The rear wheel valve stem on the Iron 883 and Softail Standard pointing toward the center of the wheel is the biggest pain in ass to check. Pisses me off every time trying to get my tire pressure gauge either around the belt wheel or brake rotor. If the stem is not positioned exactly right it’s hard to check and I always scrape my knuckles.
I have never had a bike with angled stems. Straight stems are a pain. I bought a right angle air chuck from NAPA and a Accucheck tight angle tire gauge.
I check the tires every ride! About 10yrs ago, the front tire lost some pressure on my XL1200. On flat road, I let her rip. When I crossed 70mph a sudden very violent tank slapper occurred! I coasted, trail braked and pushed against my handlebars and hung on! That was very scary. The tire lost 10LBS @23psi. The front tire on my 02' Deuce loses 5lbs in a week. The tubeless back tire always has the same until temperatures become colder.
Good talk! Thanx! Now that you mention it, its time to change the blinker fluid on my bike . I think , even though I dont make a lot of turns! I will make up a batch of my own recipe of blinker fluid because it does deteriorate as you know.! and its lot cheaper. ps check your ground connections on the older bikes like my 91 vx800 ! and battery terminals! cheers 84 yrs and still leanin!
Oooo that's a good one!! Keeping ground connections clean and making sure they are secure is very essential. I probably should start making my blinker fluid at home too but I'd probably still never use it😅 Thanks for commenting man! Stay safe 😁😁
I guess it depends on location, in Virginia and Florida where I live, I had/have no issues finding the free ones, but in Iowa, I know I used one that needed 50c to operate at a gas station or I'd just swing by my job if need be.
If you’re riding a Harley-Davidson and don't check your tire pressures because there is no “free air” I say owning one probably is not in your best interest. An air pump for the house is less than $30, you spent $$ thousands on the motorcycle.🤔
Definitely depends on where you are. I drove through Kansas and they had air at every gas pump that I stopped at didn't even have to go to a separate area it was right at the pump
Hey a lot of this stuff isn't what is mentioned in other videos. Your presentation is good and its cool to get the perspective and advice from an actual dealer mechanic
If you own a 2017 Ktm 690 enduro r then checking oil level and tire pressure should become part of your before ride checklist lol. I really like my bike but it’s always “used” oil and gets unstable at speeds north of 80 mph if the tire pressure gets low. Once it hit 5500 miles the oil usage did lessen for some reason but by then checking its level had become a habit. It has been a very reliable bike and fun both on and off-road for me.
For tires, I prefer a regular bicycle pump over a compressor. Out garage compressor takes a while before it’s ready and then you have to stretch the hose out and coil it back. The bike pump is less work. Mine has a gauge built in. Once a week I attach the bike pump to each tire and give it a couple pumps if needed to keep the pressure on the money. It’s easy.
Thank you for those tips. I am a stickler for proper tire pressure before riding and was wondering if 38 lbs instead of 36 in the front would cause more wear. Can I use that lube you are using for everything you mentioned? I did not know that. I love the pop ups! 😄
you're welcome :) 2 psi in difference is very slightly and won't likely cause dramatic or noticeable uneven wear patterns. with more air than needed in tires, there is the decreasing grip but with 2psi difference, this difference will be minimal. That lube in the video I use strictly for cables but for general use, like hinges I use what I have available for the most part, I don't have a go to but ideally one that doesn't evaporate fast. wd-40 evaporate really fast. but for pivot points like on levers or kick stand or shifter shaft, I use a grease, also waterproof. Most brands are fine, I don't have go to for those things just because if you do it every time you do a routine service (5k miles), even a lower cost one will do just fine. I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying the videos :)
New subscriber. My 2022 XL883N Iron 883 which has very, very low mileage on it, I noticed on the throttle that there is too much slack and I heard the ideal free play is 2-3 mm, so I measured mine and it is 10 mm, 7 mm too much. It seems that my bike needs to be adjusted at the throttle because I am sure that my bike has never been adjusted before at the dealership where I purchased my Harley. When I do my upshifting to higher gears, I notice that there is a lagging response in acceleration (power) and smoothness. I also noticed that when I pulled the air filter off to inspect it for dirt and yes it was filthy, I inspected the butterfly valve and when I opened the throttle all the way, the butterfly valve was not opening all the way to flat position but was angled so I think I am losing power there as well. Probably will need to have idler cable adjusted as well.
Good job here, except that you are talking about HD's ........I hate HD's!!!! All her tips are perfect, would only add spark plugs they are cheap unless you buy Iridium love her video!!!!!!
Tyre pressure. OK here's what really annoys me about the dealer service department where I brough my bike from. the sticker on the swingarm states the recommended pressure for the factory tyres fitted to the bike, it has those very tyres fitted, yet when it was delivered to me the pressures were TOO HIGH and this made it slippery to the point of being dangerous. I reset the pressures and found that what was on the swingarm was pretty much exactly where they needed to be, so I had them EXACTLY where the needed to be for my weight and what I carry, which was what it said on the swingarm for the rear, and 1 psi less than the sticker for the front... And when I took it into the dealer for the first service they put the pressures at 10 psi above what they actually work well at. I'm so glad I felt it was wrong and stopped to fix it. because had I not done that I probably would have wiped out on the first ride! Dealers should LEAVE the customers tyres ALONE... the OWNER and Rider finds the best pressure for they tyres> not someone who has never ridden the bike! I will be specifically telling them NOT TO TOUCH MY TYRES OR THEY WILL BE REPLACING THE BIKE IF IT SLIPS OUT FROM BENEATH ME! I should also mention I am a Mechanic who has been racing cars for 30 years. I know what I am doing, and the only reason I take my bike to the dealer for services is so they can't get out of any warrantee claim! and then there's the oil change and how they did it, compared to how I told them to do it and referencing my qualification so they know they were dealing with a mechanic... did they spin the engine and trans up to free any sediment so it could drain out with the oil? No they did it cold when it had not been run in a while so all the fragments from machining and assembly could just sit in the engine and not be evacuated, so it can potentially damage the engine! this happens with many engines, and is why the first service is so soon after purchase!
A few other things to check, lube, and adjust... Clutch cable, throttle cables, and most importantly primary chain adjustment and lubrication... Forgot to mention, steering neck bearing preload, lube, n swing away, n also front fork fluid changes. Rear fork, swing arm, also needs to be checked on occasion, for alignment n bearing preload...
Primary should be done at every oil change, the 3 hole service. But yeah I mentioned lubing clutch and throttle cables. Clutch adjustment should be checked every service as well, ideally.
so I have yet to experiment with aftermarket brake pads but in the future, I know I would like to, just to personally know and feel the difference. I use stock but from others who ride, I have heard the some aftermarket brake pads are a lot better and worth it over stock oem ones. That's a great question though, sorry I couldn't give you a better answer but in the future, I might have something better to say regarding that. :)
@MotoDasha no worries, I have good luck with H.D. pads. However I've heard some AM pads are much better as far as stopping power,but they don't last long. Whether that's true or not, idk.
Come with me on a ride of pure imagination. I maintain my machines in turn key status and pre flight control systems and general condition points each ride. Happy Motoring!
It is cool to see a fellow Eastern European biker chick do a bike maintenance video. I am curious what is a good starter bike? Harley or an Indian. I would like to have a bike that I can take cross country as well as a canyon carver. Any advise would be appreciated.
can't go wrong with either, in the end it all falls down to your personal taste and preferences. You should test ride a few at both dealers to get a feel for which you prefer. :)
Starter bike that is a great canyon carver and good for cross country doesn't exist, no matter what reviewers or salespeople tell you. An Indian Scout can do all three, but the cross country part will be that which it does most poorly. It also has too much power and weight to be a good starter bike. Stay under 200 KG nd under 50 KW while learning to ride.
I ride a Harley Davidson! What is this horse power thingy ya speak of? 😅 And I keep my brake lines bleeding & my brakes greased! Also my blinker fluid is always topped off, it's easy to do without using them. (jk) On serious note, I'm amazed at how clapped the average used HD on market is. Lol I thought buying from a dealer would save me from that hassle, but it hasn't 😅
I don't know if this is helpful. I watched this video to see if you would demonstrate how to execute checking those important items you listed in your video. As fare would have it you didn't. Example: How you lube your throttle and brake cables, bleed your brake fluid. I'm just glad that you didn't mention checking the turn signal blinker fluid.
over heating from running rich due to a clogged air filter? it would actually run cool, but you will notice a loss in power and an increase in fuel consumption.
If young people in the 60s, 70s did what you are doing, we would still be fighting the Vietnam war: avoiding sensitive national issues, avoiding following the money. On and on. We’ve got a major publicly traded company taking money from motorcycle buyers, from stockholders, and giving it to this this this… Forcing dei down on employees who have to choice. Are you ok giving your money to this this this? You have a say, you have a responsibility to step up. What do you stand for. No, instead, you are hiding behind a routine maintenance video. Please step up!
@@tranceminder2WTh is wrong with you? She’s doing this out of a passion and is obviously qualified. This video has nothing to do with your poor dei rhetoric.
