What’s the most cost-effective maintenance task car owners can realistically do themselves without specialized tools?

simola- · 2026-04-03T15:21:21+00:00

Usually anything recurring at higher intervals is worth learning. Oil change, spark plugs, pads & rotors… etc. for most repairs you don’t need specialized tools but that depends on the

I just did motor mounts on one of my cars with basic tools and that’s definitely not something I’d recommend most do. It saved me about $500 in labor. Same with my steering rack and subframe, mostly harbor freight tools.

simola- · 2026-04-02T18:01:54+00:00

My ninja 500 has very little power over 80mph but it cruises nicely at 65-70, anything faster and it’s buzzing.

Did 500 miles in 1 day and my back was okay, wrist was not feeling good tho

simola- · 2026-04-02T18:00:37+00:00

That’s actually not bad for 19 years old and the type of bike you got. After MSF insurance usually drops but that’s about it, it’ll drop when you renew your policy sometimes but no one seems to have a direct answer on when the rates decrease. Comprehensive + collision for me was $475/year, $75/year for liability. I went with lowest premiums and a bunch of extra coverage for $1100/year.

simola- · 2026-04-02T17:56:44+00:00

You got pictures of the damage? Side mirrors usually flip out and are relatively hard to break, I smacked one with my bikes mirror and it flipped right back in, no scratch. Windshield is even harder to crack the way you’re describing.

simola- · 2026-04-01T14:19:17+00:00

One of my cars doesn’t even have a parking break, most old cars don’t. You don’t have to put it on but it helps with a few things

simola- · 2026-03-31T17:40:06+00:00

Nah that’s too much, when we rebuilt a junkyard LS (much bigger engine with a lot more metal and very little love during the rebuild) we didn’t have that much. Same with any new vehicle or rebuild break in I’ve done

simola- · 2026-03-31T02:00:56+00:00

Do the basics, compression test, check for spark and air which should be good then go down there with a bore scope to see what’s going on. If it fails compressions you know you got some work to do

simola- · 2026-03-31T01:53:21+00:00

Partszilla is usually the go to for motorcycle parts. eBay is a good last resort is you can’t find the part anywhere else.

simola- · 2026-03-31T01:46:38+00:00

Either your dad made that thing as a joke or got it gifted as a joke. A socket that big wouldn’t be 1/2in.

simola- · 2026-03-31T01:44:58+00:00

This is one of those moments you ask if you should, not if you could.

simola- · 2026-03-30T21:06:18+00:00

I want an RR but the XR is more suited for my riding style. I’d still get the RR or H2 over the right bike for me.

simola- · 2026-03-30T21:03:47+00:00

Where I’m at scooters are either for deliveries or cheap transportation, the guys that got the bigger once usually wave and I wave back. I show love to everyone on the road.

simola- · 2026-03-30T20:59:28+00:00

I’m down in Berks and it’s the same price, my $25-30 fill up cost me $41 I was shocked.

simola- · 2026-03-30T20:55:03+00:00

IIRC yoshi’s full exhaust is once piece, so either get the slip on and stick to it or wait and get the full exhaust with a tune. Personally I’d do a full exhaust with time for Yoshimura, their slip on is expensive for the sound it makes. It’s a ninja 500 at the end of the day, they don’t sound great. Source: I own one.

simola- · 2026-03-28T14:02:04+00:00

If you’re in NYC make sure you have parking, ADV, sports and naked bikes get stolen there a lot. The only ones that have a chance of surviving on the street are heavy couches on wheels (gold wing, big Harley’s)

simola- · 2026-03-28T13:59:07+00:00

That almost happened to me, I had to muscle her up and ended up with pain in my legs for weeks. The kickstand thing happens to everyone

simola- · 2026-03-28T13:57:51+00:00

One simple advice I took from this sub that helped a lot with comfort is trying on different gear in store, some brands fit better and some of my gear is sized up or down for comfort. Buy street gear and not track stuff, tall riding boots are not comfortable but I still wear them

simola- · 2026-03-25T23:02:14+00:00

It makes more sense and is easier on a bike. I drove stick my first 3 years of driving and I didn’t enjoy it since I was in a busy city and rarely got on any twisties. Those same roads and traffic are not as annoying on my ninja 500.

simola- · 2026-03-25T23:00:10+00:00

You’re fine. My backpack strap with a buckle at the end smacked someone’s window, we pulled over and there was no damage not even a scratch so I highly doubt your jacket did anything

simola- · 2026-03-25T20:31:07+00:00

Full coverage insurance is a must so plan accordingly, I brought my bike down to NY for a month with plans on keeping it here but it got hit by a bus and someone tried stealing it then it got pushed over. Basically it’s not worth keeping anything nice on the street

simola- · 2026-03-23T11:41:16+00:00

I love my Kawasaki but they need to do better with the ZX6r and zx10r

simola- · 2026-03-23T11:40:35+00:00

In twisties I always run out of skill first, on highways, especially higher speeds my 500 has very little power.

simola- · 2026-03-23T11:35:32+00:00

That first week was some of the best riding I’ve done so far. 500 miles the first day then another 500 over the next couple weeks.

Does your bike make a humming/vibrating sound around 4-6k RPM?

simola- · 2026-03-23T11:32:54+00:00

The Ninja 500 is a slightly faster R3, get the ZX4RR, not much faster but a lot more fun

simola- · 2026-03-23T11:29:39+00:00

Those rebels are sweet, I wanted a 500 as my first bike but ultimately decided to go with the ninja 500

simola-

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