Beginner working on 8k service?

[Landerson31]

As the title states, im a beginner. Like lower level, know nothing beginner. I'd like to learn how to do everything on my bike and since the 8k service is coming in a couple hundred miles, I would like to get started there. Especially because my last time at the shop, I couldve saved about $200 on labor costs (for the $350 i spent at the shop total).

My question is what do you guys think a beginner can do out of the 8k service checklist? Im pretty sure I can do the oil change, but is everything else just as easy as youtube videos? Also, any advice helps. If theres a toolkit i can buy that has everything i need, or any other suggestions please let me know.

Thanks.

 

[670cc]

As the title states, im a beginner. Like lower level, know nothing beginner. I'd like to learn how to do everything on my bike and since the 8k service is coming in a couple hundred miles, I would like to get started there. Especially because my last time at the shop, I couldve saved about $200 on labor costs (for the $350 i spent at the shop total).

My question is what do you guys think a beginner can do out of the 8k service checklist? Im pretty sure I can do the oil change, but is everything else just as easy as youtube videos? Also, any advice helps. If theres a toolkit i can buy that has everything i need, or any other suggestions please let me know.

Thanks.

For a total beginner mechanic, the valve check/adjustment would be the most challenging. Depending on the model year of your bike, the manual may not call for a valve adjustment until 16,000 miles (but it couldn’t hurt to do it if you wanted to). Engine oil/filter change, tire pressures, fluid level checks, fastener inspections, brake pad inspections, and chain maintenance are probably doable by anyone with a desire.

What year is your bike, and is a DCT or manual transmission?

Saving money is one good thing about doing your own work. Other benefits are that it keeps your bike out of service for less time, the bike is less likely to be damaged (by a dealer), you’ll be more familiar with the bike’s mechanicals in case something goes wrong in the future, and you get personal satisfaction from doing the work yourself.

We can help you.

 

[Slo_Rider]

8K Service...........

Landerson31,

Depending on where you live, could you look for someone doing the same service on their bike and offer to help them?

That way you get the benefit of their experience and see what tools you may need if you tackle it on your own.


Slo_Rider

 

[TacomaJD]

Any basic socket / wrench set should provide you with most all the tools you need to do pretty much anything on the bike besides remove the wheels. Do yourself a favor and go buy a decent socket / wrench set at any big box store like lowes or home depot (harbor freights socket sets are worse than the cheapest stuff lowes and home depot sells. Get one that has all the metric and standard sizes, if possible with 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 drive sockets. I bought one from Lowes several years ago that had all those sockets, wrenches, short well and deep well sockets, box end wrenches, socket extensions, and screw driver with various bits for less than $100. Think it was Task Force brand, and I have used the crap out of that tool set over the years, sockets have held up well too.

My general rule of thumb is that if I ever need a tool, even just once, I buy it or a set of whatever "it" is so I will have them if I ever need them again.

You can do most anything with a set like that, but for the wheel removals, for the front you will need a 17mm allen socket (similar to the picture below) and for the rear I just use a very large thumb wrench to loosen the axle nut. A sturdy large thumb wrench might run you around $30-40 but will be something you will use more than once, plus being long enough to get good leverage to break loose and tighten axle nut.

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[Red Rider]

Videos are great but it would be helpful to have a Service Manual for your bike as well. We were ALL newbies once. You can learn to do just about anything on this bike if you have the patience and tools for the job.

 

[MZ5]

I agree that the factory service manual would be a super good idea.

The hardest thing about the service will be the valve clearance check. That’s only partly because of accessing the valves (which is relatively easy, as far as motorcycles go). Another challenge is the feel of the feeler gauges, particularly because of the angle on some of them. If you’ve never used feeler gauges, it would be very handy to have someone experienced there with you the first time.

I’m too cheap to pay a dealer (or anyone) to do most service work on my vehicles, so I do it myself. However, I have the advantage of having been a farmer for the first 30 years of my life, so machines are familiar (even appealing) to me.

 

[Jt105]

Like everyone else said... just do it.
I was a teen when I started working on my motorcycles. Learned a lot along the way. There is not a whole lot that is rocket science on the NC700X. It is a pretty simple machine.
Take your time and learn as you go. There are a lot of people on this forum that have done everything on this bike, so you have a living resource online here.

JT

 

[TacomaJD]

2 good options on tool sets pictured below on Lowes website. The one for $139 is marked down from $199. That's a solid set, even comes with allen wrenches, and Kobalt makes good stuff. That set would last you a long time. There are also other options cheaper, but didn't see any good sets worth buying cheaper than $99. Looked like the cheaper sets had fewer standard wrenches, but plenty sockets and socket wrenches and so on.

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[Karl84]

All solid advice here so far. As far as tooling is concerned, I have decided not long ago, to purchase whatever tooling I need for the job from the money I would have spent at the mechanic. That way, I learn to sort the bike out myself, acquire the tools and I don't pay over the top amounts to mechanics who half-arse it anyway!

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[Karl84]

All solid advice here so far. As far as tooling is concerned, I have decided not long ago, to purchase whatever tooling I need for the job from the money I would have spent at the mechanic. That way, I learn to sort the bike out myself, acquire the tools and I don't pay over the top amounts to mechanics who half-arse it anyway!

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As far as YouTube is concerned, I've learned most of what I know from clips by an Australian man. I think his channel is nc700xstuff or something similar. Clear, concise instructions

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[HarveyM]

Might be 'Honda NC750X Stuff'. He also runs a facebook group for them that has a selection of useful files. If you do decide to try it yourself buy a torque wrench. It's awfully easy to over torque bolts/drain plugs in soft alloy engine cases.

 

[1wiseguy2]

Get the official Honda shop manual. It will save you money! Become familiar with the job by reviewing it in the manual. Even read it by the bike and then look at what it is talking about. (Valve check) buy a set of allen sockets, 3/8" drive. This bike is put together mostly with 5 mm and 6 mm Allen's. I have used craftsman and snap on wrenches. Now I go to Harbor Freight most of the time. Hey, it breaks I go get a new one free. Only one long Allen socket ever broke and I was abusing it. Still free!
Search this forum. I am mechanical and found a wonderful thread with pictures and arrows and excellent explanations on each step of the valve check. with the shop manual and that thread they walked me through my first valve check with no problems at all!
You'll need good quality flat standard tipped screwdrivers and a set of JIS tipped screwdrivers. Amazon is your friend here. DO NOT BUY PHILLIPS FOR YOUR JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE! A set of nice metric box end /open end wrenches. When questions arise as they will then search this forum and if no answer found then post it. Someone always seems to know the answer.
Good luck in this journey. I started about 4 yrs ago. I did general maintenance forever but after spending big bucks at a dealer I decided to do everything myself. As mentioned above... need a tool... buy a tool. It will usually save you its purchase cost the first time if not the second time you use it. When putting things back together use a torque wrench. Important when working with aluminum. HF is ok for these. It will get you close or right on. Nice torque wrenches are a nice thing to have around.
I'll find an explanation of JIS screwdriver and post later.
Guy

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[1wiseguy2]

Here is an in depth look at JIS.

WHY YOU NEED JIS TIPPED SCREWDRIVERS IN YOUR TOOLBOX

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[670cc]

Tools are one thing. Knowledge and training are another. I like the suggestion made earlier that it would be very beneficial to work alongside an experienced owner when doing certain jobs for the first time.

Things can and do go wrong. Say the gorilla at Honda put the oil filter on so tight you can’t get it off. How to proceed in that case is not in the service manual. Say you don’t know better, didn’t buy a torque wrench, and you tighten the cylinder head cover bolts like you would a drain bolt. Snap! It broke! Uh-oh, what do I do now? I’m not trying to scare a noob from working on his/her own bike, but a few tips from an experienced home mechanic could be valuable. If a local expert is not available or you’d rather work in private, we here on the forum can still do a lot to assist you remotely.

 

[Landerson31]

My bike is a 2014, and DCT.