2Wheeltips

Few things look better than a nice clean bike and here are just a few points on cleaning it:

    1.    Let the bike cool down before washing it. You don't want to burn yourself trying to wash hot engine parts.

    2.    Don't spend a lot of money on super expensive cleaners or waxes.  Some of that stuff costs more per ounce than expensive wine or liquor. Regular car wash or even a mild dish washing detergent will do the trick. Also, a good inexpensive liquid wax from the local auto store will work too.

    3.    Unless it has a low pressure setting, avoid using a power washer or other high pressure sprayer to clean your bike. They can damage your bike.

    4.    When getting into tight places, use a wash glove or mitt. Bikes have lots of sharp edges and it is easy to cut your hand when cleaning your bike.

    5.    We tried the expensive rim cleaners that claim you just spray them on and hose themt off. We still ended up doing a good deal of scrubbing.

    6.    Use a soft microfiber cloth to clean the windshield to avoid scratching it up.

    7.    To clean the black smudges that seem impossible to get off your pipes, use a solvent like goo-off and very very fine steel wool. The steel wool will remove the smudges like magic without leave any scratches on the pipes

Here is a quick tip I got from a friend. Many sport and sporting touring bikes have large blind spots. One solution is to go down to your local dealer and plop down a few hundred dollars for a new set of mirrors with a wider field of view.

Another is to go over to the local auto store and buy the "bubble" or "curved" mirrors. They stick on with two way tape and do an excellent job of eliminating blind spots. The set I got for my bike cost about $8.00 and are adjustable.

Not only are engine guards and frame sliders a great way to improve the look of your bike, they can protect your bike from serious damage if you get in an accident or your bike tips over.
 

Here I scraped up my bike when it tipped over on uneven ground.I had to replace the clutch lever and the mirror. Not cheap.....wish I would have had an engine guard. They are good investments and come in many styles, so shop around.  You can find many deals online and at motorcycle shows. 


 


 

Your motorcycle comes with an owners manual.  It covers very basic things you can do to keep your bike up, with the most important being the maintenance schedule. You should familiarize yourself with the owners manual and carry it with you to service small items that may happen when you are on the road.

But if you want to go beyond the basics, you need to buy the motorcycle service manual for your bike. The service manual is what your dealer uses when fixing your bike and it covers everything from changing the oil to taking apart the engine.

If you are going to install accessories on your bike, you need to know about Loctite.

Loctite is the brand name for a glue-like liquid you brush on the threads of bolts and nuts before you tighten them. Once dry, it prevents rust but more importantly it holds the bolt and prevents it from coming off. Loctite also goes by the generic name of "threadlockers."

Why is Loctite important? Because bikes vibrate constantly and this vibration will rattle off any parts that are not fastened securely. Regardless of how tight you install your aftermarket parts, your bike can vibrate the bolts loose in less than 10 miles of highway riding if they are not threadlocked.

So unless you want to see your $200.00 flyshield fly off your bike, or your $400.00 chrome engine guards pop off on a major highway, you better use a threadlocker when you install them. A friend almost lost his passenger floorboards and forward controls this way. Fortunately I had a small tube of medium strength threadlocker in my bag. It saved the day.

The sad thing is some product installation guides don't mention using a threadlocker. They assume a person knowledgeable about bike vibration, such as your dealer, will install them for you.

Threadlockers come in many strengths and some manufacturers color code the product to better identify them. But for motorcycling accessories, you will mainly use "light strength" or "medium strength." Stay away from "heavy" or "industrial" threadlockers as some of these are permanent and can withstand over a ton of pressure.

If you are installing heavy accessories such as engine guards, floorboards and forward controls you want to use the medium strength threadlocker. For items such as flyshields, seats and luggage racks, use the light weight threadlocker.

A question that often comes up is can you jump start a bike with a drained battery the way you can a car.

The short answer is yes. I had after market lights installed on my bike (by my dealer no less) which constantly drained my battery.....even when the bike and lights were off. I finally figured it out, but on one occasion my towing service had to come out and jump my bike. The jumper cables had needle nosed clasps specifically for attaching to motorcycle batteries.

The long answer is "it is not recommended" and may void your warranty. Most motorcycle manuals will advise against it mainly because the charging system and battery in a car can fry the entire electrical system on a bike. So not only will you have a dead battery but also a dead bike.

After reading the above, you will probably say..."well, I'm not going to leave my nice bike parked somewhere for it to get stolen." You can "bump start" the bike by putting it in 2nd gear, rolling it down an incline and releasing the clutch. The bike should start after 1 - 2 tries. If you have a fuel injected bike, bump starting will not work. The fuel injectors need power to operate and since you don't have any, you are out of luck.

If you are in a bind and must get a jump, here are a few things to remember:

    •    Keep the car turned off. A car battery has more than enough power to start a bike without it being on.

    •    Make sure the connections are correct. Positive to positive...

    •    Turn the bike on and start it only after the connections are made.

    •    Remove the connections immediately after the bike starts and keep the bike running until you make it to your destination.