Anything worth doing...
 

Anything worth doing is worth doing twice, at least for me sometimes. I'm all in for doing your own wrenching, but I have to be fair and admit when things doing always go as planned.

There's been a few projects on my bike that I had to go back and redo a second time because I wasn't happy with it, and most recently it was the fuel filter. I installed a new filter kit a couple weeks ago which is a bit of a job - siphon out the gas, remove the tank, pull out the fuel pump assembly. I didn't have a good replacement for the factory crimp-style clamp, or the right tool. I ended up using a worm-style hose clamp, which didn't fit right at all, and barely fit back into the tank.

Ever since, I've been imagining breaking down on a back road in Nowhere, USA. So last night I did it all over again. This time with stainless steel wire, and it came out great. It also only took half the time...it's always quicker the second or third time, I've learned.

There's been a couple other projects that I had to go back and redo to make 'em right. I told my wife, either I'm a pretty good mechanic (making it right) or a pretty bad mechanic (redoing it...).

Ok there's my confession. Who's with me? Ever have to do things more than once?

I like tearing it apart 4 or 5 times. I judge jobs by beers, why do a 2 beer job when you can do an 8 beer job.

I thought doing it twice was normal...................:D

The beer is what makes me have to do it twice. If I would just wait to drink until the bike is fixed.

I lost my patience doing things many years ago...in fact, I'm not sure if I ever had any. But now, I let others that have the know how and tools to do things, that I know I'll just screw up.

I read the manual, buy the parts, watch a youtube video, re-read the manual and then do it twice.

It because of this that hardware store thrive.


Sometime I get lazy and do a half-ass job. It eats away at me to the point I have to do it all over again to make it right.

:icon_that:

We must be brothers of a different Mother.

Sure sounds like me.

Have to read a couple of product reviews also.

Bruce

This, but I usually post a thread about it too. That way I'm sure I have all of the necessary information to ensure that I f&*^ it up properly.

I just put Progressive 970's on my CVO. The reservoirs mount on the bag guards, and the hose feeds between the bag and side panel. I screwed with the reservoir mounts for hours trying to get the correct angle. No matter what I did, I could not get the hose to not contact the front corner of the bag.

I called Progressive this morning and was told they won't fit on a CVO. I ask him what the difference is between a CVO and a Special regarding the front of the bags and the bag guards. He could not answer my question.

Revzilla showed these shocks as working on a 2016 FLHXSE. Either something is different on the CVO (I don't think there is), or these shocks don't fit very well.

Now I have to take the shocks back off today. I have to remove the bag guards and take them to powder coat because the mounts marred the finish. I have to buy new shocks, and the bike will remain on the stand until I get them and the bag guards back.

Yeah, I hate doing things more than once. Especially when the part was supposed to fit.

Back in the day it was not how long it took to get somewhere but how many beers. Young and stupid...

When I got Custom Dynamics LEDs for the rear of my bike, I had to run the wires through the fender & back to the tail light. I didn't realize this going in, and I didn't have heat shrink on hand, so I used some wire loom, which isn't waterproof. It was a real bugger getting everything apart & back together.

Of course I knew it was going to get wet and really needed to be put in heat shrink, so I took everything apart and did it again a couple weeks later.

Finally done, satisfied with it. About a month later one of the lights isn't working, so I take a look and find one of the wires came out of place and got rubbed raw by the tire. Crap! So this one was done 2-1/2 times.

I am getting there myself. I like my weekends without any chores or honey -do lists planned. If I do anything anymore, it is on a whim, and I am not in a hurry. :)

I replaced the clutch on my Shovel once. When I was done, I saw something tiny on the floor under the bike. It was the shaft key.

Yup. Cut from the same mold.

rk classic.

I can imagine your expression when you saw that. Did you throw anything or just curse to the Gods?

I have done a lot of my work twice. My judge is usually if I go to bed and either have a hard time going to sleep thinking about something I did or have a dream about it I go back and redo it. I think the only job I did once was putting my bored cylinders and new pistons on. I figured if I did something wrong there I'd be just as likely to do it wrong again and there was no real way to check it other than the compression tests.

Just mild cursing. I just pulled it all apart again, installed the key, and buttoned it up.
Lots faster the second time.

My issue is that I second guess myself. Did I torque that down correctly? Did that gasket seat right? Was that put back on correctly? Are you sure it's supposed to look like that?

" Who's with me? Ever have to do things more than once?"

Yes. I hadda photograph my '72 Strat on my bike twice so it would look as good as yours!

Haha I hear ya :)

Ha ha, that's awesome!!

Did 'WAY more wrenching on racing outboards back in the day. Once I rebuilt 2 engines, bored cylinders, new Wiseco pistons 'n rings...but didn't fatten up the jets quite enough. 10 minutes later, well, you can guess. A very expensive lesson!

Now, at my age, it's all I can do to change my oil. But I still believe in that great American saying:

"If it's worth doing, it's worth OVERdoing!".

One of my favorite quotes goes like this. "There's never enough time to do it right. But there's always enough time to do it over."

Hurrying while putting on a rear tire.
Third time was a 'charm'.

I would have the wheel laying right, then I'd turn it over so I wouldn't
scuff the Chrome sprocket.

Enough to make me run screamin' into the night................:icon_viking:

The total number of motorcycles, cars, trucks, and aircraft I've wrenched on would be in the hundreds, and dozens of odds and ends including a steam powered railroad switch car converted to diesel, too. I have no idea how many times I had to redo something, but I'm sure it would be double digit. Sometimes it's not your fault; with all the thousands of parts I've replaced, I had a few that failed immediately from manufacturing defects. I can say this though, I've fixed a lot more mistakes other people made than my own.

Seems like when I start turning wrenches Mr. Murphy likes to join in. He'll strip a nut, bugger some threads, always something.
Glad to know I'm not alone.

Honestly, I learn more when something doesn’t go together correctly causing me to go back and do it again. If I don’t pick up the little tricks the first time, what good was the job.

Well now I don't feel so bad after reading these responses. I was really thinking I need to back away from the bike and put the tools down.

"If it isn't broke, fix it until it is!"

Happens to the best of us. It's the ones that never get it right that I not only want to tell them to put the tools down. I want to tell them to put the tools in the tool box and then weld it shut.

Put the motor back together after doing some gaskets to find out that the parts guy gave me o-rings for the head dowels that were too thick.

Bolted up and turned the motor without the plug wires plugged in to make sure all's gravy before firing on it and felt air hitting the side of my leg. The chamber didn't seal. I was outside, it was dark already. I was bummed. Got drunk and fell asleep.

Woke up the next morning and fixed it. I can pull the tank and head off in like 30 minutes now so it helped me get faster if anything.

It used to bum me out when I ****ed shit up whether it was my fault or not but as I do more and get older, I realize it's just part of wrenching. If things worked out perfectly all the time and nothing ever got bumble****ed, everyone would be doing all of their own work. Break, fix, break again, fix again...repeat.

When I got the '17 FLTRXS, I ordered the Jaybrake Forwards the first thing.
On the Dennis Kirk site they had two models listed that would fit the M8, so I ordered the set like I put on my '16 FLHXS.

The forwards didn't exactly fit, so I modified them so they would fit.
I found out later that a new model was available for the M8 that had been changed slightly, hence the two numbers.

To be fair to DK, they did offer to swap with me, but I didn't want to have to change them and install another set.

And they could have marked the set I ordered for '14-'16 Touring only.......:icon_naughty:

I get more pissed following up someone elses shoddy work. As for multi trip repairs, plumbing has got my number. I can never seem to get the right fittings the first time. I hate losing a fight to a repair so I just keep at it.

Roasted my stator, cheaped out and got a used one that lasted for a month (better than not riding I guess). Got to do it all over again with a new unit the second time.

Probably like the welds used by Altrider's engine guard bars...