ALT-1 Preride Motorcycle Safety Checks
As some one who has been around bikes for most of his adult life. It is important to check over your motorcycle before every ride or at the least, once a week. I have a mental checklist that I follow. 1st on the list is to check the tire pressures, tires are porous, they can loose air just sitting or while in use. All the manufacturers have specific pressures for each model motorcycle, don't use the pressures indicated on the side walls of the tires. These specs are found in the owners manual or sometimes on the bikes V I N plate. 2nd on the list is to check the tread surface for anything sticking in it and how much wear it has. A quick check of the chain for both adjustment and lube. Most chain lubes are good for more than just a few rides. If it is dry, I will shoot a bit of chain lube on. As a rule though, I only lube the chain after my ride. That way the lube has over night to sink into the warm chain and wont fly off. For you shaft drive bike owners, sorry for making you read that last bit.
Depending on the bike the next step may be overlooked. That is checking the spokes. If you have a bike with spokes, just grab a small screw driver and with handle just tap the spokes. Tight spokes will have a "ting" sound and loose ones will have a "tonk" sound. If loose, you can tighten with a spoke wrench or see your local dealer. For you bike owners with cast mag wheels, again sorry for making you read the last bit. 4th on my list is to check the throttle cable(s) to make sure they slide freely and dont hang up. Also check the clutch cable for smooth operation. 5th on my list is turning the key on and checking all my lights and switches making sure they are all in good working order. Sometimes bulbs just pop and switches just stick. Again depending on the bike, the next step may or may not apply. That is checking the coolant level either by the reservoir or the actuall radiator, or both. If you have an air cooled bike then this step does not apply and again sorry for..... well you get the idea. 7th on my list is to check the oil level. Now my bike is equipped with a sight window so I just have to hold the bike up right and look for the oil in the window. Some bikes have a dip stick instead. Last on my list to walk around the bike and check for anything that may be loose. The foot pegs, mirrors, and body work(sportbike riders) or the saddle bags and wind shield(cruiser riders). Now fire up your bike, get you gear on and go for a ride.
The important thing here is to do this regularly so that it becomes second nature to do so. Making this a regular routine will help in the long run. By checking over your bike on a regular basis you will determine if there are any potential problems or just tihings requiring maintainance. While it took me nearly 30 minutes to type this, yes I type with only two fingers and use the backspace key a lot and I do mean A LOT! It only takes 5-10 minutes to check your bike before each ride. Keep your feet on the pegs and your right hand cranked!
