Ever get that feeling... (sorta tech)

[erkishhorde]

You know, that creepy feeling of dread that the bike won't start again after you've been tinkering with it.  I've kinda got that feeling now even though I didn't do a whole lot. I keep getting these pictures of the engine seizing up on me on my ride back to my apartment and me crashing. 

It's test ride time now so if you don't hear from me for a while you'll know what happened. 

I need to hurry up and get a job again so I can pay Nick to do all my tinkering. 

[EEL]

Yeah...Just a couple of days ago when i finished my wrench work

3 weeks ago I started my overhaul on my bike

Did
Valves
Timing Belts,
Pulled the alternator cover off and put in a new gasket to stop a small oil leak,
Adjusted suspension
Drilled compression adjuster access holes in my axle so I didnt have to take the wheel off to adjust them (I have an S2R 800 with M1000 forks)
Adjusted ride height
Installed a new rear brake master cylinder and bled the system
Insalled new front and read brake pads
Changed the oil
Installed iridium spark plugs
Installed new exhaust
cleanded out intake ports
synchronized throttle bodies


I always get freaked out that I didnt torque something properly and its going to cause me to crash. Its for good reason too cuz once I forgot to torque my caliper retaining screws on my front brakes. I remembered as I was on the freeway halfway to my girlfriends house.

You know what calms my nerves? I remember that all the crap noted above cost me a total of 300 bucks and that I would have paid about 1200 for that service anywhere else.

[erkishhorde]

All I did was replace the horizontal cam seal (tinkered with the horizontal cam pulley and the drive pulley), replace both timing belts, take off the alternator cover to tighten the starter motor mounting bolts, and change oil. Still worried I botched something. It doesn't help that I sprayed cleaner on the exhaust to clean off oil and forgot to wipe it down. Got a fun burning smell and smoke when I first started the bike.  Then at the top of the driveway I remembered that I hadn't put the shift lever all the way back on.

Seems to be running OK. If anything it might sound slightly different and runs like it's a little out of breath sometimes. Not sure if it's just me having not ridden it for 5 days or what.

[DucHead]

Yup, pretty much every time I do something slightly more complicated than changing the oil.    A search will prove me right. 

A few months ago, I did a valve check/adjustment.  I can't tell you how tight my butthole was when I turned the key and pushed the start button. 

[Ddan]

I bought an old SS to use for a track beater, and it turned out to have some bent valves, broken head studs, broken frame, blah blah blah.  Previous to this I'd never been inside so much as a lawn mower so it's safe to say I was a bit over my head.  Other than a mile up the road to make sure it would shift, I didn't run it until I took it to a track day.  Needless to say, I brought a spare bike 'cause I just knew the sumpregnant dog would blow up.  ( it didn't    )

[brad black]

you should try starting someone else's engine after a $5,000 or more rebuild.  i hate starting motors i've rebuilt for the first time.

[scott_araujo]

Yup, pretty much every time I do something slightly more complicated than changing the oil. 

+1.  Short test ride.  Come home, go over the bike again looking for things you forgot to tighten.  Keep some tools with you on the bike so you can fix minor things without needing a tow truck.  The more you wrench the more confident you'll get.  And check those belts in a few hundred miles to make sure they're still tight.

Scott

[Langanobob]

When I rebuild a motor, which isn't very often,  it takes about a full year before I quit expecting it to explode at any moment and start trusting it.  I had an old VW all back together and then took it all apart again because I got worried that I didn't torque a rod bolt.  Pure paranoia.

[scott_araujo]

Oh, and if you get a manual and follow it step for step that helps too.  It's when I'm doing things on the fly that I stop and....    "Did I torque that?"

Scott