How to Ensure Your Motorcycle's Health

As the new season starts more people start to ride motorcycles. These new riders are going to look for tips on how to make sure their motorcycle stays as close to new and is as good of shape as possible. Here are some tips on easy things you can do to achieve that with out having to spend a ton of money.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Varies from person and motorcycle.

1. Your motorcycle was a large investment. Most people can only ride for a few months out of the year and with work and other obligations it's hard to be able to get that feeling like you got every pennies worth. Thats why it's important to keep your motorcycle in the best of health to ensure it's ridable and that it maintains it's value.
   
   First thing and probably the most important is storage. You need to have a safe place to keep your motorcycle in the off months, bad weather, and when your not riding it. A cover can help and would be a must if you do not have a garage or pay to store it.

2. Keeping the motorcycle clean is also a great help. Clean motorcycles are less likely to rust, corrode, and should help keep the moving parts from sticking from dirt and debris.
   
   Know your motorcycle. By this I mean if you have a performance intake on it that has less shrouding, riding in the rain might not be a good idea. Chrome and custom paint often get damaged when riding on torn up roads and such.

3. Maintenance is also very key. Most warranties are voided if the maintenance is not done. Look around at motorcycle repair shops in your area. Some times local shops are certified by a manufacturer to be an authorized repair shop. These places are often cheaper than a dealer and may also be able to complete repairs faster.
   
   Use quality parts. Using no name parts or un-approved fluids may pose problems. Poor fit up when installed or need for modification can be a headache. I don't like drilling holes in my motorcycle and fabricating parts to save a few dollars when I can spend the few dollars and make sure that the fit is secure and proper. Looks can be every thing, either make the cycle look dynamite or like it was hit by dynamite. Fluids like good gas can help burn clean and prevent poor running and deposits from building up.

4. Ride safely. Safe riding and not trying to preform stunts or any thing that can jeopardize you or the cycle can always help to keep every one from harm.
   
   Repair the cycle as needed. Don't ride a bike that is in need of repair. This can lead to further damage of the cycle as well as more dollars being spent.

Tips & Warnings

• Buying parts that are OEM or dealer installed can actually increase the value of your motorcycle as well as enhance the look. Most OEM parts are a sure fit, if you do use after market, use a reputable name brand so that there will a warranty and so that the company will stand by their product.
• Storing your cycle outside in harsh weather with out a cover can be detrimental to the cycle. Storing the cycle in a garage or paying for a dealership to store the bike is always advisable.