I take riding seriously. I maintain my motorcycle: tires inflated, chain lubricated—check. I wear protective riding gear: armored jacket, leather boots—check. I believe in rider training: I have a coach—check. Wait—a coach? While proper motorcycle upkeep and safe riding gear are essential, refining skills is often overlooked. My mechanic has my motorcycle covered, and“Coach” Akkaya […]

Leaving a motorcycle idle for several months can wreak havoc if precautions are not taken. Here are a few minor things you can do to protect your bike and prevent problems when you’re ready to ride again. Gas Before storing your motorcycle for any extended period of time, top off the fuel tank with fresh […]

What Do All Those Letters and Numbers Mean? – Ever wonder what all those numbers and letters on the side of your otherwise pristine motorcycle tires are really there for? There is a wealth of information molded onto your moto’s meats. Look closely and you can discover where and when your tire was manufactured. Keep […]

What’s Right For Your Bike – For many motorcyclists, the octane numbers such as 85, 87, 89, and 91 (or 93) on the gas pump might as well read “nope,” “almost there,” and “that’s the stuff.” And it’s a logical assumption that when something costs more, it must be better, right? Not necessarily. The best […]

How to Make Your Bike a Better Fit – The “one size fits all” philosophy may work pretty well for baseball hats but not for motorcycle seat heights. Folks who have an inseam that is a little shorter or longer than the center of the statistical bell curve are often left with bikes that are […]

Solving Your Overheating Problems – Hot weather really taxes a motorcycle’s cooling system. Problems that weren’t apparent in cooler weather will quickly show up. Running hot can manifest itself in different ways. Overheating may cause engine “pinging” and detonation (also known as spark knock) when it’s under load, even if you’re using premium fuel. This […]

What You’ve Always Wanted to Know About Motorcycle Oil Motor oil is the lifeblood of our precious engines, but how much time have you spent learning what kind is best for them? Over the years, motor oils have evolved and so have motorcycles. The American Petroleum Institute (API), International Lubricants Standardization and Approval Committee (ILSAC), […]

The start of a new season: your bike has been stored away for the winter and now it’s time to ride… Not so fast, though. You’ll need to check a few things first, and maybe some light maintenance is in order. Sure, you’ve changed the oil, charged the battery, and checked your tires. What else? […]

As those of us who ride know, motorcycles and cars are completely different animals. Each can be tamed, but the bikes tend to bite harder. We, the operators, have the final say on the safety of our machines prior to a ride. Without all the steel, belts, and bags of a car, motorcyclists are more […]

Most motorcycles use cables to connect the twist grip to the carb(s) or throttle bodies; many also use cables for the clutch, cold-start control, and even brakes. Servicing these critical components is fairly simple and prevents problems later. Maintenance intervals vary, and bikes ridden in dust, sand, or mud need extra maintenance. It’s good to […]

Many folks ride their motorcycles and never give a thought to setting up their suspension to match the weight carried on it. A few minutes spent measuring and adjusting your suspension’s spring preload can yield great results, with improved riding and handling. Street motorcycle suspensions are designed to sit with about 25-30 percent of their […]

Many motorcycles, particularly dual sport and other off-road-oriented bikes, still use manual clutch cables. For fear of being stranded in the middle of nowhere by a broken clutch cable, I always carried an extra cable, along with an additional front inner tube and several other tools and repair items for my 2006 Kawasaki KLR 650. […]

No damage other than some embarrassment and bruised dignity, but the clutch lever has snapped at the pivot. What to do? I have an urgent mission to complete on the island, so I wheel the bike on board and set to work. My handy Schrade Tough Tool includes a file that helps to reshape the […]

Shopping for a new bike can be a whole lot of fun, but actually buying one can turn into a nightmare. For many of us, going to a dealership to look at brand new (or almost new) bikes just isn’t financially an option, so to get what we’re looking for we’re forced to turn to […]

Buying a used motorcycle intelligently requires considerably greater effort than just walking into a showroom and selecting a new one. There are both risks and rewards with a previously owned machine. You can get far more bang for your buck, while letting the original buyer take the big depreciation loss. A used motorcycle purchase can […]