Grew up on a farm in MN...pretty much grew-up w/ wrench in hand...watching/learning from dad. Over time you get to know how tight things are by "feel." Of course, when working on engine casings/internals, there are specific torque specs to follow and that's where your service manual comes in handy. You're off to a good start, just get in there and get your hands dirty.

 

You guys have no idea what kind of a relief this is, I always feel or fear that my bike is so fragile that it's made out of play-doe but it's not and I have to remind my self time an time again that it can take a lot more, it seams I can't get perfection and worst case scenarios out of my head but I'm glad I'm not alone. But the fact that others have learned definitely encourages me to learn - all in all the park one goes on one way right?

 

There she is btw the source of all my joy and sorrow

 

Schwing! Sweet bike ya got there - ride-on!

 

Anton, I know how you feel. I've got 32 years military and still at it. Like you, I've been to a bunch of crappy places, done some crappy things, along with the good times that keep me going. First of all, stick with it. You can overcome these tough times and come out better than you went in. I know that from experience. I'm not going to tell you what to do with medicines because we are all different and I don't know you. I wish I did. I had to take some medicine for awhile and I improved because of it. Now all is well and I don't need it anymore.

The way I started, granted a long time ago, was to pick up stuff that people didn't want anymore. Plenty of folks have an old lawnmower, chainsaw, weedeater, etc that doesn't work anymore and they just want out of their shed. I just took them apart slowly and looked at all the parts as they came out. I figured out how they worked together, making up how the entire machine worked. That also gets you more familiar with what you can do with the tools...gets your hands used to how they feel. I would try to get the machine working again, with mixed results, based on the condition when I started. Before long, I picked up stuff that had worked recently and figured out how to get it going again. As I learned, my success rate improved. Like others have said, having a manual is the key to working on the expensive stuff that gives you that feeling in your head. Once you learn your abilities and your tools, the manual will give you the knowledge to put it all together. I don't do anything without a manual or detailed instructions.

You and your confidence will grow. I started when I was a teenager and was doing fairly large jobs on cars within a couple years. I only got into motorcycles about 4 years ago, but picked them up fairly quick. The local bike shop has an 85 Nighthawk that's complete, but not running. I want to get it from him and see what I can do. I just need more time now.

Like I said, you can do this. It's not easy, but it's worth the journey. I pray for you and all of our brethren every day, hoping all of us can navigate the tough times and be better for them.
Regards,
Jim

Edit: You posted the pictures while I was typing. Awesome looking bike. Enjoy!

 

the first wrench I turned was on my mini bike motor {briggs @straton) from a lawn mower it's basically just the same. You can probably pick up a bad BS motor take it apart and stare @ it till you understand what each part does and it could be a fun way to waste a raining morning. I have never regretted using a torque wrench but I have never earned a living w/wrenches .I am never in a hurry (retired) and enjoy doing my own work. Between the forum and you tube you can learn what you need. Thanks for your service and good luck.

 

There are some pretty good guys and gals on this forum, no?

Practice on the smaller things and gradually build your confidence and don't forget to pat yourself on the back a little when you do it right. Everything is fixable.

 

When I got back from Vietnam, I pretty much withdrew from the world, never read a paper, never watched the news, until I heard the war was over in 1975. Wasn't till around 20 years later that I found out we actually pulled out in '73. Missed most of the war, and didn't learn much about it till I started reading about it on the internet. I thought I was unaffected at the time...

What I did do was ride, just about whenever I had the time. Didn't even have a car sometimes. That lasted about 3 years, and then got married and started living what might be considered a more normal lifestyle - but still usually had at least one rider and one or more project bikes. Bringing a neglected bike back to life was a calming exercise.

I've worked on 100's of motorized equipment and vehicles from chain saws to Boeing 747s, and all that wrenching did give me a good feel for torque, but also gave me the opinion that if you want perfection, you'll use a torque wrench. The small stuff is probably more critical, too; it's real easy to strip a Harley primary cover screw, but you'd be a real gorilla to strip an axle nut. But you don't want that axle nut too loose, either. I've checked at least 5 cheap Harbor Freight torque wrenches, and they were good enough to put you in about any torque range spec. Sears seem to be good, should be better than HF, cost a lot more. A really good quality 3/8 drive torque wrench, in the near $100 range, is a good idea; you can check the other size cheap ones against it to get a ballpark idea of how accurate they are.

If you take a screw or bolt out of your Harley, and it's hard turning all or most of the way out, try to swap it with a similar size piece that turns normally, and if the tightness follows that piece, replace it, it's probably been over torqued and the threads are stretched, easy to do. It's not unusual for a screw like that to break when you try putting the recommended torque on it. Make sure you clean any loctite off the threads first, that can feel like binding, too. You'll probably run into one of these one day - a bolt turns maybe a half turn out, and just seizes. You'll often strip threads if you force it. Turn out till it's tight, turn back in till it gets back into the tight range, repeat and repeat, getting just a bit more out each cycle till it gets free of the bind. I've actually taken over an hour to remove a bolt this way out of some very expensive equipment; bolt ruined, of course, but with just a thread chaser to clean out shaved metal, the bore threads were saved.

You have a lot of allen head and torx screws on a Harley. I have socket sets of both kinds, easy to use a torque wrench with, but some just can't be reached with a socket, so there you have to be careful. Allen wrenches with the rounded heads you can slip in at an angle are real handy, too. Always make sure a torx bit fits firmly; a couple sizes feel close, but will strip out if you try the wrong one.

You'll get a lot of opinions about loctite and antiseize use. My rule of thumb, and it's served me well, is blue loctite on the smaller stuff, red on the high ft lb hardware like sprocket bolts and the two big nuts you'll see when you pull the primary cover off. Antiseize on hot motor hardware, nuts used with cotter pins, and coat axles so they don't rust to the spacers - same for the swingarm pivot bolt.

You're not alone, many vets have/had issues. Read about depression, learn the symptoms, and when you get angry, frustrated, down - compare how you feel to those symptoms, and at least talk to a close friend or another vet if you get a bunch of "that's me" answers. Depression can drag you into a weird world.

Lot of guys on this forum willing and able to answer Harley questions, and some good guys to chat with; run into some you'd like to throw rocks at, just ignore them, always someone like that in any large group. Lot of vets on the forum, too, and we probably understand you better than your family. Run into bike problems, feel frustrated, just ask here, someone should have the answer or point you in the right direction.

Only crazy person... ask my neighbor that saw me spinning in circles in the snow with my sidecar rig last month.

 

First, Welcome Home Brother!
Second, you're among thousands of vets who started out the way you're going now.
I like to set a mood when I'm wrenching- my generation music is The Doors, Jimi, and Janis.
I sometimes like to nurse a beer and get to feel the moment.
When threading a plug, wiggle it a little as you do and the threads line up perfect down hand tight. Then give them a little torque at a time just enough to push down the washer..I choke up on the ratchet so I don't reef down to hard-just snug.
I use the torque rule of "tight and 1/4 turn", it works along the side of the road in the dark- BTDT.
Have you though of joining a vet club?
Brotherhood is good medicine, and pick up some cool bike tricks along the way.
Just don't let it rattle you, you're part of a huge family now of vets that ride!
Youtube has some great "how to" videos on any subject.
http://www.militarybikers.org/clubs.htm
https://www.combatvet.org/

 

That's a nice looking Dyna you got there son, looks like you need to concentrate more on detailing than wrenching.
My old '93 FXLR was like that, really appreciative of good detailing session, 50k miles and never let me down. Wish I still had that bike.