How Many Of You Have Been Forced To Become Amateur Mechanics?

[Gary]

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When I bought my tires it didn't have a dot maybe cuz it's for a small bike.
I used 2 jack stands and a rod , it worked for me. Thank you YouTube

Did you note the date stamp on the new tires?
Unless it faded (from age) or was rubbed off, I think all new tires have a dot(?).

 

[bitzz]

The problem was; there was red dots and there was yellow dots.
One was the heavy spot on the tire, the other was the light spot.
I could never keep them straight, and I think they were different from manufacturer to manufacturer

BUT they've got a lot better at making tires and some tires come with NO dots so you install them in any orientation you want.
I ALWAYS balance the rim and glue and tape the weights on when I first get the bike.
I NEVER balance the wheel with a tire on it. Works for me, I only once had to remount a tire... cuz I'm an idiot and missed/screwed up the dots.

 

[-Maverick-]

Any of you have any luck changing tires on your own? The tires on my DRZ are 5 years old and probably need of a replacing, except I'm not going to wait a month or two to get an appointment at GP bikes or some other place. If I buy the tires online, can I just spoon the old ones off and then put the new ones on? I've swapped out bicycle and ATV tires before, but never motorcycle tires.

My dad has an old balancer that I could use, but I don't have any weights on my rims so I don't know if my wheels were ever balanced from the factory.

Try Balance Beads:

https://fortnine.ca/en/counteract-tire-balancing-beads-4-pack

The guy formerly known as Mladin.

 

[DownUnder]

 

[Mad Mike]

I’m not a mechanic by trade, but motorcycles are not rocket science. I do all my own work, never had to see a dealer except for safety’s.

that said, I have an 84 125 that is stumping me now. Stupid simple bike, but the pig won’t go. First ever no-go for me.

 

[mimico_polak]

For me the hardest issue is to diagnose the issue (same goes for car). Replacing a part is fairly easy with tools....figuring out WHAT to replace is the tough part.

Id also never attempt to do wheel removals because I just don’t have the skill or tools to remove them, balance them and reinstall them confidently.

Valve clearances also scare me...probably because it’s a heavy price to pay if I **** up.

 

[rakkaus]

Did you note the date stamp on the new tires?
Unless it faded (from age) or was rubbed off, I think all new tires have a dot(?).

The front and back were 2019. I was looking for a marked dot when I tried to mount it, not there.

For me the hardest issue is to diagnose the issue (same goes for car). Replacing a part is fairly easy with tools....figuring out WHAT to replace is the tough part.

Id also never attempt to do wheel removals because I just don’t have the skill or tools to remove them, balance them and reinstall them confidently.

Valve clearances also scare me...probably because it’s a heavy price to pay if I **** up.

I was worried when I tried to do the job myself too. I wanted to learn so i didnt care if i **** up and it was a good thing when you messed up imo, more can be learned. being on this forum is also a great benefit there are so many members on here can answer all your questions

 

[danp]

I wonder how long a tire remains balanced, ie if you balance a new tire perfectly, 5000 kms later is that tire still balanced? I would think certain things could happen (eg skids) that might cause more wear on one side of the tire than another resulting in an unbalanced tire. Next time I remove my wheel I think I'll put it on my balancer and check.

 

[GreyGhost]

I wonder how long a tire remains balanced, ie if you balance a new tire perfectly, 5000 kms later is that tire still balanced? I would think certain things could happen (eg skids) that might cause more wear on one side of the tire than another resulting in an unbalanced tire. Next time I remove my wheel I think I'll put it on my balancer and check.

I've never needed to rebalance a tire once mounted and balanced unless a weight was somehow knocked off.

 

[woot]

For me the hardest issue is to diagnose the issue (same goes for car). Replacing a part is fairly easy with tools....figuring out WHAT to replace is the tough part.

Bike specific facebook groups are great for this. Last year I was on a 3-day ride and started getting a loud vibration from the front end. checked everything around the front wheel, suspension, lights gauges, etc. I asked facebook for ideas and a dozen people immediately told me to check the front bolt on my tank. It was no big deal but not knowing what is loose on your bike is scary.

 

[danp]

Any of you have any luck changing tires on your own? The tires on my DRZ are 5 years old and probably need of a replacing, except I'm not going to wait a month or two to get an appointment at GP bikes or some other place. If I buy the tires online, can I just spoon the old ones off and then put the new ones on? I've swapped out bicycle and ATV tires before, but never motorcycle tires.

My dad has an old balancer that I could use, but I don't have any weights on my rims so I don't know if my wheels were ever balanced from the factory.

Look into the zip tie method. Far easier than trying to work 3 different tire spoons while holding the bottom of the tire with your knees. I use the zip tie method on both my bikes and it's always easy.

 

[danp]

I've never needed to rebalance a tire once mounted and balanced unless a weight was somehow knocked off.

But how did you know, if you didn't actually check? You can't tell just by riding. I used to just mount my tires without balancing before I bought a balancer and never noticed any problems, I guess cause modern tires are so well made that there's minimal need to balance it. I still do as it's quick and easy.

 

[GreyGhost]

But how did you know, if you didn't actually check? You can't tell just by riding. I used to just mount my tires without balancing before I bought a balancer and never noticed any problems, I guess cause modern tires are so well made that there's minimal need to balance it. I still do as it's quick and easy.

If I can't tell by riding/driving, that means balance is good enough in my book. We aren't running a turbine at 100,000 rpm here, it's not going to tear itself apart because it is out of balance by a microgram.

 

[danp]

Well I guess a badly balanced front tire would cause extra wear on the forks even if the vibrations are too minor for a person to notice. Although it would probably take years before this would cause any problems. I can't think of any extra wear a badly balanced rear tire could cause. The only reason I bother balancing mine is because it's quick and easy. With modern tires being so well made, I don't think it's unsafe to just forego the balancing (unless it's a track bike that sees very high speeds).

 

[GreyGhost]

Well I guess a badly balanced front tire would cause extra wear on the forks even if the vibrations are too minor for a person to notice. Although it would probably take years before this would cause any problems. I can't think of any extra wear a badly balanced rear tire could cause. The only reason I bother balancing mine is because it's quick and easy. With modern tires being so well made, I don't think it's unsafe to just forego the balancing (unless it's a track bike that sees very high speeds).

I've had a bad balance from a shop before. It was very uncomfortable at speed. I was annoyed by it long before I would have any concerns about bearing or fork issues. It is basically a soft speed limiter as the faster you go, the worse it gets.

 

[timtune]

the DRZ tires should be easy. I find dirt tires much easier to spoon than road stuff.

 

[Relax]

Bike specific facebook groups are great for this. Last year I was on a 3-day ride and started getting a loud vibration from the front end. checked everything around the front wheel, suspension, lights gauges, etc. I asked facebook for ideas and a dozen people immediately told me to check the front bolt on my tank. It was no big deal but not knowing what is loose on your bike is scary.

I prefer traditional forums over Facebook. Facebook is great for pics, vids, and questions with quick answers, while the forums are best for detailed DIY walkthroughs. I would have set my old RXV on fire (or it might have set itself on fire) if it wasn't for the Aprilia forum.

 

[48Connor]

Thanks boys, I'll order some tires and give it a try this summer.

 

[Pegassus]

Stevie Lewis? Steve is one of the best bike mechanics in the country.
He doesn't work at Daytona anymore... didn't Daytona close?

The reason he is good is because he is old school and foreign trained. Here in North America a "mechanic" is usually a guy that swaps parts on a vehicle. In other countries mechanics not only take off the part but fix it or rebuild it right on the spot, and not using a 3rd party either.

Look at this video, a genuine mechanic rebuilding a 20-year-old truck starter;

-

 

[bitzz]

Sorry Peggy.
You picked the wrong example.
The guy didn't rebuild a starter, he rebuilt an armature out of a (IIRC) old GM starter... BADLY.
He skipped a bunch of steps and that armature won't last long.
He didn't flush the copper windings after he annealed them.
He didn't "physically" connect the copper windings to the commutator, he only soldered them
He didn't undercut the USED commutator after soldering it, he turned it on a lathe... which would smear the solder all over the place, which shorts the commutator, which you can test with a "growler"... that thing that he sets the armature in the thing that looks like a "V" block, that's a GROWLER... and it growled. It's not suppose to growl.
He just painted some dielectric (I hope it was dielectric) paint on the ends. You should SOAK them in heated dielectric paint, so it gets in everywhere.

BUT if you want, I can get you a nice Canadian guy to rebuild you an old GM armature. He'll do a better job AND offer a warranty... but it'll costya.
Or I can buy that armature NEW, with a warranty, from some asian factory for $45-65.

And if it IS Stevie Lewis we are talking about, sorry: Canadian trained.

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