How to Disconnect Battery from Motorcycle

Series Summary

The first petroleum powered motorcycle was designed and built by German inventors in 1885. There was a steam powered, two wheeled vehicle that was demonstrated at fairs and circuses in 1867 in the eastern United States. Modern day motorcycles consist of a chassis, an engine, a transmission, wheels and tires, a brake system, suspension coils, and instruments to gauge speed, distance and other important variables. There are many types of motorcycles now, including pocket bikes, choppers, sport bikes, motocross bikes, mopeds, scooters, cruisers and touring motorcycles.

In this free do-it-yourself motorcycle maintenance course on video, learn how to fix and repair your hog, so that you can ride cross country without having to stop in at a mechanic. The ultimate riding experience is characterized by freedom and independence: to be in charge of your ride and in control of your bike. So get tips on tire and brake care, how to change motorcycle spark plugs, replace the air filter and change the oil, adjust the primary chain, and other common bike repairs you’ll need to do on the road.

The modern biker is the new cowboy, and the highways are the new Wild West. So watch this series and learn how to care for your iron horse; whether you're an easy rider, or born to be wild, it’s your ticket to freedom on the endless roads of America.

Video Transcript

"How are you doing? I'm Brian Radatz with my friend here Greg Nelemans at the Rod Factory E-board City on behalf of Expert Village. We are going to show you how to change manifold seals on a Harley Davidson. It is a very common problem. Usually the symptoms are coughing or out of the exhaust which means you are probably getting an air leak into the motor. The motor getting hot, the seals are made of rubber so as the rubber gets hot, it tends to dry them out which is why it is a common problem. You should always disconnect the battery no matter what you are doing on the motorcycle. The other important thing knowing about disconnecting the battery is you should disconnect the negative side of the battery before the positive side. We are just going to do the negative side. You don't have to disconnect both of them. You just want to do the negative. Anything with the reds is usually the positive and like I said before you want to take the negative off. You don't get as much of a spark. After we do this, what we are going to do is cover this with blue tape so this does not make contact, there we go that's good and accidentally you know supply power to the rest of the bike and we don't know it. Okay."