MOTO MAINTENANCE FOR THE LADIES SEPT. 22nd, 2-5pm

• Before doing any maintenance, buy a repair manual for your bike
• Haynes brand manuals are great
• Before buying a manual, check for:
• Diagrams
• Pictures
• Maintenance section as well as repair section
• List of stock specs
• Examine your bike for what kind of tools to buy
• Does your bike have SAE or Metric bolts? Allens?
• Any specialty tools needed?
• What sizes are your main bolts?
• Front & rear axles, forks, oil plug bolt, etc.
• Oil Change Basics
• Supplies needed:
• Oil pan
• Funnel
• Oil specific for your bike
• Oil filter specific for your bike
• Paper towels
• Wrench that is oil plug bolt size
• Oil differences:
• Viscosity
• The higher the weight, the heavier or more viscous the oil is.
• Weight
• The “W” after the first number stands for Winter instead of Weight.
• W is the measure of the fluid’s flow rate at extremely low temperatures. 
• For example, a 15W-50 oil will flow no slower than 15-weight oil at sub-zero temps like -15 fahrenheit.
• The cold weather numbers are important for starting and idling the bike up to temperature in colder months. Thinner viscosity in the winter helps with how readily the oil will flow at colder temps.
• The second number (typically larger) measures the oil’s high-temperature viscosity, which is measured at the standard of 212 degrees fahrenheit. 
• For example, if using 15W-50 oil, the oil will be no thinner than a 50-weight oil at operating temperature.
• The second number in oil weights are important for all seasons, but sometimes more focused on in hotter months. Heavier viscosity sometimes translates into lower temperatures for your motorcycle during summer months.
• Types of oil
• Check with your manual on what kind of oil your bike prefers.
• Some motorcycles have engine oil and transmission oil
• Some motorcycles just have engine oil
• Some motorcycles prefer full synthetic while others (usually older models) prefer semi-synthetic or mineral oil.
• Always start off with the factory suggestions on your bike as a standard, and then experiment from there with what you feel like performs best for your type of riding.
• How to Change your oil!
• 1. Remove any plastics, fairings, etc that could be blocking you from getting to the oil drain bolt.
• 2. Place oil pan under the motorcycle where the drain bolt and oil filter sit.
• 3. Unscrew oil “dipstick” for ventilation
• 4. Carefully unscrew the oil drain bolt.
• 5. Allow for most of the oil to drain
• 6. Unscrew oil filter and drain as well.
• If there is no “leverage bolt” and the filter is not budging, use a large “jaw pipe” wrench to crimp the filter and screw off. (Denting the old filter is fine, but make sure your new filter doesn’t get any dents when installing it.)
• 7. Once oil has fully drained out of your motorcycle, screw on new oil filter, replace oil drain bolt. 
• Note: some motorcycles require you to replace the drain bolt washer when removed, so check in your repair manual. Order one in advance before changing your oil.
• 8. From the “dipstick” opening, replace oil to the specs of your motorcycle.
• 1000cc = 1 liter for reference
• Do your best to not over-fill your motorcycle! Too much oil can create too much pressure in your engine.
• Spark plug change!
• Look up stock specs for your motorcycle.
• Manufacturers specifications on spark plugs is the best place to start when figuring out what kind to buy. Unless you’re modifying your bike and doing some custom fine tuning with the performance of your motorcycle. 
• Why setting the spark plug gap matters
• Spark plugs generally have two components: the center wire and the ground electrode. The center wire has a negative charge, while the ground electrode has a positive charge. 
• The larger the gap, the larger the amount of air/fuel mixture subject to gap ionization. 
• If the gap is too narrow or two wide, it can cause misfiring, pre-ignition, poor fuel economy, power loss, and potentially engine damage over a long period of time. 
• How to change your spark plugs:
• 1. Make sure your engine is COLD before removing spark plugs.
• 2. Remove any fairings/plastics/etc. That are blocking your spark plugs.
• Check manual for reference. Some motorcycles require you to remove your gas tank to get to spark plugs.
• 3. Gently remove spark plug boots
• 4. With a deep socket wrench that’s the size of your spark plug, gently remove used spark plug
• 5. Using a spark plug gap tool, set the gap to manufacturers’ specifications (see manual)
• 6. Gently thread in new spark plugs with your fingers
• Be slow and patient with this step to prevent any cross threading. Take your time!
• 7. Once finger tight, use a torque wrench to tighten down spark plugs to manufacturer specs. (see manual for this as well)
• 8. Reattach spark plug boots.
• 9. Fire up motorcycle and make sure the bike starts, and possibly go for a test ride.
• Your motorcycle should run the same or potentially better with new plugs depending on the age and wear of your old ones.

PACKING YOUR TOOL BAG!

Packing specifically for your motorcycle

• What bolt sizes are your standards?
• Pack wrenches for those
• Always have a flat head and a phillips screw driver
• Tire irons (you never know what you’ll get into) 
• Tire pressure gauge
• Tire patch kit
• Shop rag
• Pair of gloves