Many of us are having motorcycle but not everyone maintains it. I'm here to share some of the self maintaining tips for your motorcycle which you can do it by yourself.
Oil change
It is suggested to change motor oil once in 3-4 months to reduce the rate of wear and tear between moving components. It is as simple as you can do it by yourself. Below every crankcase, drain bolt is present with the strainer. All we have to do is loose the drain bolt, drain the old motor oil, clean the strainer and put up the drain bolt. Then we have to change the oil filter and pour the new motor oil via oil filling cap. We have to make sure that we are filling right quantity of oil with right grade. There are parts where we have to be careful. For loosening the oil drain bolt, we have to use ring spanners or socket set. If we use open end spanners, there are chances of slipping while loosening. If it slips, it'll become very difficult to remove the bolt. At the same time if we over tight, there are chances where crankcase will crack. We have to make sure that we are not tightening in the wrong thread. So it is always suggested to hand tight the drain bolt first and to tighten up using tools.
Air filter change
In a stock bike it is always suggested to run it with stock air intake. When we change oil filter, we have to remove the air box and inspect the filter. If it looks dirty, we have to clean it. If it looks very dirty, we have to replace it with a new one. Always we have to install a filter suggested by a manufacturer.
Battery check
Regularly we have to check for corrosion in the battery terminals. To prevent corrosion, it is always suggested to apply small amount of vaseline in the terminals. If you have multimeter, turn it to DC 20 and place the probe in the battery terminals. A good battery would show a voltage up to 12.4-12.8V. If the battery voltage is less than 12.2 you have to recharge it or replace it. At the same time you have to crank up the engine to check the recharge Voltage. The recharge Voltage should be in the range of 13.5 - 14.3V. If the recharge Voltage is lesser than 13V, then you may have problem in RR unit or weak coil assembly.
Checking for leakages and levels
Regularly we have to check is there any leakages of engine oil. If we didn't notice the engine oil leak, there might be a chance where engine running with no oil and getting seized. In a water cooled engine, we also have to check for coolant leakages. We have to check the level of oil regularly to avoid problems.
Chain maintenance
If you are daily travelling in your bike long distance, it is always suggested to clean your chain and sprockets atleast in a week or two. If you don't do long distance you can clean your chain by monthly. Firstly we have to clean the chain using diesel or kerosene or any other chain cleaner. Then using cloth or brush you have to wipe the sediments settled in the sprocket and chain. Make sure you are doing this with engine off. There may be chances of our fingers getting stuck in the sprocket. Then we have to lube the chain and also near the GB sprocket.
Checking pads
We have to make sure that the brake allows the wheel to rotate freely. If it bites the disc, there are chances for mileage drop. In disc brakes we have to regularly check for brake pads. If the lining is fully worn out, we have to replace it with a new one. If we drive with worn out brake pads, the disc also will worn out and the braking efficiency will be very low. Today, almost in every bikes, disc brakes are used. We have to apply grease in the caliper sliding mounts which make sure that the caliper is moving freely without any struggle. At the same time, we have to check for brake fluid level regularly.
Free play adjustments
Every levers and pedals have a free play. If we use the pedals and brakes, the free play will increase automatically. If we didn't adjust the play and continue to ride, then the braking action will become less and which might end up in accidents. So we have to always adjust the free play of clutch lever, front brake lever and rear brake pedal.
Tyre maintenance
If you are daily long distance traveler, you have to maintain the correct tyre pressure. Low pressure will end up in mileage loss and excessive wear. Over inflation also minimizes the cushioning effect and make the tyre to wear in middle part only. So we have to always maintain the correct inflation pressure. Though we use our vehicle or not, we have to refill the air weekly once.
Checking for noises
There are many moving parts inside the engine. We have to check for any abnormal noises produced by the engine. Always the sound comes from the tappet, clutch basket, connecting rod and several other parts . In scooters, the sound will arise in the transmission case where the rollers of CVT were worn out. In self starting systems, the sound may come from self one way clutch and from magneto side. So, we have to always check for those sounds. If any irregular sound raised we have to arrest the problem via authorized service center. Excessive chain play also creates sound while driving. We can adjust that by chain adjusting nut mostly provided in the swing arm.
Cleaning and covering
If your bike have main stand, it is best to use that always. There are several benefits of using main stand. We can see the correct oil level, easy to clean and lube the chain, less chance for side stand getting bent. If our bike is parked or in rest condition for long time, it is always suggested to cover our bike. Many of us buying bike cover, using it for few months and forgetting about it. We should always cover it when we're not using. Using cover also prevents our bike from rain. I've sawn a mechanic, who got a different compliant of water getting into the engine through air filter. During rainy season, his costumer has parked the bike in night using side stand condition. The rain had continued till morning. The bike slid slightly due to the wet sand. Due to this, the rain water had entered into the engine via air box which is easily accessible at that position. After that, they had to flush the engine oil using flush oil and replacing with the new oil. So it is always suggested to use main stand and to cover our bike. We also have to clean our bike regularly. By cleaning, we will look into many parts which is at not good condition for example a loosened bolt.
