Mechanic Monday, Tip of the week. comfort at home.

Mechanic Monday... Tip of the week.
There is no magic wand that will have your boss cut down on your
overtime or the long list of obligations your time is saddled with. But maybe you just might convert some pain in the butt chore time into recovery time.
Just you and your bike. In a shop you would want to hang out in?

The change of perspective from chore to hang out time starts with getting comfortable enough in the shop to make it pleasurable to hang out in. Somewhere that you can escape to and get away from the daily chaos. That precious hour or two to be off-line, alone and slow down and tinker on  your bike.

First  a comfort change. Being hunched over working on your bike is a pain in the back, literally.
Its a motocross bike it should naturally be in the air, The answer to that is a Harbor Freight bike lift. For the cost of a piston kit the bike is now at any height one would want. No more hunched over. no more sore back while spinning wrenches.To make the deal even better this lift is made in the good old USA. rare for
Harbor Freight.

Next is temperature control ,  Could be as simple as
leaving the door open between the house and the shop. A fan or a small window air condition unit might also work.

Music is next on the list. Being at home you can stream Pandora without using up your data plan.

Next requires a trip to the hardware store for some better lighting and a storage shelf. So at least see what you are tripping over.

An old bar stool is a great addition. Sitting down while you work on a part really helps in relaxing. If you can sit, enjoy some music and perform a chore like cleaning a gasket off a part it seems more relaxing then standing and doing the same task in silence.

A work bench and vice is next. A homemade tall one that will fit the bar stool.

Cleaning engine and linkage parts is still a chore. Parts washers work good in a shop where a service comes and replaces the fluid once a week but the solvent gets dirty fast in a home unit and then there is the disposal issue for 20 plus gallons of dirty solvent that is a pain. The answer that works for the home shop is a large automotive metal drip pan. You have may have seen them. They are about 2
feet wide by 4 feet long rectangle shape about half inch deep. This large drip pan can be screwed to the top of an old table. Drill a hole in the center or low spot and place an automotive oil change container under the
hole to collect the stuff you clean finishes it off. Be sure to check it once
in a while to see when it gets full. By using a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol or mineral spirits and a couple of cans of brake cleaner most parts can be cleaned and the small amount of left over fluid is easier to meet disposal regulations. Still a chore but easier. You also might want to run a ground wire from the metal drip pan to a known good electrical ground to reduce the chance that static sparks could ignite your spray cleaners and fuel vapors.

Now the only way to make your home shop more inviting is to have some sizzling bacon. Since the bacon isn't going to happen in the shop. A tire changing stand is next on the list. That job is unpleasant but a tire changing stand makes it better along with some good irons. This should leave you with a home shop you would want to hang out in.

Stay greasy my friends...