Maintenance Fundamentals

Pre-ride Inspection

To ensure safety, it is your responsibility to perform a pre-ride inspection and make sure that any problem you find is corrected. A pre-ride inspection is a must, not only for safety, but because having a breakdown, or even a flat tyre, can be a major inconvenience.

Refer to the Competition Handbook for procedures.

Competitive riding can be tough on a vehicle, so it’s important to inspect your vehicle and correct any problems you find before each ride.

Check the following before each ride:

Engine oil level.

Fuel line for condition.

Coolant for proper level.

Cooling system and hoses for condition.

Spark plug for proper heat range, carbon fouling and spark plug wire terminal for looseness.

Air cleaner for condition and contamination.

Clutch lever freeplay.

Breather drain for cleaning.

Steering head bearing and related parts for condition.

Throttle operation.

Tyres for damage or improper inflation pressure.

Spokes for looseness.

Rim locks for looseness.

Front and rear suspension for proper operation.

Front and rear brakes, check operation.

Drive chain for correct slack and adequate lubrication.

Drive chain sliders and drive chain rollers for damage or wear.

Exhaust pipe/Muffler for looseness.

Every possible part for looseness (such as cylinder head bolts, engine mounting bolts/ nuts, axle nuts, handlebar holder bolts, fork bridge pinch bolts, drive chain adjuster, lock nuts, drive chain roller bolt/nut, wire harness connectors).

PGM-FI malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) operation.

Recommended topic(s)
Tyres (Inspecting/Replacing)
Between Races/Heats & Practice Maintenance
Washing