SPOKES CAN BREAK IF THEY ARE LOOSE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n
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3 RIMS<\/strong><\/p>\nOn any kind of rim, check for damage where the tire meets the rim and have a look at the wheel bearing seals. Has any grease been leaking? If you can raise your bike so the wheels are off of the ground, grasp the top and bottom of the wheel and try to wiggle. If you feel any play, that means your wheel bearings need attention and you should have your mechanic look at it.<\/p>\n
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4 BRAKE PADS<\/strong><\/p>\nOn most bikes with disc brakes, you should be able to see the brake pads if you position yourself just right (there are two of them per caliper, one on each side of each rotor). You might have to enlist the help of a flashlight. Have a quick look to ensure there is some brake lining left on them. Remember, brakes are an important main-tenance item and just looking at your brakes is no substitute for regular service.<\/p>\n
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5 CONTROLS<\/strong><\/p>\nCheck all levers and pedals for operation, especially the brakes before you get out on the road. Make sure you have a good solid feel to the brake pedal and lever. A soft or spongy feel indicates that there is air in your hydraulic system and this should be attended to right away. Your brake fluid level should be checked and if it is more than a couple of years old it should be replaced. Brake fluid absorbs moisture and begins to break down over time.<\/p>\n
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6 HYDRAULIC HOSES<\/strong><\/p>\nBe sure to have a look at the hydraulic hoses for your front and rear brake system. Check for cracks or any kind of damage to the rubber coating. Mice will chew on anything over the course of the winter and rubber hoses can be one of the items mice find tasty. I once saw a car come out of storage from a barn and all the brake lines were chewed through. We concluded that it was a raccoon or a porcupine that did it.<\/p>\n
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7 CLUTCH AND CABLES<\/strong><\/p>\nMake sure the clutch lever pulls smoothly. If it doesn\u2019t, it may indicate a frayed cable or one that needs to be lubricated. The same thing goes for your throttle cables. When the throttle is opened it should snap back, and while you have the engine running, turn the handlebars all the way to the right and left and make sure the engine rpm does not change.<\/p>\n
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8 LIGHTS AND ELECTRICAL<\/strong><\/p>\nL<\/span><\/strong> After re-installing your fully charged battery for this riding season, be sure the connections are secure and while you are at it, try to wiggle the positive cable on the starter and the negative cable on the frame if you can get to them. The starter connection especially gets a fair bit of vibration and the cable can loosen up over a riding season. A loose connection can also act like a battery that has gone south and the law of averages says it will leave you stranded at the most inopportune time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
9 BATTERY<\/strong><\/p>\nThe life span of a motorcycle battery is generally around five years. I have seen them go longer but they can also die at any time. If you have any reason to believe your battery might not be up to snuff, change it. Motorcycle batteries can be boosted like a car, but quite often a motorcycle battery isn\u2019t readily accessible, often hidden beneath the seat or side covers.<\/p>\n
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10 WIRING\/AIR FILTER<\/strong><\/p>\nWhile you have the seat off or any side covers necessary for battery installation, pay attention to the wiring that may reside in the hidden recesses of your bike. Remember, mice find homes during the winter and battery boxes are perfect places for them. I once had a trail bike that I wintered in a garden shed. A mouse had taken up residence in the air box and made a nest that included pieces from my air filter. To top it off, the hungry rodent had eaten all of the wires that passed through the immediate area. I have to tell you from personal experience; don\u2019t show your kids. They will either want to keep the cute little mouse as a pet, or at the very least, will accuse you of killing a harmless defenseless animal because you are taking away its home.<\/p>\n
Now would be a good time to check your air filter and air box if equipped.<\/p>\n
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11 HANDLE BAR SWITCHES<\/strong><\/p>\nCheck all the handle bar switchgear and the components they control like the horn, turn signals, high beam and so forth, and that includes the idiot lights on your instrument cluster. Also remember to check the brake light\u2019s operation with both the rear brake pedal and the front brake lever.<\/p>\n
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12 CHECK OIL AND FLUIDS<\/strong><\/p>\nO<\/span><\/strong> As mentioned earlier about brake fluid, all fluids need to be changed at their prescribed intervals and the best time to change them is when the bike was put away at the end of riding season. That way the fresh liquid is protecting the internal parts and reservoirs they reside in and saves you a lot of time in the spring by not having to change them then.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
13 ENGINE OIL<\/strong><\/p>\nEngine oil especially should be changed in the fall and the fresh oil distributed throughout the engine by running it before storage. Dirty engine oil contains impurities from combustion and generally breaks down over time. It\u2019s better not to be sitting in, and on, vital engine components over the long winter.<\/p>\n
Refer to your owner\u2019s manual or dealership for the proper procedure for checking the engine oil and if applicable, the trans fluid. Some bikes, and this sometimes varies between different models by the same manufacturer and even different years of the same models, require a different procedure for checking fluid levels. Some use a dipstick while either on the side stand or standing straight up, and others use a sight glass that is usually in an impossible spot for a single person to see. Usually a sight glass requires a second person to view it while someone sits the bike up right, or at least a mirror is needed so the rider can sit the bike up straight and then use a mirror to view the sight glass at the bottom of the engine.<\/p>\n
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14 COOLANT<\/strong><\/p>\nSome motorcycles require coolant for the engine and it should be checked whenever the oil is checked. The coolant also needs to be replaced just as brake fluid does as it too breaks down over time. Again, check your owner\u2019s manual or dealership for the proper type of coolant to use and the frequency of which it should be changed.<\/p>\n
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15 DRIVESHAFT<\/strong><\/p>\nThose bikes that use a driveshaft for their final drive will have gear oil in the differential that needs to be checked and\/or replaced. This is special oil that is designed to withstand enormous pressures from the mating gears and like other fluids, needs to be changed periodically.<\/p>\n
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16 CHECK QUALITY OF GAS<\/strong><\/p>\nIf you filled your fuel tank and used Sta-bil, or another brand of gasoline conditioner in the fall, you should be ready to start your bike up and ride as normal. If you didn\u2019t fill the tank up, look inside and check if the gasoline is cloudy, indicating moisture from condensation. If it\u2019s cloudy you may want to drain the fuel and the carburetor float bowl (if your bike is carbureted) and replace with clean gasoline. From personal experience, I find that fuel with Sta-bil in it burns much more quickly than regular gas so don\u2019t venture far from a gas station until you have used all the Sta-bil diluted gasoline and filled the tank with fresh fuel.<\/p>\n
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17 CHECK FOR LEAKS<\/strong><\/p>\nWhile you are checking over everything that contains liquid of any kind, be sure to keep an eye out for any leaks. Now is the time to fix them, or have them fixed. All fluids are vital to a machine\u2019s well-being and you don\u2019t want any mechanical item to do without the proper amount of fluid. Fluid leaks can also get on tires making them extremely slippery and dangerous for obvious reasons.<\/p>\n
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18 CHASSIS<\/strong><\/p>\nC<\/span><\/strong> If you are able to lift the front-end of the bike off the ground, turn your steering from left lock to right lock and feel for any tight or rough spots caused by an indentation in the steering head bearings. To check for looseness in the steering head, pull and push on your handlebars while the front wheel is off the ground. If you feel any tight or rough spots or any looseness, have it checked and repaired right away.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
19 FRAME<\/strong><\/p>\nCheck the frame junctions and welds for cracks, especially on older bikes. Flaking paint at a welded juncture could indicate hidden problems and should be investigated.<\/p>\n
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20 SWING ARM<\/strong><\/p>\nIf you are able to lift the rear tire off of the floor, after checking for wheel bearings as mentioned previously, grab the back of the tire and try to move it sideways. If the bearings felt OK but you are feeling a side-to-side movement by pushing and pulling the back of the wheel, this indicates swing-arm bushings or bearings and they will need to be adjusted or replaced. This will be most noticeable while cornering; the back-end will feel kind of loose.<\/p>\n
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21 FINAL DRIVE OR BELT<\/strong><\/p>\nCheck the final drive chain or belt. Rotate the rear wheel while it is up in the air and feel for tight spots. A belt should be smooth but a chain, by nature, could feel like it has a tight spot. It is at this tight spot where you check the tension of the chain. Refer to your manual or dealership as to the proper chain or belt deflection and adjust accordingly, remembering to adjust both sides of the axle adjustment equally.<\/p>\n
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22 TIGHTEN NUTS AND BOLTS<\/strong><\/p>\nPut a wrench on the nuts and bolts throughout the chassis to ensure they are snug. Look for any missing cotter pins, fasteners and damaged threads.<\/p>\n
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23 SUSPENSION COMPONENTS<\/strong><\/p>\nCheck front and rear suspension components and settings. Grab a fist full of front brake and give a good hard push forward. The front suspension should smoothly compress slightly and rebound back to its normal position. Sitting on the bike should smoothly compress and rebound the rear suspension as well. The amount of compression will depend on the bike and the settings that the suspension is set to.<\/p>\n
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24 GREASE<\/strong><\/p>\nBe sure to grease all grease nipples. If you are unsure of their location, refer to your owner\u2019s manual or ask at the dealership.<\/p>\n
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25 STANDS<\/strong><\/p>\nS<\/span><\/strong> Make sure that side and centre stands are working properly and smoothly. Ensure the ignition cutout switch works or adjust accordingly. Check mounting bolt tightness and that the return springs are in good condition and not loose. If you lose a spring, your kickstand will fall down and drag along the ground. This could be especially detrimental to your health if you are on a right hand bend, your side stand swings out into its fully extended position and you then straighten up or head into a left hand bend with your kick stand out \u2013 ouch. It won\u2019t be pretty.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
26 FINALLY! STARTING IT UP<\/strong><\/p>\nAfter you have checked out your bike and you feel it is time to start it up, remember to always let the engine warm up first. This is more noticeable on carbureted engines but it is better for the health of all engines. Warming the engine up while stationary lets the engine components heat up at the proper gradual pace instead of some parts heating up faster than others, as is the case when riding away with a cold engine. Your engine will thank you for it later in its life.<\/p>\n
If you failed to squirt oil in your cylinders in the fall, you might find it hard to start the engine. Try squirting a bit of oil in the cylinders and spin the engine without the sparkplugs installed. Be sure to ground the sparks so they can release the pent up energy. A couple of squirts of oil will help regain the compression that can wane from the lack of piston movement all winter.<\/p>\n
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27 GET REACQUAINTED<\/strong><\/p>\nAnd don\u2019t forget about tuning yourself up. Take it easy, go to an empty parking lot and reacquaint yourself with the brakes and the weight of the bike. Watch for annual spring hazards like sand in the corners, and cold pavement and tires that can result in less grip on the road. All of which can ruin a perfect cornering experience if you\u2019re not careful. Frost and a harsh winter can also take a terrible toll on our roads, so keep an eye out for chunks of pavement scattered on the roadway and the resulting holes.<\/p>\n
Have a safe riding season! Glenn<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By the time some of you read this, you may already have your bike out and have pounded a few hundred kilometers on it, much like my neighbour Adam. Depending on which part of the country you call home will have a big impact on your accumulated mileage since points between the west coast and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2456,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[373,39],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Motorcycle Winter Storage Maintenance Tips in Canada<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n