Service Tips
Flat Tire RemediesWinterizing Your Harley
Taking Care of Your Leather Ware
Spark Plugs 101
It's a nightmare: You're cruising down the road when, bam, you realize your tire has blown out and you are about to get to a flat tire. What's the best advice for handling a blow-out?
Try to remain calm, and immediately let off the throttle (as you would with a car). Next, apply your brake, but not on the tire that's going flat; apply it to the unharmed wheel and slowly bring your bike to a stop somewhere safe. Some bikes have a linked brake set-up: anytime you brake one wheel, the other automatically brakes. If that's the case, you need to be extra cautious when braking.
Once you have stopped safely, examine the tire closely. Try to ascertain what caused the tire to blow out. If you can see a puncture from a nail or other object in the tread of a tubeless tire, you're in luck, as you can usually repair or patch it up relatively easily. However, sidewall damage by a nail or any other object is a different story on a tubeless tire, and you will need to get the bike trailer to haul it to a dealer.
If you have tubed tires, the situation is somewhat trickier. In this case, you have to remove the tire from the rim, which means removing the wheel from the bike entirely. Unless you have a buddy or two to help you support the bike while you do this, chances are you're going to have to call for help.
The good news is that if you need to patch a tubeless tire, a simple repair kit you can purchase at most bike shops is sufficient. Such kits usually include an auger, tire-patching cement, plugs, and some tire patches in case the puncture is not a neat hole. It also helps to have some carbon dioxide cartridges in case your tire has lost its air. You should be carry such supplies with you at all times.
Once you've sealed the tire with a plug or patch, make sure that you get to a gas station safely and as quickly as possible. You should have the tire professionally examined as plugs are only a temporary fix. Be sure you're riding on a safe tire before continuing your journey.
With winter right around the corner, it may be time to start thinking about storing your Harley for the season. When your bike sits for a long time in the cold weather, it's important to take steps to avoid corrosion so your bike will be in great shape next spring. The three key areas that you will want to protect over the winter are the valve seats, piston rings, and cylinder walls. Moisture can creep into all of these areas and seriously damage your motorcycle. The key to protecting these areas, is to make them as moisture-proof as possible.
Since some moisture may already have seeped into these areas, you will want to warm up the engine. This will ensure that each cylinder is coated with oil. The second step is to turn the bike off and take out the spark plugs. Now, using an eyedropper, or turkey baster, take a small amount of engine oil and squirt it into each plughole. Then turn the engine over manually. This is best accomplished by putting it into top gear and turning the rear wheel. Make sure you do this before reinserting the spark plugs so that you coat the piston rings, cylinder walls and valve seats. Now replace the spark plugs and drain the crankcase. Refill the crankcase with fresh oil, and your bike is ready for hibernation. Taking these few simple steps will ensure that even a small amount of moisture will not get in and rust the piston rings to the cylinder wall.
The second step in the winterizing process is to prevent rust from occurring inside the fuel tank. The best way to do this is to completely fill the tank with fuel that has been treated with a fuel stabilizer. You can pick up a fuel stabilizer at any boating supply store.
Drain the float bowls by undoing the screw on the carburetor float bowl. This will ensure that no gasoline is left in the bowls, which, over the course of a long winter, can gunk up the carburetor. This could result in a costly carburetor overhaul when it comes time to clean it out. This step is not necessary on fuel-injected bikes.
You will also want to keep the battery charged over the winter. This is best accomplished by connecting it to a Smart Charger. This will maintain the charge during the entire winter season and once connected, can be left alone and forgotten until you pull the bike out in the spring. This is also a good time to check and top off the electrolytes with water, if you do not have a maintenance free battery.
If possible, store the entire bike off the ground, making sure you elevate the rear of the bike. It is also time to do a quick polish and cleaning to make sure that no residue adheres over the course of the winter. A coat of polish will keep the chrome from pitting. Also, put a small amount of rubber protector on the rubber parts on your tank. This will keep them from drying out in the cold. It is also a good idea to check the coolant to make sure you have enough antifreeze to get you through the winter. This will prevent the system from freezing if temperatures plummet dramatically.
Taking Care of Your Leather Ware
Leather, like many other materials and fabrics, can lose its luster, shine, and certain other qualities that are vital to its appearance and function. After going out and spending a few hundred dollars for your riding gear, you want to protect it as well, and for as long as possible.
Like a well-oiled machine, leather products will give you years of use and enjoyment if kept properly conditioned. The sun, for instance, can wreak havoc on leather from overexposure. Too much heat or sun will cause leather to dry up or worse, crack. What kind of protection does your leather jacket have if it's cracked all over and these cracks start to produce holes and gaps? Sure, it may look a little cooler when you wear it but wearing it while you ride will only make you look foolish. Conversely, too much moisture can cause the jacket or boots to swell and become moldy. Once they dry out, you'll also find certain new spots or blemishes on the leather that won't clear up. Not a great way to treat riding equipment that initially was so expensive.
Like many other materials and fabrics, leather is porous, which when in good working order means that air can pass through while allowing moisture out. But if not treated properly, the moisture can be trapped inside the leather or conversely the sun's rays can seep through the material while not being able to escape or pass through the material's tiny pores. When leather is not maintained correctly, either by not conditioning it or by using improper conditioning oils, the small pores then become clogged and the natural "airation" process stops. To keep your leather equipment in tip-top shape, you'll need to buy and use a proper leather cleaner and conditioner.
The cleaner's basic job function is to remove all soil, grease, food and excess oils from the leather. Preferably, using a cleaner that is pH-balanced and alkaline-free will yield the best results. As for the conditioner, its main focus is to condition, clean, and protect all smooth (not cracked) leather all in one application. It replenishes the natural oils in leather thus preventing drying and cracking. Using a wax-free and silicon-free conditioner is the best choice and will prevent the pores from clogging up and allowing the leather to breathe. These steps and products should be used on all of your leather riding equipment ensuring longer lasting and better looks every time you ride.
Spark Plugs 101
Whether it's a car's, motorcycle's, or a lawnmower's, engines exhibit many telltale signs when they're not working efficiently. The color and texture of the engine's oil, for instance, reveals a lot to a trained mechanic who can tell how old or dirty the oil is simply by looking at it. The same is true of your motorcycle's spark plugs. Spark plugs are the catalyst of any engine. They facilitate the spark in the combustion chamber of an engine, which then ignites the fuel.
A skilled technician can read your spark plug and give an accurate diagnosis as to how your motor is performing and/or what adjustments may be needed. As an owner/rider your ability to perform a basic read on your bike's spark plugs allows you to determine the general condition and efficiency of your engine and how it is performing.
Much like a detective examining the clues to a crime, you can obtain valuable information from looking at your plugs, specifically whether your engine is running just right or:
- lean -- not getting enough fuel,
- rich -- getting too much fuel,
- too hot -- burning incorrectly
When checking your motorcycle's plugs, first check their color by looking at the porcelain insulator located just beneath the electrode.
- Tan colored plugs -- mean that the engine is running normally and the air/fuel mixture is correct. You don't need to replace the plug at the moment.
- Black, dry, fluffy colored plugs -- indicate that the engine is running too rich or excessively idling. Black smoke coming from the exhaust is another sign of a rich air/fuel mixture. You need to find the cause of the rich air/fuel mixture before installing a new spark plug: causes can include a dirty air filter; a carburetor screw that needs adjusting; or a choke that may be sticking.
- Black, wet, and glazed plugs -- indicate that burned oil is leaking past the piston rings or valve guides and burning in the cylinder. It can also mean that there is wear in your engine and/or top end and further internal checks are warranted. You will likely see blue smoke coming out of the exhaust.
- White-colored plugs -- indicate that your engine is overheating, due to any of several factors: the engine's heat range is too hot, the octane in the gas is too low, the ignition timing isn't set correctly, or the carburetor / fuel injectors are running too lean. Failure to repair this engine will result in severe damage: the engine may already be suffering damage.
As you can see, once you know what to look for, spark plugs can be quite revealing. A good rule of thumb is to check your bike's plugs at least twice a year (or more depending on the amount of miles you're putting on your bike and before any long road trip). They are a critical engine component, but are inexpensive and easily replaced so it is foolish not to check them often.
Additionally, owners of carbureted models should carry a spare set of spark plugs. These will be necessary if you inadvertently leave your enricher on too long and foul a spark plug. When taking a road trip, you should also consider the altitude change into the equation as a carbureted model will not compensate for this change as does a fuel injected model. As such, you must consider jetting and/or mixture adjustments to allow consistent running or you might run into a fouling condition on your sparkplugs.
When it comes time to replace them, be sure to use new plugs that have the same heat range as your old ones ( and are set to specification when installed ). New plugs can add power to your engine because their squared edges generate a more consistent spark. New or well conditioned spark plugs properly set to specification make a working motorcycle engine run even better, which in turn means more power, improved gas mileage, and overall better engine efficiency.
