How did you learn to maintain your machines

[DP1400]

I`ve always been practically minded, so that together with a great bunch of likeminded mates and a few grubby workshop manuals, there weren`t many Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha`s that would beat us. That said, they were `Strokers, so easy stripdowns and fixes were the norm.

My biggest challenge in the early days was diagnosing what the problem actually was. I vividly recall stripping down my H1E Kawa engine in one of our spare bedrooms one winter to get at the crank. Mum wasn`t overly happy as I recall, being extremely houseproud. I had carefully laid all the components on a sheet on the floor so I knew which order to refit them, only to arrive home from college to be told she`d put them all in a box so she could hoover......after spending the entire evening in panic mode, I eventually managed to get the thing rebuilt and the bike went on to give me several thou trouble-free miles before I sold it! Sadly the bike is long gone - HCB 270N - but incredibly I still have a handful of bits from that engine, and yep, you`ve guessed it - in a box, but in my garage this time!

[steve porter]

The disillusionment of paying for things to be done that were either not done , done poorly or done for no reason except to pad out  the bill, lots of examples, but the main one was having a 750 GT Ducati engine rebuilt at great expense back in the early 80`s only to find out shortly after when it shit itself that virtually sweet FA had been done other than extract money from me. Successfully rebuilding it myself in a spare bedroom at the time has led me along the path of doing everything myself. The only time any of my vehicles have seen a dealer was when they were still under warranty. I`ve built up a comprehensive array of tools  and manuals over the years, including a bike and car hoist and have not had to outsource  anything other than machining since.

[GSXKING]

My Dad and Uncle Jed, they both could do it all.

Their Dad was a master cabinet maker.

My Dad and I rebuilt many supposedly broken motorcycles through out my youth. We paid stuff all for them, a bit of fettling and some second hand parts mostly, they would run like clockwork eventually.
Sadly today we've become adept at throwing out stuff that doesn't work.

Great memories of times spent with Dad in the garage talking about all subjects. 

[Batkwaka]

17 I knew nothing, started with chain tensioning, then oil & filter change, then brake pads etc, until 4 years later I had the Katana 1100 stripped back bare to get the frame nickel plated.
I learnt how not to fuck things up by....fucking things up!

[Kiwifruit]

Great stories lads, to bring back memories of times spent with dad or your mates in the shed getting stuff done, often just so you could go out that night.
When my son was 7ish we set about going RC car racing. Tools everywhere but making sure it was well maintained, fast and finished. I've always been lucky and able to associate myself with some good race teams. So often we hear "oh your just lucky." Yep sure, the harder you work the luckier you get !! Its called preparation.

Enjoyed teaching my son that philosophy. I recall he got an after school job in a factory that involved plastic injection moulding machines. In the holidays he worked there full time and ran pĺĺĺ of the machines. Boss says to him why have you stopped the machine, he says because it didn't sound right. They checked it, it was ready to break the tooli⁰⁰ng. They offered him an apprenticeship. But he wanted to work outside not in a factory. Have to say l was pretty chuffed he had the confidence to trust his knowledge at such a young age.

These days you have to be trained to understand the chainsaw is sharp, a grinder is good at removing stuff and don't put your paws near a revolving lawnmower blade.

[Grumpy old man]

My Grandfather was my biggest influence as he was a wartime soldier based in the vehicle pool as a mechanic and I spent most of my free time with him working on old school cars like Morris 1100,s and Mini's and his old BSA as well as the garden tools and house repairs

When I got a bit older you bought a bike rode it broke it and as you were broke you learnt how it worked and fixed it or broke it some more

Today most kids have next to no Idea with most concepts of fixing or re-purposing something that is broken

It seems that wasteful consumerism has taken over

[Irish in Oz]

How did you learn to maintain your machines......
I consider myself lucky, dad rode bikes, his dad rode bikes, dad raced Hydros for a while. Spanners, screwdrivers, tools always on the garage bench.

Hydros a boat that's goes around corners like a crab.

[Kiwifruit]

Yes Irish, but a quick crab