You have been saving money for years, and now the time has come to spend your hard-earned money and buy a motorcycle of your dreams. It is a unique and exhilarating experience and has no match for any other experience you might have encountered. For biker enthusiast, it will be even greater than driving their car. However, to cut the cost down on maintenance, you need to take proper care of the machine so that it last long and provide ultimate performance. If you have newly purchased your bike or even have an old one, these tips will help in maintaining your bike to the optimum level.
Replace your engine oil
This is the first and foremost step that you need to strictly follow is to make sure your motorcycle last long. You need to:
- Check the quality of your engine oil and the appropriate level it should have before embarking on your journey.
- Get your oil engine replaced after every 2000 miles
- Check with the mechanic or motorcycle manual to know the schedule replacement period of oil.
- Make sure that you use high-quality engine oil.
- Check your engine oil during summer as its usage increases during that period.
- Follow the rules that the manufacturer has listed for the first 300 miles or so to increase your motorcycle life and avert, causing any damages to the engine.
Check and apply lubricant regularly
The next step that is also crucial in increasing the lifespan of your motorcycle is applying lubricant regularly. As insignificant as it sounds, it holds great importance:
- Ensure that the bike chain has a proper grip
- The excess friction can lead to the rise of issues with gearbox bearings and the wheels
- Lube the chain after every ride as it enables better oil absorption
- Clean the chain properly before applying the lube
Regular lubrication of other areas
Keep in mind that it is not only the bike engine that needs lubrication, but there are also several other components as well that require lubrication once a year. These are:
- Suspension linkages
- Steering-head bearings
- Swinging arm
- Wheel bearings
- Fork oil and if required replace it
If you do this regularly, it will assist in keeping your motorcycle running smoothly and avert any wear and tear.
Clean the Air Filter regularly and if needed replace it
For your motorcycle engine to function efficiently, the air engine plays a very crucial role. If your filter is clogged and you keep on riding the bike without showing much concern, then you are intentionally causing damage to your engine, and impure air will enter. Further, the clogged filter causes thwart in the formation of a balanced mixture of fuel and air. Always remember to check the motorcycle manual for the time of air filter cleaning and replacement schedule. It is also recommended to change or clean your air filter after a ride on a dirty or dusty road.
Other important steps involved in keeping your bike maintained are to check the brake pads, ensure the tire has proper air pressure, check the spark plug and replace it when needed, and the last check the battery.
Ride the motorcycle properly
This is the most common case that occurs in superbikes. They are designed for high performance, but sometimes we tend to overuse it and exceed the performance limits, and it is not recommended. Riding your motorcycle properly is also one of the crucial steps in maintaining your bike. You need to follow these mentioned steps if you want to save your bike from encountering any issues:
- Avoid applying brakes abruptly
- Avoid sudden and hard accelerations
- Maintain your bike speed limit all the time
- Over-speeding can cause overheating, and this leads to damaging the engine
No matter if you have a superbike or any other model, you need to understand that the normal road conditions are much different than the highways. Even in professional racing, the motorcycle is initially checked for its parts and engine and is replaced after few rounds. However, when using it for the daily commute or long trip, it is not possible to do so. It is better to strictly follow all these mentioned tips to increase the lifespan of your motorbike.
