NEW MEMBERS - Read this - I'm sorry, but c'mon people.

Whew, I haven't read this entire thread, but what I have read makes me feel much more at ease about asking for some advice on here. First time owner and I bought a pretty decent, but still 34 year old bike that will need a lot of $hit replaced. I am no real mechanic, and will be buying tools as well as parts along the way. No where near a hipster, but I like projects, always wanted a motorcycle, and fell in love with cafes because they have the mystique to me of both a custom Hog and high performance street bike! So, all that being said, I shall peruse for answers because I am sure some one before me has asked or was nice enough to share a similar experience, and if I can't find an answer, I'll ask.
 
Thanks for the advice. As a new poster it can be a bit intimidating at first. Definitely a newbie at this. I've found that 90% of the time the answer I'm looking for has been answered a few times already which explains the low post numbers even though I'm on here every other day. From what I've seen, people on here are willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and help out where they can as long as you're open to constructive criticism. I'll do my best not to be "that guy".
 
Well said!


VonYinzer said:
This rant is most certainly not directed at any person specifically, and is also not meant to get anyone up in arms. That said, I've noticed a few things amongst the vintage bike set that have really started to irk me.

It's not the usual "stupid hipsters" or "they want how much for a cb750?" stuff though. Really, I'd like to think that most people here are above the petty annoyances of this hobby.

First off, the phrase "fuck the haters". Ok, I get it. Sometimes people are dicks. Sometimes people will talk shit on your bike no matter what you do. Those people suck. But when folks spend their time to show concern about your safety, or point out a possible better way of doing things... That's far from hate. Why don't we stop acting like insolent children and listen? I know it sucks when you put your all into something and someone points out that it may not work. It's a bummer. But before you get all riled up and decide that the person telling you that there's an issue is an asshole, LISTEN for a minute. You might pick something up... I know I do overtime I let my brain do the thinking and not my ego.

Secondly, you won't get all the answers by asking the same question 1000 times. Again, listen... And maybe more importantly, try. Break shit. Cut it up. Get dirty. Get bloody. I'm really guilty of second guessing myself personally. Because of this I hesitate to dive into shit. That's lame. The times when I tell myself to quit being a pussy and just do it are the most rewarding times I've ever had. Yeah, sometimes I fuck up. Sometimes I waste good parts and good money. The end result is ALWAYS way better than if I'd just phoned it in though. Always.

That brings us to number three...

You can't do it all. Nobody can. That's a fact of life and a fact of motorcycle building. There's always going to he a time when you need a hand. Be it help from a more experienced welder, engine builder, painter, whatever. There will come a point where it has to happen. Be respectful of that fact. It shows your humanity (something so many forget) and keeps you in touch with the outside world. If you've convinced yourself that you can do it all, you're going to lose. Plain and simple.
 
NortonGuy said:
That is a bad attitude. Look at Mr. Britten from down under who really did make a motorcycle from scratch. I have been paid professionally to bend pipe, do electrical work, run machine tools paint and weld. Anyone can learn to do all that stuff if they want to. Motorcycles are very simple machines that anyone can learn to repair or build from scratch. The only limitation might be space or money. I don't have the room for specialized machine tools like a crank grinding machine, and since that sort of work is rarely needed I am willing to farm that out. Building up roller cranks and balancing single and twin cylinder cranks can be easily and competently done at home with very simple tools. Look at Bert Munro who made his own pistons at home etc..

You can do anything as far as motorcycles go for sure. It may not be practical to, but if there is the will then there is a way.

Here's a little homework for you ....... simple job been around for centuries - make a set of roadwheels [ not assemble a pile of parts ] - oh and that's the kind with a rim, spokes and a hub.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm - not worth the effort eh when you can buy them ready made - like a lot of stuff. Only the degree.

BTW - the current "Classic Racer" magazine has a really good article about Britten together with a personal interview.

Innovator - certainly, make everything himself - nahhh
 
Valid points of OP.. I think it's vital to have a crack..if you fail, take a break. reassess. Try again..if still baffled, repeat. Then ask for help! And definitely leave some things to masters..respect their skills..and range of tools!
 
The Wheel said:
Thanks for the advice. As a new poster it can be a bit intimidating at first. Definitely a newbie at this. I've found that 90% of the time the answer I'm looking for has been answered a few times already which explains the low post numbers even though I'm on here every other day. From what I've seen, people on here are willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and help out where they can as long as you're open to constructive criticism. I'll do my best not to be "that guy".

No need to feel uncomfortable ..................... we were ALL "THAT GUY" once. You are not born knowing how to weld, do lathework, paint the Cistine Chapel roof .................. it comes with time, EXPERIENCE, and the will to learn. I've been at this bike building game for over 55 years, I've built many hundreds of bikes for myself and friends - I'm still learning.

Certainly, some are born with a natural aptitude for a particular task - but again, there's no substitute for learning in the real World.

How would an Eskimo, or a Zulu warrior in his natural environment know he MIGHT be good at designing underground airships ? You have to be in the right environment - and that includes gaining the everyday knowledge that some bike builders take for granted.

I can weld - it's not pretty and I'm never certain how good it is ... so I call in someone who DOES have the right skills. Does that make me less of a bike builder ? Certainly I am less of a manufacturer of parts - but then as previously stated - NOBODY makes a complete bike from scratch - Honda, Triumph et al excluded - but then THEY don't make all their own parts either !!!

Like I said, it's degress of skill, ASK the question that you don't know the answer to - and the knowledge you seek young Grasshopper will come with time.
 
My theory is, you only fail once you give up. If you have the desire to succeed you will,but its not easy.
 
First post on the site!

I'll make sure to remember what's been said on this thread when I start prying apart the grubby crank cases on my recently acquired CB175..

To the regular posters and advice givers, thanks in advance. You guys have already become tutors and the bits and pieces I've picked up are only the start I'm sure.

I'm hoping to do a full nut and bolt on the old girl after uni finishes next summer (minimal £££ and cream carpet in the uni digs make for less than ideal evening activity circumstances) but for now I'm just trying to make the best out of a bad situation and get up and running before winter.

(Yes I rebuilt the front brake on my bedroom floor, but I am no hipster with a 2 week obsession with bikes, nor one of those lube a cable with olive oil and woo a bike back to life with artistic flare types) I know my way around a lathe and mill cheers lol!

A battered Haynes manual and youtube have done me well so far but after less than a week perusing the site I already feel much better about the undertaking.

It's people like you guys that give guys like me the inspiration to turn a £400 shitheap into something I can be proud to wheel out of the garage. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing yet as I've not really started, only time will tell..

Anyway, Hat's off to you lot and thanks again for the wealth of free information and guidence, the world works a lot better when people stop measuring dicks and do what they can to help someone who needs it.

8)
 
Good shit here in this thread. And it doesnt just apply to motorcycles...you can apply it to your life. People will vibe on you, people will respect you, and at the end of the day you can be happy with yourself and your accomplishments. Better Living Through Motorcycles.
 
Yeah there is no doubt that you can learn pretty much anything, does not mean it will come natural, but you can learn. after 20+ years of wrenching on bikes its not so much for me anyway of what i am capable of...its how far i want to go. i have built some smaller motors and did a few top end jobs but i have no interest in fully rebuilding a inline 4 DOHC from the cases up, just because i dont want to, im not going to build a wiring harness from scratch...ill buy or track down a used one if need be, but hey thats just me. thats why i like DTT...there may be a lot i have not much interest in doing my self but i like watching builders who like to build from scratch.
 
Read and noted - although messing with anything mechanical I can get my hands on over my 41yrs..... I was clueless on triples and fork bearing sets etc.... until reading/investigating here, along with a plethora of other things bike related......
Probably doing my first bike engine rebuild over the winter - so am already bricking it!

My main failure is not knowing WHEN to admit I need that help - and my 'I'll have a go' attitude leads me into more trouble than I care to deal with and stubborn-ness then has me refusing to accept defeat/advice. Even now at 41yrs old I'm sure I'm not the only big kid on here ;)

Much appreciated pointers from those above and I shall (try to) keep my trap shut and mind open 8)
 
VonYinzer said:
This rant is most certainly not directed at any person specifically, and is also not meant to get anyone up in arms. That said, I've noticed a few things amongst the vintage bike set that have really started to irk me.

It's not the usual "stupid hipsters" or "they want how much for a cb750?" stuff though. Really, I'd like to think that most people here are above the petty annoyances of this hobby.

First off, the phrase "fuck the haters". Ok, I get it. Sometimes people are dicks. Sometimes people will talk shit on your bike no matter what you do. Those people suck. But when folks spend their time to show concern about your safety, or point out a possible better way of doing things... That's far from hate. Why don't we stop acting like insolent children and listen? I know it sucks when you put your all into something and someone points out that it may not work. It's a bummer. But before you get all riled up and decide that the person telling you that there's an issue is an asshole, LISTEN for a minute. You might pick something up... I know I do overtime I let my brain do the thinking and not my ego.

Secondly, you won't get all the answers by asking the same question 1000 times. Again, listen... And maybe more importantly, try. Break shit. Cut it up. Get dirty. Get bloody. I'm really guilty of second guessing myself personally. Because of this I hesitate to dive into shit. That's lame. The times when I tell myself to quit being a pussy and just do it are the most rewarding times I've ever had. Yeah, sometimes I fuck up. Sometimes I waste good parts and good money. The end result is ALWAYS way better than if I'd just phoned it in though. Always.

That brings us to number three...

You can't do it all. Nobody can. That's a fact of life and a fact of motorcycle building. There's always going to he a time when you need a hand. Be it help from a more experienced welder, engine builder, painter, whatever. There will come a point where it has to happen. Be respectful of that fact. It shows your humanity (something so many forget) and keeps you in touch with the outside world. If you've convinced yourself that you can do it all, you're going to lose. Plain and simple.
Ok. Inst his the whole purpose of dotheton? I mean, why else ould we go here other than bragging rights. Its to learn from others. Their mistakes, their successes. Ok. Not trying make this sound dickish. Just agreeing with ya. Seems some forget that they are here to learn. That being said. Could ya point me in the right direction as far as a good affordable tyre that will handle long miles? I have dunlops and my rear tyre is already bald and it has turned only 8 months. I ride a 04 VStar 1100 classic. Thanks. I stoped getting emails and posts on fb so a bit lost. Thanks.
 
First point, Dont stress, it will kill you! People have opinions, they're like a holes, everyone has one...
Second point, Dont expect to be spoon fed, you have to crawl, walk and then run, sometimes we fall over, get back up and keep going. You will never learn otherwise.
Third point, you were never born an expert, there will always be something that YOU dont know. BUT someone else will.Something YOU cant do, but someone else can.
be humble and ask...but refer to point 2.

Hobie1kanobie
Zen master apprentice. ;D

aka Hobes.
 
There is no greater lesson learned than just to try soething till you get it,and try to humble yourself because there is always someone with great advice that has probablly done these things more than you andare glad to help. And always say thanks.
 
white trash said:
. And always say thanks.

on that subject, I ALWAYS say please and thankyou when i'm ordering drinks in a pub/bar. the people behind the bar will always remember it and you'll be the first face they recognise when scanning the crowd for who to serve next. works every time.
it started one night when i was at the falling over drunk stage and the bouncer asked the owner/barman if he wanted me chucked out, the owner said no, i was still polite enough to say please and thankyou when i was ordering drinks so that was alright by him.
 
Hoofhearted said:
When I was 16 I knew everything. Now 50 years later I'm still learning. My Dad told me as a child to "make all the mistakes you want but try to make them just once". I've noticed on the various forums I frequent that people ask a lot of what could be considered dumb questions. Well, they're not really dumb questions if you don't know the answer. But if you give it a shot you just might find the answer rather than appear dumb by asking. Seems to me that people are afraid to try something in case they fail and appear stupid. Another quote from my Dad. "If you don't try you can't fail. Equally you can't succeed". I have no idea what this has to do with Von's post. Sorry.
ditto Hoofhearted and I want my son never to be afraid to try but more importantly find out who to trust and learn from their mistakes...we have tried, caught the shed on fire, monumentally failed, but have learned from our failures. You can trust DTT.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
This thread makes it very clear that "Do The Ton" IS a lot more than going a hundred miles an hour on a motorcycle, in fact it's more about slowing down an appreciating the value in all of the ideas and ideals shared in an environment that is conducive to motorcycle mechanics. [edit] By the way... I know a thing or three about bikes, I've rode about anything or close to all the different variations raced a bit of MX and local road course stuff before the mid 80's and still love to ride!.!. But, I am no technical genius and not a machinist wont pretend to be and and don't care at all to change my direction now. I respect everyone who cares to try and lack respect for anyone who mocks without providing a solution.

RD :eek:
 
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