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When filling up, if you can pick a pump thats not paired with diesel outlet. There might be spills on that part of the forecourt.
Following on from B2BM point. If you get caught out in a downpour whilst riding, pull into a garage and nick a pair of those disposable plastic gloves they have for filling up diesels. Put them on under your normal gloves to keep your hands dry.
I always leave the bike in gear when it is on the sidestand. This stops it rolling forward on a hill (even slight gradients can roll it forward and cause lots of damage when it falls).
Oh, and if you lube the chain by putting it on centre stand and starting the bike in gear, 2 things can happen:
1) The lube does not get sprayed onto all parts of the chain. Turning it slowly allows you to see where lube is required.
2) You run the risk of the rear wheel touching the floor and the bike lunging up the driveway with you chasing it. Ask Thumper about that one [
]Bought a Hozelock pressure spray. the ones you pump up by hand, and found it a great way to clean the bike. Only £25 too.
Brake bleeding problems, if you have a problem getting a good ‘pedal’ there may be a void in your caliper/calipers especially if the bleed nipple is below the very top of the caliper – remove the offending caliper and place a smooth spanner between pads (to act as the disc) then turn the caliper until the bleed nipple is right at the highest point do this slowly, you’ll need an assistant then gently apply the brake using very small movements or you could flip a seal in the master cylinder which is a REAL pain in the ‘arris!
tapping along the brake line can also help when bleeding the brakes.If you have to use your bike in the snow (who does that nowadays?) let about 15psi from your tyres to give you a flatter tyre and a bigger contact patch on the road. You will be riding slowly
A recently-acquired motorbike, together with the necessary licence, is a wonderfully liberating experience. What they don’t teach you on direct access1 courses, however, is how to pick up a bike should you have the misfortune to drop it.
Motorbikes are big and heavy, and have little stability when not moving around. This is a particular problem if you come roaring up to a junction, slam on the brakes, stop dead, then forget to put a foot out, or put a foot down on gravel, oil or other slippery stuff. There comes a point when there is nothing you can do that will keep the bike vertical and between your legs, and the safest thing to do is to let it down.
How to Drop a Motorbike
Two tips here:
Let it down as slowly as you can so the damage to the bike is minimal (slightly scraped clutch levers or scratched indicators).
Don’t leave any portions of your anatomy under the bike as it touches down. Foot pegs and gear/brake levers can gouge large holes in feet or legs given the 200+ kg of weight behind them.
Next, switch the engine off using the cut-off switch or ignition. The chances are the bike was in gear as it went over – this is good. If not, try to get first gear engaged.
And How to Pick It Up Again
What follows assumes the bike is on its left side, with its brake levers up in the air.
Turn your back on the bike, and grab the left handlebar in your right hand. Pull up as though you were turning the handlebars to the left, and the motion of the front wheel should start to lift the front of the bike. With your left hand, grab the frame just under the seat, the grab rail, or whatever’s convenient. Put the bit of your back just above your bum against the seat, and use your legs to start to move the bike upright. It gets easier the further up you go, but for heaven’s sake don’t go too far and push it right over!
If the bike is on its right side, reverse the above instructions left-to-right and get the side-stand down (unless you’ve got a bike with a spring-loaded side-stand, in which case, tough).
Note: use your legs, not your back. Use your back and you may get the bike upright, but you won’t get yourself upright for quite a while. The reason is that you run the risk of slipped disks and ripped muscles. So – use your leg muscles to do the work. If you can get a friendly (and muscular) bystander to help, so much the better.
Apparently an 80-year-old granny can get a Honda Goldwing upright using this technique.
Related BBC Links
Find out what is happening in the world of professional motorcycle racing.
Top Gear – On Two Wheels for all your motorcycling needs.
1 One of the ways of getting a full bike licence in the UK. Visit the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions for full details.taken from
Cover your bike every 3 months in ACF-50, no more corrosion, EVER, but be careful, its creeping oil, mind your seat and pegs etc.
When riding your bike in the wet, leave your gloves on the engine to dry when you stop.
Clean you back wheel with Degreaser, wipe when clean with WD-40.
Knee’s getting cold while your on a ride, be a tramp, newpaper is a good insulator.
Like a coffee while your camping, take coffee pads!
Always take extra milk/sugar etc at coffee stops, good for that morning coffee I need.
If you do like to camp, dont forget yer pee bottle, nothing worse than crawling out of a warm sleeping bag and hopping over muddy grass in the middle of the night.
Can anyone recommend breakdown cover for bikes (ie RAC/AA/Green Flag). Is there one in particular that caters for bikes the best..Thanks…
quote:
Originally posted by mcmickypCan anyone recommend breakdown cover for bikes (ie RAC/AA/Green Flag). Is there one in particular that caters for bikes the best..Thanks…
I have always been with the RAC, here are Imperial Data’s experiences with them when his CCM went pop
https://bikemeet.net/forums/topic/ids-ccm-well-for-a-few-hours-anyway/
I use these. Covers both bike and car and I’ve always found them to be the cheapest. I’ve got the pay & claim policy, which works well as they call the nearest place to you (no need to wait for a RAC or AA patrolman to be in the area) and you send off the reciept and claim form – the cheque arrives 3 days later.
Are you like me, and have to change your silencers back to stndard every MOT ?
Well, I have a tip how to prevent them getting dusty and damaged whilst in the garage.I place my pipes in an old pair of trousers! – with rubber bands at each end.
It rather looks like the start of a Worzel Gummage scare-crow, but is allows me to store them under my bench out of the way without scratching them.
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