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Maybe the alignment is out?
Maybe the alignment is out?
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Bikes, cars, mechanics etc.
- Thread starter badjak
- Start date
blades
Senior Member
It's a possibility. Usually that shows up in uneven tread wear on the tires. The tires are normal. It's probably worth a checkup, though.
blades
Senior Member
Mercury is a brand of automobile made by Ford. The brand no longer exists. Beater is an American slang term referring to an old car with little value. I bought the car 22 years ago and it still runs very well except for the ride bumpiness. It is also in good cosmetic condition with 84,000 miles on the odometer. I've been waiting for it to fail so I can replace it. It has been a long wait. This suspension problem may be the breakthrough.
blades
Senior Member
While alignment can be a factor my next step is to replace the shock absorbers. Since the ride problem appears to be vertical bumpiness I'm betting on the shocks. Interestingly I got a quote to replace all four shocks. The number was $750 which is out of the question. So I ordered new shocks from Rock Auto for all four corners of the suspension for a few pennies less than $68. I should be able to get the job done myself in a couple of hours. I'll have to get a front end alignment after the replacement work. After that quote I begin to wonder why I'm not in the auto repair business.
So nice to be able to do the work yourself.While alignment can be a factor my next step is to replace the shock absorbers. Since the ride problem appears to be vertical bumpiness I'm betting on the shocks. Interestingly I got a quote to replace all four shocks. The number was $750 which is out of the question. So I ordered new shocks from Rock Auto for all four corners of the suspension for a few pennies less than $68. I should be able to get the job done myself in a couple of hours. I'll have to get a front end alignment after the replacement work. After that quote I begin to wonder why I'm not in the auto repair business.
People used to ask me WHY? I had a Royal Enfield Himalayan but the fact is being able to repair your own bike is so valuable.
Absolutely, but I'm convinced that no-one is like Leonardo da Vinci, who was an ACE at everything!!
I'm good in the garden, in the kitchen; over the years, I've studied hard and worked out how to change a lightbulb, but anything mechanical (especially cars, bikes, etc.) is about 1,000 light years away from my tiny brain.
I admire anyone who can stick their head into a motor, fiddle around for 10 minutes and then say : " It's obviously the sprocket attached to the thingy pump, and the gadget is leaking, so we need to recalibrate the whotsit and use 20:50 instead of 5:40"
I just pay them to do it!
I dunno I think with car and bike mechanics it’s one of those things your relatives often give you by passing on the knowledge.
Though some people do seem to just be brilliantly mechanically minded.
Being the eldest child I had to hold things and pass tools from a very young age and whilst I did that my dad explained what things are, what can go wrong and how to fix them.
He’d demonstrate what things should sound like and what they sound like when broken.
He’d explain how to diagnose a problem using a process of elimination starting with the most likely (and cheapest, easiest to fix) cause. That’s been extremely handy over the years.
He also didn’t want to spend his spare time fixing my knackered old mini so he’d explain what to do and armed with your trusty Haynes manual off you went hoping to fix more than you broke
But now I’m older and getting a bit ragged round the edges I’ve decided I am going to pay people to do some of the heavy lifting cos recently fitting a new kitchen floor really wrecked my thumbs.
Nothing wrong with leaving difficult or specialised tasks to the experts!
Herbaceous
Über Member
Yes, I believe some people are just mechanically minded.
I dunno I think with car and bike mechanics it’s one of those things your relatives often give you by passing on the knowledge.
Though some people do seem to just be brilliantly mechanically minded.
Years ago I was running a small-scale bicycle repair and rental service as part of my job (I’m a terrible mechanic myself, but I administered the program). I was looking to hire 2 part-time bike mechanics for the summer, but the pool of applicants was a bit thin. I also happened to be holding a workshop on bike repair, focusing on bottom brackets (the bit where the pedals and crank arms attach).
I had a student who had worked for me, but in a non-mechanical role before, attend this workshop. She was amazing at it. She picked things up SO quickly - the instructor demonstrated how to repack a bottom bracket, and my student watched, then happily disassembled a bottom bracket, cleaned all the parts, and repacked it. I ended up hiring her for one of the mechanic jobs. She wasn’t sure if she should take it since her experience was so limited, but I convinced her and she rocked it. She really just does have that natural mechanical aptitude.
She’s working full-time as a bike mechanic and running her own repair/rental service today!
blades
Senior Member
Many years ago I bought a war surplus military Indian Chief motorcycle brand new. It arrived in the original crate and was covered in cosmoline. I built it into a nice looking street bike without any help but with a lot of advice and input. It was unpleasant to ride compared to more modern bikes of the era. I sold it a few months after finishing it and replaced it with a new 1970 Yamaha 650. I rode the Yamaha all over the Western U.S. with one trip from Portland Oregon to El Paso Texas. Royal Enfield bikes are still being made. There are several dealers in the U.S.
I was actually a little angry at the outrageous quote to replace the shocks in my Mercury. The new shocks will arrive next week. I think I will show the $68 bill to the repair shop when I go for the front end alignment.
Well that's a lovely story
Nice.
The Japanese bikes just blew the competition out of the water when they arrived didn't they! I have a Suzuki GSF 1250 and that is the smoothest ride I own by a mile.
Bet the Indian would be worth a few pennies now?!
Yer my Himalayan was a new one (back in 2018) but they're still a basic bike you can work on yourself. Has to be cos the Indian market expects to be able to fix things themselves. People were rude about it because it's only 24.5 bhp
My BMW I wouldn't work on, it has the canbus system which even bmw mechanics hate. Even changing the battery on the rninet involves half stripping back the bike.
Not surprised you were annoyed at the garages price, it was eye watering.
Maybe they know something about how long the jobs takes on that particular vehicle?
blades
Senior Member
They can do the job in half the time I can. They have proper lifts and I'm saddled with a jack and jack stands and only two hands. I can't see anything particularly time consuming in the job. We will see how it goes. I have no idea what a military 1944 Indian is worth. I can say it wasn't worth much in terms of performance compared to the imports. I have a friend who has a Suzuki road bike. He loves it.Nice.
The Japanese bikes just blew the competition out of the water when they arrived didn't they! I have a Suzuki GSF 1250 and that is the smoothest ride I own by a mile.
Bet the Indian would be worth a few pennies now?!
Yer my Himalayan was a new one (back in 2018) but they're still a basic bike you can work on yourself. Has to be cos the Indian market expects to be able to fix things themselves. People were rude about it because it's only 24.5 bhp
My BMW I wouldn't work on, it has the canbus system which even bmw mechanics hate. Even changing the battery on the rninet involves half stripping back the bike.
Not surprised you were annoyed at the garages price, it was eye watering.
Maybe they know something about how long the jobs takes on that particular vehicle?