A motorbike or a motorcycle is divided into various categories and engine capacities. Among the well known categories are the chopper, scooter, dirt bikes, sport bikes and of course the standard bikes. Each of these categories has different engine capacities to meet the requirements of its specific functions. A dirt bike needs to have high engine capacity to climb a hill or a mountain. A scooter or a standard bike might not need that much of an engine performance but more to fuel efficiency.
One thing for sure, each motorbike’s design is based on one basic concept. Most have two wheels, an engine, a seating area, a breaking system, handle bars for navigation and a tail light as well as a front light.
From experience, continuous usage of the motorbike will increase its wear and tear in the breaking system, tires, the chain and sprockets, spark plugs, light bulbs and of course the pistons in the engines.
Here’s a guide to fix your bike in specific areas:
Breaking system
Replacing the breaking system isn’t hard. You just need some parts and of course the correct tools. There are two types of breaks – the drum brakes and the disc brakes. Disc breaks are usually used at front rather than the back. To replace the break pads for the disc break, simple remove the front wheel using the tools that you have. Remove the hydraulic breaking system which is attached to the front suspension system. Get some tools to leverage the locking system for the break pads and remove the worn out pads. Replace it and put everything back together. Remember to check your hydraulic fluids and make sure it’s full. If by chance that you feel the front breaking system isn’t effective, try pumping out the hydraulic fluids and replacing it with new fluid. There might be air bubbles trapped inside.
Replacing a drum break might be a little tricky. A drum break is usually used at the back wheel. To replace a drum break, you will need to remove the back wheel. The chain and a sprocket will be situated here. Remove any nuts that you can find on the back wheel. Try using a spanner with the correct fit. Remove the horizontal steel bar in the middle of the tire. The chain and the sprocket are usually situated at the left side of the bike – viewing from the back of the motorbike. Disconnect the chain and the sprocket from the wheel. Remove the drum break which is capped at the right side. Use a huge screwdriver to ply the break pads out. Usually a set of springs are used to retract the breaks. Replace the break pads and fix back your wheel.
Tires
Tires are one of the most common components that need replacement. Long usages will wear the tire. It is important that you change your tires once you notice the treading are starting to thin. To change your tires, remove your wheels just like when replacing your break pads. Try using a crowbar to leverage out the tire from the rim. Check the rubber tube (if any) to see if there is any leak. When you have replaced all the necessary components, put everything back together.
Spark plug
A standard motorbike usually has one spark plug. Higher performance bikes might have up to two spark plugs. A spark plug is one of the easiest components to replace in a motorbike. With regular maintenance a spark plug can last for years. If you are using a two-stroke engine, you might want to clean your spark plug once a week as it gets dirty pretty quickly. To remove the spark plug, simply get a spark plug removal tool from your hardware store. Use a sand paper to clean the carbon composite. Remember to use a fine sand paper to do the job, not the coarse one.
Light bulbs
Replacing light bulbs are simple. Get a correct light bulb size from the hardware store and remove the cap covering the light bulb. Remove the light bulb from the socket and replace it with a new one. All you need is just a simple screwdriver.
Chain, sprockets and the piston
Replacing these three components is very difficult. You will need proper tools just to remove the chain, sprockets and the piston. I recommend that you visit your local bike shop to get this done. Changing the piston requires an overhaul and this should not be done with inexperience hands. There are simply too many engine parts to remove and remembering each and every nuts and screws will test your mental capability.
Last piece of advice, if you have no experience in fixing your bike, get it done in the local bike shop. You will do more harm than good. Furthermore the bike shop might give you a little discount if you ask. This saves time and money. But simple things like changing the light bulbs and spark plug can be done by you. Try it
