Let's Ride_ Sonny Barger's Guide to Motorcycling Part 7

Even the paint on the road itself can be hazardous. The paint of the center stripe and at the edge of the road, or in a crosswalk, or warning of an approaching railroad crossing, or words such as STOP STOP AHEAD AHEAD can get as slippery as mud or ice, especially when wet. If you have Speed Channel, watch a motorcycle road race in the rain some time. You'll see that even the best riders in the world will crash the instant their tire hits some wet paint on the surface of the racetrack. can get as slippery as mud or ice, especially when wet. If you have Speed Channel, watch a motorcycle road race in the rain some time. You'll see that even the best riders in the world will crash the instant their tire hits some wet paint on the surface of the racetrack.

The paint doesn't even have to be wet to be dangerous. Sometimes when the temperature gets high enough, the paint starts to melt and turn into a substance that resembles slippery wet vinyl. When your tire hits this, your whole bike can slide to one side or the other. If you're not prepared or overreact, you can find yourself doing a face plant into the pavement. Always treat paint on pavement as a low-traction surface, especially when the weather has been wet or extremely hot.

MAKING YOURSELF VISIBLE.

IN ADDITION TO BEING aware of your surroundings and the other drivers, you need to make other drivers aware of you. When another driver says he didn't see the motorcyclist he just killed, he's most likely telling the truth. Motorcycles are small vehicles compared with all the four-wheeled traffic on the road, and it's easy for other drivers to miss seeing them. aware of your surroundings and the other drivers, you need to make other drivers aware of you. When another driver says he didn't see the motorcyclist he just killed, he's most likely telling the truth. Motorcycles are small vehicles compared with all the four-wheeled traffic on the road, and it's easy for other drivers to miss seeing them.

Your job is to make that less easy. It helps to wear bright-colored clothing and helmets, or even wear vests and riding suits made of reflective high-visibility material. You might even want to consider getting a brightly colored motorcycle. I find that when I'm riding a brightly colored bike, say yellow or orange, I have a lot fewer situations where people make left turns in front of me than I do when I'm riding a black bike.

But I'm somewhat limited in what I can wear when it comes to reflective vests. I'm a member of a club, and one of the club's bylaws is that I have to wear a garment prominently displaying that club's insignia when I ride. Plus I like black motorcycles, so I start out with two strikes against me. Even so, there's a lot I can do to make myself more visible when I'm riding, like riding with my high beam on during the day. This goes a long way toward getting the attention of other drivers.

I also make a point of always signaling my lane changes and turns early, giving other drivers time to notice my bike and see what I'm going to do next. When I change lanes, for example, once I've looked in my mirrors and determined that the lane I'm moving into is clear, I activate my turn signals early and sometimes even supplement the turn signal with a hand signal, just so there is no question about my intentions. I get stopped by the cops all the time (I think they watch too much television and believe everything they see). Often the cops will say they stopped me because I didn't use my turn signal. When they say this, I know I'm dealing with a dishonest cop, because I always always use my turn signal. use my turn signal.

Another trick I've developed for making myself more visible is to give my brake pedal a light tap, even when I'm not slowing or stopping, just to make my brake light flash and get the attention of cars that may be behind me. And I'm not afraid to use my horn. I don't give a d.a.m.n about being polite when it comes to life-or-death situations, and if another driver doesn't see me, my life is in danger. If it takes a blast from my horn to let the other driver know I'm there, then I'll blast my horn.

One thing to remember: even if you think you've got the attention of another driver, don't bet your life on it. The driver might be looking right at you-you may even think you've made eye contact with him or her-but in reality the person is looking right through you. Instead of seeing you, he or she could be looking at a cell-phone screen, reading a text message.

ZONES OF AWARENESS.

TO BE AWARE OF what's going on around you, scan your surroundings in a methodical way. Your eyes are your tools for getting information about what's going on around you. To get the most out of them, you need to keep them moving all the time. Don't let your eyes fixate on any one object for more than a fraction of a second. Once you've determined something isn't a threat, move on to the next thing. what's going on around you, scan your surroundings in a methodical way. Your eyes are your tools for getting information about what's going on around you. To get the most out of them, you need to keep them moving all the time. Don't let your eyes fixate on any one object for more than a fraction of a second. Once you've determined something isn't a threat, move on to the next thing.

Scan all aspects of your surroundings, and don't just focus on other traffic. Watch for animals, debris, and the condition of road surfaces. Keep your eyes open for piles of loose gravel or sand in corners, which can be as slippery as ice. Make sure you include your rearview mirror as part of the landscape you're scanning, but also turn your head slightly to check your blind spots, especially when turning, stopping, or changing lanes (again, see the upcoming information about soft lane changes).

You need to pay more attention to some areas than others on a motorcycle. Imagine the region around your bike is the face of a clock. Because you are always traveling forward on a motorcycle, the area between eleven o'clock and one o'clock is the area from which danger will come at you most rapidly and most frequently, so this area should get the lion's share of your time when scanning. Focus on your intended path. Concentrate on the area about twelve to fourteen seconds ahead of your bike, since you'll need at least this much time to react in an emergency situation. Keep your eyes up. This will aim your vision ahead, where the greatest danger lies.

Watch for subtle clues, like a shadow on the road ahead. It might indicate some oil, fresh tar, or some other slippery surface that could cause you to lose traction and crash. Be aware of movement in the bushes on the edge of the road, which could be a sign that an animal is about to enter the road in front of you.

You need to make the area in front of you your primary focus, but that doesn't mean you can ignore the other areas. You need to pay attention to what you see out of the corners of your eyes. A flash of movement might be a deer getting ready to jump out in front of you, or it might be a car pulling out of a driveway into your lane. Or that SUV barreling down on you in your rearview mirror might be driven by some texting fool who really doesn't see you. Most danger will come at you from the front, but you need to be aware of all 360 degrees of your surroundings, from twelve o'clock back to twelve o'clock, especially at intersections.

INTERSECTIONS.

INTERSECTIONS ARE THE MOST dangerous places you can be on a motorcycle, because they are where other vehicles behave most unpredictably, but you can do a lot to minimize the danger. Remember, an intersection is anywhere that traffic can cross your lane of traffic. This means that driveways and other crossings are forms of intersections. dangerous places you can be on a motorcycle, because they are where other vehicles behave most unpredictably, but you can do a lot to minimize the danger. Remember, an intersection is anywhere that traffic can cross your lane of traffic. This means that driveways and other crossings are forms of intersections.

The most dangerous intersections are the odd ones where several roads converge at once. You'll encounter these where multiple roads meet or where frontage roads run along a main road. The average car driver always seems to be confused to some degree; at complicated intersections, the degree of confusion spikes and people drive in an especially stupid manner because they don't know what they are supposed to do.

Blind driveways and blind intersections have to run a close second to complicated intersections for degrees of danger, but they're all dangerous. Following a few simple practices can make them less dangerous: - Slow down when riding through any intersection. The more dangerous the type of intersection, the more you should slow down. Slowing down puts you in control of the situation by giving you more time to scan the intersection for potential dangers. The earlier you can detect possible danger, the more time you have to prepare to deal with it.

- Make certain an intersection is clear before you proceed through it. Be sure that the person in a stopped car isn't just changing the CD in the stereo or applying makeup. If that is the case, the driver may finish doing whatever it is he or she is doing and pull into your lane just as you're pa.s.sing through the intersection.

- When pa.s.sing through an intersection, be extra diligent about practicing the other safety techniques discussed elsewhere in this book: cover your front brake lever, watch the front tires of other vehicles, and position your bike so that you have the best visibility and are most visible, and so that you have the most safe s.p.a.ce in which to maneuver.

When pa.s.sing through an intersection while another vehicle is blocking your view, pay extra attention to possible left-turning vehicles that you might not see at first. If the vehicle blocking your view is in the left lane and you're in the right lane, you can position yourself for the best view by riding on the far right side of your lane, positioning yourself as far away from potential left-turning vehicles as possible. If you're following the vehicle, your best position might be on the far left side of the lane, where you'll be most visible to the turning vehicle.

As you prepare to stop at an intersection, pay special attention to the vehicles behind you. Be even more careful if you're stopping on a yellow light because a lot of people interpret a yellow light as a signal to floor it and drive like h.e.l.l. That person may be looking at the light, or at traffic in the cross street, and might not even see you until he or she has run you down.

This situation is so lethal that you should always scan for a possible escape route in case you need one. Choose the side of the road that will give you the most room to maneuver, which will usually be the side of the lane that is farthest away from oncoming traffic. When you do stop, don't pull right up behind the vehicle in front of you; that way, if someone behind you doesn't stop, the emergency escape route that you identified as you entered the intersection won't be blocked by the vehicle in front of you.

It's important to always leave yourself enough room to maneuver whenever you stop, whether you're at an intersection or not. Even when you have to stop because freeway traffic stops moving, monitor the traffic behind you. Make sure you have room to move forward, even if that means you have to ride between parked cars. That way if someone behind you doesn't stop, you'll have at least some sort of clear s.p.a.ce to use for getting out of the vehicle's path.

To do this, your bike will have to be ready to go. When you sit at an intersection, or anytime you have to stop where there is traffic around you, make sure you leave your bike in first gear, with the clutch lever pulled in. That way if you need to get out of someone's way in a hurry, you won't lose any time s.h.i.+fting into gear. Remember, a split second is the difference between living and dying.

Leaving my bike in first gear has been a hard habit for me to adopt. When I started riding, motorcycles had foot-operated clutches and hand-operated s.h.i.+fters. The s.h.i.+fters would be operated with a lever attached to the gas tank that was connected to the transmission with linkage rods that ran down from the tank. These s.h.i.+fters never really worked well because of all that sloppy linkage, so we used to get rid of the linkage and use levers coming straight out of the transmission for s.h.i.+fting. We called them "suicide s.h.i.+fters."

Using a suicide s.h.i.+fter meant that we had to push in the clutch with our left foot and reach down and s.h.i.+ft with our left hand. This was an awkward operation while moving, but when a bike was stopped, keeping the bike in gear while holding the clutch pedal down with one foot bordered on impossible. We had to s.h.i.+ft into neutral before we stopped so that we could let the clutch pedal out and hold the stopped bike up with both feet. This habit became so strongly ingrained in me that to this day I have to remind myself to keep my bike in gear at a stop.

BLIND SPOTS.

I SUSPECT THAT POORLY SUSPECT THAT POORLY designed driver's education programs over the past sixty or seventy years are responsible for a lot of the lousy driving habits we have today. I know they are responsible for the fact that, by my count, seven out of eight drivers don't know how to use their side-view mirrors. designed driver's education programs over the past sixty or seventy years are responsible for a lot of the lousy driving habits we have today. I know they are responsible for the fact that, by my count, seven out of eight drivers don't know how to use their side-view mirrors.

Side-view mirrors are a relatively recent tool in the United States. Europeans had them for many years, but we didn't really start to get them on cars until the 1970s, and when we did get them, no one knew how to use them correctly. Especially driver's ed teachers. Side-view mirrors are designed to cover the blind spots you can't see with your rearview mirror, but for many years driver's ed teachers taught kids that they were supposed to point the mirrors at their rear b.u.mpers. For all I know, they still do. When the side-view mirrors are pointed at the rear b.u.mper, the driver sees only the same area in the side-view mirrors as he or she does in the rearview mirror, and his or her blind spot is still as blind as ever.

The correct way to use side-view mirrors is to position them so that you can see what's in the blind spots to the sides of your vehicle. But since most people haven't figured this out yet, they're still driving around with blind spots. And blind spots are deadly for motorcyclists. Never ride alongside the rear part of a car, because most likely the driver has no idea you are there. It's best not to ride beside any vehicle if you can help it, but if you have to ride beside one, at least make sure that you're riding in a spot where the other driver can see you if he or she bothers to look.

THE SOFT LANE CHANGE.

SOMETIMES WE PRACTICE LIFESAVING techniques without even knowing we're doing them until someone explicitly points them out to us. This happened to me when I read about "the soft lane change" in a book called techniques without even knowing we're doing them until someone explicitly points them out to us. This happened to me when I read about "the soft lane change" in a book called Ride Hard, Ride Smart Ride Hard, Ride Smart (Motorbooks: 2004), written by a fellow named Pat Hahn who coordinates public information and education for the Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center. (Motorbooks: 2004), written by a fellow named Pat Hahn who coordinates public information and education for the Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center.

What Hahn means by "soft lane change" is easing into a lane when you're changing lanes rather than darting into the new lane. This will allow you and anyone else on the road time and s.p.a.ce for mistakes. No matter how thoroughly you've checked the lane you plan to enter, there's always something you might have missed, like a car in the next lane over deciding to occupy that same lane, or some fool weaving through traffic at 100-plus miles per hour.

To perform a soft lane change, first check your mirrors and blind spot to make certain the lane you want to move into is clear (as you would anytime you change lanes). Next, signal your lane change (again, just as you would anytime you change lanes), but instead of moving from the center of the lane you're in to the center of the next lane, just move to the line that divides the two lanes and hold that position, leaving your turn signal on. Before you move all the way into the next lane, once again check your mirror and glance over at your blind spot to make certain you didn't miss something or that some kid with a fast car and a death wish isn't zigzagging through the lane.

Leave your turn signal on while you do this. If you've missed something and there's a car you didn't see, the driver should have realized your intentions by this point. The person will most likely either honk his or her horn at you or move over to let you in. Either option is better than getting hit by the other vehicle.

You'll complete the lane change only after you're absolutely certain that no other vehicle is vying for the same s.p.a.ce. Don't turn off your turn signal until after you've safely completed the lane change. All of this should happen in a matter of seconds, which is a lot longer than you might think, but the extra time taken could mean the difference between you getting where you're going or you ending up in a hospital or a morgue.

You should practice soft lane changes not just every time you ride a motorcycle, but anytime you operate any vehicle on public roads. This is the surest way to avoid hitting hard-to-see vehicles while changing lanes, such as motorcycles, for example. If you always practice soft lane changes, the life you save may be my own.

PRESERVING SAFE s.p.a.cE.

ON A BIKE YOU don't have fenders and b.u.mpers and safety cages and crumple zones to protect you in case of an accident. Instead, you have flesh-and-blood legs and arms that are no match for three tons of sport utility vehicle. Because you are so vulnerable, you need to keep as much s.p.a.ce as possible around you. don't have fenders and b.u.mpers and safety cages and crumple zones to protect you in case of an accident. Instead, you have flesh-and-blood legs and arms that are no match for three tons of sport utility vehicle. Because you are so vulnerable, you need to keep as much s.p.a.ce as possible around you.

You do this by safely positioning your bike on the road. Always put your bike in the position that gives you the best view of the road ahead of you. Don't follow vehicles too closely, because in addition to blocking your view of the road ahead, tailgating takes away valuable time for you to react in an emergency. This is especially true when following a truck. If you find yourself following a truck, make sure to keep extra s.p.a.ce between you and the truck. Better yet, make sure to choose a lane in which there are no vehicles in front of you, if that is at all possible.

If traffic is too heavy and there are no clear lanes available, stay to the right or the left of the lane so that you can see past the vehicles in front of you. Avoid riding in the center of the lane because in addition to affording the least visibility, that is the slipperiest part of the lane. Car engines, transmissions, and radiators are located between the car's wheels, and most of the slippery liquids that drip from a car on the highway build up in the center of the lane. The wheels that pa.s.s on the edges of the lane tend to keep the wheel tracks clean and free of slippery buildup, so you'll get your best traction there.

As you become more familiar with traffic patterns you'll learn to make traffic work for you instead of against you. On multilane roads you can position your bike in the right lane so that vehicles in the left lane will block oncoming drivers making left turns from hitting you. This is a skill that will require you to be able to read and a.s.sess a situation instantly, and you need to be confident of your riding skills and reaction times.

On occasion this will necessitate riding more aggressively than you might normally so you can keep up with fast-moving traffic, or even ride a little faster than the rest of traffic, but this isn't always a bad thing. Some studies have even shown that a motorcyclist riding just a bit faster than traffic is safer than a motorcyclist riding slower than traffic or even just the same speed as traffic. That seems to be the case in my experience.

This doesn't mean you'll have an excuse to ride as fast as you want. The key here is to ride slightly slightly faster. As we mentioned earlier, deviating from traffic flow is a sure way to get into an accident. If you're riding slightly faster than traffic, you're doing so because you're trying to increase the safe s.p.a.ce around your motorcycle. You're speeding up to move into a free s.p.a.ce in traffic and avoid getting boxed in by other vehicles. Always try to find a spot in traffic that provides you with the most room possible. Sometimes this will mean you have to change lanes to find one with more safe s.p.a.ce in which to ride, but that doesn't mean you'll be zipping in and out of traffic like a lunatic. You'll be changing lanes safely and sensibly, using the soft-lane-change method described in the last section. faster. As we mentioned earlier, deviating from traffic flow is a sure way to get into an accident. If you're riding slightly faster than traffic, you're doing so because you're trying to increase the safe s.p.a.ce around your motorcycle. You're speeding up to move into a free s.p.a.ce in traffic and avoid getting boxed in by other vehicles. Always try to find a spot in traffic that provides you with the most room possible. Sometimes this will mean you have to change lanes to find one with more safe s.p.a.ce in which to ride, but that doesn't mean you'll be zipping in and out of traffic like a lunatic. You'll be changing lanes safely and sensibly, using the soft-lane-change method described in the last section.

Poor road conditions or poor weather conditions will require additional time to respond to unexpected events, so you'll need even more safe s.p.a.ce in such conditions. You can get that safe s.p.a.ce by slowing down, giving yourself more time to react. Debris on the road will also require you to slow down to give yourself more reaction time and thus more safe s.p.a.ce.

You'll even need to be aware of the safe s.p.a.ce around you when you park your motorcycle. Since motorcycles are so hard to see, someone might consider a parking s.p.a.ce you're occupying empty and try to park in it. You may be standing there, putting on your helmet and gloves, and the next thing you know you're looking at the undercarriage of a Dodge Ram. When you pull into a parking s.p.a.ce, position your motorcycle so that it is as visible to other drivers using the parking lot as possible.

BRAKING PRACTICE.

ONE OF THE MOST dangerous situations in which you can find yourself is one in which you've locked up your brakes. At that point your tires have zero traction and the slightest twitch or sneeze or even blink on your part will put you down on the ground. The best you can hope for is a low-side, which is a crash where you just lay the bike down without flipping it over, but you're just as likely to go over the high side. dangerous situations in which you can find yourself is one in which you've locked up your brakes. At that point your tires have zero traction and the slightest twitch or sneeze or even blink on your part will put you down on the ground. The best you can hope for is a low-side, which is a crash where you just lay the bike down without flipping it over, but you're just as likely to go over the high side.

To avoid locking up your brakes, you need to know the traction limits of your bike, and the only way to really find out where those limits are is to test them. This practice itself is somewhat dangerous, but there are ways to do it that make it less dangerous. First off you'll need to find a safe place to practice, like a large, empty parking lot with clean, smooth pavement, somewhere where you can safely accelerate up to speeds of 20 to 30 miles per hour. Once you reach that speed, practice stopping as hard as you can. Remember that your front brake does most of the work.

Keep stopping harder and harder, and eventually you'll brake so hard that you lock up one of the tires. If your brakes are functioning properly, this will almost certainly be the rear tire. Immediately ease pressure on the brake pedal until the tire is once again turning freely. If you were only going 20 to 30 miles an hour when you started, you should have slowed down enough by the time the rear wheel locks to avoid cras.h.i.+ng.

Once you're accustomed to using both brakes hard, practice the same drill using just the front brake. At the slightest hint of the front tire locking up, release the front brake. If you lock up your front brake, you will most likely fall down, even at low speeds. Once you've got a feel for this, go back to practicing with both brakes. You'll notice that your stops are both shorter and more controlled, even after just a few practice stops.

Do this several times, and by the time you're finished, you'll be able to feel what your motorcycle is doing just before you lock up your brakes. Your hands and feet will tell you when a tire is about to lock up. This will help give you an instinctive sense for just how much braking force you can apply in a real emergency situation.

Braking is such an important skill that you need to keep practicing it, even after you've mastered the basics. When you're out on the open road approaching stop signs, first make certain that no one is behind you. Once you've determined the road behind you is clear, practice stopping hard on different types of roads and road surfaces. Don't brake to the point of locking up your tires, but do try to stop in as little distance as possible. That way when a deer jumps out in front of you or some fool doesn't see you and pulls out on the highway just as you're approaching an intersection, hard stops will be second nature for you. Instead of panicking and having a life-threatening crash, your instincts will take over and you'll be much more likely to come to a safe stop.

RIDING IN THE RAIN.

IF YOU RIDE A motorcycle, you will get caught in bad weather, even if you live in the desert. It's part of the deal you make with the world when you decide to become a motorcyclist. If you prepare properly and know what you're doing, it's not as terrible as you might think. But riding in the rain does increase your danger level. motorcycle, you will get caught in bad weather, even if you live in the desert. It's part of the deal you make with the world when you decide to become a motorcyclist. If you prepare properly and know what you're doing, it's not as terrible as you might think. But riding in the rain does increase your danger level.

Having a good rain suit helps to reduce some of the danger. If you're warm and dry rather than wet, cold, and miserable, you'll be much more focused on the matter at hand, which is, of course, safely riding your motorcycle. Rain suits are either one- or two-piece suits made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or nylon. The one-piece suits do a better job of keeping a rider dry because they don't allow rain to seep in at a rider's waist, the way a two-piece suit can. On the other hand, the two-piece suits are easier to put on quickly at the side of the road.

Polyvinyl chloride provides better protection from the rain than does nylon, but it's sticky to the touch, especially when wet, making it hard to put on over leather. Because of this a good PVC suit will have a cotton mesh lining that slides against leather riding gear. Ideally both the top and bottom of the suit should be mesh-lined. The better the rain gear, the more it will cost, but in this case you really do get what you pay for.

Staying dry in the rain is just part of the battle. You also have to stay up on two wheels. You have a lot less traction available on wet roads than on dry roads, which equates to much less traction available for turning and stopping. That means you have to slow down when you're riding in the rain, and you have to be even smoother when using the throttle and brakes than when you are on dry pavement. Jerky steering or throttle inputs that you wouldn't even notice on dry pavement can put you down on the ground when the road is wet.

Earlier I mentioned that you should avoid riding in the center of the lane because that's where all the slippery fluids build up. When it rains, the water lifts these fluids up off the pavement and makes them even slipperier, so it's especially important to avoid the center of the lane when it's raining. What's problematic about this is that pavement often sinks down in the wheel tracks where you ride, allowing water to build up in them. This can lead to hydroplaning, which is an extremely low-traction situation.

This is the main reason you want to make sure that you have a lot of tread on your tires; the more your tires wear down, the shallower the rain grooves cut into their surface become. These grooves allow water to squeeze out from under your tires as you ride, keeping the tire rubber in contact with the pavement. As your tires start to become bald, the water begins to build up under them when you ride in the rain. This is what causes hydroplaning.

The trend toward fatter tires seems to have made motorcycles more susceptible to hydroplaning. While riding across Texas on my way to Minnesota for a club rally in the summer of 2009 my bike hydroplaned in a rainstorm. Since the tires had good tread on them, I think the culprit might have been the size of the tires, which are exceptionally fat.

WHAT Y YOU S SHOULD K KNOW.

- After receiving initial rider training, the best thing you can do to ensure your survival as a motorcyclist is to get advanced training.

- Everyone else on the road has the potential to kill you at any time.

- Situational awareness at all times is the key to staying alive on a motorcycle.

Photograph by Clay Garder by Sonny Barger Productions

Chapter Seven.

Living with a Motorcycle Now that you've learned enough about motorcycles to decide what type you want, you've learned how to ride, and you've bought a motorcycle, I'm going to give you some advice on what to do with it. This is the fun stuff. I'm going to talk a bit about traveling and about joining clubs. But first I'm going to discuss some basic motorcycle maintenance, which might not sound like much fun, but when you develop a bond with your motorcycle, you'll learn to enjoy it (or at least not hate it).

Figuring out what to do with your motorcycle isn't that complicated. First and foremost, you'll just want to get out there and ride the wheels off your new bike. After you first start to ride, your motorcycle will become your obsession. When you're not riding it, you're sneaking out to the garage to polish and maintain it. If you're anything like me, you'll continue to feel this way long after the new wears off your motorcycle. I've been riding for nearly sixty years, and I still can't wait to get out on my bike. As soon as I finish writing this chapter, I plan to head straight for my garage to take my bike out for a ride.

Before you ever hit the road on your motorcycle, you'll want to make sure that it's in top working order. I apologize for going back to the dark side of motorcycling for a moment here, but the consequences of just one bolt coming loose while you're riding are so horrible that you don't want to leave anything to chance.

When I started riding, it seemed like we practically had to rebuild our motorcycles every time we took them out on the road. In fact, it was like this until not all that long ago. Motorcycle technology has come a long way in the past thirty years and today's motorcycles are more like modern cars when it comes to maintenance requirements, but they still need more maintenance than any car. You'll still need to perform routine procedures to keep your bike in safe condition.

BASIC MAINTENANCE.

PEOPLE HAVE STRONG FEELINGS about motorcycle maintenance-it seems like they either love it or hate it. I have to admit that I'm not particularly fond of it, but like it or not, I've spent a good chunk of my life wrenching on motorcycles. Today I can afford to have a good mechanic maintain my bike and I don't miss doing it myself. Still, I'm glad I learned how to work on a motorcycle because even today's reliable motorcycles break down now and then. about motorcycle maintenance-it seems like they either love it or hate it. I have to admit that I'm not particularly fond of it, but like it or not, I've spent a good chunk of my life wrenching on motorcycles. Today I can afford to have a good mechanic maintain my bike and I don't miss doing it myself. Still, I'm glad I learned how to work on a motorcycle because even today's reliable motorcycles break down now and then.

Because of that, I recommend that you learn how to do basic maintenance and repair on your motorcycle. I'm not saying you need to go to some motorcycle mechanics program to learn how to overhaul your own machine; I'm talking about basic routine maintenance that anyone can do.

Before you start working on your bike you should get a repair manual of some sort. Most new bikes will have instructions for basic maintenance in their owner's manual, though sometimes they'll say that the job should only be performed by technicians trained for that brand of bike. I think that's chickens.h.i.+t, but I guess manufacturers don't much care what I think. They probably give more weight to what their lawyers think because they're afraid of being held liable if some fool does something stupid. Protecting fools from themselves seems a futile activity to me, but I digress.

Your owner's manual will most likely be insufficient if you want to work on your own motorcycle. If you bought your bike used, you may not even have an owner's manual. You'll have to supplement your owner's manual with some sort of repair manual. Clymer, Haynes, and Chilton all publish generic repair manuals for most motorcycles. These are usually adequate, though they're not ideal because they tend to cover families of bikes rather than specific models, and they don't always do a good job addressing small differences between different models.

Your best option would be to buy an actual shop repair manual for your bike. These are the manuals that the manufacturers publish for their own mechanics to use. They cover every detail of your bike, from removing bodywork to tearing down an engine. These will give you all the tricks you need to know to work on your particular machine. Sometimes something that seems as simple as removing a series of bolts can go from an uncomplicated job to a complete nightmare if you remove the bolts in the wrong order. The repair manual will provide you with that sort of inside information. Repair manuals are expensive and can run up to $100 apiece, or even more, but if you plan to do any complicated work on your own bike, that is money well spent.

The first things you'll need to work on your bike are some basic tools. Most j.a.panese and European bikes come with tool kits. The j.a.panese tool kits generally aren't very good and won't be sufficient for even routine maintenance. BMWs come with high-quality tool kits. Triumph tool kits aren't quite as good as BMW kits, but they're much better than the ones that come with j.a.panese bikes. Harleys don't come with tool kits at all.

I suggest putting together your own small tool kit that fits in the saddlebags. At the very least you'll need the following items in your tool kit: - Wrench set. This will be your most important tool, so get the highest-quality wrenches you can. If you're trying to save s.p.a.ce, you can get open-ended wrenches that have different-sized wrenches on each end. If you have bigger saddlebags, you can get wrenches that have open ends on one side and boxed ends on the other. If your bike uses metric-sized bolts and nuts, get a metric set. If it uses SAE standard-sized nuts and bolts, get an SAE standard wrench set. This will be your most important tool, so get the highest-quality wrenches you can. If you're trying to save s.p.a.ce, you can get open-ended wrenches that have different-sized wrenches on each end. If you have bigger saddlebags, you can get wrenches that have open ends on one side and boxed ends on the other. If your bike uses metric-sized bolts and nuts, get a metric set. If it uses SAE standard-sized nuts and bolts, get an SAE standard wrench set.

- Ratchet and socket set. As with your wrenches, make sure you get the correct type, either metric or SAE standard. I have a compact ratchet with a three-quarter-inch drive and an articulating elbow in my tool kit. This is handy for getting at bolts and nuts in hard-to-reach places. And it is sufficient for minor maintenance and repair, but the articulating joint would make it unsuitable for major repair jobs. As with your wrenches, make sure you get the correct type, either metric or SAE standard. I have a compact ratchet with a three-quarter-inch drive and an articulating elbow in my tool kit. This is handy for getting at bolts and nuts in hard-to-reach places. And it is sufficient for minor maintenance and repair, but the articulating joint would make it unsuitable for major repair jobs.

In addition to the ratchet, I keep sockets in all the most common sizes. I also recommend getting at least one extension for the sockets. If you only get one, it's better to get a longer one than a short one, but ideally you should have two or three extensions of different lengths. You might only keep the medium one in your on-bike tool kit and keep the others in your garage tool kit.

- Screwdrivers. To save s.p.a.ce, I have a screwdriver with replaceable tips and keep a variety of tips in both Phillips and flat-blade sizes. If you have a Harley, you'll also want to get a Torx screwdriver. This has a star-shaped tip and is the only way to remove some screws on Harleys. You can also get these with multiple tips. To save s.p.a.ce, I have a screwdriver with replaceable tips and keep a variety of tips in both Phillips and flat-blade sizes. If you have a Harley, you'll also want to get a Torx screwdriver. This has a star-shaped tip and is the only way to remove some screws on Harleys. You can also get these with multiple tips.

Don't skimp and try to get by with cheap screwdrivers. And throw out screwdrivers as soon as they start to wear out. If you have rounded tips on your screwdrivers, you'll strip screw heads, turning a simple job into an expensive trip to a machine shop to have a stripped screw drilled out. If it's an important screw, it may even require you to tow your bike to the shop. One tow trip to the shop would pay for a lifetime of screwdrivers.

- Allen wrench set. You can usually get one Allen wrench that contains all the different sizes you need folded up like a pocketknife. Remember to get the right type for your bike: metric or SAE standard. You can usually get one Allen wrench that contains all the different sizes you need folded up like a pocketknife. Remember to get the right type for your bike: metric or SAE standard.

- Pliers. Ideally you'll want both regular and needle-nose pliers, but if you only have room for one, I'd go with the needle-nose pliers. I used to recommend regular pliers but have changed my mind because needle-nose pliers are more versatile. Needle-nose pliers can do pretty much anything regular pliers can do, although they aren't very good at things like removing bolts. But needle-nose pliers can do many things that regular pliers can't. Besides, if you have your wrenches and sockets, you should use those for removing bolts and nuts instead of pliers. Ideally you'll want both regular and needle-nose pliers, but if you only have room for one, I'd go with the needle-nose pliers. I used to recommend regular pliers but have changed my mind because needle-nose pliers are more versatile. Needle-nose pliers can do pretty much anything regular pliers can do, although they aren't very good at things like removing bolts. But needle-nose pliers can do many things that regular pliers can't. Besides, if you have your wrenches and sockets, you should use those for removing bolts and nuts instead of pliers.

- Spark-plug wrench. The best spark-plug wrench The best spark-plug wrench is a deep-well socket that you can use on your ratchet, but make sure your socket is deep enough to get down to the bolt lugs on your spark plug.

- Air pressure gauge. Get a good-quality gauge that provides an accurate reading. I prefer a dial gauge because it's more accurate, it's easier to use in tight s.p.a.ces, and also because it takes up less s.p.a.ce in my tool kit than a traditional pencil-type gauge. Get a good-quality gauge that provides an accurate reading. I prefer a dial gauge because it's more accurate, it's easier to use in tight s.p.a.ces, and also because it takes up less s.p.a.ce in my tool kit than a traditional pencil-type gauge.

In addition to your portable tool kit, you should have a few basic tools at home in your garage: - A stool. It doesn't hurt to squat beside your bike for a moment or two, but most jobs take longer than you expect. Your legs will get sore in a hurry if you squat beside your motorcycle for any length of time. You might even do permanent nerve damage. It's much more comfortable to sit on a stool while you're working. It doesn't hurt to squat beside your bike for a moment or two, but most jobs take longer than you expect. Your legs will get sore in a hurry if you squat beside your motorcycle for any length of time. You might even do permanent nerve damage. It's much more comfortable to sit on a stool while you're working.

- A torque wrench. This is a wrench that measures how tightly a nut has been twisted onto a bolt. It does this by either having a needle that points to the torque value, or a ratchet-type device that freewheels when a nut has been torqued to the proper specification. Your repair manual will have a proper torque value for just about every fastener on your bike. It's especially important to get the proper torque on things like axle bolts and triple-clamp bolts. If they are too loose, your wheels or fork could fall off; if they are too tight, your bearings will wear prematurely. This is a wrench that measures how tightly a nut has been twisted onto a bolt. It does this by either having a needle that points to the torque value, or a ratchet-type device that freewheels when a nut has been torqued to the proper specification. Your repair manual will have a proper torque value for just about every fastener on your bike. It's especially important to get the proper torque on things like axle bolts and triple-clamp bolts. If they are too loose, your wheels or fork could fall off; if they are too tight, your bearings will wear prematurely.

- An oil filter wrench. This will be a wrench that either wraps around the body of your oil filter with bands that tighten as you turn the wrench or else a cap that you place on the bottom of the filter itself and turn with a ratchet (and usually a long extension). This will be a wrench that either wraps around the body of your oil filter with bands that tighten as you turn the wrench or else a cap that you place on the bottom of the filter itself and turn with a ratchet (and usually a long extension).

- A soft-faced mallet. You'll often run into a situation where some stubborn part needs a little persuasion. The trouble is you can't bang on these parts with just any tool or you'll damage them. A soft-faced mallet will allow you to use the required amount of force without damaging the part in question. You'll often run into a situation where some stubborn part needs a little persuasion. The trouble is you can't bang on these parts with just any tool or you'll damage them. A soft-faced mallet will allow you to use the required amount of force without damaging the part in question.

- Lubricants. At the very least you'll need engine oil and some WD-40. If you have a bike with a chain final drive, you'll also need some chain lube (don't use WD-40 on your chain-see the upcoming "Maintaining Your Chain" section for details). At the very least you'll need engine oil and some WD-40. If you have a bike with a chain final drive, you'll also need some chain lube (don't use WD-40 on your chain-see the upcoming "Maintaining Your Chain" section for details).

- Funnels. You'll need a variety of funnels of different sizes and different-length spouts to reach all the places in which you'll need to get fluid into a motorcycle. You can also use them to catch the fluids you're removing from a motorcycle, especially motorcycles with dry-sump engines and remote oil tanks, like older Harleys (and current-model Sportsters). You'll want funnels made of different types of material, as some applications will call for a stiff funnel made of aluminum, whereas others will require a pliable plastic funnel. You'll need a variety of funnels of different sizes and different-length spouts to reach all the places in which you'll need to get fluid into a motorcycle. You can also use them to catch the fluids you're removing from a motorcycle, especially motorcycles with dry-sump engines and remote oil tanks, like older Harleys (and current-model Sportsters). You'll want funnels made of different types of material, as some applications will call for a stiff funnel made of aluminum, whereas others will require a pliable plastic funnel.

- Containers. You'll want a red plastic can to hold fresh gas, and you'll want a small spray can to spray oil or small amounts of gas. You'll also want a fairly large catch pan to catch the oil you drain from your engine when you're performing an oil change, and larger covered containers in which to store the oil until you can get it to a recycling center. You'll want a red plastic can to hold fresh gas, and you'll want a small spray can to spray oil or small amounts of gas. You'll also want a fairly large catch pan to catch the oil you drain from your engine when you're performing an oil change, and larger covered containers in which to store the oil until you can get it to a recycling center.