How To Keep Your Motorcycle Alive And Running For A Long Long Time ( part 1)

Oil

If you don't do any other item on this list, do this one; it does

more for keeping your motorcycle on the road for many miles than

any of the rest. Change your oil regularly and often. How

often? Consult your owner's manual, but go by the "severe

service" recommended frequency. Change the oil based on time or

mileage, whichever comes first. (I usually change mine every

three months; I don't often ride to the mileage limit in that

time.) Change your filter *EACH TIME* you change the oil. Your

filter holds old dirty oil, and you want to change it all, and a

new filter is pretty cheap insurance. How about special motorcycle

oils? They're a good idea in motorcycles where the transmission and

engine share the engine oil. Other motorcycles (like BMWs) where the

transmission has its own oil only need a good quality automotive oil.

What about oil treatments (such as Slick 50) and synthetic oils?

Well, the jury is still out regarding oil treatments (lots of

arguments pro and con), but synthetics are pretty highly regarded

for extending engine life. It's recommended to make the switch to

synthetics after the engine has run 10K - 15K miles or so on

conventional oil.

Starting

Use the choke as little as possible -- set it to the lowest

position that will let your motorcycle start. On warm summer

days you might not need to use the choke at all. Keep the

warm-up short; ride away gently as soon as the engine runs

smoothly, but avoid hard acceleration until the engine is up to

its normal operating temperature.