Two Wheel Twists - March 10, 2005

In this Issue

• Tools Thoughts
• Take Care of Her and She'll Do the Same
• Watch Out It's a Jungle Out There

Tools Thoughts

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend some time in Paducah, Kentucky. Unfortunately, it was because I hadn't followed some of my own advice and had to have my scoot towed to the Harley Davidson dealer there. While I was there I had the opportunity to meet a lady named Regina, "like the vacuum cleaner" (Her words not mine). It was one of those days in the 50's and she came up to the dealer dressed in orange from head to toe and we had a long discussion about that, along with lots of other subjects. It got me thinking about some of the concerns we have when we first start riding again each year. The second article gives you some of the hazards we face when riding season first starts up again.

This winter I've spent a lot of time working on the Bikerwares.com (http://www.bikerwares.com) site. There are a lot of things that have been added to the site. There's free online games, free classified ads, a guest book, a place to submit your pictures to be included in the site, a calendar of events and of course the store (gotta pay the bills someway). In addition the look and feel of the site has been completely revamped in an attempt to make it more usable and easier to navigate. As in most thing though I need your feedback and suggestion. When you visit the site don't forget to use the sponsor links in the various banners on the site and the ads provided by Google.com. Both of these help support Bikerwares and allow us to continue to improve the site.

Gotta cut and run……
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Enjoy the ride
Tools
http://www.bikerwares.com

Take Care of Her and She'll Do the Same

Living in the lower midwest, there seems to be several chances to ride during the winter. Usually, a day here, and a day there. But for the most part the bike still sits on a pretty regular basis. Sitting, in and of itself doesn't do any harm to your bike but some of the less durable stuff has a tendancy to break down even when sitting. Another thing, in order to help you have a safer and problem free season it's just better to run the checks listed below.

1. Fuel - Gas tends to break down as it ages. If you've ever smelt a gas can that been sitting for awhile you know what I mean. If my bikes been sitting for a over a month, I will drain the gas and put new fuel in it.
2. Oil and Primary Drive Fluid - Now I don't know if oil breaks down by just sitting, but every March 1st I do an oil change regardless of the milage since the last one. One of the things that was suggested to me was that by doing an oil change after the bike has sat for awhile helps get more of the stuff that gathers in oil out.
3. Battery - Winters can be rough on batteries. I know some people who take theirs out during the winter and store it in a warmer place. I also know people who keep it on a battery charger all winter. I don't know what works best, but I do know that a battery that has sat for awhile might not have all of the kick it really needs. Before you go out for the first time, give the battery a good check. Look for leaks or anything that looks unusal. If you've got a battery charger, give it a good charge before you go out. It might just help keep you on the road.
4. Air Cleaner - During the winter the critters that live in your garage all scamper to find someplace to hide your air cleaner could be one of them. I pull out my air cleaner and clean it and oil it every year at the time that I do my winter oil change. By doing that I'm sure that my first ride will be a nicer day.
5. Spark Plugs - To me it just seems to easy to not pull the plugs and give them a quick once over. Plugs in general can tell you a lot about how your motor is running. Why not check them and replace them now, instead of on the side of the road.
6. Belts and Chains - Wheather you have belt drive, chain drive or shaft drive. Make sure all the parts appear in good order and everything that is supposed to be tight is tight.
7. Tires and Wheels - Make sure your tires look ok. That they don't have any cracks or worn spots and that tire pressure is good. (You should do this regularly). As for your wheels. If you have solid wheels or mags or anything other than spokes checking your wheels is pretty easy. You only have to check for any corrosion, or dings. If you have spokes, CHECK TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE TIGHT. Loose spokes can cause you to get a flat or even worse, have the spokes to break. Check them carfully.
8. Cables- During the winter you can get quite a bit of condensation in your cables. This can cause all kinds of problems. These might include rusting the cable or weakening the cable. Check them and lubricate them if necessary.
9. Lights - Make sure that all of your lights and other electrical components are in working order. Especially, at the beginning of the season, since the cagers aren't used to seeing us out there.
10. Chassis - Make sure that everything is tightened up. Some of us who ride bikes that have a tendancy to really loosen things up need to really check the bike over during this step.
11. Rider Gear - Now that the bike is already to go make sure you are too. Check your eye protection, condition leathers, and protect your helmet with a new headwrap. Also don't forget, you might still be wearing gloves so check those zipper pulls also.

All of these are important checks for starting out the season and during the riding season. You don't have to be a great wrench to be able to do these checks and there are several books available that can help you with these basic maintenance tasks.

Watch Out It's a Jungle Out There

1. Remember They're Not Use to Seeing Us - We've been missing from the road for a few months have forgotten we share the road. Be extra careful in traffic. Wear bright colored clothes
2. Salt/Sand and Grime - During the winter there's been a build of salt, sand and grime on the roads. Be a little more careful when you're out there on the twisties since that kind of stuff tends to gather in the corners and at driveways.

Bottom line be safe.......... And enjoy the ride.