broke, young Goldwing lover. Question for you GL vets

[alastair.kj]

Hi folks.

I've been a member of this site for almost a year now and love reading all the useful information that you all provide. I've been able to bleed my own brakes and change my own oil, all starting out with absolutely zero mechanical experience.

I ride a 1981 GL1100I.

My question for all you more experienced riders/tinkerers out there who like to do your own work on your bikes:

When you were young and poor like me, how much work were you able to do yourself?
I live in an apartment where I have almost no storage for parts or tools and my only parking spot is on the street, on an incline, no less, so I'm not even on flat ground (making it a bad idea to get on center stand/do any more serious work).
How does anyone get to learn without already having the money/experience to facilitate this kind of work?

Any advice or words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated right now because I am feeling beat down. Owning and operating a bike is hard work!

Cheers

[lhelber]

If you talk to any Iron Butt rider they will tell you that your tool kit that you carry on your bike should be equipped to be able to do just about anything on your bike. That covers the storage of tools. A nice big tool box will all kinds of fancy tools is nice but certainly not needed to work on your Wing. You also don't need the whole set of sockets or wrenches. The number of required ones is reduced if you can keep them all metric. Most of your extra stuff like lubes and cleaner can be stored in a 5 gal bucket with a lid.

Once you have your toolkit stored on the bike then you can work virtually anywhere out of the way. If you apartment doesn't have a flat spot then maybe at a friend's or family members place. If you need your extra stuff in a bucket just secure the lid and strap it to the bike.

We have a member of our GWRRA group that has a nice barn complete with a lift and it is available to all active members. 90% of the tools we use are only 6 sockets, 6 wrenches and a couple of screw drivers. You might have a chapter in your area.

[harvey01]

I certainly understand your concerns. I think lhelber has a wonderful suggestion to try to hook up with area riders not only for folks to go along on rides but for places to work on your bike. I would look into groups like the GWRRA and the AMA. Some of the folks in GWRRA have truly amazing garages.

I remember the stage of life you are talking about and I knew almost no one who rode back then (50 years). I remember working in my college parking lot and dorm room(almost got kicked out of college due to the floor of the room being full of parts for a few days, but at least I got to know the Dean real well). I worked in apartment lots, on apartment patios, and wherever I could get space. I remember laying in the snow putting a new exhaust system on a TR 6 car one cold winter to pass state inspection.

While I was in the Army stateside there were shops on the installations where you could go and work on cars, they weren't real excited about motorcycles but I did some of that also. But back into civilian life it was back to laying on the ground again.

Eventually life progressed and the family was such that I added a garage and then a small pit bull lift so it is pretty good for me now.

[SteveB123]

When most of the *ahem* more mature riders/drivers/mechanics-in-training were learning how to do things (myself included), the Internet didn't exist.
Forum's like this simply didn't exist, and you couldn't Google yourself out of a jam!
So basically we made a lot more mistakes that could have been avoided, bled more, unnecessarily broke more parts than we needed to.....and had to learn to problem solve on our own.

The problem solving I appreciated.....the rest, not so much.

[robb]

I grew up on a farm and nothing breaks down at the barn, more likely the muddiest part of the field. Torch welding by age 10 and rather handy with a monkey wrench, adjustable wrench, hammer and a tire tool. Doesn't take a load of tools or a dry spot to work, but a tarp comes in handy. Only way to learn is to try, we quickly learn from our mistakes.

You can work on a sloped elevation, park uphill and it won't roll off center stand.

I have found that almost anything can be done with the tool kit that come with bike. Most serviceable things are covered in detail in an owner handbook.

You are talking a vast group who do their own work because they can't justify what a stealer will charge.

Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted.

[WVJefo]

It will get better. You learn, Buy tools when you can. The best thing is brakes are brakes, car or bike. Twisting a wrench on your bike will set you up for twisting a wrench on all your future rides.

Jeff

[Dogsled]

What exactly are you trying to fix?

Mistakes and stories of days gone by may get your blood flowing, but can get you killed on the freeway today.

A monkey wrench ????? Man its been 20 plus years since I heard that word, Robb, you made my day

I did many a 1000 mile + rides but me and everyone else who does them starts out with a near perfectly mechanical bike and the tool kit is there to get them out of a jamb and that's it.

The internet is great but know your limitations and know when your bike is safe before you go on the road.....PLEASE.....Everyone here is concerned for your well being i'm sure...heed what they say....

Hey Robb, isn't a Monkey Wrench an adjustable wrench?????? That's the funniest **** i've heard in a long time...... I love it

[robb]

Hey Robb, isn't a Monkey Wrench an adjustable wrench??????

Cross between a pipe wrench and an adjustable and hammer, had twice as many as in the picture. Just as good for 1/4" as 2" bolts and still use them today for skidsteer and tractor.

[Dogsled]

I think my first wrench was the 3rd one down........I rounded alot of nuts with that thing. Brings back alot of memories. I see you're a collector of fine toolery.........
Thanks for the pic.

[alastair.kj]

Thanks all for the responses. I was just having a moment of frustration, stemming from being new to tinkering and learning on a bike that I can only assume has had a lot of hands in on it's work over the years. Took out the battery to learn that the positive lead was being held in by a small piece of wood, for example.

My bike didn't have the original toolkit, so I bought one of those aftermarket, motorcycle toolkits, which seems to have everything I need for basic work.

It's just encouraging and entertaining to hear about your experiences. Thanks again!

Cheers

[golden highway]

I was in your position years ago. I had just a hand full of basic tools and lived on a very steep hill. There wasn't much I could do on my street. I would go to the park and to the far corner of the parking lot where I was away from everyone, plus there were some shade trees there that helped. I was able to most repairs there and no one bothered me. I was neat about what I was doing, now I was not pull the motor and rebuilding it but all the other repairs and maintenance I was able to do. Some days I would sit and wax the bike. I am sure there is an out of the way spot you can find. Buy just the basics. I still only use the basic hand tools while working on the bike. It was inconvenient but hell I lived in San apartment so it was nice getting out. I have a lot of good memory's from those days and met a lot of nice people along the way.

[Mag]

I started out young riding Goldwings (well, I was probably about 28) and one of the good things I did was join the local GWTA chapter at the time (both GWTA and GWRRA were big then in the California Bay Area) and most of the membership were in their 50s and older. They best thing they gave me was....1) help when I needed it, and 2) a place to repair the bike. I remember there was a Saturday gathering and we all got together and learned how to change oil. What is most scary is just taking off all the tupperware, and I know with me I will always break or lose something (I lost a 10mm wrench when I did my latest upgrade, still haven't found it, lol) but that started the tinkering phase.

I have to admit, getting back in to Goldwings, finding this site with all the help from Admin and encouragement and advice from others here are great. I am not afraid as much to want to do something on the bike, and most of the stuff (if you have looked at the instructions here) can be done pretty easily within reason.

The best thing you can have is a good team around you, lots of encouragement, and a camera if you get stuck so that you can take pics and post it here and ask "what the hell is this??"

[wing in atlanta]

I find a camera is my best friend. Take pictures of how it came apart and you can look at them when you go back together.

[Sidcar]

I don't know if this bloke is near you but he's the local rep for the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club, he would know if there is another member in you area. With an old bike it's useful to build up a network of contacts and fellow sufferers who will help out with advice, tools, premises, beer, etc.

Ambrose Knobel
2217 Dockside Way
Nanaimo, BC V9R 6T8
ambrosek@telus.net
250-753-4985
It has been known for local technical colleges to run evening courses in motorcycle/car maintenance, if your new too spanner work either would be helpful.

Joining this forum is one of the best things you did, apart from buying your wing.

Sid

[lhelber]

If it is stories you like, a couple of years back I was visiting a friend out of town. He had purchased a Honda Shadow and was learning about riding and taking care of it. He had a coolant leak but felt he had fixed it and was ready to ride. We got a little way down the road and it started to over heat. We looked and the reservoir was empty. I got some coolant from a local parts store and we added it. By the bike cooled and we took off. 15 minutes later he was over heating again. We checked and the coolant was still in the reservoir but the radiator was empty. The reservoir was lower than the radiator so it had lost its syphon. By now we were on a lonely road and no funnel to poor the coolant into the radiator. The solution; I pulled my toolkit out of my Wing and we removed his radiator filled it with coolant, topped off the reservoir and reinstalled everything. We enjoyed riding the rest of the day. He hasn't had to do anything else to his cooling system since. The repairs were done on a wide gravel shoulder along the road.

Moral of the story: having the tools and ability to make the repairs in less than ideal conditions will allow you to continue a great day's worth of riding.

[alastair.kj]

I'm in Victoria BC so Nanaimo is pretty close.I would love to build up "a network".

Doing the work myself is exciting and nerve wracking all at once, but that's part of the adventure. Managed to take care of a couple small issues since starting this post.

Thanks again everyone!

[Uncle Fester]

I feel your pain, years ago I was in the same place, with what was then a 20 plus year old bike. I used a basic tool box like this, http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-3-Draw ... 5yc1vZc22a and a Clymer manual for my bike. I bought a tool or two on pay day until I had a good set up, and cussed a lot as I broke things, or when I was smarter than the book and skipped a step, only to find out why they said do it this way.

I suggest you start the same way, get a decent tool box, start with the basic tools and slowly build your set up, and also, get a set of repair dvds like Cruisermans set from wing stuff, and WATCH them before you jump in on a job.