The bad weekend

[knightnorth]

The Victory Motorcycle Club website is down and I gotta vent so I'm doing it here. Friday I jumped on my bike to ride to work and poof the battery was dead - no power. Saturday I put on a new fully charged battery start the bike ant the Volt Regulator blows with black liquid pouring out and smoke everywhere. It's an easy repair maybe take me 20 min if I had the parts. Called every bike shop within a hundred miles and nobody has a Volt Regulator for my bike. It's going to take at least a week to get the part in.

I'd been having problems with the battery - it's a 2 year old battery and the bike only has 4,000 miles on it so it's been sitting a lot. I'd had to jump it at least once a week. I don't know if jumping it ruined the Regulator or it was always a bad regulator and it was killing the battery. The chicken or the egg. Either way I'm taking them both out and replacing them. $100 for the battery $160 for the regulator. Not too bad relatively. If it's the alternator - that's really gonna suck.

So, my bad weekend... Not the money - Just the time off the road. The nicest weather of the year and I'm stuck diving the stupid Blazer - for at least the rest of the week. I got a 110 mile one way trip to work everyday. Do you know how boring 220 miles in a Blazer is? Just not my style.

[mrtr33]

Do you know how boring 220 miles in a Blazer is? Just not my style.

Where do you live? You could always take the doors off.....

I have always had a fascination with motorcycles. Never owned one. Up until about a year and a half ago, I kept away from them because I didn't think I was mature enough. Now that I'm confident in that, the money, and other things aren't there. My fascination isn't so much the speed, as I'm the asshole that drives just under the speed limit in my truck, but fixing the bike itself. I envision riding back highways, ala Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I would love to somehow get into learning how a bike works, but I seriously have no idea where to even begin. I thought I'd start with something simple, and I tend to think academically first. There are no small-engine repair community classes being taught near me now, and I'd hate to spend money on a book if I had no options for hands-on. My dad's lawnmower is newer, but he didn't take care of it - I was hoping when he gets rid of it and gets another, that maybe then I could just take it apart and see how it works, much like how I got into computers, almost 20 years ago. I guess I think in my mind that, at least theoretically, if I can troubleshoot computers, I can also eventually get to a point of troubleshooting engines.

I've seen broken down bikes on the local craigslist, but I'm nervous about those. I'm reasonably sure I know what's wrong with my dad's lawnmower, but feel way over my head jumping right to motorcycles.

Anyone got any advice?

[badwhale]

Where do you live? You could always take the doors off.....

I have always had a fascination with motorcycles. Never owned one. Up until about a year and a half ago, I kept away from them because I didn't think I was mature enough. Now that I'm confident in that, the money, and other things aren't there. My fascination isn't so much the speed, as I'm the asshole that drives just under the speed limit in my truck, but fixing the bike itself. I envision riding back highways, ala Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I would love to somehow get into learning how a bike works, but I seriously have no idea where to even begin. I thought I'd start with something simple, and I tend to think academically first. There are no small-engine repair community classes being taught near me now, and I'd hate to spend money on a book if I had no options for hands-on. My dad's lawnmower is newer, but he didn't take care of it - I was hoping when he gets rid of it and gets another, that maybe then I could just take it apart and see how it works, much like how I got into computers, almost 20 years ago. I guess I think in my mind that, at least theoretically, if I can troubleshoot computers, I can also eventually get to a point of troubleshooting engines.

I've seen broken down bikes on the local craigslist, but I'm nervous about those. I'm reasonably sure I know what's wrong with my dad's lawnmower, but feel way over my head jumping right to motorcycles.

Anyone got any advice?

Mark,

If you take a pragmatic approach to engines, they are IMHO much more simple to diagnose than computers. So, you have a head start there.

Broke down motorcycles? Nah. I wouldn't get one of those for your firsty. Get one that runs, as you'll be working on whatever it is eventually. Even if it runs good, there's always stuff to tinker on.
Now, if you're going something pretty modern (90s & up Kaw, Yama, Honda, you prolly won't have to do anything with it till it totally goes south.)

Overall: My advice would be to get something more modern, learn to ride, enjoy that for a while and then you can delve into a fixer-upper while you still have one to ride.

Will

[prophetic_joe]

If it makes you feel any better I hooked up the battery on my Honda Nighthawk yesterday and after just a few minutes of tinkering and changing a fuse it started right up and sounded great. My bad comes from the fact that I don't have a license yet so no driving for me.

[Eville]

That sucks, I feel for ya. 220 mile daily commute? That is crazy! That's an oil change every 2 weeks. Mine gets changed about every 4 or 5 months.

[knightnorth]

I've seen broken down bikes on the local craigslist, but I'm nervous about those. I'm reasonably sure I know what's wrong with my dad's lawnmower, but feel way over my head jumping right to motorcycles.

Anyone got any advice?

Working on your own bike is different depending on what kind of bike you have. I had a Suzuki Intruder - almost impossible to get to anything. After a long winter I had to jump the battery. It was so tough to get to the battery I grounded it by putting a screw driver in the negative bolt and attaching the negative wire to the screw driver.

Some bikes can be absolute pleasures to work on like HD or Victory. Everything is in the right place and easy to work on. I can do a complete oil change in under 30 min on my new bike.

Bikes can save you money too. My Intruder only cost $4,200 new. I got 40-50 MPG (depends on wind). When I sold the Intruder 3 years later I got $4,000 for it. My Victory is getting between 55-60 MPG depending on wind but Victory is top of the line in fuel econ.

I change the oil every 4,000 - 5,000 miles. At 220 a day 5 times a week I can change it about ever 4-5 weeks. More usually 5 because I keep the bike in the garage on rainy days and that saves on my bike miles. Do what you gotta do you know - I'm sure not moving closer to DC - too expensive.

[sammis]

Hi Knightsworth

I feel for you, I just spent the last week driving my truck.

Last Monday morning on the way to work, running down the interstate around 60-65, I went to downshift and my clutch cable snapped.

Fortunately I was in the right lane of a four lane section and was able to pull over and kill the bike without problems.

The bad part. The local motorcycle shop morons don't have a clue on how to stock parts. I won't even let them touch my bike after one of them kept my roomates bike for a month without even fixing the problems he took it in for.

Ordered two cables (one spare) from a dealer out of town and got it today. Took 10 minutes at most to put it on. spare one goes in the saddlebags now.



Freedom!!!

[badwhale]

Working on your own bike is different depending on what kind of bike you have. I had a Suzuki Intruder - almost impossible to get to anything. After a long winter I had to jump the battery. It was so tough to get to the battery I grounded it by putting a screw driver in the negative bolt and attaching the negative wire to the screw driver.

Some bikes can be absolute pleasures to work on like HD or Victory. Everything is in the right place and easy to work on. I can do a complete oil change in under 30 min on my new bike.

Bikes can save you money too. My Intruder only cost $4,200 new. I got 40-50 MPG (depends on wind). When I sold the Intruder 3 years later I got $4,000 for it. My Victory is getting between 55-60 MPG depending on wind but Victory is top of the line in fuel econ.

I change the oil every 4,000 - 5,000 miles. At 220 a day 5 times a week I can change it about ever 4-5 weeks. More usually 5 because I keep the bike in the garage on rainy days and that saves on my bike miles. Do what you gotta do you know - I'm sure not moving closer to DC - too expensive.

First, just an FYI on the groudn thing. As long as your bike isn't positive ground (like my silly brit bikes), you can ground off of ANYTHING attached to the frame. It doesn't have to be the battery neg. I gather you don't have that bike anymore.

Second, yes bikes are economical means of transporatation, but this really should be the icing on the cake to the experience you get riding / wrenching on your own.

Will

[Eville]

Second, yes bikes are economical means of transporatation, but this really should be the icing on the cake to the experience you get riding / wrenching on your own.

Will

QFT

I have never heard of anyone being forced to ride a bike.

[FactoredReality]

Anyone got any advice?

Mark,

First I would find a local Motorcycle Safety Foundation Learn to Ride course (www.msf-usa.org) and take that. Its how I learned and was a great experience. I too am interested in learning to rebuild motors, I'm entertaining the idea of buying a engine core and going about it that way with the theory that its no big loss if I destroy it and if by some miracle it works I can either put it towards a project car/bike (depending on what I decide to rebuild) or sell it to cover some of the expense of learning.

Knightnorth,

I understand all too well the cost of living close to DC, I don't know if I could handle your commute but I envy you being away from the mess.