Oil and Lubrication, your bike's first line of defense...
Welcome back to our Service Blog! Today we’d like to talk to you for just a moment about Oil Changes and regular service checks. Now, regular checks for any vehicle can help to keep it on the road longer, whether finding problems early, or completely preventing damage in the first place. Oil changes are most vehicle’s first line of defense against unnecessary wear and tear on your engine. Oil changes are necessary, mechanically, for two reasons. Number one, oil becomes contaminated by gasoline seepage, water intrusion, and engine component breakdown. Secondly, engine oil deteriorates over time due to heat and pressure inside the engine while it’s working. A by-product of regular oil changes is that it gives technicians a chance to look for anything else that could be a cause for concern or an upcoming service need.
While no-one likes to hear a technician say, “I’d like to show you something,” we’d much rather point it out early than let it cause major damage that can lead to costly repairs. What some trike owners don’t realise is that by converting your bike you have a few more service points that need to be checked during your regular checks (about every 5000 miles). First and foremost, trikes with a drive shaft need to have the U-joints greased every 5000 miles. It shouldn’t take a lot of grease, about 3 or 4 pumps from your grease gun should do it. For belt driven models the belt tension should be checked at every oil change, and on some models of trike conversion the rear-end will need to be serviced at regular intervals (manufacturer dependent). For all trike conversions you should consult your owner’s manual for service requirements and intervals and if there is anything you aren’t sure about, reach out to a qualified service shop to seek advice.
We hope that you will join us next week when we discuss batteries and electrical system maintenance and what you can do to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to motorcycle batteries!