Start your journey by knowing your motorcycle well before heading towards a long ride in India to experience the beautiful landscape, feel the excitement of experiencing the different cultures and some breath-taking routes that are way too adventurous. However, to ensure a safe and secure ride and to make it a lifetime experience of joy you have to take proper care of your motorcycle and maintain it to make it capable for a long ride. Below are some key tips to keep your bike in top condition for epic rides.
Pre-Ride Inspection
1. Tires and Wheels: Try making a checklist of all the possible outcomes before hitting the road, make sure you check your tires properly ensuring that there’s no cuts or cracks in between the tires and are free from punctures. Buy a pair of new ones if possible to avoid any risk for a long ride. Also, confirm that the tire pressure is at the proper level as per the company's guidelines. The other thing to keep in mind is to check your wheels are aligned properly.
2. Brakes: Brakes are one of the important roles especially on a long ride to ensure your safety. Carefully look at your both brakes front and rear brakes that are in good condition and get them replaced if one of them is not. In addition, confirm that the brake fluid level is on top if not.
3. Chain and Sprockets: Check your chain to ensure a smooth power delivery, it should be well lubricated with a high quality brake cleaner and clean the excess amount of solution applied to clean the chain by a clean cloth. Ensure to check the sprockets and look for the broken or uneven teeth if found get them replaced.
4. Lights and Indicators: Check all the lights and indicators of your bike to make sure they are working properly. Check them manually by making a checklist that includes the headlight, check its visibility. It should cover a long distance on a low beam and if you feel like the brightness of the light is deficient get it replaced by a more powerful bulb. Start implementing the same with Taillight, brake light and turn signals. Lighting plays an important role during night rides and in extreme weather conditions.
5. Fluids: Checking the levels of fluid in a motorcycle is essential like engine oil, if the level of the oil is low it can cause damage to the engine. By maintaining the correct level it prevents the engine from seizing and breaking down. Coolant plays an important role for maintaining the performance of an engine. If not taken seriously it may cause engine malfunction and can damage the engine as well.
On-the-Road Maintenance
1. Regular Breaks and Inspections: It's important to take regular breaks during long rides, as to make yourself comfortable and to cover the forward route planned because by doing this you are not only preparing yourself but your bike too as the engine gets heat up easily during long rides. Keep checking tires, brakes and lights and patrol in between. This will help you to get to know if there’s any issue that needs to be resolved before moving forward.
2. Monitor Fuel: When planning your route make sure to keep fuel stops in mind and plan your ride accordingly. So it's important to keep an eye on your fuel levels so that when in need you may refer to the route planned to figure out the nearest fuel stop as it can be dangerous whenever traveling in remote areas. One thing you can do is to carry extra gallons of fuel while traveling through limited petrol stations.
3. Clean Air Filter: A clean air filter ensures the performance of an engine working properly. When you're riding through muddy or dusty patches the filter gets dirty as it blocks the air to pass through. This may affect the engine performance, so it's better to clean their air filter properly and more frequently.
By following these tips, you can ensure that your bike is in good condition and reduces the risk of any breakdowns. Just one more thing to keep in mind is whenever you are cleaning your bike make sure to use microfiber cloth, as it is designed in such a way that it reduces the chance of leaving scratches on the body and absorbs the water fast as compared to the normal cloth.
