Everything About Maintaining Your Motorcycle

The motorcycle is a mechanical product whose parts will inevitably become loose after long-term use, which may affect the performance and even cause unexpected serious accidents. Therefore, maintaining your motorcycle correctly is as important as buying a high-quality one -- it can help you to keep your motorcycle at its best performance and discover potential hazards. To help you better maintain your motorcycle, we have collected some useful tips.

1. Pay Attention to the Battery Life

The batteries are used to start the engine, power the light, and energize riding gear. Normally, a motorcycle battery's life is about 2 years, which can be extended to 3-5 years if well maintained. However, if you don't regularly check the battery, its life may be shortened because of overloading, heat, poor ground connection, leaky circuit, etc. The following tips can help you better check and maintain your motorcycle battery.

• Ways to Extend Battery Life

Proper Storage. To avoid damage to the battery, you'd better have the battery removed by a professional and put your battery in a cool and dry place if you won't be using your motorcycle for a long time. And don't forget to fully charge it before you remove it or a prolonged lack of power can do a lot of damage to the battery.

Recharge. The battery that is idled for a long time is best charged once every three months. To ensure an effective charge, you should choose a small current and charge slowly. What’s more, it is important to ventilate and stay away from fire sources during charging.

Check Regularly. To prevent damage to your battery from improper use, you need to check its condition regularly. Too many accessories can cause battery overload, so remember to check the battery voltage during each use to avoid overloading. Also, you need to make sure regulators and alternators are in good condition. In addition, you should always check the battery and frame connections and watch for circuit leaks because improper connections and circuit leaks can cause serious battery damage.

2. Check the Tire and Wheels

The motorcycle tires and wheels will affect your riding comfort and safety. Check them as per suggestions below on a regular basis.

• Tire

Tire Pressure. Tire pressure can affect tire life. Low air pressure will accelerate the wear of tires and high air pressure may cause internal cracks and bursts. You can use a dedicated tire pressure gauge to help measure the pressure of tires. If it's in the summer, it's normal if you detect that the tire pressure is relatively low

Bulge. When a motorcycle drives through pits, obstacles, and other road conditions at high speed, its tires may bulge partly. Bulky tires must be replaced immediately or they will blow out.

Pattern. The pattern on the tire can increase the friction between the tire and the ground to ensure better handling. Motorcycle owners can spray some tire protection wax to protect the pattern. Make sure to replace tires with severe pattern wear as soon as possible.

Stones. Take out the pebbles in the tire pattern to make the brake more stable and avoid noise.

• Wheel Bearing

When you feel the faucet is heavy and the motorcycle doesn't go in a straight line, it means that the bearing of the motorcycle wheel might be broken. You need to check and repair it in time.

3. Inspect Brake Pads

The brake pads of motorcycles are directly related to the braking performance. Regular inspection of the brake pads of the motorcycle can better ensure your safety. Here are some simple ways to determine whether the brake pads need to be replaced.

• Listen to the Sound. If there is a scratching sound when the brake is tapped, it proves that the brake pad has exceeded the limit and must be replaced immediately.
• Watch the Brake Pad Warning Light. You can usually tell the status of the brake pad by watching the brake pad warning light on the dashboard. When the warning light is on, it means the pad is worn to the limit and its braking effectiveness has decreased. In this situation, you need to replace the brake pads in time.
• Brake Response. When the brake pads become thinner, the brake response will also become slow. When you find that the braking effect of the brake is significantly weakened, you have to check whether the brake pads need to be replaced.

4. Check the Engine Oil

Motorcycle oil is a lubricant for motorcycle engines. It can reduce the wear of motorcycle parts, cool the engine, and effectively prevent the rust of motorcycle parts. In motorcycle use, when the engine oil is at high temperature and high pressure for a long time, it may be mixed with harmful substances. Then the oil will gradually become thinner and dirtier, which will affect the performance of the motorcycle. Therefore, regular inspection and replacement of oil is also an important step in motorcycle maintenance.

5. Clean Your Motorcycle

Motorcycles need to be cleaned frequently and correct cleaning can improve the performance and life of the motorcycle.

Use Suitable Cleaning Agents. Choosing an inappropriate cleaning agent may cause damage to the motorcycle fairing. So you'd better use a neutral detergent, which can better clean the motorcycle without causing any harm.

Dry the Body. After cleaning the motorcycle, you need to dry the body. Keep in mind that do not let the motorcycle be exposed to the sun for a long time. This will damage the paint on its body, and then it will look worn out after a long time.

6. Buy a Motorcycle Shelter

In addition to checking and replacing parts promptly, it is also important to store your motorcycle when it is not in use. You buy a motorcycle shelter which helps to prevent the item from being stolen and reduce some of the adverse effects of wind, rain, snow, sun, and other weather conditions. In this situation, Quictent motorcycle shelters are highly recommended for their high-quality materials and convenient & safe designs.

• High Quality. The cover of the motorcycle shelter is made of 100% waterproof 600D Oxford fabric, which is durable strong, and breathable. It can prevent your motorcycle from rain, snow, and dust. What's more, its frame is made of heavy-duty black powder-coated steel to make the shelter strong, sturdy, and durable.
• Convenient & Safe Designs. With a retractable roll-top structure, it is convenient for you to park and pick up your car. To prevent moisture, there are mesh ventilation windows with flaps that can be rolled up on both sides. What's more, the shelter is equipped with a black code lock to protect your motorcycle from being stolen.

The maintenance of motorcycles takes time and effort. However, the longevity and performance of your motorcycle will be the best return for your efforts. If you have any other special motorcycle maintenance tips, please share with us！