Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126398
Tool bag holds the 6S&&i.tiaIs for maintaining yow bike in the field. WIth 26 keeps the foam from clogging so soon and cutting down the performance of your bike's engine. Next; check your spark arrestor and silencer for accumulation of carbon and oil that abo affect performance. You may find you don 't have to take it apart before every run, but when you do, clean the parts so the exhaust will flow freely . At least once a year you'll have to remove what's left of the old, clogged packing in the silencer and repack it with new material (usually fiberglass, but sometimes a special steel wool), When it's all back together be sure to check that it's securely fastened to the exhaust pipe and that the pipe is mounted correctly to the engine and bike. You don't want it to loosen up or fall off out on the trail somewhere. . Now , with the air cleaner and muffler serviced you can do a better job of tuning the engine. If it's been right on , put in, a fresh sparkplug of the same heal and leave the rest alone. But you might want to check the points and timing (except on bikes with COl), clean the carb bowl and make some jetting changes to improve the performance, especially if the enduro will be at a significantly different altitude than where you've been riding. Consult your owner's manual for the basic settings and 8 canvas tool combinations, but you might want to find out what other riders with the same bike will be using. Waterproofing comes next, and it's about as important as anything you can do to prepare for a run anywhere east of the Rockies . Riders from California and Nevada and other normally dry states don't have any idea what it's all about, but anyone who's been in an eastern enduro in anything but the dead of summer knows you'd better be waterproof or you won't make it. Some motorcycles are built to survive deep water better than others (the Penton/KTM with its high framebreather is a good example), yet every bike needs to be waterproofed before each enduro to improve its chances of finishing well. Silicone sealant works best for making the sidecover over the electrics water- tight and for sealing places where wires or hoses come through the cases. One advantage is it's not as permanent as other rypes of sealants, like the ones that are Thiokol base. You can peel it off easily for disassembly, even though it will seal tightly to clean surfaces. Using either sealant or duct tape , whichever seems best, try to block every place where water could enter the engine directly or from splashing. Don't cut off the air box from its supply of outside air, but try to deflect spraying water and keep out the flood during deep river roll. you can find everything fnt. crossings. Remember to waterproof the top of the carburetor if )t doesn 't have a rubber boot already. And seal the coil and its wire connections. How about the forks and shocks? Better check them for damage and leaking and fIi them before the run. What about the adjustments? Are they right for your kind of riding at your present weight, or have you noticed they're bottoming or topping out more than they should? Maybe you should change the dampening or pre-load of the shocks or try different springs or air settings. On the forks all you can do is try a different weight oil and adjust the air if they are air forks. Now put your bike on a center stand or box so you can remove the wheels to check the bearings and brakes for damage and wear. If you didn't clean the brakes after the last enduro, do it now. Replace the brake shoes if they're almost worn down or you've about reached the limit of adjustment. Shoes that are OK should be sanded lightly with a fine-grit paper to remove the gloss on the surface and increase your stopping power. Check all wheel bearings to be sure they 're not broken or jammed, then put some grease on . them. Also grease the brake actuating cams before you reassemble the hubs , even though they may be equipped with grease fittings. Make sure you don't get any oil or grease on the face of the shoes, though. Have you noticed any wear on spacers or other hub parts? If you do, there could be enough difference in size from the original to cause wheel trouble in the future. Better replace them now. Abo check the spokes for tightness and even adjustment all around and replace broken ones . An out-of-shape wheel is best taken to a motorcycle shop for truing, Before you put the rear wheel back on be sure to check the sprockets for uneven wear or hooking of t~e teeth, When you find hooked teeth on either the countershaft or rear sprocket, that sprocket should be replaced right away before it causes the chain to come off. The chain may be bad, too, so check its exact length and lateral play against the same size new chain of the same number of links. You may want to replace it at the same time. Otherwise, clean it in solvent with a small brush (an old toothbrush works fine), then soak it for several hours in SAE 50 oil. Wipe off the excess before putting it back on the bike. With the wheels and chain on, take your bike down off the center stand and adjust the chain. Be sure the chain guide or chain tensioner is in perfect alignment and doesn't try to guide the chain off the rear sprocket. The low position of many guides and tensioners make them very vulnerable to getting bent by rocks or tree stumps. You have to keep an eye on them. Tire pressure is a matter of personal preference, experience and the kind of terrain you're probably going to be riding on, but don't forget to check it and adjust it to where you want it before each run. Typical pressures for endures in the eastern U.S. are 10-12 Ibs. in the rear and 15ยท15 Ibs. up front . At these or lower pressures your wheels must be equipped with rim locks, rim pins or sheet metal screws to prevent the tires from slipping under acceleration or braking and possibly tearing out the valve stem. Even with one of the rim locking devices it may happen, so it's best to leave the nut on each valve stem 1006C. This way if there is slipping you'll be able to sec and correct it before it causes a flat. Have you just mounted a new tire? Be sure you flat-proofed it. If your motorcycle is equipped with grease fittings on such parts as the steering head, swingarm, shifter linkage and brake earns, lubricate all of them with a good all-purpose grease or one sold for outboard motors , which is formulated for use under water. Grease the speedo drive, too, and fill the lower cable coupling before attaching it to the drive . It will help keep water from being pumped up the cable to the inside of the speedometer or enduro pilot. Now check the gearbox oil. Is it low, or does it need changing? Then bring it up to the correct level or change the oil. Abo, if your engine is oil-injection instead of pre-mix, top off the oil tank 50 you won't run low. What is the condition of your control cables? You'd better replace them right now if they're damaged or worn. Kinks, cuts and frayed ends mean trouble. The throttle cable (and the oil pump cable if you have one) is the most vulnerable and the most serious to have fail. Be sure it works easily and snaps completely closed when you release it . All the cables should be routed to reduce the chance they'll be snagged on low branches or other obstacles. Lubricate them so they work freely, then adjust ' the clutch and front brake levers so they have the right amount of free play. The owner's manual usually tells how much to allow. Go over your bike to sec if you've forgotten anything. Check all bolts