The Bike Shack

Part 2. Continuation of yesterday. Hopefully not boring anyone. Lol.
One thing on the front end I forget yesterday is to check your throttle snap back. Twist your throttle all the way and let it go. It should close quickly back to it's original position. If it's slow or doesn't at all it's a huge safety concern. Your cables may need to be l**ed or replaced.
Now the middle part of your bike, the engine. Hopefully you have a fully charged battery. If not charge it up. Remove the seat. Look at your gaggle of wires. Take a look and see if you have any bare wires or cracks etc. Great time to fix them. Install your batter and tighten the cables. Tight. If there's some corrosion clean it off before installing. A little rub with some sandpaper will clean them right up. If you leave your battery in the bike all year make sure the battery terminals are tight.
Turn the key, don't start it yet, just power it up. Check your lights, brake and turn signals included. Turn it off.
Now check the rear brake fluid reservoir, if your bike is water cooled check that too. Then check the oil. The lifeblood of any engine. Make sure it has some. If it needs to be changed, change it, and the filter.
I know a lot of people who don't take notice of milage. They just change it once a year. If you don't put a ton of miles on each year that may work. I'm a nut for changing oil when it's due. I write my milage down and put it in a book. That way I know when to change it. Sometimes a few times a season. I do quite a bit of long distance riding so the miles pack on pretty quick. Here's what difference it can make. All my bikes have over 100,000 km. One has 340,000. None of them have had any major engine work done. Lesson learned.
Cool. Engine oil os done and it has some. Open the gas tank and have a sniff. Does it smell like rotten eggs? If so you want to dump it and get some fresh stuff in there. Fuel is usually good for about a year so it's probably ok if you rode it last year. Take a look in the tank. See anything floating around? There shouldn't be. All good? Close it back up.
Flip the ignition and pull the choke if you have a carb. Crank the throttle a couple of times after you open the fuel petcock. Fuel injected bikes are a little different. Electronic choke and usually they don't have a petcock.
Start the bike up. You shouldn't need the throttle. Don't rev the s**t out of it. Just don't. Please. Let it warm up on its own. After the winter your first crank of the engine is the worst. Over the winter the oil has drained down to the pan. You're doing what's called a dry start. For a couple of seconds until the oil pump starts pumping your engine is not fully l**ed up. Let the oil get around and l**e everything up.
Let the engine warm up so it's nice and toasty at normal temperature. Shut it off. Wait for about 5 minutes and check your oil again. Best to check the oil warm.
Put your seat back on and look at your bike and pet it. Lol. Almost ready for a summer of fun and wind therapy:)
I'll do the last part tomorrow. Hopefully to this point you're a happy camper and everything Is going amazingly. If not you have some stuff to do.
If you aren't mechanically inclined or don't know much about bikes get someone to help you out if you need it. No shame in that, it's how we learn. I've worked on bikes for decades and still ask someone if I run into something I can't figure out. Great to learn new things:)

Please LIKE FOLLOW SHARE and Ride with us!!!

Welcome to the 1st Riders United: Breaking the Silence in support of ending Domestic Violence. It is our wish to create awareness surrounding situations of domestic violence and to lend our support to women and children living in such situations.

We are bikers. Women and Men. We welcome all riders to come out and show their support.

Friday the 13th September 2024. Bad Dog Cycles. 6pm Kickstands up. Peggy's Cove Loop with a stop at the lighthouse. Free will donation to ride, proceeds to Shelter Movers.

Wendy Knowlton

Riders United: Breaking the Silence Riders United: Breaking the Silence (Speaking Out Against Domestic Violence).