Maintenance of a Motocross Bike

How many times have you felt during a race that you are just lacking that extra little or your bike keeps letting you down. Well it happens to us all and very often a simple maintenance regime for getting a Motocross bike race ready is all you need. Follow my easy to follow steps below and get your self into the habit of getting a motocross bike in top condition and ready to race.

• Clean your bike top to bottom. Dirt gets everywhere and a stray piece could stop anything working. Sure there will be loads on the track, but why start at a disadvantage.
  
• Clean the dirt off your forks, not only will any dirt destroy your seals it will slow the rate at which your forks work. If you can afford them get fork protectors or seal savers. A flying rock can really be expensive if it takes a chunk out of your forks.
  
• Ensure your radiator is clear of dirt, airflow through this keeps your bike at the right temperature.
  
• Take your cables out, clean them and lubricate them.
  
• Don't go mad on oiling and greasing components that are external. Just enough to lubricate them, but not too much or dust will stick to it like a magnet.
  
• Check the water level and state of the water. If it looks grimy, chances are it is starting to block up your system. Change it before it lets you down.
  
• Check the oil levels, again change it as needed. You should get into the habit of changing oil and water on a regular basis.
  
• Check every nut and bolt on the bike. Start at the front and systematically move through the bike. I have seen many a race lost by a simple nut coming off a motocross bike. I have even seen loose seats and trust me trying to concentrate while a seat is flapping about is not going to keep you in with the top riders.
  

These are just the basics and in the next section I will start to discuss in more detail some of the things that you should be doing to ensure a Motocross bike always gets you though the race.

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Welcome to part two on my hints and tips to getting a Motocross bike race ready. In this part I will dig a little deeper into the more specific maintenance tasks. You should be doing these on a regular basis and by that I mean between every race. After all when you ride a Motocross bike in a race you are pitting man and machine against each other and a Motocross bike is half of the team. Would you race without being ready and putting your gear on? I assume you wouldn't so you need to care for your bike as well.

• Check and change the spark plug. If you are ensure then just change it. This is the one item in the engine that really takes a battering. Make sure you use the manufacturers recommended plugs.
  
• Check your tyres and adjust according to the terrain. If you are lucky enough to afford different sets, then of course change them for the right ones. But at a minimum check you have plenty of tread and set the tyre pressures for the terrain.
  
• Check the chain. Oil and adjust as needed. Use proper chain oil, not some old engine oil you have lying around. Check the chain link. The open end should be facing away from the direction of travel. In my time I have seen half a dozen chains fall off just while the bike was being wheeled to the start!
  
• Manufacturers very often save money by putting on standard nuts. If you can, start to replace them all with locking nuts, they are less likely to come loose during a race.
  
• Clean your air filter and make sure to get it well oiled. If you don't feel you can do the job properly, you can buy ready oiled filters. This is how your bike breathes, so make sure you get it right.
  
• Most modern bikes don't have spokes, but if yours does then gently tap a screwdriver on them all. If you get some odd notes, chances are you have a loose one, so get it tightened. Be careful with tightening spokes. It can be very easy to pull the wheel out so it doesn't run right. So if you are not sure get a professional to do it.
  
  

Welcome to part three of getting a Motocross bike ready for racing. More hints and tips to help on what I hope is that successful day.

Take your exhaust apart and check the packing. Replace if required. A lot of people don't realise that a correctly packed exhaust can make a huge amount of difference to the output from a bike. Back pressure from the exhaust ensures the engine runs correctly. An exhaust is not just there to cut the noise down. Bikes put out less power without one. Without proper packing they sound throaty and exciting, but you are losing valuable power.

Check the forks are set correctly for your weight. Refer to your manufacturer's documentation for settings. Forks that are not set correctly will often leave you up in the air and no wheels on the ground.

Check the fork oil and top up as necessary. I the seals are leaking you need to get them changed as soon as possible. Whenever your forks are not working correctly you are losing valuable seconds.

Get your bikes engine set up by a professional. Trying to adjust the carburettor without the proper tools is like trying to guess the lottery numbers.

Brakes are important. The harder you can brake the faster you can go into a corner. Check the brakes are moving correctly, if not take them out clean them and apply the thinnest smear of copper grease to the pins, backs etc. But NOT the pad material. Don't be tempted to use any old grease. The high temperature that brakes run at mean the grease will melt and end up on the pad material and you will suffer reduced braking as a result. Also ensure the brakes are not binding. You can lose valuable power if the brakes are constantly on.

Lift your bike off the ground an turn the wheels, do they turn smoothly? Or do they sound a bit rough or stick. If so get those bearings out and check them. You might get away with just cleaning and greasing, but if not replace them.

Check your handlebar grips. It is important that you are able to grip the bars. You can get grips in all sorts of compounds from hard to soft and downright sticky. So experiment with them until you find the ones that suit you most.

I hope you have enjoyed the final part on getting a Motocross bike ready for racing. Please check back as I plan to do some more articles focusing on how to get you ready for a race and starting a series on how to ride a Motocross bike.

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