A Glimpse Into Motorcycle Maintenance from a Former Rebel

If you were to see an old photo of me, your first impression would probably be that I am this gangsta type of motorcycle rider with a bunch of tattoos under the long-sleeved black blouse and leather jacket, with the red scarf on my head and my hair all greasy and messy. Ears and nose pierced, a cigarette in my mouth and a rather nasty character when I stop to fill in the reservoir of my mean Harley Davidson.

Well, maybe in the old days I was kind of a rebel. Today, I am happily married with a family and a very, very responsible job that takes its tax on my health in the form of immense stress. Which is why, although I ditched the clothes, tattoos, the long hair and the piercings, I kept the Harley Davidson. While back in the days it was a signature for my character, today my motorcycle is a getaway from the everyday stress.

If you have never owned a motorcycle, you won’t know what it means to a man. It’s like your baby (no pun intended), your ego booster, your most appreciated belonging. On top of it, when you ride a motorcycle at a speed that cuts the wind against you, the feeling of the adrenaline rush through your body is just irreplaceable. Not to talk about chasing the sun on an highway.

Because of all these things, you take care of your motorcycle. You make sure everything runs smoothly and nothing is rusty. You clean it, repair it, upgrade it. Because what it offers you, is worth every second and dollar you spend on it. So this post will be dedicated to all the tools and accessories for motorcycle you need to have in your garage to make sure you provide good care to your Harley (or other model whatsoever). The motorcycle is a machinery, therefore, maintaining it is a process comprised of a few steps.

Don’t Risk It: Checking and Verifying Pressures

Have it in mind that even if you’re keeping your motorcycle under a glass bell, humidity and temperature changes will do their thing on tires. When you feel that something just doesn’t sound right, the first thing to examine is pressure. You want to check the cold pressure and to do that you need to own a quality gauge among your accessories for motorcycle. Pressure checking should be done at least once in two weeks.

Precaution Before Hitting the Road: Tire Inspection

You don’t want to hit the road with not-inspected tires. They’re the most vulnerable part of the motorcycle that is susceptible to everything on the road including small rocks, nails, sharp little fragments that can easily cause big damage. Inspection should include rolling the bike forward to check both tires and their side walls for eventual cracking or separations. If you notice anything of the kind, you need to get new, quality tires ASAP.

Battery Care for a Longer Life

Motorcycle batteries are generally smaller than those used in cars and are often labelled as ‘maintenance free’. The term is in quotes because it doesn’t imply that you don’t need to take care of them, but that the fluid in the individual cells can’t be replenished and therefore, the battery reused. However, since you’re going to make the investment, you may want to do everything you can to maximise the output from it. This includes recharging the battery with a conventional charger that doesn’t exceed 1.5 amps, or using a battery tender unit, which is considered more effective due to the fact that it doesn’t provide a floating charge that meets the ongoing need of the battery.

Finally, Clean It for a Shiny Look

This is probably all clear to you, but for the sake of the topic, I’ll elaborate shortly. As your most important belonging, it will be your natural instinct to keep your motorcycle freakishly clean. You won’t allow having dust on it, and mud is just unacceptable. Aside the fact that a clean motorcycle looks almost like a brand new one, keeping all parts clean from mud and moisture prolongs their life. They won’t rust and the motorcycle won’t have problems functioning due to stuck grass, mud or God forbid a small stone.