Beginner Motorcycle Maintenance Tips 

If you just got your first  motorcycle, there are a few maintenance tasks you should learn to do to take care of your ride. From changing the fluids to simple adjustments, there are basic jobs even a novice can do. 

Doing basic maintenance jobs yourself helps you become familiar with your motorcycle's various parts and components. Follow these basic maintenance tips to keep your motorcycle running great. 

Check and Adjust Chain Tension

Drive chains play a crucial role in transmitting power from the engine to the road or trail. If your bike has a chain, knowing how to check if it has enough tension is essential. Motorcycle chains stretch over time, and many bikes offer an adjustment that allows you to get that tension back even as the chain stretches. The chain isn't just a single part, but a lot of tiny parts hooked together and moving against one another. 

Change the Engine Oil

Your motorcycle's engine won't last long without oil, and changing it regularly is crucial to your machine's health. Checking the motor oil regularly is a great way to stay on top of your engine, and changing it is usually a breeze. 

Check and Replace the Air Filter

While some large motorcycles like the Honda Goldwing require the removal of many components just to get to the air filter, checking and cleaning or changing the air filter on most motorcycles is a piece of cake. If your motorcycle has a high quality, reusable fabric or foam air filter, you should inspect and clean it regularly to keep your bike's performance at its peak.

Greasing Joints

There are pivot points and hinges all over a motorcycle that need to be lubricated. The right kind of grease can reduce wear on those joints, and extend the longevity of moving parts. Check the owner's manual to find out what parts to grease and what type of grease to use on your bike. Some machines might even have zerk fittings to inject grease directly into pivot points. The video below demonstrates how to grease zerks on an ATV, but you'll see how to use a grease gun, a skill you can apply to grease your motorcycle's moving parts.

Check and Replace Brake Pads

Stopping power is an important part of the overall performance of your machine, and it's largely dependent on a good set of brake pads. When you jump on the binders, the brake pads squeeze down on the rotors, converting scrubbed off speed into heat that needs to be dissipated. You should have at least an eighth of an inch of pad material for the brakes to be effective, or else they need to be changed. 

By taking care of your own motorcycle, you'll learn how to detect problems before they turn serious, and save money by doing the maintenance yourself.