World's Longest 10K Service!

wagsrk08

If I can do it, you can do it! First time owner owner myself and started doing my own maintenance @ 10,000mi. Bought a J&S jack stand, Craftsman 131 peice socket set, star wrench set, oil strap wrench and all the service manuals. Nothing like doing it yourself. I've already paid off my tools from the servicing I've completed already. Due to my ABS system I can't bleed the brakes myself. Brake pads and new tires was very simple (even though I had an indy mount the tires themselves).

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2008 FLHR Vivid Black
ABS Brakes, Cruise Control
SERT, SE A/C, V&H Oval Slip-On's

Dr. Doolittle

Sorry Richard - and hello Cathy! Let me add to my post and ease your situation. What I did was routine service, otherwise known as preventive maintenance. I did not have to FIX anything. That would cause me to seriously consider my abilities and probably result in a call to a dealer or my indy. Also, I know a lot of what you're having done is electrical stuff and lights. Electrical mods still freak me out and I don't hesitate to let the experts take care of things in that area. There, did that help?


I couldn't get a good read on the condition of the pads when I inspected them so I had already bought a complete new set. Once I got the old ones off and cleaned up, there did appear to be a good portion of life remaining on them but I went ahead and put the new ones on - peace of mind for a couple years!


Tires/wheels are another area that scares me, in addition to the electrics i mentioned to Richard. I haven't had either wheel off by myself yet. Maybe someday when I'm totally bored and the weather is terrible I'll go out and do it just for fun!

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2008 Street Glide

RichardS

Good Morning Doc!

Again, my most sincere congratulations on diving in and getting so much done on your own with your bike!

Let me tell you why not everybody can do it though.....

Here's an example.

One of the things I'm having done to my scoot is the installation of triple light bars on the bags. (Yes, more of that "garbage barge" direction I'm going in as Lew mentioned! )
I bought those privately, at a little less than 1/2 the price of the Harley dealer, and at almost 1K list, that was a good savings. (ridiculously expensive for a couple rows of lights to wrap around the bags.)

The installation is straight-forward, and even though they are an electrical mod, as you mentioned, they are "plug and play", so that didn't worry me.

The new hardware necessitates taking all the existing guards off the bags and their adjoining brackets and "simply" bolting on the new guards with the correct mounts for the triple light bars and the bars themselves in place of the old stuff. Nothing complicated. Un-bolt, remove, replace, re-bolt. Done.

Simple, right?

I managed to strip the first mounting screw (which uses Torx screws but as I mentioned I have all the right tools so that was no problem) of the bracket mounted to the frame of the bike, and for the life of me I have no idea why. It seems like the Torx screws are welded into the bike, as I couldn't budge them by hand, and of course when I applied the Dewalt, (a mistake, and I knew that it was and did it anyway), the screw rounded out instantly.

That was THAT. Put the seat back on and gave the kit to the dealer to install with all the other stuff he's ordering for me.

So NOW, that is ANOTHER headache for HIM to fix, (getting that rounded out screw out), which will make the labor charge higher than if I just let him do it in the first place.

I know I'm "going on and on" about one screw but I am trying to illustrate just how BAD I really AM!

My Dad, who was always very proud of being a Marine, (I think about him a lot, and Vet's Day of course made me especially think of him yesterday), always said something to the effect of "A man's greatest strength is not knowing what he is GOOD at, it's being able to admit what he's NOT good at....he should know and recognize those areas where he has to ask for help. If he can't do that, he can't be in a position of command, ever."

Well, I may not be in a "position of command", but when I start stripping Torx screws five minutes into a simple "bolt-on" mod, it's time to ask for help!

Yes, I could have called Glider as I always do in situations like this and he would have helped me as he ALWAYS does in situations like this, but when that screw stripped out, I felt it was God's way of reminding me of what I'm "not good at", as Dad would have said.

Can an old dog learn new tricks? SURE! But this old dog just doesn't have the patience to do it, I guess!

I do have a LOT of nice tools though! Cat keeps talking about moving when I'm able to retire in a few years.....I'm thinking about looking at houses in Glider's neighborhood!

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Did the '60's really happen or was that a dream?

Dr. Doolittle

Richard, your Dad was a very wise man. You're doing him proud by living your life in accordance with his wonderful advice.

I have a similar philosophy as you when it comes to things around the house. I have very good intentions when I begin to troubleshoot or fix something but it almost always ends up with a much larger repair bill when they have to fix my screw ups before they even address the original problem! Just ask my wife about the washing machine fiasco a couple years ago! I've slowly learned to honestly assess the situation and immediately call for help if I see a disaster lurking in my future.

We all want to see pictures of your bike when it's "finished." By the way, where are you finding room to put the portable generator that'll run all those lights?

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2008 Street Glide

RetiredJake

Congrats on completing your 10K. I felt the same way about wheels and tires until I had a problem with the chrome coming off the rear sprocket. Had to pull the rear wheel to get the sprocket out for a full inspection and 'show & tell' at the dealers. Turned out to be very easy to do, just keep the spacers in order so you know how to reassemble it.

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Roaming the country, Tasting the wine,
Having fun, Life is good

RichardS

Doc, your post about the washing machine had both me and Cat laughing as she reminded me about our dishwasher debacle! We went up to the Sears "Scratch and Dent" store, where they sell, obviously, open-box items at a truly big discount. Our fridge that is sold in the Sears store for $2399 was $900 there....a little ding on the rear left side, which is completely hidden since it slided in between cabinets in our kitchen.
The dishwasher was a similar great deal. Regularly $999, it was in the "Scratch and Dent" store for $479, and only had a tiny scratch under the handle, which I ultimately buffed out anyway!
Well, at that savings I couldn't "give the money back" by paying for an installation, could I?
After all, it's just a power line and a feed line and a drain line, right? And I was pulling out an old dishwasher, so all the lines were in place already.
To keep a long story short, a flooded kitchen and melted electrical line later, (a miracle I didn't both burn the house down AND kill myself in an electric shock), I gave up and called the plumber, who because I had fried the wires made me call an electrician.
The install, which would have been SIXTY DOLLARS if I had contracted it at the time of purchase, wound up costing TWO HUNDRED when all was said and done, not including the purchase of a shop vac I ran out to buy to get all the water off the floor in the kitchen.

You can stop laughing now Glider!

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Did the '60's really happen or was that a dream?

Dr. Doolittle

I think I can hear him all the way down here in Georgia!

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2008 Street Glide

CatWoman

I guess we all have different talents that end of making us work together instead of being completely self-sufficient -- that kind of world would make it really hard on the economy!!! Plus, I'm not sure we would need a forum such as this!!!!

I guess when they say, as I thoroughly believe, 'The right tool for the job' that would include the individual running those tools!!

It is VERY GOOD to know ones limitations while at the same time, testing those limitation on different occasions.

I commend you both - Dr. D and Richard -

Ride safe and above all else, ride a safe ride

CatWoman

Polarbear

Wat to go Dr. D.!!!

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I'll get all the sleep I need when I'm dead!

smitty901

Glade you ask that one because I was thinking it . I did not know replacibg brake pads was a 10,000 mile serives. Inspect yes but replace that would be was to soon for me

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The Infantry leads the way