A motorcycle is one of the essential vehicles for daily life. It makes our daily work and transportation very easy. Often we also use it for long tours. But have you ever faced mechanical malfunction while going to an emergency meeting or during a long ride in an empty place? If you ever faced that problem then you would understand that it is so embarrassing.
A tiny mechanical malfunction of a motorcycle can ruin our whole day. Motorcycle problems mainly occur for our little knowledge about two-wheelers and never maintaining them properly. But if you take proper precautions then you can avoid those unexpected problems. Here we will show you some common motorcycle problems and we will also inform you how to cope-up with those problems.
Poor performance:
Almost every biker face this problem. There are many reasons for decreasing your bike’s actual performance. You can even face this problem after a couple of months of ownership. So take a look at the reasons for the poor performance of a bike.
Fuel Quality: Fuel works as the blood of a motorcycle. In our country, it’s hard to find excellent fuel quality. Some fuel pump owners mixed the fuel with lower quality oils for high profit. It’s one of the big reasons not to get actual performance. Rather than listening to recommendations, try filling up from different petrol pumps to find the fuel that gives the best feel and performance from your bike, the engine note may also change along with the fuel quality.
Air-filter: Keep the air filter clean every time you take your bike for servicing. Mainly every 1200-2000 km, you should take your bike for service. Basically, we ride in dusty cities and highways. For that, it’s easy to get dust. When you feel your bike giving poor performance, you should clean it properly. You can also clean yourself by following the user guide.
Morning warm-up: We often don’t give any time to warm up our two-wheelers in the morning. But it’s an important task to do every morning as you do before the gym. It’s just the little thing that you need to take care of. Also, put the choke to good use in the mornings.
Tyre Pressure: This is one of the important things to reduce your bike’s performance. When the tyre pressure will low, rolling resistance increases, which lowers performance as well as efficiency. Check your tyre pressure regularly and always maintain the idle tyre pressure.
Engine oil and Chain: We often forget to change engine oil and used unrecommended engine oils. If you use Mineral then change it after 800-1000 km and if Synthetic, then change after 2500-3000 km and always try to use the recommended engine oil. A slacking chain can make engine response feel poor and can also reduce the acceleration. If you hear any noise from the chain and feel lose then solve it immediately.
Build-up the carbon: This problem started showing after 15,000 to 20,000 km. It will harm your engine and will reduce your engine performance. If this happens, never go for a cheap mechanic and always get serviced by an experienced one.
Low Mileage:
This is one of the common problems for almost every biker. Often we can see many new bikes provides poor mileage. There are many reasons for it. You can get better mileage even in your old bike if you maintain your bike properly. Now we will show you some common reasons for getting low mileage.
- Low tyre pressure
- Tight brakes
- Frequent clutch engagement
- Improper break-in period
- Not change engine oil
- Messy carburettor.
For having a better mileage from your bike, you should follow the instructions below,
- Always maintain proper and idle tyre pressure.
- Don’t tight your brakes, put it at the idle traction.
- Try to avoid frequent clutch engagement. Pull it if necessary.
- Basically, for a new bike, the first 1000 to 2000 km is the braking period. Try to ride gently during the break-in period.
- If you use mineral engine oil then change it after 800-1000 km and if you use synthetic then change after 2500-3000 km.
- Always try to clean the carburettor when you bring your bike to the service.
Electrical Fail:
The battery may have run out of acid which must have reduced its efficiency. If you notice that the starter works once you start riding for a long time, but doesn’t when you try in the morning, get the battery acid levels checked. Your bike charges the battery as you ride so just keep it filled up at the first signs of trouble. You also have to check the wire settings regularly.
Tyre:
There are two types of tyres in the market, one is tube type and another one is tubeless type. Basically, tube tyre seen in commuter motorcycles and tubeless tyre is used in standard and sports bike. When you go for a long tour, always check the tyre pressure and any sign of tyre wear. If you using the tubeless tyre, then check the amount of tyre gel. It will prevent your bike from leakage.
Braking:
In a motorcycle, we can see two types of braking, Drum and Disc. In drum brakes, If you feel poor braking performance then check the free play of the brake lever or pedal. If you see too much free spin then tighten the bolt. To get excellent braking performance, change the brake shoe every 7000-8000 km and always makes it clean.
Precaution for better performance:
Your bike needs a little bit of care and attention if you would want it to last long just the way you like. Here are some tips to get better performance and make your bike last long,
- Always do periodic service.
- Keep changing engine oil at the right time.
- Check the battery acid for better electric performance.
- Lube your motorcycle chain timely.
- Use better quality fuel.
- Avoid duplicate and cheap spare parts.
- Always maintain idle tyre pressure.
- Try to habituate in engine braking and try to avoid frequent clutch engagement.
