Bordering on dumb question

The only dumb questions are the questions that never get asked.
Your ignorance of bikes is a fixable condition because you are willing to ask and learn. Great !!! You're already ahead of the learning curve.
If the collective knowledge of this board can't solve your KZ problems then you will have stumped the biggest KZ brain trust on the planet....and I don't think that will ever happen.:laugh:

I must say I like Dan's motorcycle repair course.
Worth bookmarking

www.dansmc.com/

Thanks for the suggestions. I especially like the digital camera idea, the pictures in my mind never are quite as clear when the days go by.

I have both the Clymer and Haynes manuals. I bought the haynes because the clymer didn't have the oil capacity listed in it and I didn't feel like guessing. So I have two questions.

1) How do you get comfortable knowing that your work won't come unbolted while cruising down the road (usually without you knowing it happened)

2) Would getting the manual from Kawasaki add info or graphics that would be worth the expense?

the same way you know the work the mechanic that you paid to work on your bike wont leave you stranded,double check everything!the last time i ever paid a shop to do any major repair work for me years ago(front end rebuild)left me in an unbelievable tank slapper at around 100mph on a bridge over the missouri river! :ohmy: :huh: :dry: :blink: :S :blush: somehow managed to close my eyes and stay off the brakes long enough to pull it out of my arse and slow it down before stopping on side of road looking for my heart!:laugh:

a

Confidence in your mechanical abilities comes with experience. Get the manual and take a whack at it. If your not sure ask someone on here and they will very kindly let you know. That's one of my favorite parts about this site is that everyone is so respectful. I am only 21 but I started wrenching when i found an old lawnmower in the back of a shed when I was 12. After I tore it apart and tried to put it back together it didn't work. Several broken, rebuilt, and later modified, Briggs and stratton engines later I know them like the back of my hand. Of course those engines are incredibly simple versions of of motorcycle engines I got the idea now and can confidently work on motorcycles.

Some things I have learned over the years.

1. Always put bolts back into there holes as your disassembling.
2. Keep your tools, parts and shop clean. Everything is just so much easier this way.
3. Try and find a picture of what to expect inside of whatever your working on first.
4. Trust your instincts. If it doesn't feel right there is a reason. If that bolt is hard to turn in make sure its not cross threaded, if it seems like its not fitting maybe its because there is something in the way.
5. Ask questions. Lots and lots of questions. Ask questions until people get tired of answering them and tell you to stop.
6. Allow for twice as much time as you think it will take. This way you can take your time and still feel good about getting done ahead of schedule.
7. If its broken or going be broken shortly do it right and fix it.
8. If it ain't broke don't screw with it. (My personal must broken rule)
9. Finally, double check everything.

Hopefully that helps get you started.

stallau wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions. I especially like the digital camera idea, the pictures in my mind never are quite as clear when the days go by.

You're quite welcome. I wish I could say it was my original idea, but it's not.

1) How do you get comfortable knowing that your work won't come unbolted while cruising down the road (usually without you knowing it happened)

Get thee a pair of torque wrenches. One will do foot-pounds for the big stuff like axle bolts and the other, smaller, will do inch-pounds for the more delicate fasteners. The latter is important because you want the fastener tight enough, but you don't want to over tighten a steel bolt into aluminum threads. Doing so will result in becoming familiar with another tool--the heli-coil kit. :S

2) Would getting the manual from Kawasaki add info or graphics that would be worth the expense?

Yes, yes. While three manuals may seem confusing, you'll have three ways of looking at a given procedure, each from a different point of view. You'll also be secure in the knowledge that if there is a conflict of info, the factory manual is the final word.

Knowledge is power.