May_2008 » Page 15 of 30

Now that you have successively drained and replaced the oil in the engine it's time to take a look at other major parts so that you can have a safe and enjoyable ride.

It's time to check the primary and transmission fluid's and add if needed. These two fluids should be safe to run for about 500 miles, but to be on the safe side replacing both fluids could be a wise decision. If you elected to drain all fluids for the winter the decision is simple, you will need to put in fluids before operating. Again, if you decided to change these fluids replace them with the required fluids that are suitable for your bike and at the same time make sure that you have o-rings and gaskets handy to replace the one's you took off. While you are replacing the primary fluid you can check the tension of the primary chain since your there. To successively do this it is recommended that you check with your owner's manual or service manual of your bike. In most cases it's as simple as using a finger and lifting up or in some cases down on the primary chain and watching the movement of the chain, there are tools that are suggested by the manufacture's on doing this procedure. Check with your manual !

The next step you should take is to check the electrical system starting with the battery. Look the battery over for any visual damages or cracks, then make sure that the battery has the required of amount of charge as recommended by manufacture. Also, you should check the battery cables and connections for corrosion or cracking, and tighten connections if needed. Along with checking the battery the spark plugs should be taken out if you have not already done so and inspect them and replace them if you feel that they are not in good condition. Usually you can tell if their bad they are black with past burn off from running, if this is the case repalcing them is a good idea. When replacing spark plugs put some anti-seize on the threads of the new spark plugs to prevent the threads from locking or seizing up on you, so that when you need to remove them the next time they will come out easily. And always check the spark plug gap of new plugs to get the maximum spark needed when firing up your bike, check with your manual for the required gap.

Some other components that need to be checked are brake pads. brake lines, fasteners, and the brake fluid. First, check the brake pads and see if there is enough pad surface material to make good contact against the brake disc and since your there check the brake disc as well. Check the fastener's for tightness and the brake line for cracking, make adjustments or replace if needed. Take a moment and look into the brake reservoir what does the level of the brake fluid look like. The fluid may be ok without changing it, but since it has been sitting over the winter it may be a good idea to change the fluid. Here agian as with the other fluids the brake fluid may have lost it's properties or strength to make a great braking power. Change if in doubt !

Tire inspection should be done watching for dry wrought, cracking, any debris or nails in the tread, and of course how much tread is actually on the tire. When you have done these inspections with good results its time to check air pressure and fill if needed. While you are there its a good idea to check the spokes on the rim if your bike is equiped with spoke rims. Now stepping back to the rear wheel check the drive belt or chain on the rear wheel to make sure there is enough tension, but not too much the belt or chain could snap. Check with your manual for procedures on drive belt or chain adjustments. And since you have the air hose handy while putting air in the tire's you may want to put air into your bikes suspension/shocks if your bike is equiped with air suspension, if you don't know check your manual or ask a certified mechanic.

One last item I can think of to look at is the air cleaner, take it off the housing if it looks good there is no need to do anything put it back and you should be good to go.
Now there are differnt type's of air cleaner's and each of them have their own procedures of cleaning, they are usually simple to clean. But if you should open up the air cleaner and find a really dirty filter that looks like it would be impossible to clean, throw it away and get a new filter.

There is so much to go through when checking the condition and safety of your bike but in the long run it's worth the extra effort. I hope that I have given you a good starting
point in which to do maintenance on your own. If you are mechaniclly inclined you should not have any difficulties. All I have to say at this point is be safe and when in doubt ask a certified motorcycle mechanic or dealer.