Pre-Ride Checklist and Advice from the Experts!

Check It Out!
by Robert Vaughan

"Tires"

"They didn't look flat so the pressure is probably OK."

"Lights"

"The ones I can see from here work."

"Oil"

"It was fine last week."

"Brakes"

"We have two--I'm sure at least one works."

"Windshield"

"It's not all that dirty."

"I slept only four hours last night so let's not waste any more time here. Let's fly this baby!"

You might think twice about going on the trip at all if your pilot weren't interested enough in safety to do a proper checklist.

Is piloting a bike that's carrying your spouse any less important? You know the answer.

Tires need the correct pressure to prevent overheating (read "blowout"), excessive wear (read "expensive"). Not looking flat isn't enough. The only way to know the pressure is right is to use a tire gauge. Check the tires while cold. Write down the correct pressure for your tires, and keep it in the bike.

Lights are something we don't think about until one goes out that we can see from the rider's seat. Yet the taillight is what lets the car behind you see you before he runs over you. The co-rider can easily check the brake lights, taillights, and turn signals while you sit on the bike and push a few buttons.

How important is your oil? (Read "How expensive is your engine?") No, you don't check the oil by looking at the engine temperature gauge. There is a convenient dipstick made just for that purpose. Don't be a dipstick, use the one on the bike.

Always using both brakes to stop or slow is the proper way to use brakes but the wrong way to check them. If one of three brakes starts getting weak, the other two will hide this fact. Try using only the brake lever to check the one front brake that the lever operates. Then you will have an idea how that brake is working. Using only the brake pedal with an integrated braking system uses two brakes-one front and the rear. Testing the brake pedal this way makes it easier to know whether one of these two brakes is not up to par. Of course the best way to check out all three brakes is during the bike's regular service.

Perhaps the windshield is the easiest of all to check. You can look at it as you are walking up to the bike. Are those bug spots you see? It takes only a minute or so to clean them off. They may be only an annoyance in the daytime, but you need all the visibility you can get at night. Another time a dirty windshield really shows up is when you head directly into the sun. That's when you'll really wish you'd taken an extra minute or two to clean your windshield. When you have your cleaner out to clean your windshield, you might also clean your faceshield and your glasses. Then the whole world will look cleaner.

Your bike's checklist should be something you use before every ride, just as a pilot uses his before every flight.

 

Check it out!

Author: Robert Vaughan
http://wheels-in-motion.com/

************** End of Article

I wish you the best and enjoy the ride!

Your friend,

Daniel Levy
Japanese-Motorcycles-Only.Com

P.S. Don't forget to do your homework and go through YOUR OWN
pre-race checklist and above all, enjoy the ride! :-)

P.P.S. Do you need manuals? A specialized or rare part for your next race? Maybe a nice book about motorcycles? Check out these resources and knock yourself out!

Usefull Resources

• Bike Bandit (Motorcycle parts and gear) - As easy as buying books in Amazon! Want to learn more? Check out the special section about Bike Bandit.

• HAND PICKED suggestions from Amazon:

                           

Go to Japanese Motorcycles Homepage        Go to Motorcycle Articles Index