May_2008 » Page 14 of 30

March 20th kicked off the offical time for Spring, but the weather has not cooperated with some us as we would like. Some day's the temperature's have been nice but turns a quick corner and back down in the twenty's again. Some area's even had snow dumped in their backyard's making one think is Spring really here !

Well, my friend's Spring is here and it's time to think about bringing your bike out of storage and getting it ready to ride. I am going to give you a few suggestions and idea's on "what to look at" and "what to look for."

Being a certified mechanic, I have a check list of procedures that I follow and I will share my experience's with you.

First, if you drained fluids from your bike before storing it for the winter you DO NOT want to start the bike up with out oil in the engine. Yes, some people drain their oil, transmission fluid, primary fluid and even the brake fluids, there have been difference's of opinion on this subject. Should you drain for the winter is up to you, there are additive's such as "Stabalizer" that can be added to the oil without having to drain the oil. But, you will be draining all the fluids before you think about that first ride of the spring, you owe it to yourself as well as the longevity of your bike's engine and other critical part's.

Once you have your bike in a place that you can comfortably work on it, I would suggest taking a minute or two and quickly wipe the bike down just to knock off spider-webs, dust or debris that you may not see. And if you have a bike that is equiped with a fairing I would take the time to take the fairing off and check the components on the inside. As a mechanic when I worked on bike's with fairings I found spider's, mice, bug's and nest's, not to mention some exposed wiring because a critter got inside the fairing and chewed the wire's bare.

Lets say that you were one of those people who did drain their bike before storing. What would be yor next step ? Make sure you have extra oil for your bike. Your going to put in the required amount of oil, and then run your bike for a while to work the oil in the engine and lubricate the parts and loosen up any old oil and sludge build up so that you can drain that oil and put in new. How long should this take ? Some say that they do it and run the bike as little as a block or two and then change the oil and other's have suggested running your bike for a week and then changing out the oil and putting in newer oil. Try not to run it to long before changing out the oil ! Your bike's engine and parts will perform and last longer if you should try this procedure ! And in the long run it's better on your wallet ! The cost of a few extra quarts of oils and your time is better than if a major problem arise's with your bike's engine that may require a engine tare down and major work.

Now, if you did not drain the oil out before storing the bike for the winter and you have some winterizing additive in the oil, your next step would be to check the level of the engine oil and add if needed. And then you can start the engine to get the oil temperature up and run it through the engine and parts. Usually the run time for this is around 10 minute's. Once the engine temperature is hot enough it's time to change out the oil and put in new. You should be able to run this new oil change for 500 miles before making another change. Again it's about saving you the time and the cost of any major repairs !

NOTE : Since your Bike has not been running over the winter, the piston's inside the piston cylinder tend to get gummed up and stuck. They may need a little help in moving smoothly. The best way to do this is pour a little of new oil in the cylinder around the piston. How should you do this ? First take the spark plugs out of the cylinder head's and with the cap of oil container pour one cap full of oil through each spark plug hole. Now, let the oil penetrate around the piston's and then raise the rear wheel off the ground enough to rotate the wheel, put the bike's transmission in first gear and slowly rotate the wheel so the pistons move up and done the cylinder. Rotate the wheel a few time's to be sure the piston's have made a few rotations inside the cylinder. It should be safe to start the engine now once the bike is in neutral and you have put in the required amount of oil in the engine.

While you are draining any fluids in your bike you can take the time to make a quick check of other components such as tire pressure, the battery charge, and if all electrical device's are working properly. And by the time you have checked a few of this things the oil should of had enough time to drain completily.