But it is wise to tinker in a clean, well-lit environment
Chaos never bears witness to craftsmanship. At most of genius. With some tools, peace of mind, good sense and the Internet you can go a long way. There are a lot of videos on YouTube about doing targeted Tinkering for beginners on countless types of cars and motorbikes.
The tension off
But some basic knowledge remains useful. When tinkering, for example, always first disconnect the battery cable, but first remove the ignition key and to be on the safe side. First disconnect the negative (-) pole and make sure that it can no longer make contact with the battery. If you start with the plus and your tools come into contact with the rest of the motorcycle (read: mass) you make a short circuit with all possible consequences. Then loosen the plus (+) pole. Then there can be no sparking misunderstandings while tinkering. And that tinkering starts with the battle cry "Left is Los". And so there was someone who did not even release a crankshaft nut after putting a one-meter pipe on his socket wrench as an extension ... Oops ... Right-hand thread.
Look at it that way: a crankshaft turns in a certain direction
With normal left-hand thread, the thread on the crankshaft would actually turn 'out of the nut' because of its intrinsic direction of rotation. When using right-hand thread, the crankshaft, in theory, tightens the nut or at least keeps it in place. Loosing nuts? Those are things you don't want. Falling bolts and nuts are not. They tend to be annoyingly stuck somewhere, hide themselves or otherwise cause nuisance. If they disappear in the gaps between frame and sheet metal, a treasure hunt with bright light and the shaking of the engine will help. And such a small magnet on an extendable stick. When shaking, such a bolt, washer or nut or washer with a bit of luck falls to the ground with a dry tap. Where it usually remains untraceable. But that may also be due to our example.
Is everything loose?
As a beginner, it is also nice to know that things can only be removed when all connections between them are loose. It is highly frustrating that the smooth lifting of the gas tank from the frame is suddenly stopped because the cable of the gas meter is still stuck.
Plastic lids and other hassle sometimes also get stuck on an unexpected extra point. Therefore, always remain calm and do not force anything. Because a broken mounting support on a lid can be more than a nuisance. And don't think that plastic parts are easy to find second-hand and cheap. After all, there is the law that the same parts of a certain type are always broken or missing.
When tinkering, we get stuck at some point with loose parts and mounting materials
This century has brought us the Holy Grail in that respect: Magnetic trays. Magnetic trays keep all things together and they also attach themselves to metal. It is about the only cheap things that come from China that function properly. Even more profit for (starting) keyers lies in the fact that every mobile phone is nowadays a fully-fledged photo and film device and the fact that those smartphones are almost stuck to our bodies. Use that thing. Take photos while working.
And when the things have to be mounted then there is a choice for luck, feeling or security
It is certain that people with key experience are reasonably good at tightening nuts and bolts 'tight enough'. But since our advertisers offer cheap torque wrenches (and lots of other greedy tools) correctly tightening nuts and bolts is no problem. Check out the tables that are floating everywhere online. If aluminum or stainless steel is involved, ceramic paste can be used. By applying grease to the screw thread you do lower the friction coefficient.
Keep in mind that if the tension force and flank diameter remain the same and the friction coefficient drops, the tightening torque must also be lower. You can therefore use grease on threads to protect against rust and other matters. but then you have to set your torque wrench at a lower moment. If you do not do this, you increase the tension on the bolt, which can lead to distortion. It actually has the same effect as tightening the case too tightly. Be careful with bolts and nuts that seem to have not been worked on for the first time. The thread in the light metal could have had a rough time. And taking Helicoils is just one step further. Just like what to do if a bolt or thread breaks off.
My father taught me that fallen nuts always hide under the rear wheel. If they are not there, take a look under the front wheel
One of the victories of modern times. Indeed, you will have them there. The magnet trays. When tinkering with Blauwtje no bolt or nut that still escapes.
That's how I started with dedication the R1150.
The black bolts that keep the 'tupperware' in place were neatly aimed into the magnetic tray and bounced out even harder! It turned out that the stainless steel bolts were in black disguise. Do you get that again… ..
Recent experience has taught idd that taking pictures can be very useful when, for example, restoring a set of (for me) complex carburettors. In my case of a Goldwing GL1100. If the project takes much longer than planned or planned, many details disappear over time, which fortunately are still on the photo and no longer clear in my memory. And if you have a different set due to some circumstances. Carbs has to buy and can do the whole party again, it turns out that there is a different kind of memory that is 'in your fingers'. 🏍