4.02.2007
MotoBike Work This Last Weekend
So I finally got around to changing the oil on my motorcycle this last weekend. I hadn't done it before and was kind of looking forward to doing it. I got this bike for a couple of reasons and one of them was that it is probably the simplest, no-nonsense, practical, fun bike I could find at the time. It's still got enough power to put a smile on my face, but there just isn't anything fancy or special about the bike or parts:
- it's air-cooled (which means no cooling fluid or complicated system)
- there's no wind shield
- there are no fairings (the plastic jobs that make the bike look fast and that get damaged or scratched if you drop the bike)
- It's not fuel-injected (which just means it has a simple carburetor, but also doesn't start as well at low temps)
- no fuel guage (you just have to pay attention to how many miles you've gone & you can switch the fuel tank to reserve, which will let you run out of gas then be able to have a little left to get you somewhere)
I've had the bike for just about a year now and there are a few things that I've been making sure to check fairly frequently. In a car the simplests things you can do to maintain good operation are to make sure you change the oil at regular intervals and have good tire inflation pressure. For a bicycle it's making sure your chain is clean and lubed and that you have good tire pressure. So for my motorcycle I've been making sure to lube the chain and check the tires. I changed the engine oil on Saturday just to get to know the bike a little better and I just kind of like doing it: I'm in the garage, the puppies are watching, I've got some country music on, I'm getting my hands dirty, and I'm saving money.
I've got the Clymer Manual, which the previous owner gave me with the bike. So I've been looking over that just to know some of the things to do on the bike. I've also been checking a fourm on the internet just to see what other people do to their bike. So between those sources (& really I think I could have figured it out myself) I changed the oil (link). It seems to be running just fine, so I'm happy. =)
Anyway after about a year I've put 2,100 miles on the bike - so total now is about 5,500. Not too bad. And I've gained some good motorcycle skills knowledge, some general know-how and had some fun in the meantime. Figure I'll be ready to upgrade at some point. But am in no rush.
Here's some useless data: (givens ~ $3/gal of fuel in the last yr avg, get ~ 55mi/gal):
So for the last year I've probably put ~$120 for fuel in which translates to ~ 6ยข/mi...
- it's air-cooled (which means no cooling fluid or complicated system)
- there's no wind shield
- there are no fairings (the plastic jobs that make the bike look fast and that get damaged or scratched if you drop the bike)
- It's not fuel-injected (which just means it has a simple carburetor, but also doesn't start as well at low temps)
- no fuel guage (you just have to pay attention to how many miles you've gone & you can switch the fuel tank to reserve, which will let you run out of gas then be able to have a little left to get you somewhere)
I've had the bike for just about a year now and there are a few things that I've been making sure to check fairly frequently. In a car the simplests things you can do to maintain good operation are to make sure you change the oil at regular intervals and have good tire inflation pressure. For a bicycle it's making sure your chain is clean and lubed and that you have good tire pressure. So for my motorcycle I've been making sure to lube the chain and check the tires. I changed the engine oil on Saturday just to get to know the bike a little better and I just kind of like doing it: I'm in the garage, the puppies are watching, I've got some country music on, I'm getting my hands dirty, and I'm saving money.
I've got the Clymer Manual, which the previous owner gave me with the bike. So I've been looking over that just to know some of the things to do on the bike. I've also been checking a fourm on the internet just to see what other people do to their bike. So between those sources (& really I think I could have figured it out myself) I changed the oil (link). It seems to be running just fine, so I'm happy. =)
Anyway after about a year I've put 2,100 miles on the bike - so total now is about 5,500. Not too bad. And I've gained some good motorcycle skills knowledge, some general know-how and had some fun in the meantime. Figure I'll be ready to upgrade at some point. But am in no rush.
Here's some useless data: (givens ~ $3/gal of fuel in the last yr avg, get ~ 55mi/gal):
So for the last year I've probably put ~$120 for fuel in which translates to ~ 6ยข/mi...
Labels: auto, motorcycle
¶ 12:59 PM
