What would you look for in a basic maintenance class?

[storysunfolding]

This is a call to the TMW masses for input. Please read and give me input.

Yesterday I received the go ahead to develop a basic motorcycle maintenance course for our local schools. Our objective is to introduce students to regular maintenance, build a familiarity with their motorcycle so they can spot issues early, teach them a few added skills and if nothing else make them a better informed customer at their local service department.

We start with a talk on the importance of maintenance, about using tools, consulting a service manual and when to take it to your mechanic. We've also come up with a $50 toolkit that in conjunction with your bike's kit can do everything you'll ever need it to do.

Here's what I have so far with each segment getting a good briefing on the reasoning and knowledge set for each task.
-Oil Change (on our demo bike)
-Air filter change (on our demo bike)
-brake bleeding (on our demo bike)
-Basic suspension clinic (on student bikes)
-Winterization (on demo bike)
-Remove front and rear wheels (on demo bike)
-remove battery, tank and airbox (on demo bike)
-replacing bulbs (demo bike)
-adjusting mirrors (student bike)
-lubricating other parts as needed

and of course a preride inspection (TCLOCS) which includes
-Adjusting controls and levers (demo then student bikes)
-removing and reinstalling levers and cables (demo bike)
-lubing cables (demo bike)
-Tire inspections (have cupped, and scalloped tires on hand to demonstrate)
-Chain cleaning, adjusting and lubing (demo bike)
-Overview other final drive maintenance (do one if someone has belt, talk about shaft, ie remove the fill plug before the drain plug then follow manual)



Many schools offer teaching an oil change on your own bike. We decided against that as we feel that doing it on a demo bike will teach the skill. We also will have more time to teach other skills since dropping fairings, exhausts (vstar 1100?) etc is very time consuming. It's the same thing for the air filter since doing it on the site admin's Goldwing involves removing the tank and the radio. Every student's bike will get TCLOCed by all students, and we'll teach each rider to adjust his/her suspension.


Anyway- long post I know, but what else would you like to see in a maint course, what kind of hand outs would you like, what am I not thinking of here?

[coffee_brake]

Sounds like an awesome class!

I know if I had had an opportunity like that as a new rider on my first bike, I would have benefited from all the information you have planned, and also, it would have been helpful to get a 5-minute rundown on the most common engine types, why more cc's does not mean faster, and the most basic explanation of bore and stroke.

People are so very scared of carburetors. If you could pull a set from a little twin or a single (or a Harley) and show them how simple, I bet they wouldn't be so scared. Better yet, if you could show them a dissasembled junker carb and point at the jets, and show them what gets funky when a bike sits with gas in the bowls, I bet they'd 1) be more likely to drain the bowls when the bike sits and 2) be more likely to clean dirty carbs themselves instead of junk a perfectly good older bike over a $400 service charge to clean the carbs (that is the going rate for a 4-cylinder carb cleaning around here).

Oh, and why high-octane is not necessarily the best gas for a given engine. And what detonation sounds like. And how to read plugs, at least for fouling.

Honestly, I don't know how I ever made it this far into motorcycling considering how ignorant I was about maintaining and repairing machines when I started. Kudos to that first bullet-proof UJM that always brought me home!

[BuzZz]

Who me?

An Exit, mostly.

Seriously, sounds like a good idea.

IF you have the patience to teach beginners. Answering the same question 15 times and watching the same 15 folks do it wrong after the explanation takes a bigger man than I. More power to you because some one has to do it.

And better you than me, eh.

Good Luck with this endeavor.

[mazer]

I think the hardest thing for anyone is diagnostics. Trying to figure out just where the problem is and what part is the one needing repair or replacement...

[slimcolo]

Great idea but I would like to make some additions for you to consider. Some may not be applicable to all bikes.

Oil Change- expand this to include transmission, primary, drive shaft, bevel drive.

Brake Bleeding--- Include adjustment of mechanical drums. Lota bikes still have rear mech.

Basic suspension clinic--- Include change of fork fluid, and grease points.

If time permits-- carb adjustment and sync, timing adjustment, valve adjustment/shim, Tyre mount dismount with hand levers, trouble shooting, using code reader on newer bikes, neck bearing re pack, or maybe a second class. Good Luck

[storysunfolding]

Oil Change- expand this to include transmission, primary, drive shaft, bevel drive.

Yep, already got it.

Brake Bleeding--- Include adjustment of mechanical drums. Lota bikes still have rear mech.

So does our demo bike, definitely included

Basic suspension clinic--- Include change of fork fluid, and grease points.

Not including this one. Two issues: time and skill level. We tried this with a sample class and it failed miserably. Ideally you take the whole thing apart to inspect each component but we tried a simple dump fill. Apparently this is harder than it seems.

If time permits-- carb adjustment and sync, timing adjustment, valve adjustment/shim, Tyre mount dismount with hand levers, trouble shooting, using code reader on newer bikes, neck bearing re pack, or maybe a second class. Good Luck

LoL- yeah- not going to happen in a basic class. Sure if everyone showed up with a boxer motor I'd go for valve adjustments but do you have any idea how crazy that is with a V-twin? Even worse, a V-four?

We will be referring students to the $500 semester long community college course for anything this advanced. With a totally inexperienced person (target audience) during a half day parking lot session- it just isn't going to work.