This post is a continuation of Part 1 on How to Maintain your Motorcycle. Lately, we have gone through:

   – Motorcycle maintenance: care, repairs, and winterizing

   – Monthly cleaning of his motorcycle

   – Motorcycle maintenance points

We will now cover:

   – Precautions for maintenance

   – Frequency of motorcycle maintenance

   – Price for motorcycle maintenance by a professional: from $10 per month

Engine

For motorcycle engine maintenance:

   – Coolant replacement is essential for antifreeze protection to slow down corrosion and keep its lubricity.

   – Checking the engine oil level is necessary to prevent engine breakage.

   – This oil change must be accompanied by a filter change.

   – The replacement or cleaning of the air filter depends on the motorcycle and the environment in which it operates.

   – Finally, you must also check the valve clearance thrust: excess valve clearance can damage the valve train.

Note: a loss of power and excessive fuel consumption can also alert you.

Chain: Lubrication and Adjustments

Caution: a poorly adjusted or damaged chain, and it’s the guaranteed fall!

Check the chain carefully:

   – Add grease.

   – Make sure it is neither too tight nor too loose.

   – Replace if necessary.

Draining the fork and motor

Caution: with a poorly drained fork, handling and braking are not assured.

To drain the fork, you need to:

   – Make sure that the oil level remains constant;

   – change the oil (replace the old oil with a new one) every 6,000 km on average.

Brakes, pads, discs

Warning: changing the brake discs costs more than replacing the brake pads!

It is therefore advisable to keep a close eye on the braking system:

   – Make sure that the brake pads do not wear too much until they touch the discs.

   – Replace the pads if necessary.

Battery with maintenance

A battery, except for maintenance-free batteries (to be left as is), wears out quickly, especially in winter and even if it doesn’t work!

To maintain a motorcycle battery, you must:

   – add a little water regularly: to do this, remove the filler caps and cover all the internal parts with demineralized or distilled water.

   – charge the battery from time to time from the mains;

   – cover the motorcycle to protect it from the cold.

Spark plugs

In the owner’s manual of your bike, you will find the mileage you will need to replace the spark plugs. Over time, the spark plugs will turn black, and the valve will no longer close.

You can replace your spark plugs yourself or at a garage.

Air filter

Caution: if your filter gets dirty, you’re wasting fuel!

A motorcycle can accommodate a filter:

   – of paper: to be replaced;

   – foam: to be washed with white spirit.

Coolant and brake fluid

It’s vital to put coolant in the engine regularly. If it fails, engine repairs will be costly.

Also, brake fluid prevents the brake system from seizing up.

To get more out of the engine.

Precautions for maintenance

Keep the warranty

As with cars, motorcycles benefit from manufacturer warranties, which are no longer linked to where the overhaul is done and how it is done.

Therefore, to maintain these warranties, it is necessary to be sure that overhauls will be carried out correctly. It is, therefore, a question of:

   – not only to remain vigilant about the professional;

   – but also to be sure of yourself before deciding to put your hand in the engine.

Contents of the estimate

Don’t forget to ask for an estimate before each mechanical operation order: even if the profession is honest on the whole, you are never safe from a scam.

This estimate must be detailed about the operations’ content and the price (exclusive of tax or not and the price of labour plus the cost of parts).

Frequency of motorcycle maintenance

Recommended frequencies

If we look at the manufacturers’ recommendations:

   – some start the planning at 500 km, others at 1,000 km (every month);

   – then, the most common intervals are 6,000 km;

   – then 12,000 km (or 24 months);

   – 18,000 km (or 36 months);

   – 24,000 km (or 48 months), and so on.

Frequency according to the type of operations

The overhauls of the motorcycles depend on the engine capacity, the conditions in which you drive them, and also on the type of operations:

   – Some operations, such as chain lubrication, checking the oil level, and battery charge status, are done very quickly after purchase and with great regularity.

   – A little later, come to the oil changes and the replacement of the oil filter, the control of the brake fluid level, the inspection of the valve clearance, and the spark plugs.

   – Spark plug replacement, fork oil change, air filter inspection, and carburetion adjustment come much later.

Price motorcycle maintenance by a professional: from 10 $/month

If you have your motorcycle serviced by a professional, the risk of error decreases. However, you will need to budget for it.

The table below shows the average budget for professional maintenance.

Table of motorcycle maintenance costs

Service	Average price
Cleaning	$10 monthly
Maintenance	$45 per session

Thank you for staying posted on our new blog posts. Hope the post from Part 1 till here would be of any help to you. Remember to leave your comments below and share these posts with your friends.