12215562
Inviato: 1 Ago 2011 5:04
Oggetto: [Manutenzione moto da enduro/cross - I 10 errori più comuni]
There are many things to maintain on a dirt bike, and if you want a bike to last
longer then you must maintain it before anything breaks. These are ten of the
most common mistakes that people make when maintaining, or not
maintaining, their bikes.
#1 Chain & sprockets
The chain and sprockets are crucial parts to a bike as you might expect,
because they use the engines power to spin the rear wheel and make the bike
move. Without them, or if they are all worn out, the bike is not going to
function properly, so taking care of these and replacing them when necessary
are a must. Cleaning them after every other ride or every dirty ride where the
chain gets full of muck will allow the both the chain and sprockets to last
longer. If you keep riding with a dirty chain then it will eventually rust and
wear out quickly or break, and if it breaks it could possibly lead to more
damage than just the chain. The worst that could happen is if the chain keeps
going and locks up the front sprocket and destroys the crank/bottom-end of
the engine. That probably won't happen, but it is a probably outcome that you
should be concerned about. Once you clean the chain and sprockets then next
thing to do before going out to ride is lubing the chain. Lubing it with some
chain lube will also help these parts last a lot longer because it will prevent
corrosion. For replacing the chain and sprocket, you will want to check to see
if the teeth on the sprockets on not too worn down, odd-shaped, or broken. If
they are then you will want to replace them. To determine when the chain
should be replaced is a little more difficult, but the easiest sign is when you
replace both the sprockets, you should also get a new chain.
#2 Tubes
Making sure you have the correct air pressure in your dirt bikes tires is
commonly forgotten. Almost every time I see someone that comes back to the
pits or from riding with a flat tires, it's because they forgot to check the air
pressure. It may seem like an easy task, but I will tell you that it can bite if you
forget and you get a flat during a moto. Recommended tire pressure on a dirt
bike is about 15 psi, depending on what type of terrain you want. The harder
the terrain, the more pressure you'll want, and vice-versa for softer terrain. I
race, so have the correct psi is a big factor. I try to get it as low as I can while
still being safe. I usually set my pressure to 12-13psi in both tires on
intermediate-hard terrain. For soft stuff, like sand and mud, I put it at 10-12
psi if there aren't too many rocks. For off-road riding/trails I usually just set it
for 15-16 psi because the terrain varies and I'm not racing so I don't need as much traction.
#3 Air Filter
One of the most neglected parts on a bike is the air filter. This is one of biggest
factors to making a bike last long without having many problems. It is simple
enough for any rider with half a brain to do. The reason why cleaning or
changing your air filter is so important is because if dirt or other foreign
objects get sucked into your bikes engine it will damage parts very easily. Even
the slightest amount of dirt specs can score engine parts and cause the bike to
seize. This is why it's important to maintain the air filter. All you have to do is
clean it/replace it every couple rides if you ride it sandy/muddy conditions, or
whenever it's dirty.
#4 Carburetor
Having a dirty carburetor can strongly affect the power of a bike. If it is dirty it
can cause problems such as: bogging, decrease in power, back-firing, high or no
idle, and more. If you ride or start the bike once or twice all year then you
shouldn't have a problem because starting and running the bike clears the carb
out. If you let the bike sit for even a month the carburetor can get dirty and
cause problems. Most four-strokes are picky if they have a dirty carb, so make
sure it is clean. If you do not know how to properly take apart and clean then
carb then I suggest you bring it to a trusted motorcycle mechanic.
#5 Clean Bike
There are ignorant riders out there that choose to not clean their bikes after
every ride because they are lazy. They go out for a ride and then park it in the
garage dirty. If you do this then you are only asking for trouble. By not cleaning
a bike it has the potential to corrode and break parts. Keeping a bike clean is
not just to make it look nice. It's just simple maintenance that will allow parts,
such as nuts, bolts, and seals to last longer. Make sure that you clean every
spot that is reachable from the ground up on the bike.
#6 Greasing
This is one of biggest maintenance mistakes that people forget to do. Greasing
is another thing that will make your bike last longer. Parts that should be
greased are all bearings, front and rear wheel axles, steering stem, and any
other external moving metal parts. These parts should be greased at least
twice a year. They will eventually wear out and break from not being greased.
It may sound difficult and time consuming to take apart stuff like the wheels,
front-end, and other parts that have bearings, but it isn't all that difficult. You
should be able to grease these parts in an evening. Besides, it's better than not
doing it and end up paying hundreds or even thousands on broken parts.
#7 Tightening Spokes
Making sure the spokes on the wheels are tight is also important. If you don't have a spoke wrench then buy one. They're cheap, and they can save rims. If
you don't tighten your spokes, the result could be broken spokes, a flat tire
cause by a spoke poking/pinching it, or a bent rim. Rims are expensive parts if
they get bent, so unless you can bend it back, you'll have a big bill. If you don't
want to throw away that extra cash then just check the tightness of the spokes
every couple rides.
#8 Coolant
Over-heating a bike is not something that you want to happen, that's why there
is a cooling system on modern motocross bikes. But if you don't maintain the
cooling system, there's not much use having it. You can destroy an engine if it
gets over-heated, so keeping the cooling system(radiators and water-pump)
flowing will prevent this. I check my coolant level every time I ride my bike so
that it will never happen. Having something plugged in your cooling system is
not good and it can cause the bike to get really hot. So if your bike is hotter
than usual then one of the first things to do is check the hoses for clogging. It is
very simple maintenance to take the coolant cap off and check to make sure
the fluid level is high. If it's not then fill it up, and if the level of coolant keeps
getting lower every time you add coolant then you have a leak. Leaks are
usually easy to see because fluid comes out, and a leak is most commonly
caused by a radiator being tweaked. If there is a leak then there are two
options; pay someone to get it repaired, or by another radiator.
#9 Brake fluid
If you want your brakes to operate, make sure the are full of brake fluid. Some
brake master cylinders require different types of fluids, but the most common
are DOT 3 and DOT 4. Just fill it up to the top of the top and you are good to
go.
#10 Tranny oil
Not changing transmission oil has got to be the biggest and most common
mistake that people make. This is another simple task, yet again many forget
about it until it's too late. I have seen many ads of dirt bikes for sale that have
the bottom-end gone or seized. This is because the lazy owners forgot to
change the oil. It just drives me crazy that some people say that there bike is
seized or the engine is blow up and they don't know why! All you have to do is
take off the drain plug to see that there is no oil left. Running a bike out of oil
will destroy engine parts, and there's no way around it if you forget. On a twostroke you just have to change the oil about every 10-15 hours or every 3-5
races. On four-stroke motocross bikes I suggest that you check the oil level
EVERY single ride. It's usually every 5-10 hours that you should change oil on a
four-stroke mx bike, but if it gets dirty or low before that then I change it.
Trail bikes don't need it as often, so I usually do at 2-3 times a year.
Maintaining your dirt bike is a must. If you want to continue riding for long then you will have to take care of it by doing simple maintenance like the things a
mentioned. Not everybody has a pro mechanic, so I say that if you want to ride
then you should learn how to turn a wrench and clean parts. Doing easy
maintenance to your bike will make you appreciate it even more and you will
have fun longer. Thanks for viewing this, and good luck maintaining your bike.
Remember, take care of your bike, and it will take care of you. Have fun!
For more great insights, tips, reviews and articles for all things dirt bike
related, stop by EDIT MAV1975.****************************************
Article by,
Sting
