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Dunlop Tires: With the winter season upon us, Dunlop would like to remind riders that this is a good time to check your tires.
While your motorcycle is stored for the winter, it is a good time to check your tires, maintain them and determine if you need new tires for spring. If you live in a part of the country where you can keep riding, it’s best to ensure that your tires are in top condition because you may see your share of rainy days.
Dunlop Motorcycle Tires Product Manager, Mike Manning, offered a few tips regarding tire maintenance and storage.
“For wet-weather riding it’s especially important to be aware that worn tires decrease the ability to dissipate water. Worn tires also decrease handling and become more susceptible to punctures, so always replace tires before they reach the tread-depth indicators inside the tread grooves. On the sidewall of the tire, there are little triangles spaced around the tire. Looking in a tread groove at a point indicated by the triangle, you can see a raised-up bar. The surface of your tread must be higher than those bars.”
“Listed below you’ll find a few more motorcycle tire tips. We hope you find them useful and wish you a safe ride wherever you may travel.”
-On a regular basis, check your tires all the way around. Rotate both tires completely and make sure there are no nails, or other objects penetrating the tire. If you find anything, do not ride until you have your motorcycle dealer inspect the tire and replace it if necessary.
-Check the tire sidewalls for signs of cracking and never use sidewall treatments or dressings, which can actually accelerate tire cracking.
-Checking tire pressure is the most important tire maintenance function you can perform. Maintaining the correct air pressure is crucial to the tires’ rolling efficiency, steering, grip, wear and load-carrying capabilities—for every 4 psi a tire is underinflated, you could lose up to 80 pounds of load-carrying capacity.
-You’re not only riding on your tires, you’re also riding on the air within them, so check cold air pressure as often as possible with a high-quality air-pressure gauge, and have it calibrated at least once a year.
-If you’re storing your motorcycle for the winter and/or if you’re storing spare tires, try to avoid frequent and varied extremes of temperature during storage. Do not keep tires next to radiators or sources of heat. Tires subjected to these conditions will age more quickly than those stored in a cool, constant environment.
Unless you’re lucky enough to live in a location where the weather allows you to ride your Motorcycle 12 months out of the year, you probably put your bike up for a number of months until it’s time to ride again.
If you won’t be able ride your motorcycle for a while, don’t despair: this step-by-step will help you prep your bike for long term storage. Depending on how long you’ll be storing your Motorcycle you’ll want to make sure your bike emerges from deep storage as undamaged from rust, corrosion, and inactivity as possible.
If you’re storing your bike for more than six months, you might want to protect your piston and cylinder rings from potentially rusting. To do so, remove each spark plug and pour a tablespoon of fresh engine oil or spray fogging oil inside. Ground the ignition leads and turn the engine several times to spread the oil before replacing the spark plugs.
Spray some WD40 into the exhaust pipe(s) in order to keep water away; the “WD” stands for water displacement, and keeping moisture out will prevent rust. You can also keep water and critters out by stuffing intake and exhaust with crumpled plastic bags.
Things you will need for Motorcycle Storage:
Cleaning items, including water, soap and towels for the exterior, and chain de-grease, engine cleaner, and WD-40.
Fuel stabilizer, such as any manufacturer recommended brand or Sta-Bil.
If you’ll be changing your oil, the items listed in the oil change article.
A battery tender or trickle charger.
Wax for paint finishes.
A bike cover or breathable fabric sheet.
If your chain needs cleaning and/or lubrication, the items listed in the chain maintenance article.
If you’re willing to go the extra mile, so to speak, wood blocks or devices to lift the tires off the ground if your motorcycle isn’t equipped with a center stand.
This tutorial is broken down into parts; click on the Read More link to go through the entire step-by-step process.
With the tremendous surge in the popularity of vintage bikes, the suspension of these bikes has become even more important than ever.
If you buy a good aftermarket shock, like one from Works Performance, you’ll have no trouble whatsoever in figuring out what spring is on the bike.
The Guys at Works not only give you the correct spring, they have their own marking system.
But if you’re like a lot of vintage bike riders, you want to use the original shock spring to make the bike totally correct.
This means that you have to go through whatever pile of garbage you might have your garage, or around your buddy’s garage, for the correct spring.
But even if you know what brand of spring you’re looking for, how are you going to tell if this spring has the correct rate for your bike’s needs?
So you look through one pile of garbage after another pile of garbage searching for the mystical perfect spring.
Garbage has a certain subtle way of building up in the garage, but of course, none of it is really pure garbage – just junk you’ll probably never use again. Like all the fouled spark plugs, seized pistons and bent rims I have hanging from the ceiling in a metal “mobile,” it’s a still a piece of junk, plain and simple.
Check out the rest of this great informative article By Rick Sieman at: atv.off-road.com
FIRST THING! DON’T YOU EVEN DARE WALKING OUT THAT HOUSE WITHOUT YOUR HELMET!
SECOND! PUT YOUR HELEMT ON! NOT ON YOUR BIKE YOU IDIOTS! WHY PUT YOUR HELMET ON YOUR BIKE? IS IT SO YOUR BIKES BRAINS ARE PROTECTED???
IF ANY MOTORCYCLE RIDER THINKS THEIR COOL FOR NOT WEARING A HELMET WELL THEN LET YOUR STUPID BRAIN GET SMEARD ALL OVER THE PAVEMENT.
PS. When your stupid brains are splatterd all over the pavement, THAT MEANS YOU CANT RIDE ANYMORE!!!
SO Wear YOUR HELMET!!
The right motorcycle technique applied at a moment’s notice can save your neck. The rider’s reaction to the road conditions around him/her are critical to ensure that he/she gets to his/her destination in one piece. Don’t learn motorcycle techniques the hard way, you may not get a second chance.
Motorcycle Techniques At Night:
During the dark hours, it is harder for motorcyclists to see and be seen. It is not simple for drivers to notice a motorcycle headlight out of a sea of car lights. To compensate for impaired vision while riding at night here are some motorcycle techniques for riding safe:
–Reduce the speed of the motorcycle. Motorcyclists should drive slower at night than they normally would during the day, especially if they don’t know the road well. Simply slowing down makes the ride less risky.
– Increase distance because it is difficult to judge at night. our eyes rely on the contrast between light and shadow to tell how far away an object is or how fast it is going. These contrasts are distorted or gone at night so open up a three- second or more following distance. Allow extra space to pass and be passed while on your motorcycle.
One effective motorcycle technique for riding at night is to use the headlights of the car ahead. The car’s headlights can give you a better view of the road than your own high beam. Also, the tail lights of the car ahead can tell you if the road is bumpy when they bounce up and down. Try to get all the light you can by using your motorcycle high beam when you are not following or approaching another vehicle.
During night time riding, be flexible about lane position. Stick to the area of the lane than lets you see and be seen, and allows a wide enough space cushion.
Motorcycle Techniques for Crash Avoidance
Even the most experienced rider skilled in motorcycle techniques finds himself in a tight situation from time to time. A lot of crashes do occur because a rider was not prepared or skilled in crash avoidance motorcycle techniques. A motorcyclists ability to react safely in a tight situation is critical. Two motorcycle techniques, swerving and braking, are key to successful crash avoidance. Since a motorcyclist can’t always stop before hitting at obstacle, swerving becomes an important maneuver.
Based on statistical studies, most rider’s involved in a crash did not apply the front brake as much as they should have. The front brake can provide more than half of the motorcycle’s stopping power. Over breaking the rear and neglecting the front brake is a bad motorcycle technique which could turn out deadly. A lot of riders involved in a collision did not brake and swerve separately. If braking is required, separate it from the swerving motorcycle techinique. Brake prior to swerving or after– never during. Target your escape route with your vision and keep focused on that.
Don’t be reluctant to use the front brake on the motorcycle! Just don’t grab it; the correct motorcycle technique is to grip it firmly while applying steady pressure. If the motorcycle front wheel locks, immediately let go of the front brake and then reapply it firmly. Not forgetting to apply the rear brake at the same time. Accidentally locking the rear brake on good traction is no problem, as it can remained locked until the motorcycle has stopped. A locked rear wheel is okay on a straightaway if the motorcycle is upright and headed in a straight line.
If a stop is needed in the middle of a turn or curve in the road, the best motorcycle technique is to straighten the bike and then brake. If however it is impossible to straighten the bike, another good motorcycle technique is to reduce the pressure of the brake and ease up on the throttle. As your speed slows, reduce the angle of your lean and continue applying brake pressure. In the last few feet of halting, straighten the motorcycle handlebars to preserve balance. Sometime’s you have to perform a crash-avoidance motorcycle technique with no time to think.
People come to motorcycling in a lot of different ways.
There’s the guy who suddenly realizes that all his friends are going on a weekend motorcycling trip and he’s the one missing out because he doesn’t ride. There’s the woman who has been a passenger for years and wants to ride her own ride.
There’s the middle-aged guy who sees a kid on a dirtbike, remembers the happy riding days of his own youth, and suddenly can’t recall why he ever stopped riding. Or the young woman who spots the sleek new sportbike in the display window and suddenly decides, with absolute certainty but with no warning, that she simply must have it and learn to ride it.
These are both general examples and actual true stories. All of the above are people I’ve met in my years of mingling with other riders.
But for as many different ways as there are to get into motorcycling, there are a few common experiences everyone has.
You face a bewildering variety of choices. You need advice, but you find that even the best-intentioned advice from experienced riders is sometimes contradictory.
More help is a click away
See a word you don’t understand? While you’re still learning the motorcycle lingo, refer to our glossary of motorcycle terms. You can also find a wealth of tips, knowledge and advice in our Rider Resources section.
Even a small amount of research will quickly teach you that motorcycling can be a relatively inexpensive, even money-saving hobby, or it can lead you into horribly expensive mistakes; that it can bring life-long fun or hurt you badly if you get it wrong.
None of which is meant to discourage you. To the contrary — the AMA consists of 280,000 enthusiastic riders who hope you become a convert to motorcycling and join in the fun we’re having. Of course we hope you’ll eventually become a committed motorcyclist and join the AMA, too.
But for now, to help you get into first gear, we’ve put together some basic advice gathered from the hundreds of years of riding experience accumulated by AMA staff members, as well as the advice we’ve heard from AMA members, who collectively have millions more years on the roads and trails.
Here’s the five things we believe every new rider needs to know.
Dirt bike jumping is something you’re going to have to face if you’re ever going to ride your bike on a motocross track. There are quite a few different types of obstacles found on a track but the basic skills remain the same regardless of what you’re trying to jump.
When approaching dirt bike jumps you should be standing up on the bike in a crouched position gripping the bike with your legs. This will help keep the bike in line and not allow it to step out sideways if it hits a bump on the upramp (a particularly scary feeling!).
Pick your line on the up ramp and keep an even throttle as you approach. As you hit the upramp, if the jump has a ‘kicker’ or small ledge on the top lip you’ll need to blip the throttle to stop the rear wheel kicking up as you go over it.
Some dirt bike jumping over like tabletops or gap jumps need to be hit at a certain speed to clear them, so try to have your speed up before you get to them, then you won’t have to be accelerating hard up the upramp which can cause problems if the bike hits a bump and becomes unsettled but will also allow you to coast over the lip of the jump, making for a flatter and faster trajectory through the air.
This isn’t always possible, sometimes a jump is straight after a corner and you have to accelerate hard to get sufficient speed up to clear it.
Once you’re in the air, look to where you’ll land. If you’re landing on the flat you want to land with the rear wheel down first so pull up on the bars just before you land.
If you’re landing on a down ramp then you want the bike to land at the same angle as the down ramp. If the front wheel is too high, you can lower it by pulling in the clutch and dabbing the rear brake. This will lock the rear wheel and lift the rear of the bike up.
If the front wheel is too low, let the clutch out and give the motor a rev (also known as a panic rev!), the force of the rear wheel spinning will pull the rear of the bike down. Pull up on the bars at the same time.
Get on the throttle just before you land, this will help the rear suspension absorb the landing and give you good drive away from the jump.
Confidence is a big thing when dirt bike jumping so practise at your own pace and build your confidence gradually.
1. Back the compression and rebound clickers all the way out and record the settings.
2. With the fork still on the bike loosen the top triple clamp pinch bolts, crack the fork cap loose using a properly sized open end wrench, then loosen the lower clamp pinch bolts and remove fork from the bike.
3. With the fork off the bike unscrew the fork cap all the way and let the outer tube drop down (you’ll be staring at a spring with the fork cap screwed on the top.
4. You will see what looks to be a long nut on top of the damping rod and attached to the fork cap. Spin the spring (or the whole fork) around so the gap between the coils lets the wrench get on the nut.
There’s plenty of room to get the wrench thru the spring coil. If you can’t get enough clearance for the wrench, grab the spring at the very top and pull down (hard as you can). Use an open end wrench (17 mm) to hold this nut and another to unscrew the fork cap.
5. Remove the spring, the solid rod inside the damper rod, and the fork cap.
6. Clamp the fork into a soft jawed vice by the axel bolt hole.
7. You now need a damper rod holding tool. Take a flashlight and look down inside the fork tube to get an idea of what the tool should look like.
You’re going to be making a castle nut remover basically the female version of a +. Go to home depot and buy a 1″ piece of black gas pipe.
Take a grinder and shape the end of the pipe to fit. Be careful and make be sure to do a good job in shaping the business end of the tool (and the tool will work for years).
Once you’ve shaped the end you can drill 1/4″ hole through the other end of the pipe so you can use a screw driver to hold it in place when in use.
8. Insert the damper rod tool into the top of the fork and get hold of the castle nut (have someone else hold it in place.
Insert a socket drive allen key into the base valve (where you adjust the compression damping) and remove the base valve. Remove the guts of the fork and you’ll be left with nothing but the inner and outer tubes stuck together.
9. Carefully use a thin blade screwdriver to pry the dust cover off then slide it up the fork tube out of your way.
10. Using a pick or small screw driver carefully remove the wire “C” clip from above the fork seals
11. Grasp the outer tube in one hand, the inner tube in the other, push them together, and then bang them apart with authority (like a slide hammer).
3 or 4 bangs and the tubes seals and bushings will separate. Don’t worry nothing will fall out as us do this so once your done note the order of the components.
12. Remove the old fork seals and clean everything spotless.
13. Put saran wrap over the top of the inner tube (so you don’t damage the seals as you slide the new one on.
14. Slide the Wiper and seal up out of your way and inert the inner tube (complete with slide bushings and washer) into the outer tube and let the washer fall down to cover the bushings.
15. Using a seal driver Drive the bushings and washer home. If you don’t have a seal driver (and you should) you can make one out of 2″or 2-1/2″ PVC pipe split down the middle.
16. After you set the bushings you need to set the seal so slide it down as far as you can then uss your seal driver to pound it into the outer fork tube. You’ll know that everything is right if you are able to reinstall the wire circlip.
17. You should now be able to slide the wiper down and push it into place with your fingers.
18. At this point reverse instructions and reassemble your fork.
19. Your manual will tell you everything you need to know about filling with oil and setting the air space.
Learning how to ride a Dirt Bike for the very first time can be a bit difficult, but if you have patience and you keep trying to learn the skills needed to ride you will get there in no time. In addition to learning these skills, you will also be able to learn proper riding techniques on various terrains.
The first step you need to take in learning how to ride a dirt bike is obtaining the right size bike for you and obtaining all the appropriate safety gear. When you purchase a dirt bike, make sure that you can comfortably sit on the bike and that you are able to place your feet on the ground. You do not want a bike that is too small or too big, so check out each size that is offered. You also want to make sure that your safety gear fits properly. If your gear is too tight and is uncomfortable to wear then you probably want to get something that fits snug! A helmet that is too big will not protect your head properly if you were to have an accident. You should also consider knee and elbow pads to protect yourself in case of a fall.
Once you have obtained your dirt bike and your safety gear, you are ready to begin the next step in learning how to ride a dirt bike. In this step you will sit on your bike and practice your balance. With your feet on the foot pegs, try to keep your bike upright. If your dirt bike starts leaning to the left, gently lean your body to the right, and vice versa.
After you have mastered the basic balance techniques you are ready to start up your bike and slowly take off. Make sure that you do not take off too quickly, as this can cause you to pop a wheelie and lose control. Once you have slowly begun moving, try stopping your bike. Being able to control the starting and stopping of your dirt bike is just as important as learning to balance properly.
Speed: When you are riding down a nice straightaway and you feel like goosing it, try to start in a low gear. Work that gear to its full potential, and then shift up (if you have an automatic bike, don’t worry about this). Once you get up to your speed, slant your back at a 45 degree angle, bend your arms at a 90 degree angle and stand up. When standing up your legs and arms act as additional suspension when going over bumps. This keeps you in better control and will conserve energy.
Turning: The trick to getting maximum speed and the best setup in a turn is control. When coming into a turn, pick a good line that isn’t going to run you off the track. Stick with it and keep steady power. Keep your outside elbow up and your inside leg out. Have your leg sticking straight out in front of you by the fender. This will help you keep your balance, and you can dab your foot on the ground if you slide out. Once in the turn, look where you want to go. Also keep your butt on the outside of the seat and apply a little pressure to the outside foot peg, this helps put more weight on the outside of your bike, giving you more traction. Remember to finish your braking and shifting before you enter the corner so you can concentrate all of your attention on getting through it. Sometimes using the clutch while exiting a corner will give you a short burst of power.
Jumps: Hitting big jumps can be scary if you are not comfortable with your riding ability yet. Try little table tops at first; they are very easy and provide a steady landing almost everywhere. Lift up your handlebars and stand up a little. Once you get skilled with that, try a double. Take off the bottom of the face sitting down. By the time your front wheel is off the dirt you should be standing up. Once in the air, position yourself comfortably but sturdily for a landing. If your front end is straight up and down, don’t panic! Hit the back brake and it should lower gradually. Before you hit the ground, give a little gas so your bike will flow smoothly.
Motorcycle suspension serves a dual purpose: contributing to the vehicle’s handling and braking, providing safety and comfort by keeping the vehicle’s passengers comfortable isolated from road/terrain noise, bumps and vibrations. The typical motorcycle has a pair of fork tubes for the front suspension, and a swingarm with one or two shock absorbers for the rear suspension
Here we talk about how to set up your motorcylce suspension:
Front Motorcycle Suspension (Forks)
On the top of the fork you will find a flat head screw (or clicker). Next to it will be an S – H, meaning Soft and Hard. This is the Rebound adjuster, this controls how fast your fork returns to its extended position after being compressed. If you turn the screw in (clockwise) towards the ‘H’ the rebound action of the fork will slow. If you wind the clicker (counter clockwise) the rebound action will soften. When making adjustments on one fork make sure you make the same adjustments on the other.
To get a good feel for the difference this can make, try turning both clickers all the way in, then go for a ride. Don’t try and set any new track records though since your bike may react to jumps and bumps very different than you are used to. Once you have a good feel for that, try winding the clickers all the way out and compare the difference.
The second way of adjusting forks is the compression adjuster. You’ll find the compresion adjuster on the bottom of each fork. This determines how quickly the fork compresses when it hits a bump or landing from a jump.
Rear MX Shock
Screwing the clicker in towards ‘Hard’ will slow the compression speed down making it stiffer for larger, rolling terrain or bumps. Screwing the compression adjuster out towards ‘Soft’ will decrease the compression speed making it better for smaller, rougher bumps. Thinking of a pogo stick may help to visualize this.
Rear Motorcycle Suspension (Shock)
The first thing to do when setting up your dirt bike suspension is to put the rebound and compression clickers for both the forks and rear shock in their standard position (your owners manual should tell you how many clicks out is standard), if you don’t have the manual just set them halfway between hard and soft. It’s basically the same routine for adjusting the shock, but the clickers aren’t in the same spots. Number three shows where the rebound clicker is on the shock, and number four is where the compression clicker is. The shock is usually around fifteen clicks also.
Setting it up for your Dirt Bike Riding style
If your dirt bike still has stock suspension and it’s not Terribly worn out, then the stock springs are usually set up for about a 130-165lb rider for motocross. If you weigh more than that, you’ll want stiffer springs, but if you weigh less than that then you’ll want softer springs. Another pointer when you’re adjusting you clickers is that you want the forks to be equally adjusted. When adjusting the right side of the forks compression or rebound, then you will want the left side to be the same, otherwise it might not feel right or be as consistent. This does not mean that you have to have the compression adjusted the same as the rebound for either the forks or the shock.
