Other than checking your engine oil levels, what simple things can you do to keep your ride handling well and in good shape between servicing?
Our Head Mechanic, Laurie, shares two of his top tips.
Maintain the right tyre pressure
Check your tyre pressure weekly by making it a habit - going for a Sunday ride? Fuel up and check your tyres. Keeping your tyres pressure within the bike manufacturer’s recommended range improves handling, responsiveness and enables the tyre to perform as designed, and can reduce the amount you spend on fuel.
Win, win!
“Over inflation or extreme tyre pressure will impair your riding comfort and decrease the size of the contact patch of the tyre with the road.”
– Metzeler
You’ll need a tyre pressure gauge and 5 minutes. No gauge? No worries. Simply head to your local service station and use the free one.
Check your bike’s manual for recommended inflation specs and if you’ve been on the track recently (and didn’t get track tyres), make sure you reset your tyre pressure to road conditions.
Correctly tension your chain
Chains lose tension quicker than you think. Chain slack not only creates annoying noise, it affects performance, messes with the sprockets and if dangerously loose - can come off the sprocket completely and throw you off the bike.
Not good.
We recommend you check and tighten the chain every 500kms.
Haven’t tightened a chain before? Start by finding the instructions in your bike’s manual or the sticker on the swing arm (if you haven’t taken that off).
You’ll need:
A tape measure, pen and paper or chain slack gauge
Sprocket and spanner set
Motorcycle stand
Your optimal chain slack measurement (check the manual)
Optional: chain lube (spray or liquid)
WATCH: The team at Motorcycle Magazine created an easy to follow video on tensioning your motorcycle chain.
Don’t be tempted to over tighten the chain as this will put too much pressure on the sprocket and affect your suspension and gears.
Still not confident? Drop in and we’ll show you how.
