I Did It!! I'm a Wrencher Now!

[Dr. Dolittle]

I know a lot of you will laugh but go ahead, I can take it. I'm not very mechanically inclined by any stretch of the imagination. Around the house, I do all the yard work and I can paint but that's about it.

Well, when I bought my Street Glide last weekend, I vowed to do some of the routine maintenance myself. I came home from the dealer with the oil and filter for the first oil change. I bought the filter wrench and a torque wrench and I was all set. I did the oil change today and it was practically a life altering experience!

It took me about an hour - I'm sure that will go down as I do more of them - but it went without a hitch. I can't describe how great it felt to actually touch my bike in places other than the handgrips. When you're laying on the garage floor looking at the belly of your machine, it gives you a whole new perspective on how it's put together and how things work.

Anyway, I'm not about to totally disassemble it but I feel so much more connected to my Glide now. I believe someone once said, "this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship!"

 

[Fourdogs]

I know a lot of you will laugh but go ahead, I can take it. I'm not very mechanically inclined by any stretch of the imagination. Around the house, I do all the yard work and I can paint but that's about it."

Fantastic...and your right...makes ya feel great ...and I hate to say this ...coz I've only been in the world of Harley since 2004. ...and after paying some unbelievable cost for maintenance and minor stuff...one check up is 279.00..then the big one around 579.00...Then you start looking at your bike and find some of the things they done are I should say they haven't done...Kinda makes ya mad...and its why I joined here...Also I bought two dvds called Fix My Hog. One is a maintenance, and the other is upgrading...I've since saved hundreds of dollars on maintenance and upgrades.I installed a Chrome inner primary...Chrome started...chrome forks...covers...rewired system..to install lighting in my tour pak (I have a Road King )and now extremely comfortable doing all my maintenance..all I have to do is keep reciepts for oil,gaskets,and items to complete maintenance per my Harley Manual..also on the money I saved ...I do my 5,000 mile maintenance at 2,500 mile intervals... I have finally found one dealer who will let you watch them work on your bike ...needless to say thats where I now go...lol if I need to Bourbeuse Valley Harley-Davidson...So Good luck to ya:bigsmiley28:

 

[Tigg]

Don't worry how long it took. The key to good maint is being sure how to do it ,ask questions if you are not sure,and take the time to do it right. NEVER!!! take short cuts or you will pay for it later.

Congrats Bro were all proud of ya

 

[theklanchXL1200N]

I'm a firm believer in doing everything yourself. Think about it, the people who designed your bike aren't any smarter or better than you. With a point in the right direction, you should be able to handle ANY maintanence issues that arise.

And heck, buddy, there is no better practice than taking it all apart and putting it all back together. That way you can polish those places that nobody sees. Seriously, I'm glad to hear this and I'm proud that you did it yourself instead of lining your local dealers wallet

Why do you thing so many of us refer to them as "stealers?" It's not because we are all Pittsburgh football fans

THE:riderENNSYLVANIA

 

[Flashback]

few things are more enjoyable to me (other than riding) than hanging around my shop and working on my scoots. It's always been part of the life since i started riding.

Congrats!!! and welcome to the world of wrenching

 

[pahunter]

Doc welcome to the world of wrenching. If you don't already have it get a manual it give you just about everything you need to know. Ride Safe DOug

 

[Dr. Dolittle]

Congrats Doc! Now... I've got a carb that needs tearing apart and cleaning... when ya gonna be over?

Just kiddin... there's gotta be a real sense of satisfaction when you can work on your bike yourself. I'm like you... barely mechanically inclined... so I'm actually looking forward to my first oil change! Wanna get that feelin' myself!

Ummm.....what's a carb??

 

[Dr. Dolittle]

Doc welcome to the world of wrenching. If you don't already have it get a manual it give you just about everything you need to know. Ride Safe DOug

Yup - got the service manual when I bought the bike. Must have read the oil change section a dozen times before I went out and did it but it's good to visualize the whole procedure before you begin.

I'm now thinking that my next "upgrade" won't actually be something that attaches to the bike - I'm wondering how many people use a lift for routine maintenance and cleaning. My back and knees are talking to me this morning after getting down on the floor so much yesterday!:34:

 

[bman]

working on my bike replaces my therapist:bigsmiley10:

 

[cuznjed]

Wat to go Doc, its a great feeling isnt it