Author Topic: Wives Tales and other motorcycle maintainence web spinning (Read 2990 times)

ElCheapo · « **on:** January 06, 2007, 02:11:53 PM »

Tell us your greatest "Wives Tale" about how to perform some level of maintainence on a motorcycle.

The best one I have seen so far it putting Seafoam in your gas before storing the bike. This was told to me by a guy who spends the first two months of the ride season cleaning his carbs (same ones he cleaned in the fall)

I just fill her up with premium gas and make sure the carbs are empty. Might I add that I have tore down the carbs once (not because I had to - just because when I was changing the motor).

nickjtc · « **Reply #1 on:** January 06, 2007, 03:16:15 PM »

Torque wrench....who needs them?

Doesn't matter what the size of the bolt is, just tighten until the threads strip, then back off 1/2 a turn.

Uncle Ernie · « **Reply #2 on:** January 06, 2007, 06:36:33 PM »

I had a guy going about having to change tire air seasonally until a friend finally told me to STFU.
Another time I was at breakfast with a bunch of know it all techie sport bike guys. I told them about a new exhaust configuration where the muffler faces forward so that back pressure increases as you go faster. They were really lapping it up!
I have better luck in real life than I did on the BS thread...

OH! I recently heard that synthetic oil can actually repair damage in engines. Speaking of oil, I met a guy who seized his new BMW because he thought they were "sealed" and never needed to check the oil.

ieism · « **Reply #3 on:** January 07, 2007, 04:21:19 AM »

Quote from: nickjtc on January 06, 2007, 03:16:15 PM

Torque wrench....who needs them?

Doesn't matter what the size of the bolt is, just tighten until the threads strip, then back off 1/2 a turn.

I was at the bikeshop the other day, a guy on a 2001 Guzzi pulls up and asks the mecanic: This here light (points at the oillight) has been on for a couple of thousand kilometres, you think I should have it fixed?

medic09 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 07, 2007, 09:16:52 AM »

People like that shouldn't be allowed to own a Guzzi.

heffay · « **Reply #5 on:** January 07, 2007, 09:55:51 AM »

Quote from: Uncle Ernie on January 06, 2007, 06:36:33 PM

I had a guy going about having to change tire air seasonally until a friend finally told me to STFU.

wha

eldar · « **Reply #6 on:** January 08, 2007, 06:29:16 AM »

Hey everything has its crap. You all remember telling your dumb friend to change his blinker fluid? Women really fall for this!

Roach Carver · « **Reply #7 on:** January 08, 2007, 06:38:45 AM »

I had a firend that would call oreilly auto parts and ask for a flux capacitor for a delorean. Also a good one is a water pump for a 71 vw bug.

eldar · « **Reply #8 on:** January 08, 2007, 12:17:12 PM »

Hey I Thought Vws used water pumps. For the bongs most hippies installed under the front hood!

Uncle Ernie · « **Reply #9 on:** January 08, 2007, 05:51:06 PM »

muffler bearings

Heffay- Talking about the accuracy of tire guages, whether to check hot or cold, etc. Pros do a spot check- if you have the right tire pressure, it goes up about 10% when warm. Of course to be really scientific, you need the proper seasonal air in your tire, which is why you need to change your tire air twice a year. Winter air is denser than summer air.
You already knew that, right?

kghost · « **Reply #10 on:** January 08, 2007, 05:54:03 PM »

!2 volt vortex generator.

Parts guy never did find one but lots of people had thier day brightened when he called looking.

Jinxracing · « **Reply #11 on:** January 08, 2007, 10:09:38 PM »

Sent a buddy down to the local auto-parts store to get some left-handed Chevy skyhooks so that we could pull the engine from his VW type 3. "Make sure they're left-handed, but they don't have to be Chevy...any American make will do." Off he went. Twenty minutes later he returned pretty pissed off. The rest of us had a pretty good laugh at that one.

CrisPDuk · « **Reply #12 on:** January 09, 2007, 02:25:48 AM »

Quote from: nickjtc on January 06, 2007, 03:16:15 PM

Torque wrench....who needs them?

Doesn't matter what the size of the bolt is, just tighten until the threads strip, then back off 1/2 a turn.

I did some servicing for a mate on a rally once and he had his Dad (who fancied himself to be some ace mechanic) helping out in the service area. We put the wheels back on the car ready to go back out and told his Dad to torque the wheel nuts, he went round the car four times, each time putting another quarter turn on the nut AFTER the wrench had clicked off

He was less than happy when I went round and loosened them all off and retorqued them using my own wrench

He got evn more upset when his son roasted him for potentially ruining 4 £300 magnesium alloy wheels.
Mag alloys don't take to kindly to being over-torqued, the centres tend to split when any sustained load (like hammering down forest tracks at over 100mph) is put on them

STLrocker · « **Reply #13 on:** January 09, 2007, 10:53:11 PM »

just last week, i was standing in line for help at a parts store. a customer came up and asked "whats heavier weight oil, 10-30, or 10-40?" the parts guy told him 10-30. the customer repeated 10-30? the parts guy confirmed, yes 10-30, very serious and sure and the customer went off to get his "heavier weight" 10-30 oil. i wouldnt believe it if i wasnt standing there. i guess if he wanted the really thin stuff, he would have been given some 20-50.

Rsnip988 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 10, 2007, 01:15:05 AM »

Quote from: Uncle Ernie on January 08, 2007, 05:51:06 PM

muffler bearings

Heffay- Talking about the accuracy of tire guages, whether to check hot or cold, etc. Pros do a spot check- if you have the right tire pressure, it goes up about 10% when warm. Of course to be really scientific, you need the proper seasonal air in your tire, which is why you need to change your tire air twice a year. Winter air is denser than summer air.
You already knew that, right?

Its because of all the BS in the air right Ernie?

gregwaits · « **Reply #15 on:** January 10, 2007, 08:31:23 PM »

My father tells me about aircraft mechanics sending rookies off to get some prop wash.

tsp37 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 11, 2007, 06:37:14 PM »

I watched a grease monkey at Wal-mart rotate the tires on my pick-up. He didn't have a tork-stick with the high torque setting for my lug nuts, so he ran each lug nut on with a pnuematic gun before getting a torque wrench. Naturally I thought that he was just running the lug nuts on loosely before finishing the job with the torque wrench. Each nut produced a sharp click from the TW without any movement. I protested, but to no avail. On top of it all, I lost two of my rally centers before I got to work.

To give credit where credit is due, I've never seen another shop try to torque the lug nuts prpoperly.

seaweb11 · « **Reply #17 on:** January 11, 2007, 07:58:43 PM »

and you take your truck to Wal-Mart because................

Rsnip988 · « **Reply #18 on:** January 12, 2007, 12:52:21 AM »

because they are cheap, duh

thats where i get my car's oil changed anyway

Jonesy · « **Reply #19 on:** January 12, 2007, 07:50:40 AM »

Ya gotta remember that Honda had special left-handed metric crescent wrencehs for working on these bikes...

kghost · « **Reply #20 on:** January 12, 2007, 08:32:37 AM »

Oh there was a good one on this very board last night.

Apparantly to true your wheel all you have to do is play a tune on the spokes.

When they all sound the same your done.

Rsnip988 · « **Reply #21 on:** January 12, 2007, 08:58:43 AM »

Quote from: Jonesy on January 12, 2007, 07:50:40 AM

Ya gotta remember that Honda had special left-handed metric crescent wrencehs for working on these bikes...

but i'm right handed

medic09 · « **Reply #22 on:** January 12, 2007, 11:16:46 AM »

Quote from: Rsnip988 on January 12, 2007, 08:58:43 AM

Quote from: Jonesy on January 12, 2007, 07:50:40 AM
Ya gotta remember that Honda had special left-handed metric crescent wrencehs for working on these bikes...

but i'm right handed

that's why it's been taking you so long to get that bike on the road!

Rushoid · « **Reply #23 on:** January 12, 2007, 11:17:29 AM »

Quote from: tsp37 on January 11, 2007, 06:37:14 PM

I watched a grease monkey at Wal-mart rotate the tires on my pick-up. He didn't have a tork-stick with the high torque setting for my lug nuts, so he ran each lug nut on with a pnuematic gun before getting a torque wrench. Naturally I thought that he was just running the lug nuts on loosely before finishing the job with the torque wrench. Each nut produced a sharp click from the TW without any movement. I protested, but to no avail. On top of it all, I lost two of my rally centers before I got to work.

To give credit where credit is due, I've never seen another shop try to torque the lug nuts prpoperly.

I had some idiot at a tire dealer do this to me once. A week or so after getting new tires i had to change one due to a flat (ran over a bolt). I had to stand on the lug wrench and jump on it to get the nuts loose. Needless to say I was PO'd when I finally got back to the tire store and made them take every one off and then put them all back on by hand while I watched.

Had a friend with a beautiful '72 Mustang who just bought new wheels for it. On the way home, while coming to a stop, his right rear wheel rolled past him. All 5 lugs had broken off!

Chris Schneiter · « **Reply #24 on:** January 12, 2007, 11:27:46 AM »

Quote from: Uncle Ernie on January 08, 2007, 05:51:06 PM

muffler bearings

Heffay- Talking about the accuracy of tire guages, whether to check hot or cold, etc. Pros do a spot check- if you have the right tire pressure, it goes up about 10% when warm. Of course to be really scientific, you need the proper seasonal air in your tire, which is why you need to change your tire air twice a year. Winter air is denser than summer air.
You already knew that, right?

Actually, the new thing all the kids are trying are "Chrome Plate Muffler Bearings" of course lubricated with Elbow grease! Really increases your Horse Power!
An old camp trick: "Boy, I'm having trouble with this paddle! Hey, could you go find me the key to the Oar Locks?"

News:

Author Topic: Wives Tales and other motorcycle maintainence web spinning (Read 2990 times)

eldar

eldar