Mojo Garage Archives - Page 5 of 11

The Valve Job

The intake and exhaust valves must be in good condition as they play an extremely important part in how the engine perform. So, your mechanic tells you your bike needs a valve job. What exactly does...

Shift Quickly

A quick shifter is essential when time or momentum is critically important. One feature that has been appearing more and more often on motorcycles is the quick shifter. In reviews, a quick shifter is...

Is Your Bike Safe?

There are a few things on your bike you should check regularly to help eliminate risk to your machine and yourself. There are inherent risks associated with riding a motorcycle, and pretty much...

Striping It Right

Finding the proper decals is one thing, but applying them can be tedious and requires patience. The latest motorcycle to join the others parked in my garage is a 1980 Kawasaki KZ550A. It was the...

BMW’s Big Boxer

What with the R nineT series, BMW is no stranger to retro-style motorcycles. However, the R18 is something completely different. BMW once made a cruiser, the R1200C, but abandoned the design in 2004...

Carburetor Cleaning

The small jets inside a carburetor can, and will, plug up with stale fuel, but there are a few tricks to cleaning the delicate internal components. Between the rider-training bikes I service and my...

Use the Right Fuel

There are a number of factors that determine the best octane rating for your engine. A common misconception about octane is its relation to power. Many people believe that the higher the octane, the...

Save Your Clutch

Using the proper oil in your motorcycle could save your clutch, as well as plenty of money in the near future. Aside from testing and writing about motorcycles, I am also a certified riding...

Tube-Type to Tubeless

With a bit of expertise and luck, you can convert your tube-type rims to tubeless. Although I really like the look of spoked wheels, there are many reasons I prefer tubeless wheels. Unless spoked...

Salut Denis

Merci infiniment, my friend, mentor and business partner. I met Denis Lavoie in 1984. That was the year I began working at Harley-Davidson Montreal, for which he was head mechanic. Born on the north...

Servicing Points

Accurately setting the points is critical for proper engine performance. If you own a bike that’s more than four decades old, chances are it has ignition points. Electronic ignition systems...

The‌ ‌Next‌ ‌Project‌

Resurrecting a vintage bike is not for the faint of heart. Last year I acquired a 1980 Kawasaki KZ550A. It belonged to a friend who has a rather large collection of motorcycles. Although we’d...