Ready to get your bike out and running again? For us in the winter weather, the time is almost near – at least that’s what the groundhog said. Before you get your bike on the road, here are some things to do when you pull it out of winter storage.
1. Check the fuel. Open up the gas cap and see if your fuel is clean. If not, it’s time to drain it and start over. If you used fuel stabilizer before you stored it, it should be in good order, but it’s worth making sure.
2. Check the fluids. If you didn’t change the oil before you stored her, now’s the time to do it. Also glance at your clutch, brake, and coolant levels . Coolant breaks up over time too and needs to be replaced just like the brake fluid.
3. Look at the hoses. Those pesky critters like to chew on these prime gems. You want to make sure there are no unwanted leaks.
4. Tighten the nuts and bolts. It doesn’t hurt to get in there with a wrench and make sure everything is tight.
5. Charge the battery. Did you have your battery hooked up over the winter? Make sure it is still holding a charge and not showing any signs of corrosion. Also check connections to see if they are secure.
6. Examine the tires. If you weren’t able to keep the weight off the tires, you definitely want to confirm nothing is uneven. Of course, it’s always good to check the tire pressure too.
7. Inspect the brake pads. Is there break lining left on them? Have you serviced them lately? Both good things to get taken care of at this point.
8. Change the air filter. If you haven’t done this in a while, this is a good time to add it to the list.
9. Test the controls. Move the handlebars, hit the brakes, and make sure everything is moving smoothly. This is also when you want to see if all lights are shining.
10. Warm up the engine. It’s been sitting for a while, so it should idle for a while too.
Now you need to get the winter dust and dirt off the baby and then it should be all ready to ride. Thank goodness riding season is near.
Photo by Thomas Griesbeck on Unsplash
