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If you're new to motorcycle maintenance, this online class is ideal for you. The class covers a comprehensive range of essential motorcycle maintenance topics.
First, you'll learn how to check the oil on both metric motorcycles (Japanese and European brands) and American motorcycles, specifically Harley-Davidsons. After mastering the oil check process, we'll move on to changing the oil for both types of motorcycles. Following oil maintenance, we'll cover air filter checks and replacements.
If you're new to motorcycle maintenance, this online class is ideal for you. The class covers a comprehensive range of essential motorcycle maintenance topics.
First, you'll learn how to check the oil on both metric motorcycles (Japanese and European brands) and American motorcycles, specifically Harley-Davidsons. After mastering the oil check process, we'll move on to changing the oil for both types of motorcycles. Following oil maintenance, we'll cover air filter checks and replacements.
Next, we'll dive into brake maintenance, including inspecting disk brakes, an overview of pad replacement, and inspecting and replacing brake shoes. We'll also discuss the different types of brake pads available. Clutch functionality and adjustment will be another key topic, ensuring you understand how your clutch works and how to keep it in top condition.
Tire maintenance will be thoroughly covered, including identifying wear marks, understanding replacement intervals, and decoding the numbers on the sidewalls. We'll also address chain wear and alignment for metric motorcycles and drive belt wear and alignment for Harley-Davidsons.
Spark plug maintenance is crucial, so we'll cover how to gap and replace them. Additionally, we'll discuss battery service and replacement, and provide an overview of the charging system basics. Basic lighting and turn signal repair will also be addressed.
Fork seal inspection, winter storage, and spring service procedures will be discussed to ensure your motorcycle is ready for all seasons.
Check their oil
Checking and changing Sportster Trans/Primary Oil and Big Twin Primary Oil
*The Transmission and Primary shares the same quart of oil on the Sportster
Checking Oil On Metric Bikes
When you first get a bike, check the oil every 200 miles. That way if your bike burns oil, or has a discrete leak, you will be aware of it. After a few thousand miles, you will have a good idea about your bikes oil consumption. It's still good to check it every 1000 miles or so.
● Refer to your owners manual for the exact procedure for your bike. *You can usually find these online Some manufacturers even have them posted on their websites
● Check the oil with the bike turned off. Some manufacturers recommend you run the bike for a few seconds, then turn it off before you check the oil.
● If you have a dipstick, or are planning on adding oil; wipe the dirt off from around the cap first. Most bikes have a dipstick or a sight glass for checking oil.
● Most metric bikes are designed to have the oil checked while straight up in the air. If you don't have a center stand, this can be tricky. If you are not comfortable with holding the bike and looking, it may be best to ask a friend.
● Once you have the bike in position, inspect the sight glass for the oil level to rise. The oil level should stabilize in the middle to upper ¾ of the sight glass. Give it a few seconds, because sometime this is slow, and you want to make sure it has not been over filled. *after you change the oil, the bike will show it being overfilled, until it has been started once.
● If you have a dipstick, remove it, wipe the oil off with a clean, lint free rag. Reinsert the dip stick, then remove again, and check the oil to the marks on the dipstick. − Remember, the moving parts of your motor have a clearance of as little as .0005 of an inch. 1/6th of a human hair. Even small amounts of dirt can be catastrophic to your motor.
You should replace your tires after 6-7 years of life.
You should run 75-90% of the max psi listed on the side of your tires.
Inspect the chain tension
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