How to Prolong a Motorcycle's Life

You can’t call motorcycle riding a “craze,” but it has definitely increased in popularity during the last few decades. Whether it’s a thrilling chase in a Hollywood movie, a motocross race on television or a hit motorcycle tuning show on cable, we see motorcycles everywhere. Unfortunately, as many new riders enter the hobby, they don’t understand proper maintenance and shifting practices. It can be a bit of a learning curve at first, but an important part of prolonging the life of your bike. Here are a few common ways that riders unintentionally shorten their motorcycle’s life. To learn more, visit Arizona Honda in Snowflake, Arizona, serving Show Low and Holbrook, Arizona.

Neglect

Motorcycles are high-performance vehicles, and they need to be properly serviced. Even if you’re not a seasoned gear turner, you don’t have to be an expert to know that you need to get regular oil changes and tend to strange noises and vibrations right away.  If your bike starts running rough, you could have deposits or carbon buildup in your engine fuel line. This can lead to misfires, reduced horsepower and often more serious issues. You should also know your own limitations when it comes to servicing your bike, and leave any repairs you can’t handle on your own to the pros.  

Bad Riding Habits

A lot of rookie riders like to race, do burnouts and show off. This isn’t good for your bike at all, and you have nothing to prove. If you do want to race your bike, take it to the track where you can run it under optimum conditions. You’ll be around like-minded people  and you won’t have to worry about hurting yourself or others by extreme riding on the streets. Be sure to also learn how to shift properly to avoid causing premature wear to the clutch. If you commute on your bike, sitting in gridlocked traffic can be really bad on an air-cooled engine. Even if your city allows lane splitting at rush hour, it’s a dangerous practice that can cause some serious and completely unnecessary accidents.

Improper Storage

If you don’t ride year round, it’s ideal to store your bike in a garage away from the elements. If you live in a humid climate or near saltwater, the elements can wreak havoc on your engine and paint job. Don’t drain the fluids from your bike but add an engine preservative during the off season. You don’t have to disconnect your battery, you should use a trickle charger or a battery maintainer while the bike’s in storage. 

For more information, and to see our current inventory of new and pre-owned motorcycles for sale, visit Arizona Hondain in Snowflake, Arizona, serving Show Low and Holbrook, Arizona.