| Dirt bike maintenance is easy once you know how. | | | | bolts often rattle loose. These include the ones that |
| Motocross bikes, enduro bikes and pretty much all | | | | hold the plastics to the frame, clutch and brake |
| off-road motorcycles are high performance vehicles | | | | perches, seat bolts and disc brake bolts. Make sure |
| that will eventually break down and fail if maintenance | | | | you check the chain tension too as they stretch over |
| is neglected. They can also become very dangerous | | | | time and need adjusting. Use chain lube to prolong |
| to ride if left unchecked, so it's important you at | | | | the life of it. Spokes are very important to keep an |
| least know the basics. It may cost you a bit of time | | | | eye on - if they become loose you can end up |
| and money to keep on top of things through regular | | | | bending or buckling the actual rim costing you a fair |
| maintenance but trust me it will save you a lot of | | | | amount of money to replace! |
| problems and money in the long run, and when it | | | | 4) Piston replacement: Most people can't do this |
| comes time to sell your bike you will achieve a much | | | | themselves but what you must do is keep a record |
| higher re-sale price to go toward your next bike. | | | | of how many hours the bike has done. You can |
| Here are some 'must do's'.. | | | | either use a diary and write it down, but the best |
| 1) Wash it: Wash that dirty thing after each ride, | | | | way to do it is to install an hour meter on your bike |
| preferably with a water blaster. Be careful not to | | | | which will automatically count the hours for you. Read |
| spray water into the exhaust or directly onto wheel | | | | the manual for your model of dirt bike to know |
| bearings, and don't spray too close to the radiator or | | | | when the piston and / or piston rings should be |
| you will bend the cooling fins. | | | | replaced. Once you reach the hour limit as written in |
| 2) Clean the air filter: The air filter prevents muck | | | | the manual, book it in to the mechanics to get the |
| from getting into the internals of the engine. As a | | | | job done. Failure to do this will result in the piston |
| rule of thumb you need to clean the air filter after | | | | blowing and seizing your bike, costing you major |
| each ride. It makes it easier if you have a spare one | | | | dollars to fix! |
| that you've already cleaned so it's ready to go. Failure | | | | 5) Oil changes and radiator top ups: The engine oil |
| to clean the air filter can result in some major engine | | | | usually needs to be replaced after every 5 hours of |
| damage. | | | | riding - again check your manual for exact intervals. |
| 3) Check for loose nuts, bolts, spokes and chain: Run | | | | It's important to use a high performance engine oil to |
| a spanner over all of the nuts and bolts to tighten up | | | | keep the bike running at it's best and to prolong |
| any loose ones. Because of the heavy vibrations that | | | | engine life. Check the radiator fluid level before each |
| course through the entire bike and engine, nuts and | | | | ride to prevent overheating due to low fluid levels. |