Last time you inspected your bike?

[Deleted member 9794]

Just a friendly reminder to give your motorcycle(s) a thorough inspection every now and then - look at the crap I found on mine:

It was like a satin scarf or something, no clue where that came from. I doubt it would've caused any serious issues but it kinda scared me that it was there long enough to melt into "plastic" from the friction before I noticed.

 

[JT]

Nice...

I try to make it a habit to do a through inspection weekly and every time I walk by or to it I look for any visual concerns.


Sent from my one and only iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[fz6guy]

same here. i always do at least a quick visual. never hurts to take a quick peek for any obvious issues. roughly every 1000km i do a more involved once over on the bike

 

[applejax]

Damn dude, your sprocket and chain look beat the F up.

 

[dart1963]

do a walk around every time before I hop on.... takes all of a few seconds to look for obvious stuff. check air pressures and other stuff on the weekends

 

[Marthy]

Good catch! When is the last time you gave her a good shower and clean & lube the chain?

 

[FastFreddy]

The angle of light on the Gerber is just right, it looks cool how the shadow blends into shiny. I'm going to have a go at drawing that later for drawing practise.


While you are down there, you might want to squirt some kero on that chain and sprocket and rub down with 2 rags. Then squirt some chain lube on, should be quiet then. Put some cardboard near the juice box so you can squirt away without getting sprays on the bike. A rear stand definitely helps. Get a good air pump and check the pressures too.

Do a quick visual inspection front and rear before swinging a leg over as a habit. Tyre condition and inflation level, chain tension, wether its starting to get dirty or not is quickly inspected. Every now and then have a close look at brake pad wear, eyeball the disk thickness and how close the pad backing is to the disk. Keep an eye on the sprockets too. These are the main parts that wear out so have to be monitored.

 

[SpawnXX]

General inspection every morning while she warms up, then a thorough inspection every saturday morning when I clean her. Fairings come off, the whole deal.

look at the crap I found on mine:

It appears your rear wheel has been removed with the wrong wrench several times or just some serious corrosion around the nut.

 

[nismos14]

W ow man this is the kind of stuff I would find in a cursory inspection, not a thorough inspection. Especially considering how little time it takes to do!

 

[Deleted member 9794]

Damn dude, your sprocket and chain look beat the F up.

Good catch! When is the last time you gave her a good shower and clean & lube the chain?

While you are down there, you might want to squirt some kero on that chain and sprocket and rub down with 2 rags. Then squirt some chain lube on, should be quiet then. Put some cardboard near the juice box so you can squirt away without getting sprays on the bike. A rear stand definitely helps.

It's plenty clean and I use the harbor freight stand. It looks that way because I use Maxima "Chain Wax" not chain lube. I ride in the rain and it sticks better IMHO, the only problem is the stuff looks like crap.

It looks like this stuff:

The angle of light on the Gerber is just right, it looks cool how the shadow blends into shiny. I'm going to have a go at drawing that later for drawing practise.

icsorstfu:

 

[MNGreg]

Glad you didnt have any negative effects from that.

I glance mine over every day I ride, but I do a thorough inspection on Saturday or Sunday of every week.

 

[redprodigy35]

Nice Gerber

I have to say I do a quick check but mostly check tire pressure, and lookout for debris caught in various spots.

This is a good reminder to check your ride out every so often people!

 

[Nastybutler]

It's plenty clean and I use the harbor freight stand. It looks that way because I use Maxima "Chain Wax" not chain lube. I ride in the rain and it sticks better IMHO, the only problem is the stuff looks like crap.

Well, I gotta say, I use that stuff and my chain and sprocket look nothing like that. Maybe you're using too much or not enough? Or maybe I'm using too much, but when I'm done it looks like a slightly orangish/brown tinted metal. Nice and evenly coated. I wipe the excess off the sprocket and swingarm. Then after my first ride (even if I let it set up overnight) I still have to wipe some afterfling off the swingarm. After that, it's good to go until I ride through a lot of rain or for several hundred miles.

 

[Nastybutler]

To illistrate my last post:

And that wasn't freshly done. That's just how it normally looks.

Edit: Well not too freshly done. Maybe 100 miles since I last did it if I remember right.

 

[wtnotch]

Well, I gotta say, I use that stuff and my chain and sprocket look nothing like that. Maybe you're using too much or not enough? Or maybe I'm using too much, but when I'm done it looks like a slightly orangish/brown tinted metal. Nice and evenly coated. I wipe the excess off the sprocket and swingarm. Then after my first ride (even if I let it set up overnight) I still have to wipe some afterfling off the swingarm. After that, it's good to go until I ride through a lot of rain or for several hundred miles.

Me too, and mine doesn't look like that either. Like you said, the chain looks a little orangish/brown right after application and thats it. Just a little wipe down after riding (or after spaying if the chain is still hot) does it. Maxima Chain Wax is great! I've been using if for what seems like forever on dirt bikes, shifter karts and street bikes.

Russ

 

[RooKie]

To illistrate my last post:

And that wasn't freshly done. That's just how it normally looks.

Edit: Well not too freshly done. Maybe 100 miles since I last did it if I remember right.

My chain could look like that too, but I ride my motorcycle. Lol :justkidding: Now I'm self conscious about my dirty looking chain and sprockets. I would put more effort into making them sparkly clean, but it doesn't last very long being that it's kept outside and often ridden through rain and dust storms.

 

[Deleted member 9794]

My chain could look like that too, but I ride my motorcycle. Lol :justkidding: Now I'm self conscious about my dirty looking chain and sprockets. I would put more effort into making them sparkly clean, but it doesn't last very long being that it's kept outside and often ridden through rain and dust storms.

+∞ ...except for the dust storms, just a dirt/gravel road here and there.

Also I find it odd that Nasty's ride is so clean....compensating for something are we? j/k

Maybe I'm using too much of the stuff (I figured more is better than too little), I know I don't use the sprayer straw anymore because I lost it. Now that NastyB has set the bar so high I'll have to put forth more effort :leghump:

 

[Nastybutler]

+∞ ...except for the dust storms, just a dirt/gravel road here and there.

Also I find it odd that Nasty's ride is so clean....compensating for something are we? j/k

Maybe I'm using too much of the stuff (I figured more is better than too little), I know I don't use the sprayer straw anymore because I lost it. Now that NastyB has set the bar so high I'll have to put forth more effort :leghump:

Oh, I ride the crap out of it, but it's new and I keep it out of the rain. Also being new I spend a lot of time going over it with a fine tooth comb so to speak. I'm sure in a couple of years it'll get much less attention (at least my wife hopes so).

I don't use the sprayer straw either and not because I lost it. I put the cardboard up to protect the tire and rest of the bike and spray with one hand while spinning the tire with the other at a moderate pace. The lack of straw ensures that the spray gets the whole width of the chain.