Servicing your bike 101 - Article 1

I know it’s not “normal” for a female to know anything mechanical about a car or bike, but there is something immensely satisfying about tinkering with tools. Added to that, you gain knowledge about your bike, and that can never be a bad thing.

This series of articles will take you through basic mechanical maintenance of your bike. I will be doing the work myself, assisted by Colin Gallop, the owner of BigDogs and supplier of most of the parts. I will also make use of Justin Seger from Mottorad Tech in Benoni – he will be providing advice and use of his tools and workshop.

The bike that we will be using is my 2004 BMW F650 CS, called Amelia. The articles will have lots of photographs so that you can see exactly what is meant.

To get started, you will need a few basic things:

1. Old clothes or an overall.
2. Lots of rags.
3. A good supply of paper towel.
4. Space to work.
5. Tools for your particular bike – Imperial or Metric, check with the mechanic who normally services your bike. You will need a wide range of spanners as well as torque or ratchet screwdrivers. Alternatively, you could find a sympathetic mechanic willing to help you.
6. An inquiring mind and a willingness to learn and take advice.
7. Muscles on standby – many bolts and screws get over-tightened so you will need somebody stronger to help you loosen them. After the first time, you can do away with the muscles as you would have tightened the bolts and screws yourself.
8. A service manual for your model bike. Don’t ask the Agent where you bought your bike as he won’t want you to service your own bike – he makes money out of you by doing your services for you. Search the internet as they are readily available, or order them through a mechanic or book store.
9. Newspapers to put under your bike when you work on it – you don’t want oil and grease stains on your garage floor.
10. Latex gloves – chemists sell them by the box. Grease under the fingernails is not sexy!
11. Check that your bike is out of warranty – your Agent will not honour any claims if you worked on your bike while it’s still under warranty, no matter what the problem.

Next article: oil change, front brakes and oil filter.