In a motorbike, engine is heart of the matter. Inside it, many moving components will be present. We know friction between any two components will undergo wear and tear. Keeping your engine in a good condition is the important job you have to do. All we do is change the motor oil and its filter. But there are many things you have to look after to increase your engine life. Lets see them one by one.
Let it idle for a minute or two
When you park your vehicle for long time, all the motor oil will be stored in the oil pan. When, you crank up regularly, a thin film of motor oil will be present in between the components. But when you try to cold start, in between the components, no oil film of oil will be present. All the oil is in the sump. It'll take a second for the pump to suck it and lubricate when you try to crank up. So, if you start and rev your motor without idling for some time, the wear and tear between the moving components will be higher at that time and it'll decrease your engine life. Whenever you start your engine, allow it to idle for a minute or two.
Genuine spares
I've written a content on the importance of using original spares and accessories. Make sure to go through it. For saving money, you may go for local spares. It may damage your engine and its internal components. You have to use original spares and accessories to increase your engine life.
Servicing
Servicing your motorbike at correct interval of time includes activities like changing engine oil, air filter and several other. If you fail to get it serviced by time, the wear and tear will increase which decreases your engine life. If you don't change the engine oil at regular interval, the oil transforms into sludge and the components don't get the proper lubrication. If you don't change the air filter, the amount of air going into the combustion chamber will be reduced which results in abnormal combustion. Make sure that you are using the right oil grade and as per manufacturer's suggestion. And the most important factor is clutch plates. If you are running with bad clutch plates, you don't get proper mileage and engine's power will be wasted. In regular service, all these parameters are checked which make sure that you are going in the right path.
Breaking in period
You have to be careful while you are in running in period or break in period. You can check my previous posts where i've told about the several importance of breaking in period of your motor. During this period, the clearance between the components will be low. If you operate your motor in a hard way, wear and tear between the components will be higher in the starting period itself. To maintain the good condition of your engine, make sure you are aware of the guidelines given by the manufacturers and it is also the most important period which decides your engine's lifetime.
Rev matching
I'll try to explain about rev matching basically. Imagine you are riding your motorbike in third gear. If you try to downshift to 2nd or 1st, the engine's rpm will increase. This is because, when you leave the clutch after downshifting, if the wheel speed is higher than the engine speed, it'll increase the engine speed in the process of synchronization. You can experience that by sudden jerk and increase in engine rpm when you downshift. This is due to the above mentioned reason. For avoiding this, slipper clutch is introduced. But you have to know about rev matching. In the name itself it is mentioned clearly. The rider should pull the clutch, downshift and have to blip the throttle just before popping the clutch to match your engine rpm. If you fail to rev match, engine and other powertrain components will go through high amount of wear and tear. This will reduce your engine life if you fail to follow.
Don't add more weight
Every manufacturer will mention their vehicle's load capacity. If you load more and more stuffs which weighs higher, your engine will struggle to push the vehicle forward. This will drastically reduce your engine's life. Make sure your are not loading unnecessary weight to get good life of your engine.
Don't misuse
This includes revving high in low gears, not rev matching, shifting gears without clutching, red lining for long time etc... Modern day engines are made to withstand higher revs for long time. But you can't red line a commuter and ride it in a aggressive way like a sports bike. Misusing or handling the engine in the aggressive way will drastically reduce the engine's life.
Avoid lugging
Lugging refers to pull or push something with difficulty. In motorbikes, imagine you are running in a low speed at higher gear. If you want to overtake, what you'll do is downshift and throttling. But without doing that, if you throttle without downshifting at higher gear, your engine will struggle to speed up and the process will be slower. This will create problem in your engine. Make sure you are following the right way.
Let it idle for a minute or two
When you park your vehicle for long time, all the motor oil will be stored in the oil pan. When, you crank up regularly, a thin film of motor oil will be present in between the components. But when you try to cold start, in between the components, no oil film of oil will be present. All the oil is in the sump. It'll take a second for the pump to suck it and lubricate when you try to crank up. So, if you start and rev your motor without idling for some time, the wear and tear between the moving components will be higher at that time and it'll decrease your engine life. Whenever you start your engine, allow it to idle for a minute or two.
Genuine spares
I've written a content on the importance of using original spares and accessories. Make sure to go through it. For saving money, you may go for local spares. It may damage your engine and its internal components. You have to use original spares and accessories to increase your engine life.
Servicing
Servicing your motorbike at correct interval of time includes activities like changing engine oil, air filter and several other. If you fail to get it serviced by time, the wear and tear will increase which decreases your engine life. If you don't change the engine oil at regular interval, the oil transforms into sludge and the components don't get the proper lubrication. If you don't change the air filter, the amount of air going into the combustion chamber will be reduced which results in abnormal combustion. Make sure that you are using the right oil grade and as per manufacturer's suggestion. And the most important factor is clutch plates. If you are running with bad clutch plates, you don't get proper mileage and engine's power will be wasted. In regular service, all these parameters are checked which make sure that you are going in the right path.
Breaking in period
You have to be careful while you are in running in period or break in period. You can check my previous posts where i've told about the several importance of breaking in period of your motor. During this period, the clearance between the components will be low. If you operate your motor in a hard way, wear and tear between the components will be higher in the starting period itself. To maintain the good condition of your engine, make sure you are aware of the guidelines given by the manufacturers and it is also the most important period which decides your engine's lifetime.
Rev matching
I'll try to explain about rev matching basically. Imagine you are riding your motorbike in third gear. If you try to downshift to 2nd or 1st, the engine's rpm will increase. This is because, when you leave the clutch after downshifting, if the wheel speed is higher than the engine speed, it'll increase the engine speed in the process of synchronization. You can experience that by sudden jerk and increase in engine rpm when you downshift. This is due to the above mentioned reason. For avoiding this, slipper clutch is introduced. But you have to know about rev matching. In the name itself it is mentioned clearly. The rider should pull the clutch, downshift and have to blip the throttle just before popping the clutch to match your engine rpm. If you fail to rev match, engine and other powertrain components will go through high amount of wear and tear. This will reduce your engine life if you fail to follow.
Don't add more weight
Every manufacturer will mention their vehicle's load capacity. If you load more and more stuffs which weighs higher, your engine will struggle to push the vehicle forward. This will drastically reduce your engine's life. Make sure your are not loading unnecessary weight to get good life of your engine.
Don't misuse
This includes revving high in low gears, not rev matching, shifting gears without clutching, red lining for long time etc... Modern day engines are made to withstand higher revs for long time. But you can't red line a commuter and ride it in a aggressive way like a sports bike. Misusing or handling the engine in the aggressive way will drastically reduce the engine's life.
Avoid lugging
Lugging refers to pull or push something with difficulty. In motorbikes, imagine you are running in a low speed at higher gear. If you want to overtake, what you'll do is downshift and throttling. But without doing that, if you throttle without downshifting at higher gear, your engine will struggle to speed up and the process will be slower. This will create problem in your engine. Make sure you are following the right way.