Webster

Tomorrow I'm heading off to check out a swap meet/motorcycle show called "Webster". It's supposed to be a pretty good sized event. I'm looking forward to it. It should be a nice ride out, approx. 50 miles or so, if nothing else.

Finished with Chasis & Suspensions (Harley)

I finished the chasis & suspension class on Friday. I scored a 96% on the final exam and finished the class out with a 91.6% and I still have 100% attendance in school.

The class consisted of removing and reinstalling swingarms, wheel bearings, lacing and truing wheels, removal and reinstalling springer front ends and adjustment, motorcycle alignment, brake system removal & reinstall and adjustment. There is probably a project that I'm missing. It was a busy class. The hardest project, without a doubt, was lacing and truing wheels.

Next week I start the Engine & Transmissions class. FINALLY I get to start the fun stuff. Next to the electrical class, I think this is the one that I'm most looking forward to.

Daily Update

Today we covered FL Springer front ends. Basically we take the front end off of a springer, take the bearings out, clean everything up and put it all back and adjust it. We also hit on the removal of the swingarm, removal and reinstalling the bearings of a Softail. We haven't started the lab section where we get our hands on these projects yet, that's not until next Tuesday but we did get to practice a little. It's not that hard. I also got to work on truing the laced wheel again. I hadn't updated about that in the old blog so let me fill you a little on that. Yesterday we had to work on lacing and truing a 40 spoke wheel. That means we had to build a wheel and adjust it so that it doesn't wobble or hop around on the motorcycle. If you've never done this, I'll fill you in........IT'S A PAIN IN THE BUTT!!!!

Today I had much better luck with it even though it took me 45 minutes just to get the wheel apart before I could start to build it again. We don't get our hands on brand new stuff too often around here. That being said, this is a school and this is training equipment we are using so you can imagine that it gets tore up pretty bad sometimes. Especially with a project like building a wheel. Some of the spokes looked like someone had clamped down on them pretty hard which is why it took me forever to get it apart. I started to rebuild it and it was going together great and then I ran out of time. I'll be working on it again tomorrow after our test.

I'm also supposed to tutor someone in Course 4, the electrical class, tomorrow afternoon if the coordinator told him I was going to do it. Oh.....yea. I forgot to mention that I was selected to be a tutor. It's nice to help people figure stuff out, especially with stuff that took me awhile to get myself.

Basic Training DONE!

I finished up Course 7B yesterday. It was the course that everyone calls "the computer class". It's where you learn all the dealership computer systems. It really was an easy class. I scored 100% on everything except the final exam where I missed 2 questions. One was a question about "how many steps in the service process" and the other was a question on........I can't remember what it was about. It was a real easy question that I just goofed up on somehow.

I finshed the course with a 99.2% and still rockin 100% attendance.

Next week I start up the Harley section of the program and after that I should be starting the BMW program.

I did get a few more of the tools I need to continue work on the Buell so I should have some more pictures from that at some point here in the next week or so as the engine continues to get tore down.

Course 7 DONE!

Well it's been a little while since I've posted but it's been a hectic last month with the holidays and all. Let's see, what's happened since then........

I finished Course 5 with an A. It wasn't an easy course.

I have also completed Course 7. What is Course 7 you ask? It's the final exam course of the basic training section of the school. They test you on everything you have learned to this point and I mean EVERYTHING. I saw some test questions come up that I forgot were in the book and they took me a while to find them in the book to see if they really did teach us that stuff. Along with the written tests, two of them were 50 question tests and the last one was a 100 question test, we had to do about 25 projects ranging from changing brakes to performing various electrical tests and we had to do so without help from the instructor.

So what did I score you ask?

On the first test I scored an 82. The second I scored a 93. The last test a 73. The last test, the 100 question test, was no joke...neither were the other two for that matter. I was really caught off guard by a lot of the questions. According to the instructor a 73 is actually just above the average score. The average score is around 60. The highest score on the final test in our class was 84 or 86.

With regards to the lab score portion of the class, all the projects, I scored about a 98. With a 100 in Attendance and 100 in Professionalism, my final grade in the class ended up being....................(drum roll)............... a 92.56!


My next step is Course 7B. It's the course that everyone calls "the computer course". Basically we'll cover dealership procedure stuff. Paperwork, computer applications, crash estimates......that sort of stuff. It should be cakewalk. If I can run a home theater install office with 12 employees and 7 stores of salesmen and managers, I think I can handle a little computer work.

Buell Project Update

Well progress is a little slow on it but that's because I'm waiting on some parts to come in before I get into the meat of this whole thing. Once I get rolling, I don't want to have to wait on a gasket.

I've done a few electrical tests on the bike but as it turns out I can't do em all yet. Harley has these special connectors in the electrical system and unless you want to run the risk of damaging something you have to use these special adaptors. Well they're on the way. More money. At least they're aren't special tools for this one particular model and I'll be able to use them on my Dyna too. I'm assuming, that's dangerous I know, that I'll be able to use them on any Harley from 2004 to 2007, at the least, since both the Buell's service manual and the Dyna's call for them to be used.

I'm about to remove the gas tank from the bike tonight and try to test a few more switches. Once the gaskets and such get here I'll really be able to get the ball rolling on this. After that it's just a matter of figuring out what really needs to be replaced and getting the money to buy the parts.

I've also discovered the cost of the tools needed to measure the cylinders and I just don't have an additional $1000 laying around right now so I think that part of the project might get put on hold unless it gets amazingly busy at work for a few weekends.

I think I've got more than enough to keep me busy till I get that far into it. Hopefully by then I'll have found some used tools somewhere cheaper.

Course 5 (week 3)

Well I got ANOTHER 100 on the test last Friday. I know you're getting tired of hearing that.

We've started our final projects for this class and so far so good. I had to do two tire changes which kicked my ass since I've just never had to change a motorcycle tire before. I did it in Course 2 a few times but that was nine weeks ago. I didn't forget how to do them but if you've never done something like that and don't do it again after you learn how you just don't develop those tricks to getting it done right and quick. I thought I pinched one tube but it turns out that because the rim was bent a little on it the normal air trapped in between the rim and tube was just getting out quicker and creating bubbles in the lube. I ended up redoing it anyway just to be safe so I didn't get hit with lost points. My other project for the day was carburetor identification. We basically have to take one apart and identify all the parts, what they do and how they do it then put back together correctly. It's not hard at all.

Today I think I have to do my 4 stroke engine stuff. I'm not sure exactly since they keep changing the schedule around. I'm not scared.

I still can't wait for January. Two more classes to go then we're done with the basic training program and it's off to Harley!!!!!