Maintaining And Adjusting The Chain On Your Motorcycle

If you have a chain-driven motorcycle, maintaining your chain will become your most frequently performed task. You’ll probably need to adjust the tension of the chain, clean it, and lubricate it roughly twice a month (more often if you put a lot of miles on your bike). Although you may have to do it a lot, checking and adjusting the tension of your bike’s chain is easy. Here’s how you do it.

Check the Tension
To check the tension, grasp the lower run of the chain (not the upper one hidden by the chainguard) about halfway between the front and rear sprockets, and move the chain up and down. As they don’t wear evenly, check several spots on the chain by rolling the bike ahead and rechecking the tension. If the amount the chain moves varies from spot to spot, the chain may have a tight spot. If the chain moves up and down more than about an inch in the tightest spot, it needs to be tightened. If the movement is severe enough, you may need to replace the chain.

Check the tension along the chain’s lower run, about halfway between the front and rear sprockets.
Adjusting the Chain
Step 1
Place the bike on the centerstand (rest it on its sidestand if you have no centerstand) and recheck the chain’s tension. Once on the centerstand, your chain’s tension may vary from when you first checked it because the bike’s weight is now off the suspension. Take this difference into account when adjusting the chain. If you adjust the chain to its proper tension on the centerstand, it may become too tight when off the centerstand, and a too-tight chain can break and shoot off your bike like a slinky missile.

Step 2
Loosen the axle nut (or nuts, if there is more than one). You will have to remove a security pin on most bikes when undoing the axle nut.

Step 3
Once the nut is loose, adjust the chain by adjusting some bolts on the very end of the swingarm, one on either side of the wheel. Usually, there will be two hex-heads on each bolt—an inner nut to move the axle, and an outer nut to lock the other in place when finished. Loosen the outer nuts and then carefully adjust the inner nuts, moving the nuts on either side of the wheel an equal amount. Note: It is vital that you adjust the adjuster nut on the left as much as the nut on the right side; otherwise you’ll be making your back wheel sit completely wonky.

Step 4
When you have tightened your chain by the desired amount, tighten down the outside nuts. Retighten the axle nut, and insert a new security pin.

Loosen but don’t remove the axle bolt. Make certain to adjust the bolts on each side of the wheel the exact same amount. Don’t over-tighten the chain.

The procedure for adjusting your chain varies from bike to bike, but most bikes use something similar to this method. Some bikes have a bolt on the back of the swingarm, with the locking nut between the bolt and the swingarm. A few bikes, especially modern sportbikes with single-sided swingarms, use an eccentric cam on the axle to adjust chain tension. See your owner’s manual for the procedure for adjusting these types of chains.

Cleaning and Lubricating Your Chain
To get the most use out of a chain, you’ll need to keep it clean and lubricated. Most bikes now use longer-lasting O-ring chains (chains with internal lubricant kept in place by tiny rubber seals), but these still need surface lubrication. The problem with O-ring chains is that many substances degrade rubber O-rings, including common lubricants and cleaning solvents. Use only cleaners and lubricants approved for use on O-ring chains.

Cleaning the Chain
Cleaning your chain is a messy, dirty, frustrating job, but it greatly increases chain life, and chains and sprockets are extremely expensive. To clean a chain:

Step 1
Place an O-ring-approved cleaner on a soft brush and clean the grime off the chain.

Step 2
When you’ve got all the crud off, wipe the chain dry before applying fresh lubricant.

Lubricating the Chain
To lubricate your chain, aim the spray from the can of lubricant at the inside of the chain while rotating the wheel to evenly coat the chain’s entire length. Like all motorcycle maintenance, this is infinitely easier if you have a centerstand.

As lubricant and tires don’t make a good combination (you could lube yourself right off the back of your bike) it’s wise to protect the back tire while you spray on the chain lube. Holding a newspaper between the chain and the tire works fine.

When to Clean and Lubricate
You might clean your chain every few rides, but you should be lubricating it after every single ride. It’s best to lube it after a ride, not before, because after a ride the chain is nice and hot, meaning the lube will penetrate into the links more deeply.

Motorcycle drive chains last much longer than they did just a few years ago, but they also cost a lot more than they used to. And they still wear out. With good chain adjustment and lubrication, you can go through two chains before your sprockets needed replacement. That’s a good incentive to look after your chain! You can also minimize wear on your chain by not beating on your bike. The harder you accelerate, the more you stretch your chain.

Now that you’ve got your bike’s chain adjusted, it’s time to get back out on the road! Happy motoring!

Sources
1. From The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Motorcycles, Fifth Edition, by Motorcyclist magazine with John L. Stein
2. This article also appeared on http://www.tradenepal.com.np/5/diy-tips-and-tricks.html

I miss riding my bike and going for a long ride

Being struck in the office, I quite miss riding the motorcycle and going for a long ride every now and then.

In the past, I didn't want to wake up each day and every day for the rest of my life wishing how I have had a bike and not been happy. I have had the most fun part of my life with my motorcycles and with the like-minded buddies.

A famous YouTube moto-vlogger by the name of "CycleCruza" once said - "It's better to live it up now while you can and live a good life now and die young, then live to be 100 and have the most lonely, boring life ever!" 

Who knows ?? May be I could die tomorrow, heck I could die today crossing the road while going for my lunch. But if I do die, at least I will die happy knowing that I did what I love to do most.

You understand what I'm getting at here? If you want a bike that bad, then get it! Just because you got in a bad wreck doesn't mean you should never ride again. I know a lot of people that wrecked on a motorcycle. They still ride! Do what you wanna do man! If you have the money for that bike, GO GET IT MAN!

Hope I helped and keep the rubber side down.

How to Clean your motorcycle ?

If you want motorcycle cleaning tips that will help you clean your motorcycle faster, easier, and without damaging it, here are some tips to help you.

Motorcycle Cleaning Products You Will Need

• Some soft, clean cloths. You'll need some for washing and some that you keep dry for drying and polishing. A dirty rag can scratch the bike. There are "wash mits" you can purchase and use, but only if they are kept clean.

• Wheel cleaner made specifically for wheels

• Leather conditioner for saddle and any accessories

• Clean sponges - a dirty sponge can contain dirt which can scratch paint and chrome.

• Cleaning solution made specifically for motorcycles. Because the cleaners will get on the paint, saddle and chrome, use products that are not going to cause problems with discoloring the finish or "blue" the chrome. When it comes to motorcycle cleaning, many bikers make a mistake of using the wrong motorcycle cleaning products, which can damage your motorcycle.

• You may want a bucket for mixing solutions. Follow the mixing directions on any supplies. Be sure each product is used properly.

• Of course, you need a water hose as well.

1. Rinse the bike from top to bottom, paying special attention to any areas of extra heavy soil

1. Check every little place that dirt can hide to be certain you have the motorcycle completely clean

1. Use a wheel cleaner and soft rag to completely and thoroughly clean each wheel.

1. Dry your motorcycle off with clean soft rags

1. When drying, look for spots that water tends to pool and take an extra bit of care to be sure those areas dry thoroughly.

1. Maintain your leather with the products your motorcycle maker recommends. Treat the saddle, and any leather accessories.

If you've just come in from a cruise, you must let the engine cool down before washing the bike. You can cause spotting, streaking, chrome damage and actually crack your engine! So give the engine and pipes time to cool down.

Now that the bike has cooled to the touch, you can begin the wash. Using the motorcycle cleaning product recommended by our motorcycle manufacturer, mixed properly following label instruction, prepare your cleaning solution.

If you have heavy dirt or have bugs on the fenders, hose down those areas gently from top to bottom first. This will allow them a kind of "pre-soak" to loosen them. Then hose once again to rinse off any debris that has loosened.

Beginning from the top to the bottom, wash gently, using a clean soft cloth or a wash mitt. If your cleaning cloth becomes soiled, do not take the chance of scratching the paint or chrome; change to a clean cloth. If you use a sponge, be absolutely certain no debris gathers in the sponge pores and causes scratches.

DIY Posted on My Blog as well as Trade Nepal DIY

MC750 SmartSpace Motorcycle Battery Charger

Sitting a world apart from USA, it is very stressful ordering electronic goods using the only available resource in Nepal, harilo.com. I have been in need of a battery tender for a long time as time and again, my bike has given up on the ageing battery. I would have gone straight ahead and replaced the battery and the problem would have been solved, as stated by my mechanic friend, Mr. Prakash. But I wanted a solution, not a repetitive problem. Even if I put up a new battery, the same problem was going to re-appear as I don’t ride my bike much these days. So, looking up for the alternatives, I found many of them on amazon and others. But as luck sometimes find your way, I accidentally came across Motorcycle Superstore. The descriptions fitted nicely as per my need and hola, it was on SALE. We don’t leave the products we get on SALE, right ?? 😜

Not to bore you with the technical specifications, I am posting the direct link below. If you want, you can go check out yourselves.
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/68188/i/motocentric-mc750-battery-charger

After going through nervy waiting period of more than 2 months, not to blame US party here, it was Harilo’s shipping consignment that got delayed, I finally got my hands on MC750 SmartSpace Motorcycle Battery Charger. During that period, I had been looking for review online and what I found was that there was a previous product, MC1000 and the reviews were not that good. The wiring was all messed up in that one. I was so troubled hearing that as I had the SAE eyelets and I was planning to use the MC750 in two of my motorcycles.

Later, the review started to pour on the motorcycle superstore product page, that the deficiency from the previous product was removed and it was now SAE compatible; I breathed the sigh of relief.

MC750 Battery Charger

It came all nicely packed up with a bunch of motorcycle superstore stickers. I had been planning to put some in my niece’s KTM Duke 390 and sending the pictures back to them. Hey, there is a chance of grabbing 100$ worth of goodies right. The package included the charger, a set of crocodile clamps, a SAE connector and a user manual. Installing was pretty straight forward. Nothing complicated.

Coming back 4 months later, the charger is still working fine. IT DOESN’T BRING A DEAD BATTERY BACK TO LIFE, but it works great as a tender. The quality seems bit flimsy but hey its holding up nicely. The long cable is a plus. The only minor drawback I found was the green light tends to disappear.
Give it a shake, and it will glow back bright.

A must have if you keep your motorcycle in storage like me. It is way cheaper than replacing those batteries and btw, just in case you are missing your skipping rope, you can use its 12′ long cord. Inspiration:Motorcycle Superstore Youtube Video. 

I will give it a nice 3.5 stars out of 5.