Movie Mondays: Fix My Hog
“I don’t know Sweetie, let’s see here…” I open the box that had just arrived in the mail to reveal a CD set from Dennis Santopietro of www.fixmyhog.com.
“Vroom-vrooms Daddy!! Can I watch with you?”
I hadn’t thought of this CD as a bonding moment between my three year old and myself, but that is exactly how she saw it.
“What he dooding Daddy? What that thing is?”
For the next 70 minutes my oldest daughter and I sat on the couch and watched as Harley Guru, Bob “Butch” Larosa and Top Mechanic, Mark “Papa” Dipietro walked us through basic maintenance for a Harley Softail. We learned the finer points of the charging system, fluids, clutch and primary adjustment, carb and throttle tuning, brakes and calipers, rear axle and belt adjustment, safety checks, and even how to properly store the bike for the winter.
And what did we walk away with? Well, besides having a great time together, I gained a great deal of knowledge about my 2003 FXSTDI. You see, I am an artist, I am a wordsmith, I am a husband and father, I am a biker… but I am a little less mechanically inclined than your run of the mill snail. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do some basic work on my bikes, but I am no mechanic… not by the greatest stretch of the imagination. So, when the offer came in from Mr. Santopietro to learn a few things, I jumped at the chance.
I received the Softail Edition because this is my current, modern, sled. However, Fix My Hog offers a much larger selection than just this DVD. You can find a DVD set for your Softail, Dyna, Touring Rig, and Sportster… and the maintenance DVDs are just the start. Also available are amazing tutorials on performance upgrades for each Harley Family. These episodes walk you through a variety of bolt on performance options and contain a veritable who’s who of performance industry parts. Speaking of parts, anyone who is going to work on their bike is going to need some tools. While you are picking up your DVD’s from the on-line store, you can go ahead and get a new brake caliper, rotor, brake bleeder, an assortment of Loctite packages, and even a handy service sheet to keep track of what you do and when you do it… talk about convenient!
This DVD set is very well done and easy to follow. Sound quality and shot structure are very good and steps are laid out in a methodical order and even the newest grease monkeys will be able to follow. Hey, if I can do it… you can do it…
But what if you have experience with working on your Harley? Well, a second DVD has been released that picks up where the first one leaves off. According to Santopietro, “When we released the original motorcycle maintenance DVDs six years ago, we couldn’t have anticipated the reaction from critics and customers alike-it went so far beyond our wildest expectations. Since then, letters, calls and e-mails have poured in from around the world suggesting additional topics we should cover, so that’s what we did. These follow up DVDs cover new procedures and technological advances and are a great complement to the original versions. Plus, they save riders money-a great plus in today’s economy.”
Using the same format that made the Fix My Hog DVD series so popular, the new DVDs feature a professional mechanic who breaks down each procedure into easy-to-follow steps that riders can duplicate at home. The Softail/Dyna Maintenance Edition Part II covers more than 15 procedures, including steering head bearing adjustment, cam chain tensioner shoe inspection, Dyna oil, transmission, primary and fork fluid changes, and more.
One thing I want to be sure to mention is that, unlike other DVD tutorials and information bundles where you have to lug a TV and DVD player to the garage so that you can work while you watch, pressing the pause button after each step, if you register your DVD at www.fixmyhog.com you will get the full script for free! Yup, enjoy the video in the comfort of your easy chair while you sip a beer in the A/C. Then, grab the scripted instructions (and a fresh beer) and head out to the garage to wrench the evening away. You can always watch segments again if you need or want a visual. It won’t be inconvenient, as you have to go back into the house for fresh beer anyway.
Love, Respect, and Happy Wrenching, ArtBiker For a complete list of topics covered on each DVD, visit www.fixmyhog.com.
For more information or to order, visit https://www.fixmyhog.com, or call 619/269-9321.
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