It is a crucial time which no one ever expected but somehow we are all in this extreme situation. Yes, I am talking about the pandemic happening overdue to Corona Virus. As no vaccine has been developed to counter his virus scientists and researchers have advised us to stay quarantine and maintain social distance among ourselves. Since human is a social animal, it was difficult for us to remain quarantine. Thus the government has to take some strict actions and the decision was to lock up us in our homes. It is a good measure to control the spread of the virus and it is working out in our favour. But we motorcycle enthusiasts are not able to ride our bikes. It is most disheartening for me.
Since bikes are also in lockdown with humans they too deserve some attention so we could ride them back normally as before. The motorcycle is a combination of different machines which are meant to work and may misbehave when kept for rest for longer than usual. Currently, this is a 40 day lockdown period which is long enough to affect some or many parts of your motorcycle. Below is a step by step guide on what to do to make it perform as good as it should be:
Clean & Lube the chain. Power is channelled to rear wheels through chain and sprocket system. It is most efficient than shaft and belts. But it catches the dirt and requires some maintenance. We should clean and lube it timely. If your motorcycle has got full-size chain cover then you should lube it once in 700-800 km and clean in around 1500 km. Simply clean it once and lube it twice. For open chains, the cleaning and lubing should be done at around 500-600 km. If you have your chain cleaner and lube in stock, no problem just clean and lube it. If not you can use some kerosene oil to clean the chain. You could use a chain cleaning brush if you have or simply an old toothbrush. Take your time and clean every link and make it shine. Do not run the engine and clean, it is very risky and you can even lose your fingers. Now the chain is cleaned thoroughly and its time to lube it. Lube the chain when the cleaner or lube has dried completely. An alternative to chain lube is your old or leftover engine oil. It serves as good as lube works. Move the wheels slowly or just start it to for ease of complete and evenly lubing the chain.
Park it safe. Now after chain cleaning and lubing park your motorcycle in a shady area. Do not park it on the side stand. If your bike has centre stand use it or else use your paddock stand. I have an explanation for this. When we park our motorcycle on the side stand the weight of the motorcycle is being shared on wheels and balanced by side-stand. Since our wheels are not moving the load is continuously on your specific tire walls. It will weaken it out and soon you will start seeing some cracks on the tire walls which is extremely dangerous and soon you will require to change your tires. The tires should not have a single contact with the ground it damages the tire so if possible lift the front one too.
Disengage the clutch. Yes, you read that right. When the motorcycle is kept idle for such a long time it affects the clutch. Clutch is the machine component which engages and disengages the power transmission from engine to gearbox. Your motorcycle produces a lot of power and torque and all this is transmitted by making the surface contact of discs with their friction. To keep these plates in contact the spring provides large axial thrust. When the motorcycle is kept idle the springs are continuously providing thrust and ultimately the clutch plates will stick together and nothing will happen when you press the lever. The engine is always engaged.
Start your engine frequently. Try to start your bike engine and allow it to rev at idle condition twice a week or even daily for around 1-5 minutes. This will heat up the engine oil and pump it through differents corners and keep them clean and lubricated. If you don't want to start then I will suggest to completely drain the petrol from the tank. The stored petrol will harm your injector or carburettor jets and then you will need to clean or even replace some parts. If you are draining petrol, then after draining the tank, start your motorcycle and keep it running till it can with fuel in carburettor or fuel pump. This will ensure complete drainage.
Disengage the clutch. Yes, you read that right. When the motorcycle is kept idle for such a long time it affects the clutch. Clutch is the machine component which engages and disengages the power transmission from engine to gearbox. Your motorcycle produces a lot of power and torque and all this is transmitted by making the surface contact of discs with their friction. To keep these plates in contact the spring provides large axial thrust. When the motorcycle is kept idle the springs are continuously providing thrust and ultimately the clutch plates will stick together and nothing will happen when you press the lever. The engine is always engaged.
To avoid this we should always disengage the clutch while parking our bike for long. It can be done simply pressing the clutch lever and binding some rope or cloth around the handle and clutch so the lever will always remain pressed. This will help a lot. If you are have not done this and your bike is kept idle, don't panic. Just try to kickstart with the clutch pressed and after 5-10 kicks just bind the rope around it and leave it.
Start your engine frequently. Try to start your bike engine and allow it to rev at idle condition twice a week or even daily for around 1-5 minutes. This will heat up the engine oil and pump it through differents corners and keep them clean and lubricated. If you don't want to start then I will suggest to completely drain the petrol from the tank. The stored petrol will harm your injector or carburettor jets and then you will need to clean or even replace some parts. If you are draining petrol, then after draining the tank, start your motorcycle and keep it running till it can with fuel in carburettor or fuel pump. This will ensure complete drainage.
Stay Quarantine. The last point is most important than all the above. Because if you are safe you could even buy a new bike and even get it repaired. Stay in your home and frequently wash or sanitize your hands. Avoid touching your mouth.
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