People are strange

[NJona86FJ]

  i dunno... i can see the point but at the same time its splitting mickey hairs in my opinion. Bloke i chat to over the road is a bike mechanic, specialises in old things pre fuel injection ranging from ducati pantahs to motoguzzis and the odd japanese piece of excellence. Now i mentioned this forum, said it was great, full of information, schematics, manuals, troubleshooting guides etc, and the people on here are the most helpful.... well buggerme... " cant understand why people want to broadcast their lives online, like anyone gives a shit about them" and words to the effect that its just putting danger into the hands of the untrained people being unskilled and attempting to fix their bikes without a clue.... now i give him a bit of credit, he continually gets asked  STUPID questions and does have to fix peoples attempts to fix their own bike, but this is the first time i have ever come across such negativity, do any other mechanics feel this way? is this forum "stealing money from motorcycle mechanics?", doing anyone out of a trade? i know a few of you blokes are mechanics myself being a fitter,  was just curious if anyone else has come across this thing before.... blew me away, i had to stop talking and leave... politley of course!!

[aviationfred]

He probably feels like we are taking money out of his pocket.

In the city that I live in.
I have a different problem. The Yamaha Dealership and Authorized Service Center, REFUSES to work on any motorcycles more then 10 years old. On the other hand, I found an in dependant service center where the owner almost wet himself with joy when I inquired about having the head rebuilt. He and his brother are both Yamaha certified mechanics.

With the Dealer refusing to service my FJ. My choices are, to do my own maintenance, and/or use an in dependant service center.

I do 90% of my own maintenance.

[fj11.5]

i can see his point,, but ive been screwed over by at least 3 bike shops and they're dodgy work,, using second hand parts and charging new prices,, charging for work and not doing it ect ect,, the worst being my xj 750 taken in to get ready for road worthy as i was working 7 days a week, , got it back and they didnt even fit new front pads ( down to metal)  or even bleed the visibly  gel like fluid  ect long list of work and even fitted tyres it didnt need

[craigo]

Bottom line is that I can do most maintenance myself. I have had the bike to this independent shop owner to adjust my valves and sync the carbs. At $350 for that little service, it's time to learn to do it myself.

This site is a gold mine of info for us older bike owners. With the good people here, there is nothing that can't be done.

Just My Opinion,

CraigO

[Pat Conlon]

I've heard the same rant from librarians and newspaper folks..... the internet is ruining their business.... oh well, adapt or die.

This forum is all about 2 things, camaraderie and sharing knowledge. We all have a common bond and even though we may not agree on many subjects, we still help each other with our FJ's by sharing our collected experiences..

He does bring up a good point re: newbies working on their own bikes...
Knowledge is power and just like the kookaloo power put out by our FJ's, you have got to know your limitations, like when to turn the throttle.
Besides, the dealers in my area suck.

Thank God for Randy, DavidR, Frank, AndyB, Jon, and so many others on this site.  

[movenon]

I've heard the same rant from librarians and newspaper folks..... the internet is ruining their business.... oh well, adapt or die.

This forum is all about 2 things, camaraderie and sharing knowledge. We all have a common bond and even though we may not agree on many subjects, we still help each other with our FJ's by sharing our collected experiences..

He does bring up a good point re: newbies working on their own bikes...
Knowledge is power and just like the kookaloo power put out by our FJ's, you have got to know your limitations, like when to turn the throttle.
Besides, the dealers in my area suck.

Thank God for Randy, DavidR, Frank, AndyB, Jon, and so many others on this site.  

Right on Pat ...     I do 100% my own maint.. Because I can and because I enjoy it. 
George

[aviationfred]

Pat,

What you said is perfect. 

[racerman_27410]

I agree with what Pat said.... Since we cant rally all year long this place is our virtual campfire where we can hang out.

there have been lots of folks show up and a rally with a motorcycle tht wasnt running correctly and if it was at all possible it was running right before they left with payment not being expected (though a cold beverage wouldnt be turned down  ... heck for most of us working on a FJ is FUN! 


KOokaloo!

[FJmonkey]

I agree with what Pat said.... Since we cant rally all year long this place is our virtual campfire where we can hang out.

there have been lots of folks show up and a rally with a motorcycle tht wasnt running correctly and if it was at all possible it was running right before they left with payment not being expected (though a cold beverage wouldnt be turned down  ... heck for most of us working on a FJ is FUN! 


KOokaloo!

Some times the work was performed in route....

[JCainFJ]

This forum is very special. Lots of knowledge and very few knuckleheads! Most of the others I visit are not so good.

[aviationfred]

This forum is very special. Lots of knowledge and very few knuckleheads! Most of the others I visit are not so good.

IMO that may be that we all get along fairly well because of the way our beloved FJ's are. Over the 10 year run and extra 3 years in Europe and Down Under. In stock form, all of our bikes perform relatively the same. I know there were little tweaks here and there, i.e. brakes, forks, wheels, main fairing. Small differences in top speed, 1/4 mile times, closed course lap times, and rubber mounted engines. For most of us, none of that matters. Most of us care about reliability, comfort, when we twist our wrists, Kookaloo happens every time. For those that have caught moditis, the desire to turn a 20+ year old bike into something that could be sold today as a new model. Maybe the ultimate is that someone with minimal mechanic knowledge through the help of this wonderful forum and the old school mechanics of the FJ, can be completely torn down and rebuilt without dealer interaction. My 2 cents.  

Fred

[Steve_in_Florida]

...and very few knuckleheads!

What do you mean? I'm doing my best!   

[ribbert]

I'm a mechanic. I started my apprenticeship at a Honda and GMH (Chev?) dealership the year after Honda unleashed the 750/4 (1969).
Cars and bikes through the 70's and 80's required much more fiddling and maintenance than the modern "sealed for life" machines and home DIY's were very common but without the benefit of the internet for information.
Guys fixing their own vehicles was actually a great source of work AND amusement. Every Monday morning without fail would see cars and bikes towed, trailered and limping in or on occasions visited where they sat in a driveway somewhere, unable to be moved until repaired by someone more competent than the owner.

The fun would often start on the Friday with speculation about who would require such assistance on the Monday, based on who bought what parts for their weekend project.
Fortunately most attempted jobs were not safety related, but loss of M/C internals when dismantling was common ( "I didn't know there was a spring in there and I have no idea what went wizzing past my head")

I could fill a book with humorous and dangerous home repairs I have seen or dealt with.

The bloke whinging is technically right about taking work away from tradies, but practically, these guys are never short of work anyway.

Last week alone I saw two examples. While searching the net for some technical info I was directed to a car forum. Scanning the posts I saw this: Idiot No1 asks the question, "I have removed my old disc pads and the new ones are too thick and won't fit"  Idiot No2 responds, " All you need to do is grind them down on your bench grinder until they fit".  Someone did eventually tell him to push the pistons back in followed by idiot 2 trying to redeem himself "well you COULD do it that way, but my way works just as well"  The scary part is not so much idiot 1 working on brakes, pads are pretty hard to muck up, but the authoritative tone in which idiot 2 offered his solution and then defended it! The grand old sage of the forum.

Also last week while at a BMW (bike) service centre, the shop owner showed me a late model boxer that had been overfilled with oil by 6 litres, hydraulic locked and stripped the ring gear. Unbelievable? try it was the second time the owner had done it!

The information on the internet and the help available on forums such as this is a fantastic thing. Our bikes are hobbies and working on them is much more than just trying to save a buck. Doing the work yourself is immensely satisfying and adds to the riding enjoyment and memory bank. Over time it becomes the bike that YOU built, not the one that emptied your wallet at the dealer. It also saves you a buck.

Having hundreds of members, all offering their diverse skills and experience to help you through a job, gives owners the confidence to take on jobs they otherwise wouldn't dream of tackling alone and those that avail themselves of this are much safer than the ones that shun help.

Social benefits aside, I reckon the net and the forums are a great resource. Fortunately, there isn't too much that is safety related than can be easily stuffed up. Unfortunately, there will always be an idiot 1 and idiot 2 out there regardless of what form the information comes in.

Noel

[FJSpringy]

In my youth I used to rush things to destruction whilst I learn't how not to do things, these days I just take my time and destruct things much better  

When I use a mechanic it is usually due to laziness and time constraints or lack of interest in the job at hand.


BUT

I will never take a job that involves trouble shooting or fault finding to a mechanic as they will never do as thorough job as I will, there is always a point where the job becomes unprofitable for them and they cut corners.

I would let Noel work on my bike as he owns a fleet of victa 18's a man of great taste  

[markmartin]

Well said Noel.