Safety Inspections, Gearing Up for a Long Haul

I recently purchased, (and customized...) a touring bike. Since purchasing this bike, I have made many more long trips. While most trips go smoothly, there can be an occasional hiccup. Sometimes there is nothing that can be done to prevent things going wrong and ruining your ride or your day. Sadly, most of the time there is. I ride my bike to work almost every day. Every day when I am getting ready to leave, I try to do a simple safety check to ensure that I don't either get stuck on the side of the road, or worse, have an accident. There are a few things to go over that are quick and painless. First and foremost, tires, wheels and brakes. Most motorcycles only have two wheels, so more important than anything else is the ability to roll to a stop safely in an emergency. Check tires for wear judged by the tread wear indicator (TWI). The TWI is a bar in between the tread of the tire and when the tread wears down so that it is flush with the TWI the tire needs replacing.The location of the TWI is usually marked on the sidewall by the edge of the tread with a small arrow, triangle, or "TWI". also check for dry cracking, nails, cord showing, and tire pressure. From working in a motorcycle shop, I can tell you that at least 95% of all tires i see are under-inflated. If you doubt it, don't ride it. Next check the brakes, grab a flashlight and inspect the edge of the brake pad. most pads have a small groove or two that is visible, when this groove is gone pads need to be replaced.

It is also a good idea to note whether the pads are the same thickness, this could indicate a sticking caliper. As far as the wheels go, simply rolling the bike with the engine turned off may help you hear any bearing noises, and the bike should run smoothly. On spoked wheels, use a screwdriver and run it over the spokes. Most spokes should have a nice ring to them, THEY DO NOT ALL HAVE THE SAME TONE SO PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO TIGHTEN THEM THAT WAY. If one of the spokes sounds dull or loose, check it by attempting to wiggle it with your hands. If it feels loose, tighten it The next thing to check will be the chain/belt. Inspect sprockets for wear. On chain sprockets, the teeth should be uniform and triangular. If they appear worn on one side badly, or the tips are beginning to curve over, do not ride the bike, and replace chain and sprockets. On belt drive bikes, teeth on the cogs should appear rounded and smooth, if they are beginning to look pointy and sharp, the belt and cogs should be replaced.

When inspecting a chains, most on road motorcycles have about 1" of deflection allowance (25mm). Total deflection means if you push the chain down towards the ground, and then up towards the sky, there should be about 1" of play between the upper most point and the lower (about a half inch each way. There is usually a sticker on the swing arm with the exact specifications but 1" is a good rule of thumb. When inspecting belt tension, a special tool is needed.

The spec for the tension can be found either on the swingarm, or in the owners manual, but it is usually around 1/2" for 10Lbs. of pressure. A good idea is to adjust it properly, and then push the belt with your fingers to get an idea of the tension. I have even heard of guys using a screw driver or wrench to tap on the belt about midway to get used to the sound. The next most important set of things to check would be fluids. Check the oil, coolant reservoir (if it has one), brake fluids, clutch fluid (if clutch is hydraulic) and of course gasoline. Don't rely on your odometer to tell you how many miles you have left, and don't rely on your fuel gauge. It is always a good idea to open the tank and slosh it around a bit. DARWIN ALERT: Do not use a lighter or any other open flame to inspect the contents of your gas tank!. The last things to check before embarking on your journey are controls, lights, and engine. Check throttle freeplay, brake lever freeplay, clutch lever freeplay, brake pedal, and shifter pedal. Although most motorcycles are push-pull throttle cables, the throttle should snap back when released. for freeplay, it should have about an 1/8 inch rotation before you can feel cable tension. A good rule of thumb for brake and clutch lever play is to pull the lever lightly with one finger, and when there is cable or spring tension, you should be able to fit a dime between the lever and the perch. Ensure brakes are actuation properly, and releasing properly. pedals should feel comfortable to reach and actuate. On bikes with a drum rear brake, check to see if the wheel is actually locking when brake is applied. I have seen many of these out of adjustment and the pedal has little effect. Inspect headlight hi/low beam operation, taillight, running light, and blinkers. Finally, start the engine and listen for any noises out of the ordinary before you put your helmet on there are many times that a helmet, or earphones can drown out a sound that could be a precursor to a bigger problem. Let the engine warm up and look for any signs of fluid leaks. This seems like a lot of inspection, but in reality, it only takes about 5 minutes. Once you develop a routine, it becomes second nature. These small things can mean the difference between a great day of cruising, and a ride on a tow truck, or even worse an ambulance. Stay safe out there and keep the shiny side up

Diagnosing some running conditions.... fuel related

Hey guys, Haven't had a chance to sit down and work on anything to take pics, so I will start with just some written tips related to fuel and air. So as a technician in a shop the most common problem I see with motorcycles that are carbureted goes like this... scenario "hey I just tried to fire up my bike and it spits and sputters and won't run of choke" " Has it been sitting?" "only for a few months, I parked it in October for the winter" (It's now February...) OK well it probably needs a carb clean explanation: fuel turns into varnish over time, It evaporates and what is left is usually is condensed petroleum in the form of oils and the additive put in by the petroleum company where you bought the fuel. This stuff can get real nasty. In most constant velocity carburetors there are 2-3 jet circuits. A pilot jet, which meters fuel at idle when the throttle plate is almost closed. A main jet circuit, which feeds the needle jet/jet needle and usually a few small ports that are revealed as the throttle plate begins to open. And on some carburetors there is a mid range jet, but it is not very common. There is also a small leak jet usually mounted in the bowl, but that is only on carburetors with accelerator pumps on the bowl (for instance, if you have a twin or an inline four usually only one of your carburetors will have an accelerator pump) The most common issue with any bike that has sat for a while is plugged pilot jet(s). A jet is a way to meter fuel so it has a specific opening size. pilot jets on most motorcycles are so small that a single strand of wire or fishing line is the only thing that will fit through them. so they become plugged very easily. usually this can be determined by a few symptoms, 1)Bike is hard to start 2)Bike will not idle unless it is on choke 3)bike coughs and spits under acceleration,and after-fires on deceleration. There used to be chemicals a person could add to the fuel to clean it out. Yamaha used to have one, but I think the EPA made them pull it. (at least in California....) so what you have to do is pull the carburetors, pull the bowls, pull the jets, and run something through them. I usually use a strand from a wire brush like a BBQ brush or something. Don't use the bristles that are wavy they don't work. also, if it won't go, don't force it through. Remember it is a fixed orifice size, and it is made of brass which is very soft. If you try to force something through it you may open up the hole, it will let more fuel through, and your bike will have a rich idle mixture. I also suggest dipping your carburetor. There is a water based carb dip that yamaha makes that is fantastic it is called yamalube carb dip, it is a concentrate, and can be found at mos Yamaha shops, or they can order it

At one of the shops I worked at we would mix 3 bottles with the appropriate amount of water in a 5 gallon bucket. We would put a whole rack of carburetors in it and leave it over night, that stuff is amazing. And it doesen't damage things like rubber or plastic. Then pull it out and rinse it with some warm soapy water like simple green or something, use an air blower and blow through all the passageways, reassemble and voila! Also when cleaning the pilot circuit, you should allways pull the air/fuel screws and blow through that passage way. there will be a spring with a 3mm silver washer and a 3mm oring. when reinstalling the fuel screw it you should stack these items on the screw in this order, spring, then washer, then oring. I see a lot of people mix these up and their bike won't idle right.

WELCOME!!

Welcome to my new tech tips page! For those who don"t know about me, I am a certified motorcycle mechanic, attended MMI in Phoenix, AZ in 2005, I am Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki certified and have worked on just about every major brand in the industry. I have built a few custom bikes, and enjoy customizing and fabrication. The reason I am starting this page is I read a lot of forums, and a lot of tech articles. and have seen questions from people on forums for problems with their bikes, and have read a lot of misguided answers. I would like to educate people on how their bike operates or how to make certain things. I like to do detailed write-ups with many pictures because I know that sometimes just explaining in words can leave you confused. I am also a huge believer of building on a budget, so although some of my customizing may not be top of the line, its because I don't own a custom shop with a lathe and an English wheel or a CNC. I have a welder, torches, a grinder, a die grinder, a drill, basic hand tools, some common sense and imagination. So I will build things from motorcycle frame pieces, to tools, to shop tables. I would like this page to be a place for the motorcycle community, fed by the motorcycle community. PLEASE FOLLOW MY PAGE..... If you have a suggestion, some tech info that I left out, or something you would like me to cover, let me know, but i can only get comments from followers :-) good luck, enjoy, and ride safe.