Upgrades or service?
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Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 1,341
Likes: 178
From: NY
Upgrades or service?
Today 45 degrees is forecast in NY and I have not ridden since Jan 16 when it was 30 degrees. After the first big snow the sand isn't worth risking riding on our roads. I am totally happy the riding seasons almost here after this shixxy winter. I read lots of posts here off season with questions re. performance upgrade plans and thought I'd ask a question. How many riders put as much planning into service or upgrade of brakes, tires, starting and safety as they do with accessories and upgrades? Do you just wait till it breaks and you need to have it fixed? I am not busting chops but it seems many riders here ask advice on chromed parts and how wide a tire will fit and I doubt they dropped a bill on a service manual for the other questions.
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 600
Likes: 10
From: Rochester, NY
I usually don't service my bike over the winter. Although, I do make some customizations and add some new bolt on parts during the winter. I change my oil at the start of every riding season. As for tires and brakes, I have found that during my yearly state inspection the inspector will inform me of pending brake and tire issues long before they would fail inspection. For all other maintenance I follow the owners/repair manuals recommendations. I usually won't do maintenance when it's cold though.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 10,907
Likes: 8,758
From: Galt's Gulch - MI
Winter is a horrible time of the year 
I want to spend time with the bikes, so if I can't ride them I work on them. My garage is heated with a sweet sound system and a 'fridge for ready access to beverages 
I won't let a dealer near my machines, I spend the winter doing preventative maintenance and whatever changes I'd planned on, this year so far I've flushed the brake fluid, changed fork oil, pulled the wheels and swingarm so I could polish and grease the shafts, gone through greasing and anti-seizing bolts, polished and checked wheel spokes, detail cleaned everything, there's more but you get the point... if the new Baker compensator had been available I'd have installed it, I cleaned and treated all my riding leathers and boots.
Not riding in winter is a reality, but I don't stop being a motorcyclist, I just move the party inside
I want to spend time with the bikes, so if I can't ride them I work on them. My garage is heated with a sweet sound system and a 'fridge for ready access to beverages I won't let a dealer near my machines, I spend the winter doing preventative maintenance and whatever changes I'd planned on, this year so far I've flushed the brake fluid, changed fork oil, pulled the wheels and swingarm so I could polish and grease the shafts, gone through greasing and anti-seizing bolts, polished and checked wheel spokes, detail cleaned everything, there's more but you get the point... if the new Baker compensator had been available I'd have installed it, I cleaned and treated all my riding leathers and boots.Not riding in winter is a reality, but I don't stop being a motorcyclist, I just move the party inside
Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 127
Likes: 0
From: east Tennessee
do all service work in winter except oil ,trans and primary do those after all roads are rideable and run bike go for short ride & drain those
oil sight glass on a bike i have will have three different separate chemicals in dead of winter
clear on top, white in middle & brown on bottom oil seams to separate below 15 f
working on it during winter keep me sane and the wait for no ice on roads
clutch adjust is on for this week
oil sight glass on a bike i have will have three different separate chemicals in dead of winter
clear on top, white in middle & brown on bottom oil seams to separate below 15 f
working on it during winter keep me sane and the wait for no ice on roads
clutch adjust is on for this week
Last edited by smkn-1; Mar 8, 2015 at 01:09 PM.
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