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Top 10 Overlooked Maintenance Items

2K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  Bignick 
#1 ·


Perhaps the motorcycle manufacturers are to blame. They’ve made their products so reliable that we take them for granted. We almost feel that if we just keep our bike’s tank full and spoon new rubber on the rims when necessary, we’ve got our machinery handled. Well, that’s not quite true, and consequently, many riders tend to overlook basic maintenance for extended periods. While lots of riders have the off-season in which they have the time away from riding to take care of annual upkeep, many little things need to be done on a regular basis throughout the riding season.
Read more about the Top 10 Overlooked Maintenance Items at Motorcycle.com.
 
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#2 ·
Rear suspension lubrication, generally done poorly at factory. Even my VFR1200F had next to no grease on the rear linkages, the bike was transformed by adding some marine low velocity grease. Steering head adjustment + Fork oils. How these are not on this list baffle me.
 
#5 ·
Fork oil and service should have been number one on the list or the author is just guessing. I mean seriously; checking the oil level on the dip stick! <- how did that even make the list of over-looked items :/ any moron knows that one.

Does this hypothetical motorcycle have a cushion drive on a rear sprocket? ten year old four dollar wheel bearings? has the steering head bearing ever been lubricated and inspected? swingarm bushing dry as snuff and completely trashed? does the swingarm have a grease nipple? stretched chain and trashed countershaft sprocket? fuel, air and oil filters? clean oil on the foam or felt air filter? cam chain tensioner? water and condensation where it should be dry? bagged out cables? (cables need more then just lubrication you know; they are just a big coil spring with a thin plastic coating on the outside and thin nylon on the inside)

Clean your motorcycle should have also made the list and I don't mean power wash it or completely dismantle it to polish and paint everything once in it's entire life.


How about 'change the air in your tires to prevent tube rot' <- ok, I'm just joking with that one but lol I did manage to convince some idiot to do that once.
 
#4 ·
mot so much on new bikes but for the vintage stuff re-torque or rather torque verification,after the first heat cycle on cylinder/head fastener a second re-torque after a 100 miles is good idea as well in my ho
same with engine mounting and chassis fasteners a loose one can signal something is gone haywire
spokes especially the vintage shit that have bent ends
 
#6 ·
yeah checking the oil isnt maintainance changing the oil is
on a side note,thats a good one on refreshing tire air made me think of this
if you are feeling quite evil maybe want to mess with a ''mechanics'' head
in stealth ,dont get caught,reverse the polarity on the radiator fan of the car they are working on
 
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