What Needs to Be Checked Before Spring Riding
Usually,
winter is the most tough season for millions of single motorcycle riders. As
the new year comes, the warm weather will return soon, which means that
motorcyclists need to be well prepared to head back to the open road and to
date a biker girl. However, there are a number of things need to be done to
get a Harley motorcycle back to its best performance condition before
hopping onto a motorcycle. So, a thorough check of the motorcycle needed to
be performed by biker men and biker women before taking it out to the sun to
avoid unnecessary malfunctions, breakdowns or even accidents. Here are five
basic things to check for the spring riding:
1. The fuel system. If you forget to completely drain the engine before the
storage for the winter, then it is always best and safest to start with a
fresh tank of gasoline. Because stale gasoline can be extremely problematic
for stored vehicles. When hydrocarbons react with oxygen exposure, the
chemical composition of the gasoline mixture will change, which will produce
free radicals that can lead to oxidation and deposit in the fuel system. And
it can clog up the lines and filters and make other parts of engine fail to
work.
2. The battery life. The most common issue with bikes stored all winter
tends to be the batteries. Each time a battery goes dead, its life gets cut
down. If you are a smart rider, then you must have your battery well charged
on a Battery Tender or a trickle charger while it is stored. If your battery
was not charging throughout the winter, then you should consider to replace
it when it looks a bit sickly. Or it will cause problems once you start to
ride.
3. Oil and Filter. Every single bikers know that oil is the most important
thing to keep the many components of the engine working efficiently and
smoothly. You may have changed your oil as part of your winterizing process,
then your motorcycle is probably ready to rumble. But if you didn’t, then
it’s always a good idea to change it before starting a new riding season.
However, even if you did change it before winter, you should do it again to
make sure the motorcycle can run smoothly before the next winter. And at the
same time, change your oil filter.
4. Tire. After your motorcycle’s winter slumber, it is necessary to check
the tires to see if they are still in good condition. After all, only a few
square inches of rubber, the tires can keep hundreds of pounds of metal in
contact with the ground all the time. When checking them, motorcycle riders
should pay attention to the potential flat-spotting, and bring the tire
pressure back up to specification. Then check the cracks and rot. If
possible, just replace them for a new riding season.