (and still don't) but feel way more confident taking things apart.

Started off with things as simple as removing the hugger to clean it. Then removing the seat just to see what was there. I then decided to do the TRE mod which involved lifting up the tank and removing a few wires.

Just recently I have removed my front forks which involved removing the calipers, front wheel and speedo senser. I have ugraded the standard shock for a zx10r shock which was a wee bit more complicated than the front.

So I have slowly got into more technical fettling and in the grand scheme of things are still very simple but there is sooo much information and on hand advice from the likes of Yorkie Chris, Zadar, and more that is SV specific that I personally would just prefer to learn and teach myself.

Hth.

Cheers guys

Im quite technically minded but i worry about taking stuff apart and not being able to put it back together, or even worse putting it back wrong.

[Mr Speirs]

I used to worry about that stuff too but after again building up your experience on bike maintence you slowly start to trust yourself.

The other thing I like to do is indepth research into what I'm about to attempt on the bike as it will save you countless amounts of hours.

I did a course, was interesting enough and covered a bit of theory. It was handy having seen things like brakes being bled, etc. so it wasn't completely alien the first time I tried it. Like Mr Spiers, I worked my way up to the bigger jobs gradually, taking apart more complex things etc. I'm still not convinced I'd be comfortable attempting engine work more complex than a valve clearance check or clutch change, but I'll try pretty much everything else. Even if I take it to the garage for those few things, it's still a significant saving on everything else. The .org is a huge help when it comes to advancing your mechanical knowledge and there are a lot of folks on here who have a vast wealth of knowledge/experience. It's also pleasently surprising quite how much can be conveyed by annotated photos and text descriptions.

As an aside, that's a nice desk Mr. Spiers, what is it?

Originally Posted by Mr Speirs

I used to worry about that stuff too but after again building up your experience on bike maintence you slowly start to trust yourself.

The other thing I like to do is indepth research into what I'm about to attempt on the bike as it will save you countless amounts of hours.

+1 definatley, before i rejetted i spent a good 3 weeks at least reading the same thing over and over so i felt more confident and at least knew the theory.
confidence does come in time, id say get a haynes, do the little things yourself and have a garage do anything bigger while your getting your confidence and way around the bike up...eventually you will try something i bit bigger and be like...i was gonna pay someone to do that!! what was i thinking!!!

[Mr Speirs]

As an aside, that's a nice desk Mr. Spiers, what is it?

That sir is a Midas XL4. A very large Analogue live mixing desk.

[yorkie_chris]

I believe melody tried a course, I don't think she got on too well with it.

On a related note, can anyone vouch for any "proper" courses aimed at people looking to become a mechanic like a City and Guilds, that involves some sort of recognised award at the end, as opposed to general overviews aimed at hobbyists? Reason being, I would like to go for a trade card at Halfords and they said this was what I'd need as well as wanting to increase my knowledge more.