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How much maintenance do you do yourself?

How much maintenance do you do yourself

  • None, I pay for it to get done

    Votes: 7 4.9%

  • I will attempt small stuff like Oil change/chain adj

    Votes: 32 22.2%

  • Up to and including Valve Adj

    Votes: 47 32.6%

  • I will take on anything

    Votes: 58 40.3%
  • Total voters
    144
mean dad said:
I do ALL maintenance.

I do not do ALL motorcycle repair work (rebuild shocks, transmission repair, etc).

Maintenance is not the same as working on a bike. :dunno
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I think the biggest issue is where is that line drawn? Replacing cables/pads/bearings/chains? Replacing a throttle cable can be a PITA :laughing

What I may consider maintenance may qualify as repair to someone else and vice verse. For me, engine internals is the big cut off. If the crank case itself needs to be split, that's not something I've done on a bike, and definitely goes beyond maintenance IMO.

But where repair vs maintenance gets cut off, that can vary a lot between each of us.

ETA: Looks like Aaron was saying the same thing while I was typing this...
 
I have found it helpful to own multiple bikes so that I could ride the B bike while a repair on the A bike takes place.

cuts down on the urgency.

sucks though when both A and B are down, then you need a C bike!
 
Yep yep. Not trying to be picky or toot a horn, just pointing out that there is a difference between maintaining a vehicle and repairing one.
And for modern streetbikes, it seems maintenance isn't much more than lubing the chain and changing the oil and filters, anyway. Valve adjustment intervals allow that to damn near happen once per ownership, and seals don't fail unless damaged or compromised in most cases. lol, no more re-setting point gaps on the side of the road when your shit just won't run right...


Aaron, I replaced pistons on my RZ350 so often I thought about putting wingnuts on the head. :laughing
 
See I am the first of the, "I don't do jack.", riders. Back-in-the-day, a motorcycle was the cheapest form of transportation. No insurance needed, as if I crashed I would die, right? Easy maintenance, parts were cheap, run it into the ground & buy another used Yamaha/Honda was the plan.

Then I got older, accumulated some bank and bought a Harley. Take it to Dudley-Perkins and say, "It's broke, please fix it." Mucho dinero, más fácil.
 
I don't do the duc valve's but all the others are fair game, but I'am a retired bike shop and mech guy.

But now that I'am old and have a few extra buck's will let some others do some things (oil changes in the gallery are a NO NO)
 
The only thing I don't do is spoon on tires (I take them, dismounted, to the local shop) although I used to do them back in the day. Always have done all my own maintenance and repairs (minor and major) over the past 50+ years.

Dan
 
so far, the only maintenance i dont do is shock services cuz i dont have the tools.

ill be doing a valve adjustment this weekend and ill probably tear down my forks (again) later this year.
 
mean dad said:
Aaron, I replaced pistons on my RZ350 so often I thought about putting wingnuts on the head. :laughing
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:laughing

My RD400 race bike was the same way. God I loved/hated that thing. :laughing

Overall, smoker maintenance is really simple, unless it is a race motor.
 
Air in tires. Fuel in tank. Clean chain and relube.

Everything else goes to the shop. Just passed 30,000 miles without issue.
 
HappyHighwayman said:
Air in tires. Fuel in tank. Clean chain and relube.

Everything else goes to the shop. Just passed 30,000 miles without any known issues.
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Fixed. :laughing

Kidding aside, HB pointed out something with which I 100% agree. Doing one's own maintenance work has the added advantage of providing an opportunity to notice little things that aren't quite right, even though they are not yet issues. It's always good to know that my mechanic gives a crap about what he is doing, too. He may not be the best wrench in the world, but he definitely cares about getting it right. :laughing
 
All of it. Couldn't have afforded bikes otherwise. Now I'm older and wiser, and I DIY everything because I've got trust issues. Some days I'm not 100%, I don't blame anyone else for that happening sometimes, I just don't want them to do it on my motorcycle. :laughing
 
It takes me maybe twice as long to do maintenance work as a shop, but I'm easily three times more confident in the end result. There's a satisfaction for me in knowing it's done right.

The up shot is, should anything go awry, I've gotten to know the bike/motor well enough to address just about any road side issue. I've haven't had any such issue, not even a flat, for long time, knock on wood.

Of course, your mileage may vary...
 
DIY saves money! Buy the manual, get started and never look back. Also a great excuse to have a 2nd bike to ride while you work on one.
 
I will admit that I sometimes have basic fork/shock maintenance done elsewhere. I've done it plenty, but it isn't something I enjoy and it is pretty cheap to have someone else do it. Obviously, I pull the shock/forks and bring those in, saving the lion share of the labor cost.
 
Mechanical Engineer. Been wrenching twice as long as i've been one (12yr). Last time i went to a mechanic for something other than tires (hydraulic machine req) I was ~16yr old. Tracks rats and race cars included. Key is to start somewhere, and have your own garage.
 
fast4d said:
EVERYTHING.

even all future warranty repairs unless parts is over $200. that's how much I trust KTM dealers.

edit: except shock rebuilds! I ship it to the shop.
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This.

I'll do a shock when the time comes too. Surprisingly never had a shock failure or felt the need to rebuild one yet.
 
I've bled and cussed and broken bolts and even gotten zapped a time or two, but I have gotten so much satisfaction and personal growth out of learning to work on motos.

I need to learn more about: diagnostics, electrical work, engine internals, and suspension setup/valving.

Having a crappy, primitive, easy-to-work on ol' bike like the DR650 has really helped get me into trickier stuff like rebuilding carbs, trying valves, and maintaining/replacing/upgrading suspension components. So did working in a bike shop for a couple of years--now I know how much faster I oughta be working! :laughing
 
Now that I'm 60, I don't think I would split the cases on a big 4 cylinder just for fun but I guess I might if I had to. I hope I don't ever have any bottom end/transmission issues. I'm more likely to deliver the removed motor minus the top end to whoever was going to do the crank work. Most work is do-able and I get satisfaction out of doing it and doing it right.
Dealer service has a very bad reputation and I believe it is well earned.

P.S. Just looked at the poll numbers. BARF members are committed riders and really involved with their bikes, great to see lots of guys working on their bikes.
 
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Wondering about whether the stoner down at the dealer put your bike back together right doesn't make for a more pleasant ride. I like to do everything myself.
 
I do everything but valve jobs, I will send a stripped head out for valve seat work. I send out shocks for service. I front fork work myself, and all engine rebuilds. I will send out a swingarm to have bushes/bearings pressed in and out.
 
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