Top 10 Newbie Mistakes

[salty_monk]

Are you 25 stone? That's 350lbs...

If so I'd like to see a picture, could use a laugh!!

Buying a 550 and trying to spend a fortune to get the performance of a 1100. Either that or weighing in at 25 stone and wondering why your 550 won't top 100mph.

Wow, my 83 550 tops way over 100.

As a confirmed newbie I have to admit the posts made me laugh and cry. Laugh at how much work still has to be done, and cry at how much it will cost..... C'est la Vie.

[hampshirehog]

Another add:

n) Trying to work on the bike without the right tools and without a workshop manual... in particular impact driver, metric sockets and wrenches, feeler gauges, spark plug wrench...

.....and a dirty great big hammer...

[hampshirehog]

Buying a 550 and trying to spend a fortune to get the performance of a 1100. Either that or weighing in at 25 stone and wondering why your 550 won't top 100mph.

Another add:

n) Trying to work on the bike without the right tools and without a workshop manual... in particular impact driver, metric sockets and wrenches, feeler gauges, spark plug wrench...

[cowboyup3371]

Hey Ed, here's 10A especially since I just did it this week.

10A. Taking pictures of a teardown but not using those pictures when putting back together. Don't just search for the answer on the forum but also on your own computer/book.

Glad I found

this thread. There is a TON of info here so it is sometimes difficult to find. I know I've spent the last two weeks combing NUMEROUS posts to find info I'm looking for, but sometimes after all that it is difficult to find. I actually found this from some other newbie posting a question that was probably asked more than a few times. I kinda fell into that crack of buying a cheaper bike hopin to get some use out of it to save some gas money as times are very tight for me. I was actually going to get a new bike from '09 middle of last season that was still left over but couldn't get financed for the $4K so bought a $900 special instead But ran into charging system issues on the ride home that didn't appear to be there on the test ride. Test rode it about 25 miles and came back. Went home to mull it over and came back the next day to buy it and got about 15miles from where I bought it and had to duck walk start it after filling it up at the gas station That's what I don't understand is that it was fine for a 25mile test ride but wasn't after a 15 mile ride home. Think hit the high rev charging system detonation. Ah well. I've been on a few msg boards though and know some protocol so hopefully wont be seen as that bad of a newbie

Ed, add this to number 8...

And results in a fried ignitor, which for 450's in particular means lots of pain trying to find a rare working one and they're expensive if you can find one.

YES! Very true. ^^^

[pete]

Ed, add this to number 8...

And results in a fried ignitor, which for 450's in particular means lots of pain trying to find a rare working one and they're expensive if you can find one.

[spchips]

Whoops, I was doin pretty good til this popped up.

I know I am guilty of some of these. Did this one yesterday, only worse. Found a tube in my '79 1000, so obviously there was no valve stem. Pulled the tire off an old '82 650, just to get at the valve stem so I could put it in the other rim.

[Nessism]

Updated the list by adding more detailed information. Also added 1A.

[Buffalo Bill]

That'll never happen to me!

Thinkin' you'll never crash, or have a bad day. So you wear the minimum gear.
Remember, Real MEN don't need “mommy laws” , (read that term on this site. But what would be a daddy law? )

This is for 5th year riders:
You're only taking a short test ride, so you don't need no silly insurance and just swap the plates off a bike that is insured. $$$$$$

See: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=173548

Bill

Sig test...

Read my sig.

"You can't make the same mistake twice. The second time you make it, it's no longer a mistake. It's a choice."

I know it's been said already but clean your carbs COMPLETELY!

The same can be said about fuses. If your fuse blows again and again, find the short before placing another fuse in!