Grinding valves by hand, riveting sprockets, boiling corks, soaking gaskets . . . and changing tires with irons. All soon to be forgotten forms of motorcycle maintenance. To really get into vintage bikes - you must do these things. A ritual. A right of passage. A pain-in-the-ass. Too cheap to buy a tire machine.
my boys, 10 & 11, change their own on their dirt bikes, always buy two tubes at a time!! dammit...
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how much we learn about vintage motorcycle mechanics by being flat ass broke, eh?
ReplyDeletemind those fingers.....ouch
ReplyDeleteLucky nailed it there! Raising a family while running vintage iron will sure make you a better wrench.
ReplyDeleteYou should be a motivational speaker. You could spout off endless hours of tolerances and shim specs and at the end of the class just have the kids wrestle off a 30 year old tire using only a crescent wrench and some screwdrivers. That will teach them!
ReplyDeleteISDE riders can do that along the trail in 3 minutes or less.
ReplyDeleteA plastic milk carton will help you out like crazy.
I ment milk crate
ReplyDeleteI know what you meant - It does a body good you know?
ReplyDelete