Hi guys! This is my first post. I have recently come across a 03 Rubicon, it has 5,800 miles on it. I doubt it has ever been serviced or tuned up, it is also out of alignment.

Here is my question: How hard is it to service this bike myself? How hard is it to tune it up myself? Also the handle bars are quite loose, how do I tighten them? Is it possible to align it myself or do I have to get a professional to do it?

All help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

to tighten the handle bars there usualy mounted on the shaft with blocks which have mounting plates and pads ontop simply tighten up the 4 bolts I dont know exactly how it looks in the rubicon but if you can get to it remove the pads or covers and tighten the bolts up. in your case it may not be so simple just look it over maybe invest in a manual or look at yours if you already have one.
if you can service your car you can catch on fast just use the internet if you get lost.
although i suggest you leave the big problems to a skilled profesional but you can do fluid changes and replace filters yourself and save service charges.

 

Getting a manual would be worthwhile.

By loose handlebars, do you mean the steering shaft wobbles around, or that there is play when you turn the bar from side to side?

There is a plate on the bottom of the steering shaft, to which the inner tie rod ends attach. The plate is held to the steering shaft by a nut and a cotter pin. The nut is not a castle nut, so the cotter pin only keeps it from falling off completely, and that nut has been known to come loose. If it has, pull the cotter pin and the nut, degrease threads on both sides, and hit it with some high strength (red) locktite before retightening.

Another possibility would be slopped out tie rod ends (possible since it is out of alignment too). Have a buddy wiggle the bar side to side, while you look to see if there is significant play in the tie rod ends. Putting your hand over the joint (safely) can be helpful to feel the play.

Other than oil, filter, air filter, and spark plug (which are pretty self-explanatory), you will likely want to replace the oil in the front and rear final drive with 75w90 hypoid gear oil, and you will want to adjust the valves.

Once you have the bodywork and tank removed and have access to the top of the motor, remove the inspection caps to expose the rockers. There is a chrome allen head cap on the side of the engine that you will need to remove, which allows a view of the flywheel. Turn the motor slowly with the pull starter until a T appears in the window. If both rockers are loose, you are ready to check valve gap. If both rockers are tight, then the valves are in overlap between intake and exhaust, so you would need to turn the motor another turn until the T is back and the piston is TDC between compression and power stroke. Spec is .006 intake, and .009 exhaust, engine cold.

Alignment spec is 1" toed out, plus or minus 9/16" as measured at the tread of the tires. If you have an alignment gauge, set it on the tread of the backs of the front tires, and mark the tires with a pen. Remove the gauge and roll the machine forward so the marks are now at the front of the tires. Set the gauge against the front of the tires, and put one pointer on the mark on one tire, and measure the difference at the other.

If it isn't close to 1" wider at the front, adjust both tie rods and recheck. Adjust both tie rods the same amount, or you will end up with the handlebar not straight when the machine is going straight ahead.

If you don't have an alignment gauge, you can C clamp the long sides of two carpenter squares together, so it forms a U with the short ends about the width of the middles of the front tires. All you need is something of a fixed width that can fit around the frame to make marks on the backs of the front tires, so that width can then be compared to the marks when the machine is moved forward and the marks are at the fronts...

 

OK. On the steering issue first, I have checked the nut at the end of the steering shaft and it is tight yet the handle bars still are loose side to side. What else could it be?

 

Tie rod ends would be the next most likely thing. Also check the bushings that support the steering stem/shaft, and ball joints.

 

Jeffin is on track there. My friend's 03 Rubi had a lower steering shaft bracket bushing fail.