books on how to work on bike engines

TomC

TomC

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Looking for recommendations on books and resources that will describe the inner workings of bike engines, i suppose the stuff/curriculum that they would be teaching at bike mechanic courses. I've usually been able to get away with doing nothing more than light maintenance (fluid flush, oil changes, cleaning carbs/jetting, brake pad change, valve clearance checks), but as I'll be picking up a two stroke soon and have been told the maintenance intervals are shorter, I feel I need to start gaining an understanding of what I'm required to do and why I'm doing certain things.
 
Your best bet is to buy a Haynes or Clymer manual for your specific bike. It will contain all the information you will need, ranging from general maintenance right down to a complete rebuild.

As for any general motorcycle maintenance books, I can't think of any off-hand, but you can always head to your local library. Look up motorcycle maintenance and take out a few books. Find one that you really like and you can purchase it to keep a copy of your very own.
 
I hate to say it, but there are a lot of useful youtube videos for generic repair information. You can see things from many angles and in HD as well as audio so the videos can actually be more beneficial. I second the recommendations for clymer /haynes for model specific information, but if you want to learn, youtube is hard to beat.
 
I have a preference for factory service manuals (as opposed to Haynes or Clymer, which are often incomplete and sometimes simply wrong). The aftermarket manuals often try to group several different bike models into one book, and leave you questioning whether something applies to your specific bike or not.

Nothing can substitute for mechanic's common sense, though, and that's something that comes with time and experience. If something requires what seems like an unusual amount of force, STOP and find out what the problem is.

The toughest part is generally not spinning wrenches ... it is troubleshooting, and figuring out why something bad happened, and doing something so that it doesn't happen again.
 
The "what" can be service manuals, factory or Clymer's. The "why" is not so easy to answer, as the manufacturers do not really go into those details. One book I found that was excellent in that respect was "Modern Motorcycle Technology" by Massimo Clarke. The whole bike is analyzed in separate chapters, with design strengths and weaknesses for each type (inline 4 vs twin vs L twin, etc), even the two stroke engines. He also goes through frame, suspension and design for all other parts. Probably more info than most people need or want, but it really does go a long way towards answering the "why".
 
Brian P said:
The toughest part is generally not spinning wrenches ... it is troubleshooting, and figuring out why something bad happened, and doing something so that it doesn't happen again.
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Like this : (An interesting read for mechanic-geeks (or wannabe's (like me)
http://www.motorcycleforum.com/showthread.php?t=93346

TLDR ;

(Restored Cb350 kept stalling out at speed /intermittently)

So, as good a thought as putting inline filters on sounds, it apparently is not a good combo on these old gravity feed bikes. The petcock screen will have to do, at least until I find some easy flow inline filters.
 
Corsara said:
I saw your post and it grabbed my attention. So, I almost ordered the book, when I found this other book: http://www.amazon.ca/Motorcycle-Basics-Techbook-John-Haynes/dp/185960515X/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

I wonder which one of the two to get..hmm
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Both of those books are in the Toronto Library, so you can check them both out before buying.

The library lists the Haynes book as authored by Coombs, Matthew for some reason, but the cover looks the same as the Amazon page.
 
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