Welcome to Motorcycles Guide
Suzuki Motorcycle Gallery Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
Motorcycle Maintenance - A Basic Guide
from: By: James HunabanHere we have a few things you should check on your motorcycle on a regular basis. I assume you have a handbook with the specs for your bike, if not, go get one. You may be able to find some data for your particular motorcycle on the net. You can also pick up workshop manuals for various models on eBay in PDF or CD form for little money.
Whereas with a four wheeled vehicle you may get away with being lax with things like tire pressures etc, this is not the case with a motorcycle. You should not risk compromising the safety and stability of your motorcycle, for the sake of a bit of routine maintenance.
Pre-ride check
* Tires - check condition and for foreign objects in the tread.
* Tire pressures - it is vitally important to keep your motorcycles tire pressures either on spec or very close to it.
* Oil level - always check with the bike on level ground.
* Coolant level - only if your bike's liquid cooled, obviously.
* Chain - check the tension and make sure it's well lubed.
* Brakes - check they work and that they feel good.
* Lights - check all your lights, especially the brake light, you
don't want to get rear ended, do you?
* Visual inspection - self explanatory.
* All ok - hit the road.
Periodical checks
* Check battery - see that the connections are tight; I dropped a bike once because of a loose battery connection, strange but true. Also check the electrolyte level on some batteries, a lot of newer batteries are gel filled, sealed for life types, so no need with these.
*Carb balance - if your bike is multi carbed get yourself a Morgan carbtune or similar. It can be a little tricky the first time you balance them, but when you've done it once, the second time will be easy.
*Ignition timing - only necessary on some bikes, most newer models have electronic ignition which does not need touching, normally.
*Valve clearances - unless you're a good home mechanic, take it to a dealer.
*Wheel bearings - grab each wheel with it off the ground and see if there is any sideways play. There should be none or maybe a trace at most.
*Steering head bearings - with the front end off the ground, grab the forks and push and pull. There should be no play.
*Swinging arm bearings - with the back wheel off the ground, check for any sideways movement in the swingarm, there should be none.
*Brakes - check fluid levels, brake hoses for deterioration, and pads/shoes for thickness.
*Cables and levers - should operate smoothly. Get some grease on lever/pedal pivot points, and get some lube down the cables, if you can. A cable oiler is a handy tool.
*Nut and bolts - go all round the motorcycle with your spanners and check that all nuts/ bolts/screws are nice and tight.
Well, that's about it for some basic maintenance, obviously, unless you're a good home mechanic, any bigger jobs will have to go to a dealer. The problem can be finding a good one with skilled mechanics you can trust. I manage to keep my Yamaha Fazer 1000 running sweet just using the steps listed above. It does help that this model only needs the valve clearances checking every 26,000 miles.
About the author: James Hunaban is the owner of www.motorcycling-news.com/ a site full of Motorcycle information.
For more motorcycle articles visit: http://www.motorcycle-articles.com
Suzuki Motorcycle Gallery News
Stewart, Baggett win Hangtown AMA Motocross
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- James Stewart won in his return to AMA Motocross, sweeping the motos Saturday in the season-opening Hangtown Motocross Classic. AMA Hangtown Gallery Check out all the action from Hangtown. Gallery Stewart, the Suzuki star from Haines City, Fla., raced to his 17th 450 Class victory. In his last full-time season of Nationals competition in 2008, Stewart claimed the premier ...
Read more...Take the automotive investment challenge - how much did these vehicles sell for at auction?
So you think you have an eye for value in assessing investment-quality cars and motorcycles? Here are a dozen cars and motorcycles that went to auction last week. We've included the official description, several images and the official estimates on price from the auctioneer. Can you guess how much each sold for? Answers at the bottom of the story... Continue Reading Take the automotive ...
Read more...POLICE LOG: Wednesday, May 9
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF EPHRATA: A window of a door at Sheldon's Gallery and Frame Shop, 20 W. Main St., was shattered around 9:45 a.m. Tuesday. Loss is $250. WARWICK TWP.: Derek Goodman, 22, of 841 Rothsville Road, was charged with felony criminal mischief after he allegedly damaged four trucks at Mike's...
Read more...Dual-mode transport - the trend accelerates
Auto China is probably the most influential automobile show in the world at present. China now produces and consumes more cars than any other nation, so its needs will heavily influence personal transport globally in coming decades. Some early trends are emerging as to what we'll see, and as congestion in China increases and parking centrally becomes prohibitively expensive, a car will ...
Read more...