Things to clean reguraly

[TomReilly]

Can somebody make me a list of things that should be checked/maintained regularly, just reading about cleaning the carb, will do this when I get home, what else is there to do similar things to too keep me running healthy?
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Motorcycle riding can be really cozy. If you want to be a little closer to your passenger, brake a little quicker for the next stop.

[bikenut]

:D to clean the carb, start at the fuel filler cap........see cmsnl for the exploded views..........

get some sort of manual............little and often is the key...........apart from the chain which requires some tlc every other day or more weather dependant.........just dont oil the tyre......
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nuts about bikes

[TomReilly]

Yeah I read a really detailed post about it, seemed quite simple really, turn fuel tab off, remove hose, throttle cable and some other and it should pop off (hopefully)
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Motorcycle riding can be really cozy. If you want to be a little closer to your passenger, brake a little quicker for the next stop.

[Pete.]

If the bike is running properly, don't touch the carb.
Focus on stuff that is exposed to the elements, like the chain, lever
pivots, throttle tube, brake caliper pistons etc. All these things get gummed up, especially in wet weather.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[doggone]

We await the posts about bike made unusable due to rounded of screws and bolts...

You need to do work to get experience but sometimes if things are running well, best leave alone.
Why do you need to clean the carb(s)?
If you can easily access the drain screw you could let any water or dirt specks flow out once a year or so, otherwise I'd leave well alone unless you feel something is not right.

It is good to get familiar with the bike mechanically, and the best way of avoiding seized up items is to loosen, tighten and lube before you have to work on them.
But go careful, easy to mess things up especially working with barely adequate or improvised tools and in less than ideal conditions like outside or dimly lit chilly shed.

[RhynoCZ]

If you want to practise, buy an old cheap bike in bad condition, with cheap spare parts and fix it. You're gonna learn a lot and you won't ruin your perfectly working motorcycle.
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[Islander]

If it ain't bust, don't fix it. Concentrate on your standard maintenance rather than messing about with carbs and the like. Chain maintenance is top of the list and the only thing you really need to mess about with on a regular basis other than the standard oil level, tyre pressures, tread condition, brake operation, lights, indicators etc checks.

[stinkwheel]

Just to echo. If the carb is working, leave it alone. I have never done anything routinelyt to a carburettor, only ever if something has gone wrong and I suspect a problem there.

A chinky bike eh?

So keep on top of the chrome parts of the fork stanchions and the wheels/spokes especially. A wipe down with a clean then oily rag on the stanchions especially wil help keep on top of it and prevent rust pitting.

As we get into icy weather, rinsing salt off the bike, especially around the exhaust system will become an issue. A hose down with cold water when you get home.

Consider getting a can of ACF50. And read how to apply it
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[TomReilly]

Okay nice one lads,

I wanted to clean it because I've had it a month, and I don't know how well it was maintained by the previous owner, yesterday after attempting to fix my speedo, looking at the wiring it was terrible, they were everywhere, there is even a mount bracket for wiring and none of the holes was being used so I just had a feeling things might need cleaning, but yeah the bike runs well so I'll leave it like youse said then.

Another note, I definitely need to adjust my chain till I get a new one, when the wheel is at a certain point the chain gets so tight you can barley move it 1cm or even that, so I'm going to loosen the bolts and bring the real wheel forward a tat bit to 0.75 - 1" slack, is that right?
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Motorcycle riding can be really cozy. If you want to be a little closer to your passenger, brake a little quicker for the next stop.

[Islander]

Put the bike on its stand, spin the rear wheel and find the point on the chain that has the least free play (tight spot) and then adjust your chain for the recommended free play at that point.

[The Artist]

Your helmet

[TomReilly]

[TomReilly]

[dansidi]

chain and sprockets

clutch cable and lever

pinging out bits of metal and glass from the tread of your tyres with a screwdriver is curiously satisfying.
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current bike to first bike: SV650s K3, YBR125, Vespa GT125, Vespa ET4-125, Suzuki CS-50 (!!)
Mod 1 passed 02-11-2012
Mod 2 passed 05-12-2-12

[nathan k]