DIY motorcycle shop. good deal? | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

DIY motorcycle shop. good deal?

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Meet some like minded people, maybe the smart guy that may show you how to check valves or tension a chain.
They have facility to dispose of old oil and rags
Somebody may have that obsolete part you need
Access to a tire changer?

When your there, your not at a bar
I have a garage and complete equipment, and I'd consider joining.

Heck attend the tutorials and some classes, then tick off the box on your tax file and claim tuition expense..... its almost free
 
crankcall said:
Meet some like minded people, maybe the smart guy that may show you how to check valves or tension a chain.
They have facility to dispose of old oil and rags
Somebody may have that obsolete part you need
Access to a tire changer?

When your there, your not at a bar
I have a garage and complete equipment, and I'd consider joining.

Heck attend the tutorials and some classes, then tick off the box on your tax file and claim tuition expense..... its almost free
Click to expand...


I'm not convinced they qualify as a college ... Tick all the boxes you want but don't be surprised when you get that gov't bill later.

I understand that people who live downtown have issues with work space but for everyone else - a garage and a youtube video is all you need. Spend the membership money on some nice tools instead.
 
Cool idea for those with space limitations. Perhaps a few more points to think about:

- Since this is a collective, are the finances + accounts open to members for viewing? You'd hate to find out you just signed up for a year and next month they are closed, or plan around a major service and be stuck if the operation suddenly ceases.

- No one will care about your bike as much as you do. Get the full factory service manual and with time, you'll become adept at maintenance. You'll learn a ton about your machine. There is a pride and satisfaction element to the equation which needs to be considered, plus typically it is a more cost effective route. Nothing wrong with servicing a bike yourself, although do try to buy parts from the local shops if you can.

- Find out if you like the people, maybe go down there and hang out for a couple hours two or three times. If there is a strong social element, it may outweigh the outright cost. Even sports leagues (hockey) are significantly more expensive on a yearly basis.

- Do they have tire changing gear? If you ride a lot of miles, or become a track junkie, this could be very beneficial.

- The calendar looks a bit thin for classes.

- If this becomes popular, will they run out of space to work? What are the expansion opportunities? How long can you leave your bike on a lift? If you get half way through a job and need a part/can't ride, can you store it? How full is the storage?

- Worst case scenario, you try it out for 6 months and don't like it.

Good luck in your decision!
 
Sounds ok for a person in an apartment. I am lucky I've always had a garage.
 
thank you everyone for the advice and suggestions. I decided to try them out for 6 months. The collective is a branch of a motorcycle repair shop that has been around for a few years. The collective is attached to the repair shop (Rising Sun Motorcycles)
The collective has all the tools and things to do just about everything to fix or maintain a bike. There are 5 lifts available. You can book one ahead of time.

Even if i just do simple oil filter changes. Be handy not having to figure out what to do with the old oil or have to take it someplace else to dispose of it.
I also wont (hopefully) be knocking over a litre of oil onto my underground parking floor and soaking half my front tire. (did that one year). But i would really love to learn how to do valve checks and how to change the drive belt.

Been watching a few youtubes of valve clearance checks. Dont look too difficult. On my Smax it does not look too difficult getting to the valves. Do not have to take all the plastics off to get to it.

Watched a youtube of the steps someone took to expose the valves but did not show the actual check and adjust.
But i watched the valve adjustment being done on other similar bikes to mine.
Would not attempt that on my own tho so be nice to have an expert on hand to ask for advice and to make sure i am doing it right. I think the Smax has the screw/locknut adjusters which look easier to adjust compared the the shim type.
 
Honestly, I was an idiot when it came to wrenching 10 years ago. I didn't know how to use a ratcheting wrench or a tools whatsoever. I lived in an apartment. I went off to collect tools, printed off guides. manuals, pictures and went straight to work Saturday Sunday morning every weekend, when everyone was still asleep, in the garage or at home. I started off by buying my own wrench set.. then screw drivers... then ratcheting socket set... see tools below. Now that i have my own set of tools, I wasn't as intimidated.

I watched a lot youtube videos and playing around with my bicycle (doing tune ups brake pad changes etc) until i got comfortable with the tools. I then went to doing my own oil change in my car... then brakes, rotors etc and now i can do valve adjustments given i have access to the shop manual (alldatadiy)..

Crappy tire wasn't bad with their tools selection and quality. Some people are raving that you need snap on this knipex that.. and some think that having the best branded tools is necessary to do the job. It all comes down to experience and how you handle your tools. Ive come across people who claim that a job can't be done unless xxx brand tool is used. I would just do it and think that these people dont like using some elbow grease. At the end of the day, if you follow proper instruction, some common sense, take notes, and read every word, it shouldn't be that hard. Dont cheat, do a hack job or say "it's good enough" because at the end of the day, whatever you learn and whatever you do all comes back to you and your worth.



great height range, tonnage, price
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/motomaster-heavy-duty-garage-jack-3-ton-0091047p.html#srp

socket set
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/stanley-183-piece-black-chrome-socket-set-0589287p.html#srp

wrench set
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mastercraft-wrench-set-30-pc-0589153p.html#srp

torque wrench
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/maximum-3-8-in-drive-torque-wrench-sae-metric-0589398p.html#srp

screw drivers
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/maximum-screwdriver-set-50-pc-0573647p.html#srp

Set of channel locks, pliers and vice grips.
 
DemonPig said:
Hmmm. Some tricky math here.
Click to expand...
Ooops, should be $58.33 per month. I think that's about what it costs to heat my shop!

If they had that type of setup in my neighbourhood for $700/year I'd be all over it.
 
A valve adjustment every 3k!? That sounds rather often no? Glad you told me as I’m semi looking for a small scoot/bike to replace the 500.
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