Scrubbing
in tyres
When you buy one or a pair of new tyres you must "scrub"
or "bed" them in for a while. Every new tyre is
covered with surface oils from the manufacturing process,
plus some stickers which can be hard to completely remove.
Run your finger over the outside of the tyre and you'll feel
how slick it is. Bedding in means that you take it easy for
around 50 miles until the surface residues have been worn
off on the road. Taking it easy means being very careful round
roundabouts and corners and doing your best to avoid the usual
slippery surfaces such as white lines and manhole covers.
You should progressively increase the angle of lean as you
feel more confident in the tyres' sticking power. After you've
bedded them in, run your finger over the tyre again - you
won't be able to because it will be slightly sticky and warm.
Job done, go play. |
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Parking
up
When you park your bike up ALWAYS check the escape route.
Don't park with the nose down a slope unless you know you'll
be able to ride off down that slope. If you have to park down
a slope into a dead end then try to reverse the bike in so
you don't have a problem getting out again.
If you park on a slope leave the bike in gear to prevent it
from slipping off the sidestand.
The easiest way to reverse your bike is to buy a Goldwing
- which actually has a reverse gear! I personally wouldn't
be seen dead on one so opt for using my legs instead. If you
can't get your feet flat on the floor and you are inexperienced
at this then take it slowly. Try to ignore anyone who may
be waiting for you or any watching friends/jeering crowds.
If you take your time you are far more likely to stay upright.
A little practice is all it takes.
If you can't move the bike whilst astride it then you'll have
to get off and push or pull. Stand at the left hand side of
the bike and take a firm grip of the left bar with your left
hand. The position of your right hand should depend on what
you are trying to achieve and how comfortable you feel: for
pushing forwards have your right hand on the right bar; for
pushing backwards place your right hand on the seat, the rear
grab rail or the tank. Also try to lean your hip against the
tank for extra stability.
If you are still struggling, check the following points:
Have you left it in gear?
Have you left the disk lock on?
Have you chained it to another bike?
Is there anyone around who can give you a quick push? A little
loss of pride is far better than a spill. |
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Picking
up your dropped bike alone
If you muck up your parking manoeuvres or you pull up in a
gravely car park you're very likely to drop your bike at some
point until you get used to handling it. The easiest way to
pick up your bike is to stand at the top end near the yoke
and grab the bars with one hand and under the tank with the
other. Try a weight lifter's heave to get your knee under
the tank for leverage, or preferably your hip. Heave into
the upright position but don't heave too hard or it could
go over the other way. Don't stand at the bottom of the bike
and pull at the bars from there because you'll strain your
back and if you lose your grip it'll drop down and possibly
cause more damage.
Of course the much easier methos is to flutter the eyelashes
and get a man's help but please don't let the side down too
much sisters - we can do it ourselves! |
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Why
won't my bike start?
The
most common problems you should check - and get used
to checking them quickly before anyone notices your puzzled
look - are:
The bike is in gear - most modern bikes won't start unless
the bike is in neutral, although there are some oddities
(e.g. with a Suzuki you need to pull the clutch in to start, and with a scooter you have to pull in a brake to start it).
The kill switch is on - you may have hit this accidentally
when parking up or cleaning your bike.
The immobiliser is on - press the button on your remote to
check.
The battery is flat - if you have no instruments of lights
and have a power hungry alarm then use a battery optimiser:
see the section below security.
Other
possibilities:
If the starter motor keeps chugging away but the engine won't
start it could be one of two things: you have flooded the
engine (you will be able to tell by the strong smell of fuel)
or you have run out of petrol. If the engine is flooded then
leave it to rest for a good 2 minutes before trying again
- making sure that the choke isn't on if the engine is warm.
If you suspect you've run out of petrol then check if you've
got a reserve switch or lever - then go and get some fuel!
I've run out quite a few times and it's embarrassing every
time.
Beyond these points we are getting into slightly more complex
territory. You may be able to check fuses and battery life
yourself, but a mechanic friend might be useful at this point.
If you have started the engine but it cuts out every time
you click into gear, then the side stand is down. |
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The side stand
Most modern bikes have a side stand switch to prevent you
forgetting to raise it and leaving a trail of sparks behind
you. Those of us who have been biking for years have either
jolted around left hand corners or been catapulted off many
a time due to forgetting to fold in the stand. If you don't
have a switch or yours is faulty, then it may be something
you have to get used to. |
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Ear
plugs
You absolutely MUST wear earplugs if you value your long term
hearing. If you regularly travel at over 40mph for more than
20 minutes at a time without earplugs you will suffer from
some damage. It may be so minor you don't particularly notice,
but you could be unlucky and suffer loss of hearing or tinnitus.
You can spend a bit of money and buy some moulded to your
own ear lugs, or go for the cheap throw aways. I personally
find the yellow old style cylinder plugs suit me best, but
it all depends on the shape of your aural canal. The shaped
soft plugs I find are too soft and don't block the noise much.
Buy a small selection and test them out until you find a style
you are comfortable with. Keep a spare set in your leathers
pocket and under your bike seat. Keep a set in your lug holes
at all riding times. |
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Security
Disc locks: are the easiest
to carry around but by the same token, the easiest to forget
about and leave on your bike. You can buy a plastic coil to
attach to the lock and loop around your handlebars - use it.
Too many of us have cracked a front mud guard or even worse,
chipped a brake disc. Pay more than a tenner for your lock
otherwise you may as well attach a bicycle lock to your bike.
U locks: afford more security
if you measure your bike up and get the U shape to fit around
your front forks through your wheel, covering up access to
the front axle bolts. This may be difficult to understand
so I'll get a picture on here soon. Some U locks come with
brackets for attaching them behind the numberplate whilst
in transit, or you can buy a bracket to attach it to the frame.
Alternatively it may fit under the seat with your disc lock.
Don't chuck your heavy U lock in a rucksack since this can
be dangerous if you have accident.
Alarms
and immobilisers: are almost impossible to avoid. If
you buy a modern expensive bike you will often not get insurance
cover without an immobiliser.
Etchings
and transponders: such a Datatag cost around £50
(unfitted) and provide that extra bit of reassurance that
your bike bits won't end up in an unscrupulous breaker's yard.
It might stop an opportunist from nicking your bike in the
first place but won't deter the professionals. |
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Looking
after your battery
Modern bikes come with sealed unit batteries which are expensive
to replace. Most alarms and immobilisers drain a lot of battery
power and if you intend to leave the bike standing for more
than a couple of weeks you really will benefit from buying
a battery optimiser.
For £20-30 it may save you from having to fork out £80
for a new battery every season. Even if you think the battery
is completely dead, just use jump leads to get the bike going,
run it for half and hour then stick the optimiser on - it
can save it.
You should be able to get one with battery terminators so
you can fix it permanently - if not, make a modifaction to
it. The attachment can hang just on the inside of your fairing
and every time you pull up into the garage you can plug the
optimiser in. |
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Adjusting
levers
Adjustable levers are very helpful for our smaller hands.
If your bike doesn't have them and you are having problems,
then invest in a pair. They're not too expensive and will
save you a lot of hand ache, plus you will feel far more confident
and in control of your machine. Try altering the position
of brake/clutch levers as most Japanese bikes have them pointing
awkwardly to the sky.
Adjusting brake/gear levers will also help girls with dinky
feet who might not get on with standard settings.
You can also adjust biting points for cable clutches as an
aid to practising clutchless changes. This will be covered
more in the riding tips section. |
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| What
is a naked bike? What is a retro bike?
These are usually the same thing. When sports bikes with
fairings emerged into the hands of the buying public, a
generic name was needed for those bikes without fairings
which still remain popular to this day. "Retro"
is a little bit of a dig, as if it's accusing owners of
being stuck in the 80s just because they refuse to get dragged
into the latest pocket rocket trend. |
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Meeting
like-minded folks
Chat to other people who share your passion at bike
meets and bike shops. It's better to stick to bike meets
if you're a bit hasty with your credit card.
You could also try race meetings (see the calendar)
but they are not such a good place to chat to new people unless
you decide to camp for the weekend, in which case you can
break the ice by discussing the state of the loos and how
cold and mucky the showers are.
By far the best place to meet people who are at the same level
as you is at your training school, so keep in touch with them
if you can/want, and you could always go out and practise
your new found riding skills together. |
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