Is there any school (preferably english speaking) that offers a course for adults that is a bit shorter (maybe 1-2 years?) and the school happens on Saturdays? Thank you very much in advance to your help!
My plan is to attend a motorcycle mechanic course, however, I can only find school for children here (in Zurich canton), and they are normal schools so they study during weekdays and it's 4 years long.
Basically, no.
Tom
Thank you very much for the quick answer!
Why not check YouTube? Many videos available about this topic.
I learnt to strip down (car) engines etc using Haynes Manuals.
Youtube definitely makes it easier with colour videos rather than the old black and white photos in the books.
Thank you very much! I actually bought an old motorbike (Honda cm 125 t back from 87) and I also have a Haynes manual to it and I would like to restore it. But I would like to do everything very precisely and 'according to the book'. That's why I would like to do a course, like what to pay attention to, how things should work exactly etc etc. I've also checked some youtube videos, but not everything (polishing, painting, electronics etc etc) so yeah Tons of things to learn!
But you are right, trial and fail would work too.
Haynes Manuals are pretty good. They include torque wrench settings and also mention faults and how to fix them.
I seem to remember there was more pass than fail. Actually a lot more pass.
A good tip when taking things apart is to use a smart phone and photograph every stage before and after.
Another tip is to get a load of freezer bags with an area on the bag on which you can write. Get some zip ties too.
When dismantling an assembly, clean all the screws, springs and so on that you have removed and put them in a bag, label what they are for and zip tie the bag to the assembly. You may need several bags per assembly.
It may seem too fastidious but trust me, if you do it - you'll thank yourself later.
Find an OEM service manual on flea bay, we even got one and a parts book for the '81 RS125. Far better than Haynes, though I have a bunch of those too. But OEM is best.
Tom
P.S. Or you can come down to Lugano on Saturdays and be my grunt. Current projects are getting my friend's '74 750 S ready for MFK in three weeks, which includes replacing parts of the distributor as one of the spring posts broke off, but I have a spare, then collecting and fixing the RS125, no Idea what the problem is, and pulling the engine from my LMIV sidecar, to find and fix the leak. No way I'll have that ready by the October MFK appointment, so I'll take it off the road until spring.
Oh, and I have to replace the muffler on the Panda, also forOctober MFK.
Haynes uses lots of kludge approaches. I suggest you also get the Clymer version. And sometimes it also help to get two point of view how something could be done. While not exactly for the CM 125 T but the CM 250 T it still has a lot of valuable. In addition the bikes are apart from motor nearly identical
https://haynes.com/en-us/honda-motor…0t/1980-1982-0
Instead of fiddling with bags I suggest to use boxes: https://www.bauhaus.ch/de/regalux-cl…-mini-22790536
Bigger issue will be tools. If you start this hobby you will start to collect them. Get good sockets (for any thing six sided I suggest Wera. Their hex keys are phenomenal). Alos know when to use a Pozzidrive instead a Philips Screwdriver. Wera makes also good screwdrivers and bits, but as a Swiss there is just no way around PB Swiss screwdrivers.
You might read on the internet, that you need special Japanese screwdrivers for the carburetor, in particular from Vessel. But in all honesty, they are not needed when you have otherwise good screwdrivers from a Wera or PB. However, if you have shitty, cheap screwdrivers the one from Vessel will make a big difference. Note: There also, shitty expensive screwdrivers like the one from Hazet which is otherwise a good brand.
You can also just grind down the tips, as that is the only real difference. And I do have some Vessel bits, and five torque wrenches.
In any case, I replace all such screws with imbuss drive ones.
Tom
Yes, those are known to be better.
And plenty of great videos on Internet these days, use them often myself when dealing with new projects.
Tom
Having the OEM service manuals around is a definite plus. You can often find parts diagrams, part numbers and schematics that save you tons of time. You may also find that the manuals are written for service technicians and assume a certain level of mechanical knowledge or experience which you may not have yet. Or that the service manuals reference the use of special service tools which are not readily available to you. Having a variety of publishers and books on hand is not unreasonable.
YouTube is an amazing resource for such things. So are the discussion forums. It could be there is a forum dedicated to your particular bike. I find the forums to be a super concentrated source of information and helpful people.
PB do some other cool tools too. One of my favourite shops is Kull-Laube in Wettingen. Just walking around is very instructive. Reading a couple of Haynes manuals for the first couple of rebuilds you do is a good into before moving on to factory manuals as suggested.
Basic polishing and finishing skills are useful, with a systematic use of abrasives, followed by reading a book on metals and heat treatment. Get a lathe, or just use and electric drill in a vice and files and hacksaw to make parts from bits of old metal, broken bolts. For a suitable book on metals, polishing and heat treatment you could do a lot worse than to read: Donald de Carle Practical Watch Repairing. It gets you into the mindset that you can make any part yourself.
Play with fibreglass, filler, adhesives, spray filler, and various grades of wet/dry paper. Unbelievable results with spray paint cans are possible if you let the paint harden off for a week or so.
Stefan Gotteswinter on youtube shows how to measure and use tools systematically, and sometimes he makes motorcycle parts, like CX500 turbo impellors.
Yes to both. I also have a set of PB fondue forks.
I also have a lot of special tools, some home made.
Tom
Thank you very much for the info!!!
I actually bought this ( https://www.bookdepository.com/Honda…850103592)bookbook) (it also has CM 185T in it, just maybe an older version of it?).
And yeah instead of bags I used lunchboxes I know it’s not the best, but it does the job, although, I will need to change to a bigger one, because there are some bigger bolts that don’t fit in them.
Thank you very much! In terms of screwdrivers, I only have a few that I bought from coop bau & hobby, it does the job but yeah, they are not the best, but I will upgrade them and thank you for the recommendation!!!
OP, you're new here, but from years on this forum I get the impression that Tom (st2lemans) is a true, dedicated expert. When I first read your post looking for a course, my immediate thought was: "You need to spend a few weekends with Tom!". So, in your shoes, if you can find the time, I'd grab this opportunity that he's offering.
Yeah, it's a great opportunity! Sadly we live too far from each other and it's not feasible (3 hours one way by public transport, or 250km one way), which is quite sad, but maybe one day!
Most important thing is to have a work space. I have several rented elcosed garages, one is purely for storage, one mainly for working and has a bike lift (very important if you are over 30), and one mainly for too'tls and a few bikes.
I don't have mains power, but I do have a generator for the compressor and such, also a parts washer.
Tom
Btw: If you can read German one book the apprentice will use is the “Fachkunde Motorradtechnik”, Vogel Verlag. It is less about how things are fixed, but how things work and are designed. If you know how it should work you can deduct what is broken and has to be fixed. It also helps you to spot all the bulshittery which is going on online forums. Too many people who just repeat what they have picked up from other w/o understanding the background. (There might still be errors in the book).
As you asked for a mechanical course see Dan’s Online Motorcycle Repair Course . He has some valuable inputs which can save you a lot of money, special 24. Homework.
As you have a bike with carburetors you might also have a look into the Haynes Book, “Motorcycle Carburetor Manual” by Pete Shoemark.
If you are not a sparky and have no idea if current is measured in Volts or capacitance in Amperes you might also have a look into
“Haynes Motorcycle Electrical Manual”, or “How to Troubleshoot, Repair, and Modify Motorcycle Electrical Systems”.
I would suggest getting a bike to ride daily, you need the breakdown, fix, ride, tweak, ride tweak loop to know what will and won't work. Could be anything. Look on Ricardo, order by price ascending. Ideally something common cheap, so you can meet others and ride, tweak, ride.
The danger is that you do far too much to this bike, fix what isn't broken, you as a beginner vs the person that built the bike I would bet on them. Find really broken things to fix before doing a full resto. Unless you are just stripping the bike into engine, wheels frame tank for repaint. That level resto is OK for starters. Don't start pressing out the big end bearing if you don't have to.