It's similar here Dave. This is a tourist area with lots of holliday homes. The most common problem is stale fuel in the carb (and occasionally mud wasp nests in the exhaust).

Every small town around here has a mower shop so the experience is really useful to me. Plus I can take home old machines and pull them apart if I want to see how they tick.

We get the occasional road bike in for repairs. That always creates a buzz. Both the guys I work with ride older style bikes - Kawasaki 400 And Honda 750. And the classic bike events at the GP track usually bring in people looking for odd bits and pieces for repairs on the run.

It's good fun.

I'm in my mid 30s by the way. I didn't really start doing any sort of mechanical work other than oil changes on a motorcycle until I was in my mid 20s.

I worked on stuff with my Grandpa when I was younger a bit. I always helped my dad with the oil changes back when I was a kid. Then at 17 I started working in my uncle's body shop and learned some more there. Now I've done a lot to the my jeep too lifted it locked the axles and all that goes with it. I had the dirtbike to work on growing up and some crotch rockets that I did the usual bolt ons. But this bike is the first one I've really torn into cutting welding and such. I just built my own sissybar a few weeks ago and that was a good example of learning. YouTube it then do it and see how it turns out.

like a lot of these guys, I startedwith  pushies when I was a kid. that and "helping" dad with little jobs on his aeroplanes. then he bought me a 2 litre cortina that needed anengine rebuild before I could drive it. learned a lot on that car. I did a diesel mechanic apprenticeship in a coal mine in  flinders ranges. when that ended I worked for an old boss there who'd bought a bush garage. I learned a lot there, too. Raced dirt circuit and bike, builts some street machines (350 powered LJ GTR Torana  and others ) after, moved to the city worked a few years in a 4wd workshop before a career change. I was never the best mechanic, but not the worst, either. while I was apprentice at the coal mine I bought a Ducati. I still keep it around and it reminds me of how hamfisted I could be back then. still runs great though. keep up the good work. maybe I'll have a chance to swing by and say gday some day.

Interesting stories.
Bstn, it's cool.. I was just goofing.

I bought my first car and Craftsman tool set in 1972.
Experience came a little at a time by doing what needed to be maintained or fixed. Working part time at a service station while in college helped.
But most of my learning came thru working on old Dodge and Plymouths that I have owned over the last 40 years. I've had about 20 of them, still have 6.
Motorcycles are new to me but I'm finding it easy to adapt over from cars to my 2004 Savage with the helpful tips in the SuzukiSavage.com Tech Section.

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 05/15/17 at 18:32:12:


It also had a straight 6 putting out (probably) less than 100 hp and a 3 speed trans. I would race my girlfriend that had a Geo Prism and she would win unless it was downhill. Top speed was maybe 85mph. You'd also smell like gas if you were in the car for more than a minute, it didn't have AC, and the black vinyl seats were cracking. At least it looked and sounded cool.  

Hey Fl Savage, funny you mention your years of working on Plymouth and Dodges. When I was kid, my father had a thing for 64-67 Chrysler Imperials and New Yorkers (Newports also). I menttioned my muscle cars in my post, senior year in HS I had a 1970 Plymouth Road Runner, 383 Magnum (335hp), factory Hurst 4 speed and the "Beep Beep" horn. My dad had a 66 Chrysler coupe with a 440 (350hp) under the hood, one of several he owned over years. Between the 2 of them, 685HP sitting in the driveway Always wanted to race him but he would have no part of it. Spent much time wrenching on both of them my senior year in HS and freshman year in college.

Both snarling beasts in their own ways, one just much more refined on the inside. My Lexus GS350 F-sport is over 300hp but the modern technology and refinements make it an ease to drive. The Road Runner pictured in Hagerty website, is exactly the same as mine as to color and vinyl top. Paid a even 1k for it in 1977, today it would be worth between 45-68K, wish I had held onto. Sold it after a couple years in college to pay my tuition.

Funny story, When I met my wife, freshman year, when I picked her up for first date I drove my mom's Ford Pinto. She didn't actually see the Road Runner until we had dated awhile. Years later after we were married (34 years this past Jan.) she told me she would have never dated me if she knew the kind of car I actually drove. She always complained she felt like it would do flips when she was in it, go figure.