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Truer words...
- Thread starter jeff96
- Start date
Chris-CJ
Well-known member
Agreed, advances in technology require the use of special tools and knowledge, not all of this is within the ken of an average rider (me, for example!).have rarely been spoken.
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Today for a simple oil change, one needs an OBD connected device to let the ECU know that the service interval has been met!
To be fair, on ye olde bike you could do that adjustment with a wrench and a screwdriver. Today the cams have to come out most of the time... and require adjustment much, much less frequently
I just took a peek at the owners manual for an FZ8. Still tells you how to change the oil, air filter, and drive chain tension. Doesn't explain how to adjust the gap on the points though.
Edit: The FZ8 is already seven years old, yeesh. Ok, I also looked for the MT-09 and it holds true for that too
I just took a peek at the owners manual for an FZ8. Still tells you how to change the oil, air filter, and drive chain tension. Doesn't explain how to adjust the gap on the points though.
Edit: The FZ8 is already seven years old, yeesh. Ok, I also looked for the MT-09 and it holds true for that too
Points gap adjustment on an fz8? The instructions are right beside the blinker fluid
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Nor do most care to learn anymore.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
Tech changes do this. As a kid I can remember a day when most grampas repaired their own TVs. They were simple, local hardware stores had parts and tube testers. Most of us don't do that kinda work today -- too specialized.
Cars and bikes are on that same path - too many control systems, too little tech info available, and diagnostic tools too expensive for a home shop.
I'm still on the hunt for a signal analyzer and some bench power supplies to complete the electronic repair bench. It pisses me off when everything has to go to the dump for minor issues.
Changing the oil on a 2020 motorcycle (for one example) isn't that much different than changing the oil on a 1970's motorcycle.
Ditto for things like changing the battery, or fixing a burned out light bulb, or adjusting a cable, or replacing brake pads.
I'm constantly amazed at how many people have absolutely zero desire to even attempt to learn how to do these sorts of incredibly basic maintenance items but just go to the dealer to pay $300 to have a set of $50 brake pads installed, etc.
I get your TV analogy, but changing a burned out bulb on a motorcycle would seem on the same technical skill level as, say, changing the batteries in your TV remote or installing a soundbar or something, but people just don't do it nor have any interest in learning.
I'm sure these realities are what's keeping dealerships afloat in reality, however. And for the TV analogy, has given birth to services like "Geek Squad" and the such for people who give up at anything beyond "plug it into the wall".
I don't mean to be disrespecting those who don't wish to do their own maintenance. If you have a good job and are making the money, it might be smarter to pay a mechanic than learn how to do it yourself.
A lot of stuff hasn't changed in 30 years. Probably the biggest challenge is getting past all the gd plastic in order to access what you want to work on.
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A lot of stuff hasn't changed in 30 years. Probably the biggest challenge is getting past all the gd plastic in order to access what you want to work on.
Sent from my Redmi 7A using Tapatalk
Another reason to do it yourself. It is getting harder and harder to find a mechanic that gives a flying (*&*& and doesn't bust half the tabs off in a race to get your job out as quickly as possible. Doing it yourself is often the only way to know that it will be treated with care and respect.
TK4
Well-known member
And when you bust them off yourself who do you get to yell at ?
Mad Mike
Well-known member
I get this, and respect it. Personally I like fixing things, I don't do my own work to save money, I do it because I enjoy it.
My son is in the home service business, he's never gonna see the business end of an oil change. Why would he? His perspective is something like this "Dad, it's gonna take you and me all day to do the brakes on my truck. I'll just book an extra job, make $500 then give it to the mechanic to do my brakes? Neither of us gets dirty, and I'm done in 4 hours."
So I'm thinking about this as I head to CTC to grab me a jug of oil and a filter for my Jeep. On my way I drive past the quickie lube where I worked in high school, they are doing LOFs for $34.99. That's about $1 cheaper I can buy 5l of oil and a filter. I didn't end up getting to CTC, so I also didn't get the RTV I needed to replace the rusted out oil pan on my sad old pickup, a job I planned to do tomorrow (drop front diff, change tranny lines, change pan and gasket - reassemble). Instead I took the truck and pan to a local auto shop, paid $300 for and it's done. Tomorrow I drink beer on the deck for an extra 4 hours, and I won't be cleaning cuts on my knuckle or oil & rust flakes from my beard.
I don't know if I'll ever take my bikes to a mechanic... I'm not ruling it out!
I definitely only do it to save money. Maybe I would still choose to swap the winters/summers on my car and change the oil... I don't trust the unlabeled bulk oil drums at the shop
Edit: Ok, that's not entirely true. I also do it because I would have to find mechanics that I trust. So far there are none
Edit: Ok, that's not entirely true. I also do it because I would have to find mechanics that I trust. So far there are none
bigpoppa
Well-known member
I dunno man, I have heard on newer motorcycles they throw up signs when you need to do certain maintenance, and even if you do it yourself, and correctly, you need some sort of special dealer tech wizbang tool to clear/remove the error signs
I Do like fixing stuff...
When I turned 50 and sorta semi retired i bought the newest van I have ever bought, about 18 month old off lease. Needs nothing
I used to spend a LOT of time servicing vehicles and decided I had enough. The plan was to pay buddy to service the thing.
I don't think he ever touched it. I used his shop, but I did all the work. I even re and re 'd the trans, that I blew towing HIS friggin race car. (I did win the most blowed up trans award. Welded the pressure plate to the torque converter. GOOD TIMES). He sat in the office and drank beer.
The other day while I was laying in the dirt under my next van, pulling out the cracked stabilizer bar, that at 62 years old my wife would have called me names for not farming out this work.
BUT if I had farmed it out, the tech would not have welded up the bar, (took 10 minutes, it took longer to get the welder out and set it up than to weld the bar) he would have replaced it for $305, he would not have installed urethane bushings or urethane link kits on an old Astro van, or would he take the time to take a 1/4" off the link kit (firms up the suspension a little).
If I paid someone it would have been about $650-700. I did it for $43 and three hours. (ya gotta LOVE RockAuto. The up graded urethane bushings were $7, the link kits $3. I ordered a window motor for my 1984 Olds on Weds, it's in the car today... for $17.)
When I turned 50 and sorta semi retired i bought the newest van I have ever bought, about 18 month old off lease. Needs nothing
I used to spend a LOT of time servicing vehicles and decided I had enough. The plan was to pay buddy to service the thing.
I don't think he ever touched it. I used his shop, but I did all the work. I even re and re 'd the trans, that I blew towing HIS friggin race car. (I did win the most blowed up trans award. Welded the pressure plate to the torque converter. GOOD TIMES). He sat in the office and drank beer.
The other day while I was laying in the dirt under my next van, pulling out the cracked stabilizer bar, that at 62 years old my wife would have called me names for not farming out this work.
BUT if I had farmed it out, the tech would not have welded up the bar, (took 10 minutes, it took longer to get the welder out and set it up than to weld the bar) he would have replaced it for $305, he would not have installed urethane bushings or urethane link kits on an old Astro van, or would he take the time to take a 1/4" off the link kit (firms up the suspension a little).
If I paid someone it would have been about $650-700. I did it for $43 and three hours. (ya gotta LOVE RockAuto. The up graded urethane bushings were $7, the link kits $3. I ordered a window motor for my 1984 Olds on Weds, it's in the car today... for $17.)
I work on my vehicles because I am cheap and stupid. I make more an hour than I pay the mechanic but like to know it is done right. It also kills me a bit inside to hand over the money. I also just spent 6000 on a new single post hoist in my shed I should probably use it.
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It's not unheard of for some stuff (I have a friends BMW who needed the dealer to register the first oil change, apparently adjusting performance upwards at that point) but I don't think it's terribly common. And for many routine maintenance items like oil changes there's almost always a way for the end consumer to register the maintenance having been completed in the computer, the same was as how in most cars with oil life monitors it can be reset easily by the owner if they actually read the owners manual and read up on the procedure.
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