Spring Tune-up: Ready to ride at the first sign of street sweepers!
Did you skip the winterizing of your ride this fall? Maybe you got in those extra few days of riding when the weather was still reasonable (or not)? Time to tune up the bike for it to be fresh for this spring’s riding season!
Spring tune up starts here:
Wheels:- Check your tires for flat spots, bulges and wear.
- Check the pressure and top it up (or release some pressure) according to tire specs.
- Check your brake pads and calliper - make sure the pads have enough life left no sticking/corrosion from a winter salty ride or being stored in a non climate-controlled environment.
- Finally, check the wheels themselves:
- If they’re spoked wheels, replace and bent ones and tighten any loose ones. Spoked wheel adjustment is an art form so best bet is to bring it in to an expert who knows the tricks of the trade (and keeps you from pulling your hair out!)
- If you have cast wheels, check for cracks, dents or corrosion that may be starting.
- Always get your bike up off it’s wheels and give them a spin to check the balance. You never know if the hard riding of the previous season may have caused them to get out of alignment.
*NEW* Tires available for order at competitive prices!
Pick up at the shop or shipped for 10$ (locally)
Stock, dirt, street/track. Call 343-961-1195, email or see in store for details. Act quickly as stock is getting scooped up quick!
Cables and hoses and other essentials check:- Check your throttle cable by twisting it to see if it snaps back nicely.
- Check the brake cable and throttle cable for any fraying or adjustment.
- Check the brake hoses for any signs of wear or cracking and replace as needed.
- While your checking your cable controls, do a lights check and replace any bulbs that might need replacing. Also check that any levers, mirrors and pegs haven't loosened or moved from being bumped while in storage.
Spring is a good time to change up your bike's look.
Check out the aftermarket parts we have in-stock: turn signals, mirrors, and other accessories. We can always order-in if you have a specific style you’re looking for.
Fluids
- Change your oil - even if you changed it in the fall you could consider doing it again to make sure it’s free of contaminants and humidity.
- On carbureted bikes, make sure the petcock is turned to On or Prime to get the fuel circulating through the system.
- If you didn’t change the oil filter in the fall, do it now so that your ride is working with clean fluids.
- Check all other fluids (brake fluid, coolant) to make sure you’re good to go.
Make it easy with our oil change kits!
If you don’t see your bike’s kit listed, send us a message or give us a call and we can gather all the elements you need in a one-stop-shop-or-ship. (also available for boat, ATV and Snowmobile).
Body Check:- Look at the frame for any signs of cracking or weak points (go you for riding the crap out of your machine!)
- Check the suspension by bouncing it while sitting on your bike to see if they rebound nicely and don’t bottom out (don’t worry, we all have to adjust our suspension after putting on those COVID pandemic pounds.
- Now’s the time to check and adjust the chain and give it a good clean. Adjust the chain tension to requirements (check your manual) and make sure the sprocket has plenty of life left.
Maintenance Made Easy
- Test your battery to make sure it’ll last this season. Especially important if it hasn't been on a trickle charger. Many good chargers can refresh a battery, however a new battery comes with a warranty that’ll ensure powered riding all season.
**Don’t have a tester: Free battery testing in-shop until the end of April**
We can order you in a battery if it’s needed and we have a few in-stock too. Order an Optimate battery charger/maintainer to keep your battery fresh next winter.
Make it Beautiful!- Give it a good cleaning to make it a head turner (and make sure the cars see ya on the road)!
Get the good stuff!
The Muc-Off kit is perfect to get your ride shining it’s brightest (and if you were that daredevil riding in January, it’ll clean off any salt from the mucky Ottawa roads!)
That’s the list that’ll get ya riding safe this spring!
Did we forget something? Do you have a better way to do it? Comment below!