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Motorcycle maintenance is important to keep your bike in top shape! How can I make my motorcycle last longer? In our post!

Having your motorcycle in perfect condition is very important for extending its life and, why not, for improvising a journey or a trip with your friends.

Often our motorcycle needs small mechanical repairs that all good bikers should know how to do. In this way we’ll have more chances of successfully managing any mishaps on a journey and, why shouldn’t we say so, we’ll always save a few quid by not having to go to the mechanics so often.

Use suitable and quality tools

The first thing we recommend is that you use suitable tools for each repair. Also, that they be of good quality. It won’t solve our problem, but it will make the job easier and will also greatly help to avoid the dreaded stripped threads, the greatest nightmare of any “handyman”.

Having said this, for many of these repairs or “quick fixes” we’ll need to use the central stand of our motorcycle. If our bike doesn’t have this type of stand, we recommend that your buy a rear one. There are several relatively economical ones.

And believe me; in the long run you’ll appreciate this. Thus we’ll have more autonomy and we won’t need anyone to help us when we want to lube the chain of the bike, for example.

On the other hand, we also recommend that, if at some point you don’t feel capable of repairing your bike or have doubts, the best thing, obviously, is to take it to our esteemed friend, the mechanic. Better this than “cocking it up”

Tighten, clean and lube your motorcycle chain

The first tip is to have the chain well lubricated.  And not just this: it must be properly tightened and clean. Once it is, we then go on to lubricate it. On the channel we have a video where we explain this step by step. If you use your motorcycle daily, we recommend that you lube it every two weeks.

Do so on the lower part of the chain, on the inside part taking care not to splash the rear tyre with oil thus avoiding that, afterwards, when on the street, we fall. If your tyre is stained with oil it’s like stepping on glass and can be very dangerous.

Tightening the chain requires somewhat more skill. In a post on our blog we explain how to do it in 6 steps. But, we say again, if you’re not sure, maybe it’s better you go to the mechanic.

Oil change

The second mechanical job that all good bikers should know how to do is the oil change for your bike. It can be a bit difficult, but knowing how to do it correctly can save ourselves a visit to the mechanic.

The first thing you must do is regularly check the oil level. For your motorcycle, the oil is like blood is to you. A low level of oil is detrimental for the engine. But, when filling up, never go over the maximum! It’s just as harmful.

To change the oil, we’ll do so in some simple steps, paying special attention to changing the oil filter every two oil changes and correctly recycling the oil. You have to take it to a recycling centre once you’ve completed the process.

It’s also advisable to not turn the sump screw too much once the operation is finished. The sump is made of aluminium and we must be careful with it. And finally, always have the manufacturer’s maintenance booklet to hand to know which type of oil and how much your bike needs. It’s a very useful cheat sheet.

In our blog you’ll also find a post where we explain how to carry out this operation step by step.

Changing bulbs

The fourth mechanical tip is that of changing your motorcycle’s bulbs. If you’re a newbie, maybe you have doubts about this. Again, refer back to the maintenance manual if there’s any doubt about the type of bulb our motorcycle uses.

Generally, by loosening a couple of screws we can get to the headlight and change the bulb. Here it’s important to not directly touch the glass of the new bulb to avoid it blowing before installing as the oil from a finger creates a hot spot.

Change the battery

In this post about motorcycle maintenance that we did a few months ago, we explained how to keep your motorcycle battery in perfect condition.

If the battery sometimes fails, it could be that it’s got a bad contact with one of the terminals, maybe because it’s loose or they’re dirty. To sort it out it’s enough to follow these indications: with the engine switched off and with the help of a screwdriver or corresponding key, check they’re correctly connected, and if not, tighten them.

If we detect dirt or the terminals are sulphated, first disconnect the negative pole and then the positive.

Clean them with sodium bicarbonate dissolved in water and scrape the terminals with a brush with metal bristles, this step is only necessary if the poles are sulphated, otherwise a simple clean is enough.

Afterwards, wipe with a cloth. It’s advisable to apply a layer of Vaseline and then connect them again: first the positive then the negative pole. Even so, it could be that the battery is worn out and you’ll have to change it.

In this case, consult the maintenance book again for the type of battery compatible with your motorcycle. Once you want to change it, you should again disconnect the negative pole and then the positive, remove it and place the new one. Easy.

Disconnect the batter in winter.

Changing the levers of your motorcycle

And lastly, all biker’s should be able to change the bike’s levers. Albeit due to a fall and they’ve broken or that you just don’t like the ones you have installed on the bike and we want to change them.

To remove them we’ll use a 10 spanner (this may differ according to the motorcycle model) and a flat screwdriver wide enough for the job. Remove the screw, loosen the tension regulator and remove the cable, to mount them, do the reverse action.

A word of advice, when putting the screw back, we recommend not tightening it too much so that the lever isn’t too stiff. If you have any doubt about the torque, check the maintenance book.

That’s it, for us, these are the five mechanic jobs that any biker should know. Which is yours?