PLEASE DO NOT use videos for repair directions

In following the trend that Jim started with "if it's on the internet it must be true", I offer yet another reason social media sites are no better for consistently correct advice than most of the videos out there. This exchange (and it may still be ongoing, every time I think I've gotten through to this guy he comes back a couple days later) shows how much misinformation is out there, even about the most basic electrical situations on our old points/coil-fired bikes. [ignore the fact that I missed the point of him already having changed the coils, irrelevant to the discussion that ensued]

https://www.reddit.com/r/HondaCB/comments/pc31vj/i_just_replaced_the_coils_on_my_360_just_curious/
 
Well, since the those guys in Houston video showing the 450 top end being "disassembled" with the use of a putty knife as a chisel has been taken down and replaced by a new series, I thought they'd learned something significant. Whether or not they did is still up for debate, since I discovered these fine screenshots yesterday accompanied by the statement "be careful to not damage the gasket surface"

6qeRxMm.jpg


TUaQVYH.jpg
 
Steelfingers said:
I like those guys in Houston. I use their videos on a lot of things. I also buy a lot of parts from them. Won't join in the hate.
The internet videos on how to do projects (all projects) are a God Send. If you have any common sense, you know what's good and what's less than good. As well as when you are doing it, you should know pretty quickly it's hinky.
I'm glad to get help from those guys in Houston, here and any where I can get the help. Saying that you should never trust the internet means all internet. Even here.
I'm not that foolish.
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If you understood how they misinform the noobs out there by saying things like "the points gap doesn't matter" and showing people the wrong way to set float heights, and showing people to lap valves with a drill, you might feel differently. You can call it hate if you like but I prefer to call it what it is, telling people to avoid watching videos that misinform and create bad habits in those who don't know better and would gladly accept the correct advice if only they knew where to get it. those guys in Houston's marketing has created a world of young lemmings who believe their every word.
 
Steelfingers said:
Wow. I'll just slink out of this conversation
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You're welcome to like them and buy from them of course (though most of their parts are priced higher than most other places), and their video productions are slick and enjoyable to watch as long as you ignore the bad advice.
 
Steelfingers said:
Wow. I'll just slink out of this conversation
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It's all right. To be fair, I've gotten value from some of their vids. I just don't carte blanche believe everything they say. Just like pastors, listen then verify.


I wish they'd repop those upper triple clamps again. I've bought 2 and could use another. Thanks those guys in Houston :biggrin:
 
film495 said:
my favorite those guys in Houston video, is them showing how to time a CB350 and set the points etc. when he says the point gap doesn't matter, watching the video I was sort of like, is this the first time the guy has ever done this? ......I'm no expert, but dwell time matters if you care about spark and ignition...
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And to illustrate just how far-reaching that fallacy is, check out this post from today at that other forum

misinformation.jpg
 
"Remember, factory specs are to be ignored, after all - that information is a half-century old or more now." <sarc off>
 
I haven't read this entire thread yet. But I *have* been kicked out of the living room when my gal is working in the next room for shouting at YouTube on the TV while watching people do varios hideously stupid things in some of those DIY repair videos that even I know better than to do.
I listened to the "old guys" that taught me stuff. It was a cheap education to warn my more stubborn friends that they'd taught me that stuff and then just let them learn the hard way on my behalf. I still make dumb mistakes all the time, and will continue to, but it isn't because no one taught me better.
The following may have been perfectly fine to do, and I may be TOTALLY IGNORANT:
Personally, I think freeing up a rusty motorcycle cylinder by turning it over with a hammer and wrench and then trying to run it with that crust in the jugs like nothing is wrong is a dumb idea, but, hey, you guys do you. Get those clicks, buds. I hope your "buyers" watch your channel, though so they can make an informed decision. Are you planning on letting them know you did that? Would you have done that if you were just doing this alone, or was that to look cool?
Look, I learned a lot from those guys' videos. They were fantastic. I recommend them *highly*. It was super enjoyable and informative content. I endorse them. BUT HOLY CRAP. I mean... is it desirable to score your piston walls, and maybe I don't know about why yet?
Surely there is something I am missing here. And they absolutely know an encyclopedia more about what they're doing than I do.
 
SRgoThump said:
Personally, I think freeing up a rusty motorcycle cylinder by turning it over with a hammer and wrench and then trying to run it with that crust in the jugs like nothing is wrong is a dumb idea, but, hey, you guys do you. Get those clicks, buds.
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It's a good point you bring up and it probably isn't mentioned often enough. Though I've never personally seen a stuck valve in an engine that sat a long time it is absolutely possible, and that alone is good reason to proceed with caution. And, you never really know what all they've done prior to what they show in any video. After all, "reality TV" isn't anywhere near real either.
 
JustinF25 said:
Just do research and ask questions here, on this site 👊.
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I do wish there were better video breakdowns out there, or even just manuals with real-life pictures, the vast majority of learners are tactile and/or visual, auditory (and reading) education methods are proven to have much lower success rates. Plus almost nothing on these bikes looks or acts like the manuals. I kind of went on a tangent about this in the CM thread as it pertains to the shift in learning styles. It used to be OK for us as kids to make mistakes and break things, that's how we learned - that's almost gone now and people are reluctant to try something they haven't seen or done, instead of just grabbing a wrench and launching into the abyss. I'd consider myself probably mid-age range for this forum (50) and I know plenty of my peers that have never once crawled under a car, changed their own oil, handled anything more than a fuel pump, and their kids? forget it - they can design and 3D print massive scale structures, code a video game but the concept of a circuit going to ground is greek.

The sheer quantity of knowledge on this forum is daunting to catalogue, and even harder sometimes to convey to someone that may never have used an actual physical manual to translate a crappy picture and words into a 3D object - if you ever want to really scare yourself, take a look at the motorcycle maintenance advice and repair subreddits sometimes. It's no wonder there's a half-finished or thrashed project bike everywhere you turn, and some unfortunately have been scrapped forever due to this.

It would be interesting to grab one of those kids (they're the video editing wizards), a few old engine blocks, some parts and try to really create short-form tutorials to translate stuff like LDR's carb thread, AD's DOHC head rebuild, the dozens of other "here's how I fixed this" threads (tank repair, rebuilding a brake caliper, chasing mice out of frames, freeing stuck pistons, etc) that get referred to here all the time - hell even a short form on how to use a manual in a practical application would be helpful for many.
 
EzPete said:
It would be interesting to grab one of those kids (they're the video editing wizards), a few old engine blocks, some parts and try to really create short-form tutorials to translate stuff like LDR's carb thread, AD's DOHC head rebuild, the dozens of other "here's how I fixed this" threads (tank repair, rebuilding a brake caliper, chasing mice out of frames, freeing stuck pistons, etc) that get referred to here all the time - hell even a short form on how to use a manual in a practical application would be helpful for many.
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I couldn't agree more, and you're right about the shift in the way people learn these days though I'm not sure I feel like it's the right direction in every case. But, that said, the issue for me is the daunting amount of time it takes to shoot all the footage you'd need and then edit it into something worth uploading. Jay and I talked about it not long ago and I told him I'd be happy to narrate, but I have zero desire to be on camera (and nobody wants to see my ugly mug anyway). And then there's the video production time and effort to produce something that the younger viewers would find cool enough to actually pay attention to for more than 30 seconds.

But you're right, putting some of these operations into words effectively enough to get the average, never-turned-a-wrench-before owner past the point of "oh ****" to the point of "that wasn't as bad as I thought" is certainly necessary.
 
Best how to motorcycle repair vids on the net.

This guy knows his ****.

www.youtube.com

Ichiban Moto

Motorcycle customization projects, restorations, tool reviews, shop tips and secrets from the experts in fabrication, engineering and design. Founding member- The International Certified Motorcycle Builders Association ICMBA . Video skits and parodies are for entertainment purposes only...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com
 
This thread was eye opening. As a moto newbie I've found lots of helpful advice on this forum and, I thought, through tutorial videos on YT.
I've heard people here say that you shouldn't trust videos but as I grew up with video media around me constantly it's much easier for me to learn from videos and photos (as EzPete points out about many people these days).
FSM's can be difficult to decipher, especially with 50 year old black and white photos.
The examples given here about things that are wrong with a certain company's moto repair videos really helps me understand just how misleading they are. I just did the points timing on my bike based off one of their videos and thought I didn't need to set the points gap because of the 'tip' they gave in the video. I ended up having to redo it and this time I set the points gap, but as someone who doesn't know what they're doing, how was I supposed to know?

The knowledge on this forum is massively helpful. If there was interest to make small, proper repair videos I would be happy to help in the process. (Edit: I have some experience with video production as well as a camera and a CB360T that could be used in videos if needed)
 
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Twin Town said:
Best how to motorcycle repair vids on the net.

This guy knows his ****.

www.youtube.com

Ichiban Moto

Motorcycle customization projects, restorations, tool reviews, shop tips and secrets from the experts in fabrication, engineering and design. Founding member- The International Certified Motorcycle Builders Association ICMBA . Video skits and parodies are for entertainment purposes only...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com
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Fore sure. My custom CL350 was awarded this certificate, and it came with free stickers, too. 😄

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