Poll:How Many of Us Women Work on Our Bikes?

[bbbom]

Karl the trailguide

Now FC22, don't go scaring off new victims er uh riding buddies already. :p

We all thoroughly enjoyed following Karl around. Maybe that one hill with bikes and bodies strewn about the approach was a little much. :think But hey, if any of us had made it up there with him it could have been a great photo opportunity! I can't seem to recall your exact words of appreciation on that boulder strewn wash either something to do about procreation? :eek:

Fe_P,

Karl is difficult to explain. He rides a CR500 and goes places that mountain goats won't. He loves to uhhhh explore, yeah, that's it. I have many many pictures of Karl rides where you can't tell there is a trail except you can see some helmets and maybe some bikes that indicate that for some reason people are in there somewhere.

The one hill mentioned above started out looking inocuous enough. Karl zipped up it followed by LoriKTM, FC22, FremontGuy and a nice looking boy named Randy. Myself and Becky (a local friend of mine & FC22 from here) watched as one after the other tipped over, stalled... it was very entertaining and if my camera had a telephoto we'd have great pics. They accused us of setting it up :p but in actuality, Becky and I know what a Karl ride is about and we are very patient to watch and wait, besides there are usually great photo ops.

After riding with him for the past 1.5 years, I have to admit, my skill at riding and my confidence has greatly increased. So have my number of injuries endured and amount or repairs required to my bike.

To be fair though, he is a very conscientious trail guide. He will try out a questionable section and then advise if it is doable or not, give any needed tips and has been know to volunteer to take a bike over obstacles that he really thinks someone may get hurt on. He certainly will challenge you but, he doesn't want to hurt anyone and has a pretty good feeling for what people can do after riding with them for a bit.

The way I look at it, you never know what you can really do until you try it. He has taken me through areas that I would not have even attempted if it hadn't been for his coaching and the knowledge that he knows that my will says whoever kills me has to raise my kids!

 

[firecracker22]

I think I expressed my dismay most eloquently. :p

Princess, I’m receiving emails from elsewhere but sometimes I do have a problem. Did you try clicking on the link in my signature too? I may have typed it incorrectly in my pm.

 

[Fe_princess]

women riding

Bbbom, Karl sounds like a great riding partner. I have always found that riding with someone with more guts and faster speeds has always increased my own abilities. Anyone who is that agro is bound to give some people a rash. Where is Moonrocks in relation to Reno i.e. north, south.
I am so itching to go on a ride. There was a hint of showers but nothing ever materialized. One good rain and I am out there.

 

[bbbom]

What can I say, Karl is a great riding partner! That's why I picked him out at the bike shop (actually it was because he was nice to look at and always vvverrrryyy helpful). ;)

Send some rain our way too. Haven't had my bike out for almost 2 months now. It's so bad I may resort to going to the local track! The jetski just doesn't cut it, especially since everytime I've been out lately something breaks and I have to be towed back to shore!

MoonRocks is east of Reno near Sparks I think. It was only a short drive from downtown Reno. I'll have to ask Strick.

 

[Fe_princess]

Wow, you got a bike and a partner. Where is this shop?
Can't wait either! I'm going up to see the Speedway Nat'ls in Auburn and The Flat track Nat'l in Sacto next weekend. It'll be fun and keep bikes on my mind. I was going to soften the suspension on my bike, but it was suggested that I change the gearing instead. 3rd is a little too tall and it's a perfect gear for the trails.
Who is Strick?

 

[bbbom]

Hehehe, hope Karl doesn't read this thread! :scream:

Strick is our wonderful Reno host, along with his wife Mimi and some friends of theirs. They coordinated everybody, hosted the ride and let those of us that needed to store our bikes & gear use their garage.

 

[dsmith]

Enjoying it

I love working on my bike and learning all about it. I do read the manual backwards and forwards trying to figure everything out. My husband is no mechanic but we both enjoy spending the time together working on our bikes. I figure I can't get any dumber by trying, right? I am currently in the middle of working on my carbartor. It's fouling spark plugs left and right. I replaced the reeds, ordered a new jet needle, blew the whole thing out & put it back together, now I need to get the adjustments just right. It's very tricky but challenging. I'm really enjoying my bike, it's older, but I treat it like it's made of gold.

 

[bbbom]

Hi dsmith,

Is that a KDX you are working on (assuming from your profile)? Just a thought, have you looked at the jetting? My son's CR80E was fouling plugs until we got the right jet combo in it finally.

Oops, I was just going to send you to the KDX forum here but I see that you found it yourself. Anyways, welcome to DRN.

I noticed they were talking about a NW KDXfest in there too. :cool:

 

[gospeedracer]

Let’s see... do I work on my own bike.... does THIS count? :confused:
I’m really good at taking them apart! :eek:
I used to be petrified to tear into my bike but once I just let’r rip there was no stopping me. My RM has been a great learner bike to practice working on. Since I am restoring it, I have had plenty of opportunities to learn how to work on various items including nearly all the engine components. It’s an older 2-stroke bike so it’s really quite easy to work on. With a little help from TTRGuy and my manual, I just did the top end last night. Fixed my exhaust valve rod, which was stuck, too. I just got my frame back from being powder coated and it looks awesome! The reassembly process has finally begun. I’ll get more pics up of the progression soon. The whole reassembly is going to be a learning process which I am really looking forward to. In addition to learning all about how the bike works and how to work on it, TTRGuy has also been introducing me to many cool specialized tools. He’s the king of gadgets!

So far on my RM I’ve done the following (besides tearing it into 1,000 pieces):

Top end (Installed new piston/pin/ring/gaskets)
Installed new water pump components (not the impeller) (those oil seals are a PITA!)
Replaced the clutch plates and springs, filed clutch basket fingers
Installed new Boyesen power reeds
Repacked the silencer

On a regular basis I can re-jet my carb (main/pilot/needle/fiddle w/airscrew/idle), change my oil, replace my clutch levers/perches (very regular basis on those!), tighten chain, and filter maint. I don’t do these things as much anymore since I acquired a new “mechanic”. ;)

I’ve never changed my own tire but I have changed my back wheel when I get the tire swapped. I’ve never messed with my suspension or changed my brakes.

Keeping fingers crossed that my restoration/project bike doesn’t turn into project paperweight! :scream:

 

[Karna&Justin]

Does filling it with gas count? That is about all I do (besides
spinning the back tire when he sprays on the chain lube).
I guess I get bored with all the mechanical work so I am in
charge of running all the errands and packing all the odds and
ends before any riding expedition. I think my hesitation stems
from childhood memories watching my dad sweat and swear
as he spent hours in the garage maintaining his dirtbikes...
maybe someday I will get up the motivation (or maybe my husband
will give me an ultimadem). This may seem like a stupid question but...
Is anyone out there able to load up there own bike...I am
deathly afraid of dropping it out of the truck once I get the front
end up the ramp. I have the strength (all the practice picking up my KDX200
when I drop it along the trail) but I guess I lack the technique and/or
confidence.

Karna

 

[Girlrider]

Well since I rode the ISDE and you HAVE to do all your own work then yes I work on my bike. Now that the ISDE is over will I? Heck No! My husband is a mechanic so he prefers to do it so that I will continue to do his laundry. It is good to know how to do it a least.

 

[firecracker22]

Strength and confidence are the key points to loading. I have loaded my own--I bragged about it for weeks, too--but I have also dropped it. I drive a Toytoa 4x4 with little puny tires but it's still kinda tall, and I have one of those ATV ramps that are really wide. I usually start the motor and slip the clutch to get it up there but I have done it once and spit the ramp out from under the rear tire! The front was still in the truck and I had the handlebars in my hands. Luckily, while I was standing on the ramp, I managed to land on my feet and the bike balanced on its cases on my tailgate. I pulled it out again and got it in there but I was kinda shaken. I had ridden the bike a total of 3 times at that point. But I have successfully loaded it more than once by just starting the motor, slipping the clutch, and walking beside it up the ramp. I usually keep it in my boyfriend's house (yes, inside) and there are 6 stairs up to the porch so now I just back up to the stairs. Way easy.

 

[bbbom]

Bike loading 101! ;)

We had a thread on this awhile back but not sure if it is still around.

FC22, I have watched many people spit the ramp out from under the bike - :eek: NOT FUN!! Glad you saved it.

My 3 fold ramp is now a 2 fold ramp from Karl riding his CR up it at Vantage. Seems the bottom rung was sitting on a rock and it caused the ramp to flop violently when he rode up. Broke the hinge on one side. We have decided that the 2 leaves are plenty and lighter to handle.

I load my CR500 into my F250 HD by myself regularly. I use a steel ladder type ramp( ATV type), now with two leaves. Aim the truck nose down an incline to let gravity help out. I get a very slight run at it and keep one finger covering the front brake. As the front tire gets to the tailgate, I stop the bike, walk up the ramp to the tailgate and push it the rest of the way in.

It looks harder to load a bike than it really is (to me at least). Make sure you can easily grab the front brake when needed, either by useing a wide ramp or two ramps or a ramp & a bucket. I like to be sure that I can stop the bike anywhere on the ramp it needed, but then I worry that I may miss a rung and snap my leg in two on my ramp.

The incline really helps. I had to load my KLX300 by myself last year with bruised ribs and it was a piece of cake with the truck aimed down the hill.

 

[dsmith]

bbbom:
Actually, I did just replace the main jet & WOW, the smoke factor is 80% less & it runs so much better. One thing I did learn about an 87 KDX200 is that the Mikuni carborator model doesn't have an air valve (little screw by the air intake). They installed that "feature" on the 1988 Mikuni carb. Gosh that sure would be handy to be able to adjust the air flow in the carb without moving needles up and down & replacing the jets, etc. - just the turn of a screw...
This last weekend I also learned that cleaning the carbon build up out of the exhaust system is a FILTHY job. I don't mind getting dirty at all & I have no fingernails, but the oil consistancy from the other bike issues I've had mixed with the soot was ooey-gooey. The spiral steel brush attachments for a drill work great, but I probably should have turned off the drill before actually taking the spinning gooey brush out of the end of the pipe - it pitted me with gunk. My husband thought it was quite funny. I wonder if carborator cleaner (what I had to use to remove the gunk from my skin) is good for the pores? I'm sure NOT!

 

[slideways11]

not yet

I swore that when our new bikes arrived I'd be working side by side with Tim while we pulled them apart, greased them and set them up. So far the only thing he's let me do is hold the measuring tape while we check the sag and only because he couldn't do it himself. He even gives me the evil eye when I handle the tools that came with our little YZ Hot Wheels toy. I have to admit, his reluctance to let me play with tools isn't completely unfounded. These days if he hears me going into the engine room looking for tools he comes running. I can still use the power sander without supervision as long as I'm just sanding the bottoms of my feet on the back deck.