When it comes to a DIY project on a Harley Davidson motorcycle you will certainly have your work cut out for you. There are so many
common repair jobs needed to be done on a Harley and it only makes sense, if
you have the knowledge and experience, to do the work yourself to try and save
as much money as possible. It even gets better if you have a custom bike
because that means you can be more creative with the project but you also want
to be careful of making some very common do it yourself repair mistakes. Here
are some tips to help:
1.
Are you upgrading or just making repairs: It’s a
big question to ask yourself when you are starting any do it yourself project
because if you are just making repairs to your Harley Davidson motorcycle you
then just need to find replacement parts. However, if you are making upgrades,
especially with custom parts that becomes a completely different situation and
is one of the big reasons why you need to have a game plan on what you want to
do with your bike.
2.
Always measure: Never go off of measurements you
think you had. Even if you knew the exact size of the gas tank or handlebars
you are replacing make sure you measure once more just to be sure. The last
thing you want to do is order a set of 14 inch ape hanger handlebars and put them
on your bike to only find out that you really wanted a set of 16 inch ones.
3.
Install and then get painted: Again because you
are trying to get done with the DIY motorcycle repair work quickly you may skip
a couple of steps to save time. One of those steps is installing a custom Harley
part on your bike to make sure it fits and then shipping it to the painters.
That’s a big mistake; never skip this step because if you have the wrong
measurements or the part doesn’t fit the right way and you send it off to the
painter before you installed it to make sure it works you can’t return it.
Just because you are in the midst of a do it yourself
motorcycle repair project doesn’t mean you have to rush it. Yes doing the work
yourself will save you money but also remember that any mistakes or delays will
cost you money as well. Be smart, be patient and make sure that you are getting
the right custom Harley Davidson parts that you need in order to have this DIY
motorcycle repair project run as smoothly as possible. The last thing you want
to do is take shortcuts that will cost you time and money.