Basic Bike Maintenance to Know | GTAMotorcycle.com

Basic Bike Maintenance to Know

S

Silent Q

Active member
Forum Sponsor
Hello,

I am new to riding and since the initial over-excitment of getting a new bike has warn down a little, I started thinking about maintenance.

I am by no means a mechanic, but I do consider myself fairly handy and capeable of learning basic mechanical maintenance. What would be a few things I could learn to do with my motorcycle to be able to avoid going to the shop all the time?

My current list is:

-chain cleaning & lubing
-chain adjustment
-oil & oil filter change
-fluid checks
-brake and clutch cable adjustments
-brake pad change
-clean and replace airfilter
-replace chain
-test and fill tires

I plan on being able to complete the above list if my motorcycle needs it because, not only will it save me a lot of money, I really want to get to know my bike and how to "make her feel better", heh. There are plenty of How-To's on the Internet to instruct me.

Does anyone think there is missing from the list or that is on the list, best left to a professional?
 
There's really no limit other than your own confidence and ability. You can purchase or rent any special tools you might need, and there's lots of information on line for just about any task. It's really down to how confident you are to maintain the bike that you will ride down the highway at ???? km/hr. and KNOW that everything was done correctly. Having said that, if you don't have much of a "feel" for mechanical things, you may start with the purchase of a torque wrench, and use it for EVERYTHING. There's been too many "stripped drain plug" threads lately. I say go for it, you'll save $$ and you'll appreciate riding that much more.
 
Well, this weekend I will be giving my bike an oil change and cleaning/lubing the chain. Very simple, but a good enough place to start.
 
skapan said:
There's really no limit other than your own confidence and ability. You can purchase or rent any special tools you might need, and there's lots of information on line for just about any task. It's really down to how confident you are to maintain the bike that you will ride down the highway at ???? km/hr. and KNOW that everything was done correctly. Having said that, if you don't have much of a "feel" for mechanical things, you may start with the purchase of a torque wrench, and use it for EVERYTHING. There's been too many "stripped drain plug" threads lately. I say go for it, you'll save $$ and you'll appreciate riding that much more.
Click to expand...

Yep, I did that on my first oil change in April. Pretty costly to fix but I learned from my mistake. Going to give it another go and not screw up this time ;P

-> I didn't really know how to use the torque wrench correctly....
 
One piece of advice, double check and then triple check all your work. I almost killed myself a couple years back cause i missed one simple step.
 
Care to elaborate on this missed step to inform everyone else?


You could also check spark plug gaps, check every visible bolt for tightness, axle alignment.
 
bboySushi said:
Care to elaborate on this missed step to inform everyone else?


You could also check spark plug gaps, check every visible bolt for tightness, axle alignment.
Click to expand...

valve cover sealant and correct torque when replacing valve cover

ya i know, im retarded
 
Do not use a torque wrench when changing the oil unless its a new bike, guaranteed you will strip it.

go hand tight and then half turn, run it for a bit and if you notice a leak you can always turn a 1/4 more
 
not sure what you ride, but get the service manual. Some are available online, others you'll need to buy. I know the honda manuals are quite good, some of the older manuals can be hard to see the pictures, good pictures are worth while. That would be my first step, since sometimes there are little details worth knowing.

1.) you'll make mistakes, thats part of learning, just be careful around key safety components, i.e. brakes, axle nuts.
2.) most service work is just a matter of doing it once or twice. Like car service, people make it sound like its black magic, it really isn't. I much prefer to know service was done right. I guarantee I have more experience working on my model than the local dealership. There are very few driving around here.
3.) add valve check to the list
4.) also add tire changes, I find it invaluable to have a couple spares and jus switch them out as needed, vs. trying to go to some place to get it done, thats just a hassle. My 2c of advice, buy a bead braker and the 3 spoons you need. Trying to "rig" up a bead breaker is a pain. For the $83, its worth it:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/PORTABLE-MOT...=item23255e6d33&vxp=mtr&_uhb=1#ht_2700wt_1186

learning to use the spoons in the correct order (different for removal than install) is the key. Lots of vids on youtube, notice which spoon goes where. Its easy to scratch your rims, personally I don't care like most track guys. If you do care, get some rim protectors, $15 on ebay.
 
johnp said:
huh? how so?
Click to expand...

the torque specs are for a new bike. the oil pan is not a strong part by nature so as it gets older it gets even weaker in terms of the threads. the screw that you are screwing in is stronger metal than the pan and threads its going into. so the factory torque spec gets too strong over time.

i was told this by a good motorcycle mechanic. and according to him most mechanics would not use it. since then i have not used it.

mean while i have used torque wrench in other parts of old bikes and broken bolts or stripped. dd the bike gets older certain areas cannot tolerate same torque specs.
 
Where did this "good motorcycle mechanic" work? There is no time limit on factory specs. If you strip the drain plug it's more likely that it has been abused previously and/or a new washer was not used. Your theory means that if I rebuild a 20 year old engine then I torque the head bolts a lot less?
The most likely cause of stripping other bolts is oiling the threads when they are supposed to be dry - the clamping force increases hugely with the same torque.
 
skapan said:
....... and/or a new washer was not used. ......
Click to expand...

uh oh. I do this. I don't understand this either.

EDIT: the part about oiled threads having different torque specs sure makes a lot of sense - and very new to me. For sure the drain plug bolt will be oily when you insert it.
Forum Sponsor
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom