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Gasoline, Battery, Fork Oil, Chains, Brake Fluid and Brake Hoses
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March 20, 2010 at 7:41 pm #3771Jeff in KentuckyParticipant
These topics are usually the most unknown by riders:
Gasoline- go by what the bike manufacturer recommends. If a new bike needs a certain octane above regular, it is usually on a sticker on the gas tank and in the owner’s manual. A high performance, high compression engine requires a higher octane gasoline to prevent knocking or pinging that damages the engine and drops the power output. Putting a higher octane gasoline in a lower compression engine usually wastes money, may dirty up the inside of the engine, and may cause a loss of power.
I have heard of changing to a hotter spark plug to use a higher octane fuel in a scooter, so the automatic transmission shifts to a higher gear ratio sooner. In the old days I added 89 octane fuel to an old low compression car engine that was dirty inside to prevent knocking- now, I add Sea Foam to the fuel once in a while to clean out engine carbon, and the newer fuel injected engines run cleaner anyways.
Battery- My last motorcycle battery lasted 6 years. I choose to buy the $60 sealed gel battery at Walmart and put the acid liquid in myself that comes with it, then put the battery on a small charger for several hours based on the time table that comes with the battery, then install it myself. No maintenance is needed, other than buying a Battery Tender type charger to hook to the battery if the bike stays parked for several months, that automatically turns on when needed.
The other choice is to have a dealer install a $100 battery (usually Yuasa brand) that needs distilled water added once in a while, and probably will not last much longer than 6 years. I ride my bike at least 10 miles including some at 60 miles per hour every time I start it- shorter trips do not fully charge the battery, and cause the battery to fail sooner. Heat kills batteries faster- if you live in a desert you will probably need a new battery more often. Extra lights or heated clothing will probably kill the battery sooner, especially on a smaller bike with a smaller electrical output.
My procedure for changing the battery- remove the key, remove both side covers, remove the two bolts holding the fuse block, and remove an electrical relay above the fuse block by sliding it outward. These electrical parts are moved out of the way, with wires still attaching them to the bike. Then remove the battery negative terminal bolt. Then slide the battery part way out of its box, to remove the positive terminal bolt. On my bike, either a phillips head screwdriver or a closed end wrench removes these bolts. Make sure you do not touch the tool to both the positive terminal and the exhaust, or sparks will fly and leave a little damaged spot on the exhaust pipe (learned the hard way).
Then remove the old battery and slide in the new battery. Try screwing in the terminal bolts to their nuts first, to see if one side of the nut is better up. Then put the negative side terminal nut under the top of the terminal, and I add 4 of the red spray can extension tubes under the nut to hold it up higher. I add a stainless steel lockwasher to the new terminal bolts before starting them in their threads, especially for my V-twin engine that vibrates quite a bit. Then remove the red tubes, and put it all back together. Another choice is a lighter, more expensive lithium battery, but this is for a racing bike. On a street bike, the heavier the bike, the smoother the ride on an interstate at 75 miles per hour (like a Honda Gold Wing that weighs 800 plus pounds).
Fork Oil- a cheap bike has a cheap front suspension with cheap fork oil- mine came with red automatic transmission fluid in the forks. A good cheap fork oil is Valvoline Maxlife 20w-50 engine oil- it has a good oil seal conditioner, and the thickness slows oil loss, slows dirt getting in the forks, and makes the forks dive less when braking. You may need to experiment with different weight fork oils, to find what works best for your weight and riding style.
If one of your forks starts to leak, cut a long thin strip from an old 35mm film negative, and after removing the cap over the fork seal by prying it off with a small screwdriver, run the plastic strip into the fork seal and around in a circle- it might remove a small piece of grit causing the seal to leak, so you can keep using the same fork oil seal. This worked once for me, especially if the seals are less than 10 years old.
I have some extra oil in the forks to make them stiffer for my 200 pounds, the back shock set at the middle preload setting so it is not as harsh on bumps, and you can buy better front springs, gold valve fork emulator kits for the front forks, and better back springs or better back shocks for a better ride.
Chains- An X-ring chain lasts longer than an O-ring chain, and does not cost much more. If you replace the chain soon enough, you can use the same sprockets for two chains before buying new sprockets. I bought a Bikemaster brand X-ring chain- cheaper, but made by one of the big Japanese chain companies. Oil the chain often, right after a ride while the chain is hot. All chains should be oiled at least every 500 miles. The sure sign of a dufus is a dry, rusty, too loose chain tearing up the sprockets. Make sure you do not tighten the chain too much- this also wears out the chain and sprockets faster.
Brake fluid- I buy the Valvoline Synthetic DOT 3 and 4 brake fluid- it gets brown slower than regular fluid, because it absorbs water slower. Another choice is expensive silicone fluid, but most recommend taking apart the entire brake system for cleaning before adding it. An aftermarket stainless steel jacketed teflon brake hose makes the front brakes work much better. On my bike, I can now brake hard enough to get the front tire to slide with the stock brake pads- a sportbike will start to lift the back tire instead.
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