Hints & tips for DIY

Spyke · Post by **Spyke** » 9 years ago

The trigger for this is diz's imminent "rebuild", but I'm sure lots of you have picked up handy tips over the years, so hopefully you feel like sharing!

When starting any task, it always helps if you know where you're going, so a good read of the relevant topics in the workshop manual helps get your head around things beforehand. If anything looks like it's made up of a lot of separate components (e.g. the fuel pump assembly), or has connectors that could potentially be swapped over incorrectly (e.g. my aftermarket tail light assembly), then I've started taking pictures before disassembly, so that I've got something to refer to when I put it back together again. For things I take apart pretty regularly, electrical connectors in particular, it can be really handy to colour code parts so that you know which connector goes where - so I've got small pieces of dark blue electrical tape marking the outside of the front indicator reflectors, it's clear where the dark blue wires are supposed to go. Similarly I have pieces of red and green tape next to the different tail light housing connectors, and on the indicator wires I have added a yellow zip tie and a black zip tie to the connector that connects to the black and yellow striped wire.

Being methodical about how and where you put things down helps as well - it's pretty easy to get fastenings mixed up when they are very similar in size, e.g. the four small bolts holding the horns to the tank, so putting things down on the worktop in the same layout as they were on the bike then makes it easy for me to remember that the rearmost (on the worktop) bolts go to the rear of the tank. If there are a lot of parts coming off the bike then it helps to put the fasteners down close to the parts they come from so you don't mix them up with fasteners for other parts.

Torque/leverage is another thing worth thinking about for us puny types. If you have to undo something that is done up really tight, it's easier and safer to apply a lot of leverage when the bike is on the ground rather than when it's up off the ground. So with things like the axles, brake caliper mounts, and the fork caps I like to loosen things slightly with the bike on the ground, then put it on the stands and do the job, then "mostly" tighten things up before lowering the bike again to torque things up properly when she's safe back down on the ground. You can also get the bike to help out sometimes, if you think things through - for example undoing the front axle can be a real pain, but if you leave the outer fork pinch bolt tight until you have slightly loosened the axle then things are much easier. Another example of this is using a padded bar through the rear wheel and across the swingarm to stop the rear wheel from rotating when you're loosening or fastening the front sprocket (you want the bike in neutral when you're working on this so that you don't unnecessarily stress the gearbox).

I'm very clumsy, and if you hear me work in the garage you'll hear me drop something every 5-10 minutes, so I've taken to being extremely careful when I'm working with small fastenings that could be dropped somewhere very inconvenient. If possible I prevent catastrophic dropping by draping old towels between my working area and potential hidey holes, and when I was doing a lot of work on my Ducati I stuffed clean rags into the hoses normally connected to the airbox to make sure I didn't drop anything into the throttle bodies/cylinders.

Remember your bike is just a large collection of smaller individual systems, if you prepare yourself by reading the workshop manual, and searching/asking on here you shouldn't get overwhelmed, go methodically and don't rush - it's much more important to do things "right" than to do them "fast", your safety depends on on everything working together as it should.

ozzraptor · Post by **ozzraptor** » 9 years ago

Geat writeup,and sometimes you need to do a job several times over to get it right , like jack up links

Spyke · Post by **Spyke** » 9 years ago

A torque wrench is a good investment, I got a really long 1/2" drive one for the extra leverage, but it doesn't start until 20-odd Newton Metres. To look after a torque wrench be careful not to drop it and always loosen it off to the bottom of the range before putting it away - strain on the spring will cause it to become inaccurate over time.

For fitting Pro Bolts I invested in a low-torque torque wrench at a pushbike shop, if you find you've got low-torque stuff to do try chatting up your local MAMIL - Middle Aged Man In Lycra!

ozzraptor · Post by **ozzraptor** » 9 years ago

I bought a sidchrome 1/2" torque wrench a few years ago, it only goes down to 20nm although has two markings back to 10nm so theoretically it should be ok at 10nm ? I couldnt do without it for sure. I thought for $200 it was a good investment at the time.

Spyke · Post by **Spyke** » 9 years ago

Stumbled on this today, which looks kinda funky, unfortunately the recessed "proper" filler on the rap makes it hard to form a good seal, but not such a big problem for me as it turns out 98% of the fuel had leaked out already

[youtube][/youtube]

Spyke · Post by **Spyke** » 9 years ago

An oil pan and funnels are very handy, doing your own oil & filter is very easy, always invest in a new TL1000S (and probably GSXR1000) crush washer for 50p or so from Mr Suzuki. I like one like this as the straight-edged "shelf" at the top is good for putting things like the sump plug and crush washer to drain, while the knob lets you perch a used oil filter there to drain as well. The spout at the bottom is handy when you come to empty it.

: OilPan.jpg (55.25 KiB) Viewed 5053 times

When I've finished using them I stand them in a bit of garden to drain/dry, then when I've finished doing the dishes (can take a while) I clean them in the dirty dish water and that way they're always pretty spotless and able to be reused for coolant mix/petrol or whatever. I do go as far as keeping my kitchen funnels in the kitchen and my garage funnels in the garage though.

If you've just drained a fluid so you can access a part you should be fine to re-use it, but it's a good idea to strain it through something like an old pair of tights to filter out any accumulated contaminants. Generally I use cotton rags and clothes in the garage as they are less likely to react than man-made fibres, but my filtering is done only briefly so this is my exception. Don't store liquids like fuel in containers not designed for them though.

dirtydog · Post by **dirtydog** » 9 years ago

The plastic tubs you get your Chinese takeaway in are Ideal for storing small parts, screws or fixings. Bit of masking tape on top and a sharpie for labelling

Example in my garage at the moment I have 4 containers, each contains half of a 6 pot Tokico caliper and pistons

For some reason we never seem to throw them away in this house so there's normally a few hanging about

Spyke · Post by **Spyke** » 9 years ago

LOL, I'm a sucker for the 2 litre ice cream tubs, I go through a lot of them! And my container for keeping all my adhesives in one place is an old air filter, I find it hard to throw anything out!

Red Mist · Post by **Red Mist** » 9 years ago

Just getting ready to start my winter work on the bike. First step is to prep my shed. Give it a good tidy up, chucking away the various bits of rag and rubbish that have accumulated over the year. Give the floor a good sweep and make sure that all work benches are dusted off.

Then I head down to the local cheapy shop in town. For a few quid you can get loads of paper towels, rags, tubs, tape and the like. Give my tools a once over to get them clean and shiny again, tidy up my tool drawers so that I can remember where everything is, and also what tools I have! Seriously, I sometimes buy good tools that I see in shops or sales that get stuck in the drawer until such a time as I need them - and then I forget about them.

I usually use my old plastic oil 'cans' as drip trays. Cut the side out and you can use the spout when you're pouring the oil away. I have 25 litre container from a place that I used to work at. I put all my old fuids in this then take it to the tip and empty it when it's full.

shebee · Post by **shebee** » 9 years ago

A dishwasher is really useful for cleaning aluminium cases, and circuit boards, but beware of cleaners containing salt! we need Gunk in granular form, manufacturers please note! A good domestic oven can be used to heat treat aluminium to about T5.5. An old deep fat fryer is good for chainlube, rather than plan A of balancing the can on a camping stove, or the cooker in the kitchen! Put your gudgeon pins in the freezer to shrink and they will be easier to put in the pistons.

This post is brought to you by the sussex division of the domestic appliance abuse forum [emoji56]

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shebee · Post by **shebee** » 9 years ago

Ooh and green cigarette papers are ideal for setting your points[emoji298]️

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ozzraptor · Post by **ozzraptor** » 9 years ago

If you dont like the color of your anodized parts and want the raw polished look, "easy off" oven cleaner gets anodizing off in minutes!
I did my billet clear clutch cover , oil cap and brake reservoir!

norrie · Post by **norrie** » 9 years ago

I find elbow grease is the best way to make your bike sparkle and lots of it. Don't be shy after all it's free.

Post by **snapdragon** » 9 years ago

norrie wrote:55 years agoI find elbow grease is the best way to make your bike sparkle and lots of it. Don't be shy after all it's free.

use someone else's for preference

Spyke · Post by **Spyke** » 9 years ago

ozzraptor wrote:55 years agoIf you dont like the color of your anodized parts and want the raw polished look, "easy off" oven cleaner gets anodizing off in minutes!
I did my billet clear clutch cover , oil cap and brake reservoir!

Pix, please!

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