Start Small

 

After some major frustration with several local dealerships I knew  I had to stop relying on other people to do the work I needed.
The first step was to start small. I was fortunate that my streetbike was a 2-stroke race replica, much easier to work on than a four-stroke.
I started with an oil change. I didn’t even have a wrench, so I went to the hardware store and made the best decision ever; I bought a large and expensive tool set. It was the best quality available and I still have some of them, over twenty years later.

So the first job was a simple oil change. Once it was done, I realized how easy it was. Next I did a drive chain and sprockets. Then an exhaust modification.

With each job my confidence grew. I was spending money on tools but that seemed like a good idea. I would rather spend money on tools than on a dealership fees.

Pretty soon I was ready for a major job. The engine needed an overhaul. Being a 2-stroke this was relatively straight forward. I bought a workshop manual and pulled the cylinders and replaced the pistons and rings. I did some minor repair work at the same time, and after a weekend getting greasy I was done. I learned more about my engine and gained a huge amount of confidence.

My bike was running great. I started doing track days, putting my faith in the machine, knowing that it was properly maintained.

Pretty soon I had another job, this time a dirtbike engine was running so poorly it would only start on a long downhill stretch. With worn piston rings it had so little compression no amount of kicking would start it. Again, with a little help from a workshop manual I spent a weekend and restored the engine. For $20 in piston rings I had a fresh motor that would have cost over $1000 at a dealership.

With this experience and a small investment in quality tools I had the skills and the confidence to tackle the next job. So I did. Next up was rebuilding a V-4 superbike. Then more dirtbikes. Then the fun stuff – a two valve Ducati with desmodromic valve actuation. After working on an ST2 and several different Monsters, I went back to a Suzuki v-twin. This time I did some modifications. I used a CNC mill to make some accessories, I modified a wider rear wheel so it would fit in the SV swingarm. New forks, brakes, clipons, various brackets and brake lines.

All this was easy. Too easy… So I replaced the SV with a Ducati 996…

Sure enough, the legendary Italian metallurgy struck and I had to rebuild the entire top-end. With the experience I had built up over the years I was able to do the work myself. I used quality parts and as always, after a weekend with a workshop manual the bike was in better condition than new for less than 10% of the cost the dealership quoted.

Pretty soon word got out, and now I was doing work for other people in addition to working on my own bikes.
I added 2 speeds to the transmission in my KTM and converted it into a supermoto racer. I did a complete restoration of my classic racer that had been in storage for 15 years. I built a few race bikes, restored a few dirtbikes and revived some street bikes that would have been totalled had I not offered affordable rates to replace an engine or three.

My current job is restoring a very rare and collectible Ducati 996SPS. With my previous experience working on Ducati engines this has been a fun process. Watching a huge collection of random parts slowly dwindle while the motorcycle slowly takes shape is very rewarding. A dealership would never offer a service like that, charging over $100 per hour would make a job like this laughable. But with a true love of the work anything is possible.