Bike prep tips

[Paul Danik]

In talking with Al Buehner the other day he mentioned that he is really busy with parts orders for guys getting their bikes ready for the ISDTRR.  I just dug my bike out and am getting ready to do some much needed prep work myself.  As I pulled the wheels I thought that since many of us are now doing bike prep for the Reunion Ride maybe you guys will be willing to share a few of your good tips, or ask for ideas on a problem area.  

When I pulled my axles they slipped out like they were just put in yesterday, and believe me they weren't.  The trick is to use Anti-Seize lubricant on your axles, we used to just refer to it as never seize. I use it on many items including engine mounting bolts and swing arm bolts, pretty much anything that may require periodic
tightening. On my 1973 ISDT bike I even loosened every spoke nipple and put never seize on all the spoke threads, after 35+ years the nipples will still turn freely.

Please join in if you wish...
Paul

[KJDonovan]

Great topic Paul!  I have one to add; cleaning out your air filter and vacuuming out the air box.  I realize this is kind of a "no brainer" but so many people don't take the 10 minutes to do this regularly and run into a jam because of it.  One of my neighbors showed up at my place a few weeks back complaining because his bike was bogging down every time he got on it.  I asked if he had checked the filter and his response was "no, I only put a couple of hundred miles on it last year".  To make a long story short, I pulled the air box cover, removed the filter and found about a quarter pound of sunflower seeds!  It seems a mouse had taken up residence in the air box of his 08 Honda cruiser over the winter.  No mater how rodent proof you think your garage is, given enough time those little buggers will move right in, and for some unknown reason, they love to call air boxes home!

KD


Kevin J. Donovan
Foster, Rhode Island
72 Jack Piner (My Ride)
72 Six Day (Wifes Ride)

[Paul Danik]

Kevin,

   Your airbox tip may be a no brainier to some folks, but it surely is an important area to check and maintain. I am sure that many folks knew of the "tip" that I mentioned, but if it helps one guy it is worth it.

   I am doing my air box tonight, I have found that it is much easier to do the connection between the carb and the airboot with the air cleaner out allowing me to stick my hand inside the airbox and help get everything lined up properly before I tighten the hose clamp.

  One other thing, if you take a sponge and cut a piece to fit inside the fork boot above the seals, then oil it with WD-40, then place it above the fork seals and under the fork boot, it will act as a precleaner and help to make your fork seals last longer. Each time I do my maintenance I take these sponges out, wash them and re oil them.

Paul

[brian kirby]

This is not really a prep tip, and I've gotten a LOT of grief from people that think I am wrong, but NEVER, EVER wash your motorcycle with a pressure washer. EVER. Yes, pressure washers make it look pretty and clean, but no matter how careful you are you WILL force water/dirt past the seals into wheel bearings, swing arm pivots, steering heads, and the engine itself.

Brian

'72 Berkshire

[Big Mac]

While you're thinking about the free-breathing needs of your motor, don't forget to service your offroad spark arrestor, especially if you have a screen type.

I wasted 2 events back in the day with an '82 Husky OR that had a plugged screen. Chased all around jetting, fuel, ignition and seals before checking the arrestor and realizing the easy maintenance needed to fix a foul running bike.

Also a good idea to check for play in your steering stem and go over all fasteners to be sure they're tight and nothing's been overlooked.

At the 2004 ISDTR, the guys were bringing down their bikes for the Friday night impound. Some guy had forgotten to torque the nut on his brake stay arm and it came loose---when he braked hard on the paved road coming in, the loose backing plate spun around and jammed up with the brand new $400 Ohlin shock on that side. The impact bent the shock shaft about 45 degrees forward and obviously destroyed the shock. Not the way you want to start out an epic weekend.

[tomale]

I have a couple of things, On my MC5 the air filter is kind of hard to get out to clean. So I took a piece of string and attached it to the filter frame. once the filter is in place, the end of the string is easy to pull on and really helps in removing the filter with out damaging it.
I heard this the other day, use anti sieze on the axels instead of grease. I have been told that removing the axels even if it has been awhile, they come right out.

Thom Green,Still crazy after all these years!
76' 250 MC5 (orginal owner)74'
250 hare scrambler (project bike)

[Kip Kern]

I put yellow paint on the large fasteners to be able to visually see that they didn't come loose/move after riding.  Coat grounding points on my engine and electronics with electrical joint compound to ensure a good ground. Drip green "self wicking" loctite (med strength) on the outside of fasteners to ensure they don't come loose.  Deglaze brake shoes in blast cabinet for better braking.  Install new fuel lines and filter.  Now, I probably will have bike trouble during the ride!!![:0]

[Paul Danik]

A couple of simple items..  I always take the ignition cover off and give the ignition a good shot of WD-40 and let it air out overnight before sealing it back up.  I also take the two ignition leads off the coil and give them a shot of WD-40, just to keep them clean and moisture free.

I am a fanatic about my cables, often taking them off and hanging them vertical and slowly spraying WD-40 into the top end and working the inner cable up and down, keep doing this till WD-40 drips out the bottom carrying out any grit and grime with it.  I hold a rag around the top as I spray to catch any extra spray, yes it can be a tad messy, but the smooth movement of the cables is well worth it.  

All I want for Christmas is another case of WD-40  

Paul

Kip, I will probably be sitting next to you along the trail...

[Steve Minor]

Here's a trick I used to do. I got an old electric BBQ rotisserie, shortened the spit shaft and welded on an old counter sprocket. Then I mounted it on the wall a few feet off the floor on a wooden bracket. I would set a pan of solvent under it, drape my chain over the sprocket...plug it in and walk away. The chain would slowly rotate through the solvent and dirt and grime would drip back into the pan.

Never had a dirty chain again.

Steve Minor
Wilmington, NC

[Rain Man]

I put  a good 6 hours of maintenance in every week just to be able to trail ride my 07 Katoom a 100 miles every Sunday.  You should see the stuff that goes on early sunday morning in my garage. 3 mechanics on 1 bike. wow. especially if the bikes got raced the day before !!  Nothing like sharing wrenching skills

Raymond
 Down East Pentons

[Ernie Phillips]

Don't wait until the last minute to do your prep.  Time pressure causes much grief and unnecessary stress.  Normally simple tasks become hard.  Just last night I completed my final prep for .... and who knows what critical task I failed to perform.

Race day is not R&D day.  Get your bike sorted before the race.  Race day is not the time to try out that new pipe and carb for the first time.

Fiberglass fuel tanks require special care, especially with ethanol fuel additives.  Caswell tank treatment will fix the ethanol problems but proper mounting is need too.  Pay attention to the frame backbone area as the old fiber pads compress with time.  I use closed-cell foam at the front and rear contact points as well as cover the backbone with a thin piece of foam.   An inline fuel filter is a good idea.

Premium components such as o-ring chain, PVL ignition, competition shocks go along way toward reliability and ease of use.

A box full of race-day spares does you no good if you leave them on the work bench.   Get to know your machine and what its spares/tuning needs are:  chain, jets, cables, tubes, sprockets, selector key, ignition parts...  

A notebook and checklists can be used to record baseline bike set-up, maintenance history as well as remind you of routine and new tasks.

Don't forget about your tow rig and trailer.  They require maintenance too.

At the 2-day qualifier type events, I get great personal joy when my bike starts on the first kick after sitting in the rain overnight.  Performance like that does not just happen ... it takes luck  

6Ps:  Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance.


Ernie P.
Chattanooga, TN

[Doug Wilford]

Ernie;
Make that 7 "Ps"    Proper Penton Prep ect.

[Paul Danik]

If there is one thing that I absolutely hate to do on the Sachs and KTM engines it is pulling the ignition flywheel off.  I sometimes end up damaging a couple of threads on the crank and have to do a bit of thread filing to get the nut to start back on.  Am I the only person that is a klutz at doing this? ...Any suggestions.

Thanks
Paul

[skiracer]

Hey Paul, do you use a flywheel puller?  I work mainly on KTM motors, and find it really easy to pull the flywheel.  In fact, over the past ten days, I have pulled it a half dozen times dealing with me air leak problem.  I use an air wrench to get the nut off (left hand treads) and then just put the puller on, and off it comes, 30 seconds or less....  James

[3putt]

I will admit to having done that also.   I suspect I hung into the air wrench trigger a bit too long, and the nut was off and then chewing up the end thread while I hung on.   I now place the socket with the numbers or brand on top, where I can watch them, and when I see them moving, It's coming off, and I release.  If not loose, I give it a short burst ot two, and it's free.  I've not had that happen again, KNOCK ON WOOD !!!    Nelson McCullough