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There are many reasons to do your own, or some, 'wrenching'. Just a few of these are:

1. Makes you feel good...ego, etc.
2. A quiet, peaceful time for yourself (when not practicing your swearing and other epithets).
3. You may save LOTS of $$.
4. You will know the motorcycle better, and hence feel better when out and about in case of 'trouble', whether perceived, or real.
5. You will avoid poorly done dealer work by knowing what is good work, proper work, right type of work, proper price for such work, and you will know about the consequences of poor or bad work.
6. SAFETY you can count on, in-so-far as mechanicals are concerned.
7. Learn new skills, that may well be useful in other areas of your life.
8. You will begin to covet tools, and your workshop area MIGHT take on a more professional look.
9. Knowing when to take something to an expert, or perhaps to a favorite BMW shop, is part of being a mature person. You will know when to farm out jobs...and to whom....for those things you decide you are not qualified to do. This website contains names of recommended airhead servicing folks. There are some people in that business whom I do NOT recommend. Fearing lawyers and liability, I have not, so far, listed them in this public forum, but I will be happy to give you my analysis and recommendations, via e-mail; contents of which are to remain private, between you, and me.
10. Your fear of the unknown will diminish; you will become less shy, you will want to ask questions on the AIRHEADS LIST, and the answers will sometimes educate you on technical details; and, sometimes, re-affirm that you ARE gaining knowledge.
11. Add YOUR reason, here.

I can guarantee you all that I hardly know everything about airheads, and I have been at this for a long time. I am not being modest in saying that, it is the plain truth.

Sometimes...rarely though....contrary opinions on something are expressed by so-called 'guru's' on the Airheads internet mailing LIST, or elsewhere's. If you are trying to decide who is right, politely ask for someone's reasoning behind their statements, explaining your confusion with the differing opinions. You should not question their competence, nor try to make them 'prove' their opinions; but, if they are secure in their reasons, that should be made clear to you. Once in awhile, such questioning MIGHT result in a terse or testy reply. We don't always have perfect days, ourselves, you know!

Probably if all of us agree exactly on something, one might take that as gospel....of some sort or other! Sometimes we so-called Guru's (I humbly put myself in the class of some sort of expert here) disagree, and sometimes we have off-LIST discussions between ourselves. Sometimes we disagree and we never discuss it. .....Professional courtesy!
(I am presently laughing over THAT!...). I've had some Hellish good arguments about things posted....or otherwise!.....now and then. Most of the time this is carried OFF the LIST.

SOME people get a LOT of pleasure by tinkering with things mechanical. Some get a lot of pleasure making sure that no speck of dust will be anyplace on that pristine showpiece....and might even ride it now and then. I know of a few folks who hardly mind paying a trusted mechanic to do all the maintenance on their airheads. I actually know one person who does not even do his own cleaning and waxing. Takes all types. For those who want to learn, even if they are totally ham-fisted and tend to break things (especially if they have convinced themselves that they ARE inherently, genetically, that way, and hence have not previously TRIED (with instruction, perhaps to be otherwise) .....we can teach them if they want to learn. Sometimes the transformation is very interesting to behold.....and they become do-it-yourself addicts.....sort of like getting, suddenly, '''religion'''.

For ME, the best mostly now comes from seeing the light turn on in someone's head at a TechDay; or, maybe on the TechLIST;.....and, watching that person do a competent job, and understand what he/she is doing.....why....how....etc.

Snowbum says: Die knowing something, you are not here long. He also says Docimus Discimus (We learn by teaching).

Come to think of it, Snowbum (that's MEEE)....has also said, "We are here to help others'...so...what are THEY here for?"....and, of course...."Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool".

Whether you are a total beginner with few wrenching skills; or, a seasoned airhead do-it-yourselfer, but probably not a master wrench, here are some ideas from me on jobs you CAN do. I have to make certain assumptions here, so you should know what those are: You should at least have a reasonable feel for how much force you can turn a screw into metal or fiberglass, before something breaks. If not, approach things with extra caution. You should have at least the tool kit that came with the motorcycle....and you have reviewed on this website: tools.htm

I will also assume you have the basic idea of eventually, sooner than later, obtaining some literature, such as the owner's manual, and possibly Clymers or Haynes or both (keeping in mind they have errors), have some space to work on things, maybe even a workbench indoors, and are willing to learn WITHOUT BEING TOO SHY ABOUT IT. You are willing to admit you don't know it all. Note that the factory service manuals are NOT all that helpful for beginners to even modestly seasoned BMW airhead wrencher's. On the other hand, the old airhead owner's booklets, as opposed to the new bike's, is full of useful information.

1. For absolute beginners to slightly advanced beginners:
    a. Washing, cleaning, waxing, re-oiling and/or re-greasing levers, cleaning electrical connections, basic soldering and mechanical attachments of electrical wires.   Checking battery levels, oil levels, tire pressures, looking about for obvious developing problems.    Do not take this lightly, quite a few folks have zero idea about how to properly maintain paintwork, rubberwork, plastics.   Some overfill.....or do not even look...at batteries.   Some overtighten drain and fill plugs. You want to avoid stripping things by overtightening them.   LOTS of things to learn in this basic area.
    b. Changing oils (and filter on /5/6 era, with the internal single bolt cap).   You own a torque wrench, and know how to use it. If your bike has an oil cooler (or, you have the type of oil filter canister outer cover of the late type (no internal metal cap cover with the single bolt), you will be smart enough to read the article on this website detailing the potential problem areas, ETC.    Oil.htm
    c. Change tires, tubes, wheel seals, clean and lubricate wheel bearings (you are not quite competent to do shimming on pre-1985).
    d. Learn more about the technical side of your bike by reading literature and websites and LIST traffic....and participating in that traffic.
    e. Obtain a cheap test light and learn what it can do.   Consider purchasing of an inexpensive digital volt-ohm-ammeter, and then learning about it. Read the basic electricity article on this website: boxerelectrics.htm
    f. Change lamps (including in the instruments...without damaging the printed flexible material).
    g. Change alternator brushes and service electrical contacts and connections. You are hesitant...but you do it, use the correct tools, and have a happy 'done it right' smile.
    h. Remove and replace points, adjust points gaps, adjust timing, adjust valves, torque head nuts with torque wrench, synchronize carburetors by the shorting or gauges method. You are a bit hesitant, but listen, read, and then do it competently...and the bike runs fine afterwards, and you did not ruin anything (like screw or bolt threads).
    i.   Willing to spent time reading technical articles on http://www.airheads.org and THIS site, whether you fully understand them or not, with the idea of getting over-all flavor, feel, and some information.
    j. You feel you can, with instructions, properly take apart the throttle grip drive and clean and lubricate it and get it back together.
    k. You understand the 4 stroke cycle engine operation, at least in basics. You could find top dead center (OT mark) on the compression stroke for either cylinder and know you did this correctly, after all, you did it when adjusting the valves.
    l. You are beginning to participate in technical discussions, as you are understanding things more clearly now, you now have some ideas on WHAT to ask, and may even be able to assist novices.
    m. You are planning to attend your first major BMW Rally. You have also planned to attend a nearby TechDay...and do so, but are probably a bit quiet and unassuming there.   You MAY, however, be planning or even now holding a TechDay at YOUR home.

2. Out of the beginners group, into the low-middle-group:
    a. Basic trouble shooting for slightly more complex electrical problems. Willing to at least read some additional information on electricity and the workings of such in your Airhead.   You are only partly freaked-out by electricals.
    b. Changing the oil filter on bikes after the /5/6 era (no internal single bolt cap) (and including cooler equipped bikes) hardly is anything to you anymore.   You have read and understanding the $2000 O-ring articles.  You've read, and understood some, if not most, of Oil.htm, and you have also been reading more articles on this website, and your understanding is going up up up.
    c. You feel up to following instructions on changing a RT or RS windshield
    d.   You think you can follow instructions and clean and lube the steering head bearings, swing arm bearings, MAYBE the Paralever bearings. You may be feeling relatively OK, less nervous perhaps, about removing the Paralever driveshaft.
    e.   You can follow instructions and advice, often without major questions. You are beginning to figure things out yourself.
    f.    You can competently repair a bad thread of the simple type; and, of course, use a drill guide and tapping guide...but are hesitant about a pulled cylinder stud thread.
    g.   You can clean and lubricate the transmission input splines (often called clutch splines).
    h.    You can discuss quite a few technical items on your bike, with more knowledgeable folks, and feel confident in your remarks.
    i.    You attend Rallies, TechDays, and feel comfortable. You have or are about to host a TechDay yourself.
    j.   You are getting VERY good, indeed, about synchronizing carburetors.

3. Well into the middle group:
    a. Change a twin shock model left rear drive large seal.
    b. Repair a pulled cylinder stud, and would certainly be using a custom made tool guide for this job.
    c. The idea of removing a cylinder and replacing it, changing a pushrod tube rubber and even piston removal is not freaking you out more than a little bit.
    d. Capable and willing to do wheel bearing service including shimming. In fact you WANT to do this job YOURSELF, and you have had the proper tools made up to do it in a professional manner.   You think you do it better than most shops do after doing it once.
    e. Capable of more serious electrical troubleshooting.   Understand how diodes, relays, resistors, etc., operate. Capable of properly using a volt-ohm-current meter. You think you MIGHT know a wee bit more than the average moto-mechanic in this area.
    f. Steering head maintenance, whether cleaning and lubrication, or changing a bearing, is not frightening, not of any real concern at all, actually. You saw this done at a TechDay, you've already probably done some cleaning and greasing and even have replaced a set of steering bearings, and was astonished at how much simpler it was than you had imagined.   You are beginning to get the gut-feeling that you MIGHT JUST turn into a truly competent mechanic.
    g. Not much intimidated about anything, such as changing a rear drive input seal or fixing a drain plug thread at the rear drive...or most any damaged thread....after all, you've done it, or can read and understand, so why be intimidated.
    h. Some of your airhead friends are asking your advice rather regularly.
    i.   A yearly TechDay at your place is established.
    j.   You analyze symptoms presented by other riders about their airheads, quite competently a fair amount of the time.
    k.   You are competent to overhaul a Bing CV carb, top to bottom, and to analyzing tuning of same.

4. Moderately advanced:
    a. Capable of analyzing ANY electrical faults on your own; the electrical system is not at all intimidating.
    b. Change a crankshaft main seal and oil pump seal after removing transmission and clutch (this might be in the prior group). Replacing clutch parts is not daunting.   You are, more and more thinking: "I CAN do this!".
    c. Change a timing chain, crank sprocket, seals, etc... by following instructions and asking questions.
    d. Feel competent to make suspension modifications, such as to front fork innards, rear shocks...because you UNDERSTAND what the effects REALLY are of such things.
    e. You have a pretty fair feeling for materials and can be faced with something totally new, nothing you have seen before, heard about before, or dealt with in any fashion before, and not be overwhelmed.
    f. You are competent to instantly know if a BMW shop is doing good work or not, understands airheads, or not.
    g. You could figure out on your own how to mark a crankshaft flywheel that you mistakenly installed in the wrong position, as the present markings on it from the factory mean nothing of importance. But, you are also the type that will not remark the flywheel, instead, you grit your teeth, chalk it up to a learning experience, and remove the transmission and clutch and redo the flywheel assembly. You remembered to install the crankshaft blocking tool first, and you remembered to not forget the clutch marks you installed previously. You find this all a bit amusing, 5 years later, when you relate the previously hidden story around a campfire.   You are still being asked technical questions rather regularly. You remember obscure details, and usually know you can give good answers most of the time, and are hesitant to say anything if you do not know the answer to a question, and may well refer to someone with more knowledge.   You are pretty sure, if you have not done it already, that you could get Ed Korn's video, and overhaul your transmission, but you are a bit hesitant, knowing that folks like OAK and Ted Porter and Tom Cutter have years of experience at transmissions and doing rear drives, and think that these folks will know all the tricks and finer details; but you won't likely do your transmission yourself. You have the same feeling about valves/head work.
    h. You attend major BMW rallies, and are thinking about volunteering for technical seminars, as a helper for the main speaker, on a specific topic that you happen to be very interested in teaching.
    i.   You not only have your own TechDays, but you help out at others'.
    j.   You can sometimes, with no effort, analyze other folks bikes that have problems that stumped some people.

5. Advanced:
      You feel you can do any job on an airhead if you REALLY want to. You are a bit hesitant; feel you could do ANY job....but you still MIGHT shy away from the following: Transmission overhaul; rear drive shimming; crankshaft and camshaft removal and re-shimming and crankshaft bearing clearances, differences at the main bearing shell.   You are curious enough to want to watch a master wrench do those jobs, because you want to learn all the tricks and you want to do it yourself someday.   You have a short list of the better shops, all in your head, and have even considered working for one, perhaps part-time.   You understand how to degree out a camshaft, and understand the process for any make or type of engine.   You feel competent to analyze worn parts on your own and determine if they need repair or replacement. Some of your Airhead friends feel a bit intimidated about asking 'stupid' questions of you; since you ARE almost a REAL expert, and are looked-up-to.   You are not overly hesitant in answering, if asked, as you know MOST of what there is to know about the common maintenance items. You receive your 100K badge. You feel competent to do some technical seminars on your own. You are constantly asked about technical things at TechDays, and otherwise. You have read every article, in depth on this website, the .org website, Duane's website, Anton's website, and every other airhead concerned website. You are even interested in how other models and makes of engines are designed and serviced.   You are even absorbing, without seeming to notice, tidbits on servicing such as Oilheads and K bikes.

6. Well advanced:
    You can do every job on an airhead.....well, if you had a machine shop you could. You still might shy away from some things, letting a specialist do them. You are passing on your hard-learned knowledge to others.   You have developed a fine feel for engineering, and understand quite a bit about what the factory was up to in its designs.   You do more than just think about doing Technical Seminars. You have a bike lift, tire changing equipment, can use a lathe and other equipment adequately, if not professionally. You don't always have as much fun wrenching, as you did quite some time ago, you would rather ride than wrench, yet seem not to find as much riding time.    You meticulously prepare an older classic model for some event, perhaps a National Rally.   Folks are always coming up to you, as you have made yourself approachable. Some tend to gather at your feet, awaiting pearls of wisdom....and this might embarrass you at times.   You are more interested in Teaching. You wonder about how you would run a BMW dealership. You own a number of airheads, representing the pre-/5 to the end of production. You may have an oilhead, and/or a K or F. You might have a small barn full of old parts, old bikes, and strange bikes.   You can talk about off-the-wall bikes you have owned and wrenched on.   You can talk about almost anything motorcycle related. You have burn and skid and other marks and remnants of fun and games at various body places.  You have learned to ride adequately in soft dirt (if you were previously only a street rider). In fact, you LIKE dirt riding.   You no longer have semi-permanent blackened fingers.   You worry about your own kids who are drooling at the idea of riding those dangerous motorcycles like you did. You FINALLY figured out that sidecars are fun too, but you prefer a solo bike, carving a canyon by yourself, lost in your own thoughts and memories. You probably will get a sidecar soon, so you can ride on snow next Winter, and carry the spouse and kid or two or family dog. You are looking forward to your 400K mileage badge.   You know you are looked up to, yet don't take advantage.   You sometimes get very grouchy and have a short temper with incompetent wrenchers....and then you remember how things were years ago.....and you shut up.