11th November 2014

Maintaining your bike can prolong its life and ensure years of happy riding … saving countless treasures from the junkyard. Here, we look at what you can do to reduce mechanical problems and keep your bike fighting fit and on the road.

General Maintenance

As with any vehicle, you need to complete basic maintenance tasks on your bike to keep it in top working order. This means changing the oil, performing regular services and keeping a constant eye on the condition and tread depth of your tyres.

Some important information concerning these tasks is as follows:

• Tread Depth: the legal requirements for motorcycle tyres are a minimum tread depth of 1.0mm around the tyre’s circumference and for three-quarters (75%) of the central width

• New Tyres: after fitting new tyres you should ‘run them in’ by riding at a maximum speed of 60mph for the first 100 miles or so on the clock

• Chain Tension: you can adjust this yourself using instructions in your owner’s manual and should always make sure you adjust it when there is some load on the bike to get an accurate result

• Fluid Levels: coolant, engine oil, brake fluid and other vital liquids should all be regularly checked and topped up as appropriate so identify the location of their reservoirs on your bike and make sure you only change or refill them when it is safe to do so (usually when the bike is cold and idle)

Bike Set-Up

As well as taking care of general maintenance tasks to keep your bike in working order, you also need to spare a thought for your comfort and enjoyment. This means keeping your bike cleaned and polished and setting it up in the right manner.

Some tips for doing this are as follows:

• Cleaning: regularly clean your bike using appropriate products to ensure it always looks its best and don’t forget to pay attention to overlooked areas such as wheels, instruments and mirrors

• Set Up: make sure you bike is set-up to be comfortable to ride by adjusting the height and position of mirrors, seats, foot-pegs and any other adjustable regions

When All Else Fails …

If you’re bike is becoming too much of a labour of love and you feel that you’re constantly throwing money on maintenance tasks and upgrades then there is a way to get what you want without consigning your prized possession to the scrapheap.

Here at We Want Your Motorbike, we pay good money for all types of motorbikes. Whether they’re fit for the road or a non-runner, we’ll offer you a fair prize and even advise you on whether we think you’d be better off selling at auction (if you have a vintage model, for example).

Selling your old model to us could give you the extra funds needed to afford a new bike and open up a world (or should that be road?) of possibilities!