Harley Owners

Not so long ago there was a saying about Harley owners. "The first thing a Harley owner does when he gets home is disassemble his bike."

Well, that's not so true any more, first, nowadays, it is quite possible there is no "he" involved. Secondly and more important, the bikes have changed over the years, computers, fuel injection, ABS, to name a few things. Quite a large number of owners never touch a tool today, the bike needs something it goes to the shop. The other issue is Today's Owners, unlike years ago, not everyone who owns a Harley is mechanically minded. In days past if you didn't work on your bike, you didn't ride your bike, and it didn't matter which company built it. When I owned my Triumph, when you parked it at the end of the day you worked on it. Today, bikes are more bullet proof and for the majority of the riders out there the after ride care needed is reduced to a sponge some soap and water. As late as the 70's and 80's after ride care was adjusting and lubing the chain, re-adjusting cables, if they made it through the ride without fraying and breaking, adjusting rear brake rod tension, adjusting or working on the carbs... The list went on. My old Honda and Yamaha seemed to always need something, the rule was ride it, break it and fix it.

Today, there is a larger diversification of owners and their backgrounds, Doctors, Lawyers, Financial Advisers, Secretaries, the list goes on. Many don't know a hex head from an allen head to a torx head. The Harley of Today is more of a plug and play device.

Still, many owners want to work on or know about their machines, and the Internet is one good source of information on "How To". Youtube alone has thousands of Do It Yourself videos. May I suggest though, if you want to, but are not sure how to do something and use Youtube as a source, watch more than one video, Sometimes there are a couple ways to do something and some are easier than others.

Another source of how to" is magazines, (yes, believe it or not, they still print and sell magazines). As for myself, I prefer the written word, especially when it also has pictures. It is easier when sitting on the ground, up to your elbows in motorcycle to lean over and look at something than to scroll through a video when you have a question.

One of my favorite DIY mags is "American Iron Garage". It includes instructions, tips, suggestions, and new and or old items and sources to acquire the items. Here is a sample, the winter 2014 issue has Tire Maintenance, belt adjustment, swap meets, how to read spark plugs, what tools to use, what to wash your machine with, Hot Roller install, center pegs install and the Arlene Ness Air cleaner install. Plus some simple tips on exhaust slip on install. 

The thing to remember is don't be afraid to work on your sled, all you need is the knowledge of how to do it, what tools to use to do it, how and where to find what you want to put on it, and most of all, the courage to try. You will be surprised with what you can do if you decide to do it, and doing it yourself, makes the bike more.."yours".