Pre-Season Tech Tips
Are you ready to hit the trails? Take these steps to ready your ride for another epic season:
- Repair peeling decals, cracks in the body, cracked or deteriorated hood latches and windshield fasteners. Also check for tears or nicks in the seat covers.
- Look for signs of leaks on your machine and around it.
- Check the tires for cracks. Check the tread depth and air pressure.
- Inspect track; check track tension
- Inspect and clean belt and clutches. Replace worn or damaged drive belts, and pack a spare whenever you ride.
- If your machine has a fan or water pump belt as part of its cooling system, make sure the tension is correct.
- Check your throttle, brake, hydraulic and oil cables for excess wear or damage. Also, make sure these parts are fastened securely.
- Check injection oil, coolant, brake fluid (if you have hydraulic brakes) and chaincase oil levels and fill to specs in your owner’s manual. If any fluid levels are low, find the reason to avoid serious problems later. Inspect for leaks and top off all fluids. Check for proper chaincase tension.
- Check that the riser is in line with the steering post.
- Check rear skid.
- Check carbides (snow).
- Check hyfax (snow).
- Inspect idler wheels and bearings.
- Drain old fuel before adding fresh gasoline. Gas left in your machine in the off season will be poor quality and could make your machine run poorly.
- Check for signs of rodent nests in exhaust pipes, air cleaners, etc. Look over any cables and wire for signs that they have been chewed on.
- Remove the air filter, replace it if dirty.
- Clean the carburetor. This can be done with a can of carburetor cleaner, some basic tools and detailed instructions from your owner’s manual.
- Lubricate all fittings as indicated in your owner’s manual.
- Make sure headlights and tail lights are in good working order.
- If the battery was stored in the machine, remove it, check it for leaks, and recharge it. A battery tender hooked up to it in the off season is always a good idea to extend the life of your battery. Tighten spark plugs.
- Check your owner’s manual for anything specific to your particular machine.
- Don’t forget to check your riding gear also! Make sure your helmet and goggles are in safe working condition and fit properly.
- Beauty treatment - polish your baby!!
- Have a great, safe ride!!!
