Memorize Every Part on Your Motorcycle? Not. Then Follow the Road Map, Brother

Every time I work on a bike, particularly when it comes to any kind of electrical stuff, I find myself rustling up a manual.

Now, I know a few guys who have the skills and the experience to take one look at a bike part and tell you, not only what it came off of, but what year it fits. My father in law is that guy, and he and other guys, like Jim Wolf at Allbrands Cycles here in Muskegon, have my complete admiration and I sure like to lean on what they know.

But if I’m going to do it myself (and even if I completely screw things up, I like to do things myself), I head straight for the manual and get the lay of the land before I start hacking on something.

So where do you go when you need to get your hands on a roadmap to guide you through the intricacies of your bike?

You check out a volume from the Motorcycle Library at Alexandria, Clymer Manuals.

Their YouTube channel is a killer, and if you broke it – or it was broken by that ubiquitous jackass, the Previous Owner – James Grooms and his team can find you the book to make things right again if you’re willing to get your hands dirty.

And by the way, thanks James, for finding that manual for my 1999 Kawasaki Vulcan Drifter. That’s my daily rider and it just wouldn’t do for me to mess it up and not have it ready for spring riding season.

 


The Clymer Manuals website
 
Clymer on YouTube
Clymer on Twitter @clymermanuals

If you ride them right, insure them right

As for insurance for your collectible motorcycle? You should be able to get Agreed Value coverage on a classic 1959 BSA Gold Star Catalina valued at $15,000 for somewhere around $25 a month, and that gives you the whole shootin’ match package of coverage.

You can spend a lot less, but if you plan to ride the bikes in your collection, the above pricing is a reasonable approximation of what you can expect to pay.

Bear in mind that some companies don’t provide storage insurance, but they will knock down the annual premium to compete with companies that do offer storage…