I need to be less hard on those not mechanically inclined/knowledgeable.

[Le Pirate]

I'm generally one who can figure things out given the time and will power. I always said the best way to figure out how something is made is to tear it apart piece by piece.


...BUT...


I'm afraid to dive in to somethings on the Duc without some proper knowledge. Partly because it's my baby, and partly because I can't afford to have it down for more than a day. Thats why I haven't tackled adjusting my valves...which I need to do.

I don't mind adjusting my chain or changing the oil. I even replaced the bars and what not after my wreck....but when it comes to engine things, I'm a little skidish.

[Grampa]

I'm still trying to figure out how to unhook lm's bra.

is it a metric clasp?

[Popeye the Sailor]

I'm still trying to figure out how to unhook lm's bra.

is it a metric clasp?

I never had any issues with it 


Please don't hurt me.

[Grampa]

yer out'a the will again

['diction]

let s ad her e to t he top ic please. thank you. 

[Big Troubled Bear]

If i was easy for you to figure out the first time on your bike how to pull up to a gas pump and do the entire procedure while sitting on the bike, then great....seams simple to me too, but I have taught many people how easy it is to get gas without getting off the bike.

You can get gas in your bike while not sitting on it

[erkishhorde]

Some people just can't think analytically and CAN'T just look at something and figure it out. They also can't blindly start taking things apart to figure it out by trial and error because they won't be able to put it back together. In the extreme cases these people shouldn't be wrenching on anything but I've only met a couple people in my whole life that can't be taught how to do something that they couldn't figure out themselves. Their mind just couldn't follow the procedure and they couldn't investigate the problem in a systematic fashion.

[Jarvicious]

It's so odd.  Right as I opened this thread I was talking to a buddy about the new hitch he got for his Vision and how nervous he is about puting it on, due to the fact that he has to yank the fairings, saddle bags, etc.  Hell, the first weekend I had my bike I just started looking around, removing things here and there and taking off extraneous bits and pieces (charcoal canister, etc).  Despite the fact that he did spend 20G on that bike (don't get me started, it doesn't need to turn into THAT thread), I really didn't see the harm in taking off plastic.  He on the other hand, is just that type that won't do anything without a haynes manual and a certified tech standing by.

I'm a technician by trade so mechanical or even computerized aptitude is something that has always come naturally.  Being new to Ducs though, I revel in the amount of info both this site and other various sites have to offer on my bike which has helped immensely in recent months.  I agree with lauramonster however.  Using the search function is far more gratifying (and less repetitive) than straigt up asking whatever you want to know.  Not all of us are gonna know what chocolate does when you toss in some water, and not everyone is gonna know what timing you're going to need when you valve the shims on the vertical cylinder on a carbed '99 whatever.

Statler mentioned that there are a lot of adults who can barely use a screwdriver, which I find very very odd (though too true).  At the same time though, I will definitely need help with investments, real estate, public policy, melting chocolate, and the like, and these screwdriver-deficient people are going to be the ones that I go to for advice.  It's all about the baby steps, and having recently scored my self a "big boy" job, post college, I've come to realze that those baby steps in whatever realm, are all I have time for. 

I just proof read my post and I'm really trying hard to find some sort of coherent subject progression, but to no avail.  Recap:

It takes all types

[Ontario_Monster]

Mechanical inclination is not my strong point, however I know how to use a wrench, I have changed a tire on my car, I have monkeyed with a carb though not successfully and it did result in my being baned from my grandfathers tool bench, then again I can't say I have every met someone who always had as many spare parts left over than he always seemed to.  I know how my car works, and I usually know what is broken and why. 

But my bike?  Hmmm I'm still so new to it, I have some fear!  I've replaced broken bits on my first bike but never did an oil change myself (ok something about not doing mechanical work in the apt garage was always a nice excuse)  But sooner or later I'm giong to have to start all this work myself and get a better appreciation for the bike.  I have no issue with bolt on mods or electical (I've shocked myself enough to know it won't kill me) so excuse me if I ask what you think is an obvious question, don't hate me I'm at least trying to learn.  This bike is my pride and joy at the moment.  I get to ride it almost every day and I want to keep if for a nice long time so I don't want to foul it up.

[fwtcc]

I am no expert at all things mechanical, by any means.  I did grow up with a DIY'er as my dad, so I have in part become one as well.  I'll do any routine maintenance myself, brakes, oil change, replacement of small parts.  I have pulled bits of the bike and have worked on several vehicles, never replacing anything worse than a radiator or parts along the serpentine.  I am hesitant to open up an engine though, seems daunting and exacting.

Mostly I couldn't imagine paying some one to do the little jobs.  Pads replaced at mineke compared to DIY from Autozone is like $160 difference.  An oil change with synthetic for 50-60 or DIY for 25-30?  Don't get me wrong, I like pissing money away but, somethings it just doesn't make sense to not do yourself.

Coming from that mind set, in the past, I have been a tad harsh to people who have taken their car in for brakes and the like, but on the otherside I've talked some into doing it themselves and taught them to fish.

[triangleforge]

Sorry, Someguy; I just had to go ferret this out:

"Do not listen to this man. Derailers are made of black magic, voodoo and ground up kittens. Seriously. I could *not* get the one on Misinc's bike to work right, not even remotely. This is even with instructions, tools and help.

Keep in mind I'm a mechanical engineer who used to own a garage. I've spent years taking things apart and putting them back together, typically to have them work. The *only* thing I've utterly failed at is a derailer. Those who adjust them with success are the same that would hew things out of the bones of the dead. Terror awaits you if you pursue this route!"

I agree completely with your argument through this thread; some things that just seem obvious to us aren't to others, and that varies tremendously by background & areas of competency. I'd put myself somewhere to the left of average on a mechanical competency continuum, though that's measured against the people I hang out with, virtually all of whom are better at it than I am. But that self-assessment is probably a bit off -- I've also restored a farmer's-barn recovered $500 Land Cruiser & done all of my own bicycle building & maintenance, and most of my auto upkeep for a couple of decades. The old Cruiser (and even more, helping friends work on their trucks) turned me into a passable mechanic and a moderately OK welder.

A big part of what i know comes from asking stupid questions on this and other forums, and reading manuals for fun -- LT's Desmodue manual is currently on the nightstand. FWIW, I think cleaning a moto chain is a GOOD question -- had I just used my years of experience cleaning non-sealed bicycle chains I'd have likely wrecked a perfectly good DID chain, thankfully, someone had asked about it on the old board. I'm new enough to motorcycles that I'm still more tentative with what i'm willing to dig into, and find it tremendously reassuring to enjoy the camaraderie of wrenching with someone who's worked a lot on Ducatis (thanks, Alan!) before. It's also more daunting to work on a motorcycle than on a truck, as the consequences of doing something wrong can be more severe.

I went looking for the bit above from the Bicycle thread not to bust Someguy's chops, but because the first thing I've always told anyone who's picking up a wrench for the first time to work on a bicycle is that they're simple, obvious machines, unlike cars or motorcycles or washing machines -- everything is RIGHT THERE if you look at it and think through it long enough. That someone whose mechanical abilities are leagues beyond mine was stumped by a derailleur tells me I ought to rethink that basic proposition.

I'm with you & Jarvicious -- it takes all types.

[DucMouse the Mighty]

Bust on those that don't use the search key, read the entire thread, don't describe what they're talking about - cause they haven't even looked first. 

For the rest of us, take a deep breath, extend the olive branch and talk to us like we're a two year old.

Dad was a butcher, mom was a school bus driver.  Wanna know how to carve meat or how to nudge someone out of the lane gracefully?  I'm you're go to gal.  Ducatis? I'v got DNS tattooed across my forehead.  Some mistakes I don't want to do, because I don't know what those harmful chemicals will do to the finish of the ducati's plastic parts ( Yup!  Been there, crapped them up!) . 

I enjoy reading all those dub questions cause I have no knowledge.  (But Dave, some questions are so dumb even I !!!  Hence, the first sentence!!

i sec that!!!

i am far from being mechanically inclined  unless u count ass wiping 

sometimes im even afraid to post anything and sound like a complete tardmuffin

thats why i PM people or just ask some of the posse [moto]

[Jarvicious]

Triangleforge, I see where you're coming from on the bike deraileurs.  The first time I went "mudding" on the mountain bike and decided I needed to tear down and clean ended up in a clustermake the beast with two backs covering my dorm hallway.  Look at the der. system.  Shifter pulls cable, pulls deraileur, moves chain to different sized cog.  I think my head about exploded when a buddy explained it all to me.  That being said, I have a bachelors in fine arts and can take a flat piece of silver and mold it into a wedding band.  Conversely, when faced with taking one piece of wood, making a few 45 degree cuts (with a pre-set angle power mitre saw) and gluing/fastening them into a decent picture frame, I have gaps big enough to fit a quarter into.  Le sigh.

[gojira]

I think it's human nature that we're snobs in our own way.

Ever have an argument with a Ph.D'd professor as a student in his class pointing out flaws in his lessons? They'll just fall back to the "I know it and you don't" elitist stance. Oh yeah, I was right too. After the teaching assistant pointed out and confirmed my hunches.

[Rameses]

huhhuh

huhhuh

huhhuhhuhhuh

You said "hard on".  (In your thread title.)




(And I don't have any trouble working on a derailleur.  )