This article discusses how to prepare a motorcycle for motorcycle tranport.
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It is that time of year when motorcycle riders are getting their bikes ready for the summer riding season. Maybe you are planning a ride that you have been wanting to do for many years. Maybe you are planning to go to an event where you hire a motorcycle shipper to transport a motorcycle for you.
Depending on the distance of the ride from when where you currently live to where the ride is has a bearing on whether you ride to that location or hire a motorcycle transport company to ship the bike to that location. You have to plan ahead to make sure you can get to that location in a timely manner. You can either ride there or hire a motorcycle shipper to transport a motorcycle to the location of the ride prior to your arrival. You have to plan ahead to allow plenty of time for the motorcycle to be shipped from the origin location to the destination location by the time you are ready to begin your ride.
The location of your ride will determine how to prepare for that ride. If you are going to the Southwest and it is summer-time you want to make sure that you have the right kind of riding gear to allow you to be comfortable in the summer heat in that region of the country. Additionally, you should prepare your bike accordingly for warm weather because it will be more taxing on your motorcycle when the weather is hot. You should check your coolant to make sure it is fresh and at the proper level. You also may want to consider changing your oil to the specific weight grade that is recommended for warm weather riding. You also want to make sure the other fluids in your bike are fresh and at the proper levels.Conversely, if you are planning a ride in the northern part of the country where the weather is significantly cooler or potentially cold you also want to make sure that you have the proper amount of coolant in your cooling system and you should change the oil to the required specification weight grade for cold weather riding. In addition to having the proper riding gear and the proper fluids in your bike, you want to make sure that you check other components on your bike including the tire pressure on both tires. Many riders forget or are unaware that the pressure in tires can fluctuate based on the ambient temperature they are riding in. You should check the air pressure just prior to heading out on your ride to make sure your tires are inflated to the proper manufacturers specification.
We also recommend that you take the time to check all accessible fasteners for the proper tightness. Additionally, you should check your wheels to make sure spokes are tightened to the proper torque specification and that none of your spokes are damaged or missing. A good tip is to use the sound test when tightening spokes. The method to use when performing a sound test is to tap on each spoke with a wrench and listen to the tone. The spokes should be within a certain tone range. If some spokes have tones that are too high or too low those spokes might need to be loosened or tightened to get them within the proper tone range. This is not the most scientific way to check your spokes but if you don’t have a spoke torque wrench this is a suitable substitute to make sure your wheels are true and the spokes are tightened properly.All of these recommended maintenance procedures are part of a good general periodic maintenance plan. When you perform regular maintenance on your motorcycle, the likelihood of a smooth ride is almost always assured.