Listen to the podcast
When you work on your bike, there’s always the risk that you might injure yourself.
Fortunately, that risk can be managed and avoided if you follow these 6 good workshop habits.
Not only that, but they’ll also make the maintenance or repair process much easier – whether you’re replacing your oil or rebuilding your transmission.
Tune in to learn:
- The 6 good workshop habits you MUST follow when you work on your bike
Transcript
Hello, and welcome to 30-minute motorcycling, a podcast for the new, aspiring and returning riders, where you’ll learn something about motorcycles or other two-wheelers in 30 minutes or less.
And this week, we’re about to get mechanical, because, in this episode, we’re talking about 6 good workshop habits you must follow every time you’re working on your bike.
Whether it’s as easy as changing your air filter or as complex as rebuilding your entire transmission, you should always follow these practices – it might save you from mild annoyances to a serious injury.
So without further ado, let’s get to it.
So the first habit is to always keep a fire extinguisher handy. You’re going to be working with all kinds of volatile chemicals like petroleum and engine oil for example.
And in case something should catch fire, you must be prepared to handle it. And while we’re on the topic of fire safety, I think it goes without saying that you should enforce a “no smoking” policy around your garage or workshop.
The second good workshop habit is to have a first aid kit handy. No matter how careful you might be, there’s always a risk of injury – you’re might scrape your knees or cut yourself, and if that happens, it’s great to have a band-aid within reach.
The third good workshop habit to keep your workspace area neat and tidy. If you scatter your tools, screws, and other things all over the floor, it’s only a question of time before you or someone else trips on one of them.
Therefore, keep your workspace neat and tidy – keep your tools organized and only bring the ones that you need for the job. Keep the rest of them on your workbench, in your toolbelt, or in your toolbox.
The same thing can be said about any parts you might take off. Don’t keep them scattered all over the place, keep them in a Ziploc bag or in some kind of compartment where you can easily get to them when you need them
But keeping your workspace neat and tidy is just the beginning – you also want to allow plenty of space…around your workspace, that is. Don’t make a mechanical job needlessly more difficult and cumbersome by putting yourself in a place where you have little to no arm and/or leg movement –
get rid of the clutter and give yourself a wide open workspace.
The fourth good workshop habit is to always unplug batteries when you work on them. Motorcycle batteries, just like car batteries contain acid, which froths your skin away if you get it on you. And just like preventing fires, you want to enforce a “no smoking policy” when working with batteries.
The fifth good workshop habit is to always wear eye protection while you use a drill or a grinder. And I can’t stress the word “always” enough. Your woodshop teacher probably gave a lecture about eye protection, and with good reason, too.
Drills and grinders will throw sparks and debris all over the place, which are not pleasant to get into your eyes.
The sixth, final, and yet one of the most crucial good workshop habits is to always finish every mechanical or maintenance job you start.
If you leave a job half-finished, go to bed, and come back to it the next day, you might forget where you left off.
Say for instance that you then ride your motorcycle without realizing that a part’s missing – the consequences could be catastrophic.
Therefore, give yourself plenty of time to finish a mechanical job.
So those are the more my quick workshop etiquette rules. If you enjoyed this episode and you had fun listening, please consider leaving a review and letting others know about the podcast. Until next time, keep your helmet on and your eyes on the road. Bye!
