One of my favorite places to be is in the mountains surrounded by trees. The long winter has made it pretty tough to get up into the mountains due to the snow. But, the snow is melting fast (yay!) and the trails are beginning to open up. In our ranger district (Cle Elum) and the one to the south of us (Naches) the trails are officially closed until June 15th to motorized use. But, if you fill out the appropriate paperwork, say the right words in the right order and sacrifice a chicken under the full moon you can volunteer to patrol and clear trails, which is what I did. So yesterday we put the little chainsaw on the dirtbike, loaded up and headed for the hills. We found lots and lots of trees down which we stopped at each one, cut up and moved off the trail. In 3-1/2 hours we managed to get in 9 whole miles (round trip). We finally got to the point that my itty bitty 14" Stihl was not up to the trees that were across the trail, so we decided that it was time to call it a day and come back later with a bigger saw. Even though it was lots of hard work, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
As we worked I was reminded of how different riding in the mountains is compared to riding in the desert. One of the biggest things is visibility. In the desert (for the most part) you can see someone coming toward you quite a ways out. But in the trees this is not the case, so it is really important to slow down around blind corners and when you do meet someone going the other way, use hand signals to indicate to them that there is someone behind you, or if you are the last in line, let them know that you are last person in your group. Depending on who you talk to, some people will say to indicate the number of people behind you with your fingers and if you are the last just a clenched fist. I tend to lose track of how many people are either ahead or behind me, so I prefer to just use my thumb to indicate there is someone behind me or the clenched fist if I am the last in line. Always keep an eye out for hikers and horses. Horses in particular don't mix well with motorcycles. Even though some of the people you run into in the mountains think they should be the only people allowed on the trails, that's just not the case. We all have to share what we have and figure out how to get along. Another thing I was reminded of as we worked the trails was how quickly you can get winded, over-heated and dehydrated in the mountains. I think this is largely due to the change elevation. We live at about 1500 feet above sea level and I like to believe I am in reasonably good shape. However, when we start riding in the mountains the staging area is somewhere around 3500 feet and goes up from there. I find myself huffing and puffing in no time just walking up a hill or moving tree rounds. At higher elevation you have less O2 and your body has to work harder to draw air into your lungs since you don't have as much air pressure pushing the air in compared to lower elevations. So, as you start getting back into the mountains it's important bring and drink plenty of water. Don't wait until you are thirsty, or worse start having muscle cramps. Trying to "conserve" your water is not a good idea. Most riding areas around Kittitas county have lots of streams and creeks. Thanks to our abundant wild-life it's not generally a good idea to drink straight from the creek. But for about $5.00 and a very small portion of your pack you can get water treatment pills so if you do run out you don't find yourself having to decide between dehydration and quality time in the bathroom later. Also know your limits, if you can avoid it, don't push yourself to the point of exhaustion. At least on a motorcycle; once I get to the point where I start feeling worn-out that's when I start making mistakes and crashing. Which then leads to more exertion, since usually a crash in woods means dragging your bike back onto the trail or having to push it up-hill. Once you start you are stuck in a downward spiral and a fun day in the woods turns into misery, or worse you seriously hurt yourself and turns into a helicopter ride. If you think that working hard for no pay sounds like a good day, you should join a volunteer work party. If you don't know how to do that, follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/crossroadsoutdoormotors/). We will be posting more trail clearing days in the next few weeks.
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It appears that winter might actually be on the decline here in Kittitas county, I think it might even have stopped snowing on Snoqualmie Pass, but I am not holding my breath. The good news, at least in the valley, is that the trees are blooming, the grass is growing and the wind is blowing. Of course, if you are like me all three of these are also bad news since the trees need to be trimmed, the grass needs to be cut and the wind....well it's the wind what else can I say?
Now that everything is picking up in the yard department most of us are starting to get serious about using the lawn mower, trimmers, etc. Maybe you were even lucky enough to have all of your equipment start right up and go after the long winter. But, have you thought about doing maintenance? Most people realize that they need oil, but do you know that your oil needs to be changed at least once a year? Some other things to look at on your equipment are things like spark plugs, air filters and belts. Like oil, these are things that many people understand (at least on some level) need attention. But have you given any thought to the cooling system on your mower or trimmer? Now, before you shrug it off and decide that your mower or trimmer doesn't have a cooling system, read a little more. Most lawn equipment is air cooled, which means it doesn't have a radiator. But believe it or not there is still a cooling system. If you look at your engine you will see little fins. These fins are designed to dissipate heat from the engine so it doesn't get too hot. The problem is, if the cooling fins get covered in grease and oil, and/or dirt and grass gets caught between the shrouds it's like wrapping yourself in a wool blanket on a 100 degree day and sitting next to a wood fire. I only know one person who thinks that's not a bad idea. Unlike your car or truck, you can't really tell that your engine is running hot until you have a problem. Overheating an air cooled engine can cause performance problems, oil breaking down prematurely and then engine failure, valves sticking in their guides, etc. To avoid major problems there are a few things you can do. The first step is make sure your engine is clean. The easiest way to clean your engine is by using a pressure washer and some engine cleaner. Just remember don't get water in the carburetor or spray directly into the exhaust and be careful not to get too crazy with the wand. If you don't have a pressure washer even a garden hose and some degreaser will work, but you may need to do a little scrubbing with a brush. If you have had an oil leak (and they are very common) that hasn't been addressed the oil may be baked on to engine, in which case you will need to do some scraping. Also, you should pull your shrouds and clean all the grass and accumulated debris that get caught in there over time. Once you have washed your machine you should start it right away and let it run for a few minutes. If you did get water in the engine and you don't start it to dry it out then you will have bigger problems. Don't worry if it doesn't start right away, but make sure you take the time to get it started. If you have a riding mower it's important to clean the accumulated debris off the top of the mower deck and make sure that your mandrels are not completely caked with "stuff". Mandrels often have cooling fins as well and it is important to keep them clean so the bearings don't over heat. You should also clean the underside of your mower deck and remove all the old clumps of grass and whatever else is stuck under there. Too much debris can lead to premature belt failure and uneven cutting. Believe it or not, with a little maintenance your outdoor power equipment will give you dozens, if not hundreds, of hours of trouble free performance. Unfortunately, yard equipment is often seen as the redheaded middle step-child and is neglected to the point of failure and then blamed for being a pile of junk. So before you need to go spend $1500 on a new mower, take a look at what you have. It's hard to believe, but other than the outward appearance there is very little difference between a brand new machine and one that is 10 years old. As always, if any of this makes you want to gag just thinking about it, or if you simply have no idea how to do it, give us a call. Have you ever been riding or hiking a trail and noticed the trees that have been cut to keep the trail clear? If so, have you given much thought to who cut those trees? Here in Kittitas County, and in many other places around the state the trails are maintained by rangers and volunteers. This time of year many of us are itching to get into the mountains, but the trails don't officially open until June 15th. Thankfully our local ranger district is pragmatic in their approach to this closure and work very hard to open trails up sooner as conditions allow. Other districts take a harder line on their closure dates and will not open the trails until the day of, now matter what the conditions.
Snow is the number one indicator of a trail being open or not. Generally speaking if there is still a large amount of snow on the trail, it is not open and even if it is you should consider not blowing through it. There are a couple of reasons why plowing through snow on a bike is not a great idea. When go through those spring drifts is it creates a rut, which by itself is not a big deal. But, that rut becomes a convenient channel for water to flow as the drift melts. Without the rut, the water disperses more or less evenly around the drift. But if there is a rut, the water is channeled through it and then starts rutting the trail and causing damage to the trail itself. Pile on top of that tires spinning through that rut and poof you have a crappy trail that will continue to deteriorate over time. Unfortunately there are some well-monied special interest groups that would like nothing better than to kick everyone out of the woods and mountains that don't fit their particular opinion about how they should be used. As much as I would like to get on my soap box about the evils of that way of thinking I will refrain. But, one of the best ways, in my opinion, to keep the forces of evil at bay is to take care of what we have. By that I mean trail maintenance. If you want to get into the mountains early, and not get in trouble with The Man, and you want to help out; one of the best ways to do that is volunteer some time taking care of the trails. Look for trail clearing days on the Crossroads Facebook page. We will be posting not only our volunteer days but we will also be re-posting announcements from the Cle Elum Ranger district page as well. Lots of people do trail clearing without being part of an organized group and I personally am thankful for those people. However, there are a couple of things to consider. Part of the way the Ranger district gets it's funding for trail maintenance and even more important trail repair, is through grants. In order to get the grants they need to be able to show a certain amount of volunteer man-hours, the more the better. So when you volunteer with a group those hours can be logged. The other reason to go with an organized group is that if you are on the trails before they are open and you don't have an admin pass to be there you can get a ticket. So, as the snow recedes and you are getting that itch, think about spending a day volunteering. You don't need to carry or run a chainsaw, unless you want to of course. The main thing is to show up ready to work and lend a hand. Here in Kittitas county we are extremely fortunate to access to so many miles of diverse terrain to ride. It's important that we take care of what we have. Spring is here (sort of) and the grass is turning green and starting grow. Like many of us you may be thinking it's time to get the sprinklers figured out and the lawn equipment running. As you start thinking about firing up your lawn mower you may want to consider getting a tune-up. I know it's hard to get excited about working on your mower or getting out the weed whacker. If you are like me, you wait as long as possible since once you start mowing the grass you are stuck doing it for quite a while. Sometimes I think that urge to procrastinate taking care of the lawn gets transferred to your lawn equipment. But, control the urge! Proper maintenance on your equipment is the key to a long and healthy relationship with your mower or other machinery. Here are some basics to help you determine what you should actually be looking at.
Change the oil and filter; even if the oil doesn't "look" bad it should be changed every year. Oil tends to collect moisture over time so it should be changed. Clean the engine; most residential mowers are air cooled. Over time, you will get grass and debris under the cowling and oil and dirt stuck to the engine block. All of these act like an insulating blanket for the engine, which in turn doesn't allow the engine to cool properly and wa-lah it's going to fail. Sharpen your blades or replace them. Sharp blades will make your lawn mowing job faster and easier. Not to mention blades do get bent fairly easy. Change your fuel filter. Even if it "looks" okay, you should put a new filter in annually. Don't wait until your mower starts running poorly or not at all. Clean or replace your air filter. Sometimes you can get away with simply blowing out the air filter, but if it is really doing it's job you won't be getting all the small debris out. So if the filter element is looking gray or tan after cleaning it should be replaced. When in doubt, change it. If your mower is a rider or a self propelled walk-behind it has drive belts. Just like your car, these belts wear-out over time. Pull whatever shrouds and covers are hiding them and check for cracks and fraying. By the way, if you have a push mower, while you are changing the oil is the perfect time to do this since it's already on it's side and there is no oil in the crankcase to fill up the combustion chamber. Fill it with non-ethanol fuel and add a little Sea Foam. Do this will help remove any collected moisture and clean out the carburetor jets. Give it a good wash overall. I like to use a pressure washer and clean the underside of the mower deck. Getting rid of last year's accumulation of "stuff" that has stuck to the bottom. This will help your mower deck last longer. All that debris that is stuck to the bottom gets in way of the discharge or the mulching system working properly. Not to mention all that grass acts like little sponges for moisture, which can cause your mower deck to rust prematurely. Keeping your equipment clean will help it run better, last longer and often you will be able to spot little problems before they turn into big problems. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, maintenance is key! Many costly mechanical problems can be avoided by preventative maintenance. If you don't know how, or simply don't want to do the things above, give us a call! Every year before the Desert 100 I start getting a little anxious; this year was no exception. We went over Thursday afternoon in the hopes of getting "the spot", well we didn't get the "the spot", but we did get the one right next to it. I don't think I could have asked for nicer weather or a better group to camp with. But it was a very odd year in the sense of the weather and the terrain. Typically, the weekend is spent dodging the wind and the giant dust clouds.... but not this year. After all the snow this last winter the ground was pretty saturated and almost no dust, warm weather (for Spring) on Friday and decent weather Saturday and Sunday. In theory this year should have been perfect conditions except for the giant, bike eating MUD HOLES. These mud pits were something out of a bad 80's horror movie, bikes stuck all the way to exhaust, riders that couldn't get their feet out of the muck and having to more or less crawl out. I had a couple of moments during the race that I thought I was going to have an issue since the "holes" had morphed into fields of mud from a thousand riders trying to get around. There were a few I hit in 3rd gear with the throttle pinned and almost didn't make it! On my second lap I saw several bikes that had just been left; the rider gave up and walked away. These weren't Honda XR400's either, I saw some pretty nice new bikes sitting there covered in caution tape. The good news is we all made it through the weekend in one piece and everyone had a good time. Now the hard part, cleaning everything out and getting ready for the next event! If you plan to attend the Desert 100 this year you are probably already packing and thinking about what you need to take, what does your bike still need done, etc. If you have never been to this event it can be a little difficult to anticipate what you are going to need so here are some suggestions to keep the bike running smoothly and your blood pressure at a reasonable level.
One of the biggest issues I have seen is tires. If you are new to desert riding you may not realize how brutal the terran can be on tires, particularly if you are running a fairly soft tire for good traction. Pinch flats seem to be the king of problems. The simplest thing you can do to avoid pinch flats is to increase your tire pressure. If you are running a standard tube and a regular MX tire you should increase your tire pressure to as much as 14 PSI. Of course the down side to this is you are going to lose handling. You may want to take some time on Friday using the little loop track near caamp to play with your tire pressures. You should also consider getting and having at least one extra tube per wheel, and be sure to get an ultra-heavy duty. With the heavier tube you can get away with running at lower pressure, but don't be fooled, even ultra heavy duty tubes will get pinch flats. The ideal is to run a heavy tube with a desert tire like the Maxxis Desert IT or the Kenda Parker, or even better a Tubliss system. Whatever way you choose to go be sure to have plenty of zip ties in your pack so if you do get a flat and are not able to fix it on the trail you can at least keep your tire more or less in place and protect your rim while you limp back to camp. Air filters is another big issue for the weekend. We might get lucky and avoid the really bad dust this year but don't hold your breath. You will be money ahead by having a second or even third filter ready to throw in when needed. I had to change filters in the pit one year because the dust was so thick and my bike would only run at wide open because the filter was so plugged. Keep mind, trying to save $30.00 on filter can end up costing you a $1500+ for a top end rebuild. Gas, gas and more gas! Over the years I seen lots of folks pushing their bikes the last few miles because they ran out of gas. Don't be that guy! This is where you should have a good idea how far your bike can go on a tank of gas. And then subtract several miles. You will go through much more gas doing the poker run and the race than you do on normal trail riding. If you are unsure, carry extra fuel bottles. Yes it is a pain, yes it is a bunch of extra weight, but you can dump them in the tank (and keep the empty bottle in your pack). I guarantee that your bike will feel much heavier if you have to push it than those fuel bottles. Tires, air filters and fuel are probably the most common mechanical issues. But don't neglect the rest of your bike. Make sure your spokes are all tight and if they need to be tightened just get them snug, if you tighten them too much your will put a bend in your rim. Be sure you have a fresh oil and filter for the weekend. Just because you are running the latest and greatest synthetic doesn't mean the oil can go forever. The Desert 100 terrain can be very rough on an engine. Make sure your coolant is full, overheating your engine can end your day quicker than you think. Check your chain, sprockets and wheel bearings. A bearing that is "borderline" at the home will turn into a major problem on the course. Keep in mind, being prepared for the weekend will save you lots of headache. But, even the most prepared can forget or have things happen that you can't predict. There are lots of vendors and people that more than willing to help. So if you do find yourself in a pinch it won't automatically be the end of your weekend.
As warm weather approaches (assuming it ever stops snowing here in sunny Central Washington) you may be thinking about getting your equipment ready to go for the season. Most people know that you need to change the oil, but there are other things that often get neglected that can end up being very important to your wallet. Here are some things to consider depending on what you are working on. Preventative maintenance is the key to a long and healthy relationship with your equipment.
In addition to engine oil, it is a good idea to have your transmission oil changed. Many bikes and quads don't have separate oil for the transmission, but many do. Depending on your mower, there is a good chance that your hydrostatic drive might be due for service as well. If you don't know you should probably find out, there is a chance you have been neglecting your transmission. Differentials/Final Drive; this is probably the most neglected component I see here in the shop, they are easy to ignore and many people don't even realize they need to be serviced. Even if the fluid looks okay, if you haven't changed it in a while there is no time like the present. Since there is no filtration system the debris that accumulates over time just stays there until the oil is drained. Worse than that, differentials can get filled with water via the vent tube and you wouldn't even realize it until there is a major failure of some sort. Valve adjustments are important for easy starting and good performance. Some engines don't require adjustment, but by and large most do. So, if you can't remember the last time your valve lash was inspected now is the perfect opportunity. Cables are another component that is easy to forget until they break or seize, a little lubrication goes along way. If your machine has belts check them from cracks and other signs of wear, a broken belt usually is not the end of the world, but if it decides to get wrapped up in a pulley it can really ruin your day trying to get it out. Chains and sprockets; once upon a time, you know when I was young and broke, I would run a chain and sprocket until it simply wouldn't work any longer. However, the problem with that approach is that you tend to cost yourself more money in the long run. When chain breaks it is not uncommon for it to try and take an engine case with it or get wrapped in the rear wheel and take you with it. If you sprockets are starting to "hook" (they start looking like a shark's dorsal fin) or the teeth are getting sharp at the points it's time for a change. Also make sure to look at all the teeth, sometimes you will only have a few teeth that are getting sharp and if they are covered by the chain when you do your inspection you might miss it. Inspect your brakes, if you have 2 mm or less of pad left change them right away. Don't wait until you hear that lovely grinding sound. Trying to get down a big hill with bad brakes can end very badly for you and your ride. While you are at it, take a good look at your brake discs. It is not uncommon for the discs to warp due to heat. If your brake disc is starting to look like a dinner plate, toss it and get a new one. Putting new pads on a warped disc is right up there with throwing money down a rat hole. Wheel bearings should be inspected at least twice a year, lift the machine so that the wheel is off the ground and not under pressure and wiggle it side to side if there is any play you may have a wheel bearing going out. But before you order bearings make sure the play is not in the spokes or steering. While you are at it, check the steering. On a motorcycle, with the front end off the ground and you standing in front of the bike (I would have have someone else hold the bike so it doesn't fall over) push and pull on the fork tubes, if the stem bearing is getting loose you will feel some play. This is not a comprehensive list, but it is enough to get you started. Remember the sooner you address a problem and fix it, the cheaper it will be. I can't tell you how many machines have come through the shop for something relatively minor and ended up being a much bigger bill just because the problem was ignored or the machine was parked and forgotten about for too long. Leaking forks is one of those things that plague off-road riders. Many think that if your forks are leaking then it's time to replace the seals, but that is not always the case. Before I go any further, however, I need to put in a disclaimer here. If your forks have been leaking for a while and you have been ignoring it, or it's been a while (maybe never) since the oil has been changed, then you should have the forks gone through no matter what. Fluid loss can lead to unstable handling, and worse, damage to the internal workings of your forks. Also, over time as things wear, your forks build up grime inside so they need to be cleaned and maybe have wear parts replaced. Don't ever attempt to clean a leaking shock seal using this method, shocks are charged with high pressure nitrogen and should only be serviced by someone that knows what they are doing.
Now, having said all that, back to what I was really writing about. If your forks have just started leaking, don't assume it's time for seals. More often than not, a leaking seal is caused by very small bits of debris getting caught between the seal and the fork leg. With a little patience the debris can usually be cleaned and you are good to go. So the burning question in your mind right now is "how do I clean the seals?". Okay, maybe that is not the burning question, but if you are still reading you are least mildly interested, so here you go. The first thing you want to do is make sure the outside of your forks are clean. Using a brush, water and some liquid dish soap carefully clean all the dirt, oil and other grime from the the fork legs paying particular attention to the wipers (the part that looks like a seal that you can see from the outside). You should probably remove the fork guards before you wash just so you can really get in there and clean all the way around. Once you have the forks clean, put the bike on a stand and get something to sit on. The key to this is taking your time, so if you are squatting and uncomfortable you will most likely want to rush through the process. Using compressed air, blow away any remaining dust from the wiper and fork, then with a flat blade screwdriver, carefully pry the wiper down working your way around the upper fork tube, remember to go around the tube and work it down instead of trying to pry it completely away from one side. Once you have the wiper out of the way you have access to the actual seal. You may be able to see the spring clip, it might be tempting, but don't remove the spring clip! Using non-chlorinated brake cleaner (you can use chlorinated but it stinks and doesn't evaporate as quickly) liberally spray the seal area to wash out any dirt or grime that might be hiding up in there; following with compressed air to help blow out debris and evaporate the brake cleaner. Don't go crazy with the compressed air, you don't want to push dirt up through the seal and into the fork oil. Now that you have the area clean it's time to clean the seal itself. Remember, leaking is normally caused by dirt getting between the seal and fork leg. The last thing you want to do is introduce more dirt, or push the dirt up inside the fork. I have heard of a variety of "tools" used for the next part; feeler gauges, business cards and even wrapping the area in black tape and compressing the forks (essentially pushing the dirt into the fork). Personally I don't like any of those for a variety of reasons. I prefer to use either a piece of plastic like you find on product packing or even better, Motion Pro makes a little plastic tool that works really well. Using your tool, carefully slide it between the fork leg and the seal. With a little sawing motion, work the tool around the leg. I like to start off doing about 1/8- 1/4 of the way around the leg, pull the tool out and wipe it off. If you look carefully you will probably see very small dust particles in the oil on the tool. Wipe your tool with a clean paper towel or rag and keep repeating this process until your tool comes out with just clean oil and no particles. This is the patience part, you may have to go around several times before you get it clean. Relax, have an adult beverage if that helps. Once you have cleaned the debris, wash down the outside again with brake cleaner and compressed air. Remember to clean the inside of the wiper as well. Put the wiper back into place, take the bike off the stand and compress the forks several times. I like to clean the fork legs with a clean towel and brake cleaner after each compression. If the leak stopped you are good to go, but if one or both of the seals continues to leak, either you didn't get them clean or it's time to replace the seals and have the forks serviced. Keep in mind that if you ignore the problem it will only get worse over time. Also take a good look at your front brakes, if you pads have been fouled with oil they should be replaced. Once you have done all that and you have metabolized your adult beverage get out there and ride the thing! Spring is in the air! You can always tell because you start seeing FB posts about the Desert 100. After participating in both the Poker Runs and The Race I have seen some pretty scary crashes as well as some frustrated riders. One of the things that has always amazed me as you walk around camp is how many bikes are in pieces. I don't know if it is just because people wait to have their machines worked on by the vendors that are there (some of whom are top notch) or because they haven't really looked at their bike all winter and just realized/remembered that it needs work. Either way, this is not your best move. The biggest problem with working on your bike in camp is the blowing dust. Every year I have been there the wind blows like crazy and almost every year the dust is also blowing like crazy. When you open your bike up (any part of your bike) you are exposing it to dirt and grit. Getting dirt in any part of your bike that has any sort of lubricant is very bad. Dust has a nasty way of sticking to oil and grease. Bearings+Dirt = failure and lots of money out the window.
It's hard when there is still snow on the ground to get yourself motivated to get the bike out and see what it needs, but do yourself a favor and start now. Here are some things to look at and get taken care of so you are ready for the big weekend. Grips: seems simple enough and not a big deal, but good grips can be the difference between blisters or no blisters. Steering stem bearings: Put your bike on a stand (probably a good idea to have someone else hold the bike so it doesn't fall), grab the fork legs and push/pull, if you feel any play you may have a bearing issue. At the very least if you haven't done it recently it's probably time to clean and repack your stem bearings. Wheel bearings: With the bike off the ground check for any side to side slop. If you do have play in the wheels double check that they are actually tight and don't have loose spokes. A bad wheel bearing at mile 60 is probably not going to end well. Spokes: Again with the bike off the ground check for loose or broken spokes. This is particularly important on small bikes. Missing spokes, particularly when riding the desert, usually leads to more missing spokes pretty quickly and a short day. While you are at it, make sure your wheels spin freely and don't have any wobbles. Chain and sprockets: Make sure your chain is adjusted properly. Once it is adjusted, pull out on it horizontally at the very back of the rear sprocket, if it pulls away from the sprocket it's probably time for a new chain and probably sprockets (your new chain will last longer if installed with new sprockets). Check your sprockets, look for any "hooking" (particularly on the front) or sharp teeth. Brakes: Check your brake pads and rotors, if your pads are near 3 mm or so replace them. You don't want to find out your brakes are worn on some rocky downhill section. Fork seals: This always seems to be a big one. If your seals are leaking, don't assume it's time for seals. Motion Pro makes a nice little plastic tool for about $5.00 that helps get seals clean and stop leaking. If you have not done this before, Youtube is your friend. Having said that, if your seals have been leaking for a while or you haven't changed the oil in your forks in recent memory it may be time to take care of it. Having your suspension in shape can be the difference between getting through the whoops and ending up in a sage bush on the side. Remember to put your bike on a stand and crack the bleeders, be careful if you haven't done this in a while the little screws can go flying sometimes if there is a fair amount of pressure. Rear shock: This is one of those things that is easy to ignore and takes tons of abuse. If it hasn't been serviced in a while it's probably time. They do lose pressure over time and the oil needs to be changed. Carburetor: If you are careful about not using ethanol gas, use a cleaning product occasionally like Sea Foam and run the bike every so often you generally don't need to do much with your carb. Having said that, if the bike won't start, or is hard to start, only runs with the choke on, won't idle, etc. It's probably time to pull the carb and clean the jets (and everything else) or even have it rebuilt. Valve adjustment: This is one of those things that is often ignored because they can be a pain to check and adjust. But, making sure your valves are in spec can save you lots of headaches. Also, depending on how much time your bike has on it, replacing the timing chain periodically is a very good idea. Like your drive chain, the timing chain can and does stretch. When this happens it throws the valve timing off slightly, which in turn can make the bike hard to start, lose power and in some cases jump timing. Usually when that happens you are in the middle of nowhere and the only way out is uphill both ways. Air filter: A clean air filter is absolutely crucial. I strongly recommend you have at least one if not two extras. If you do the poker run your filter will be dirty by the end. If you plan to race the next day you will either need to clean your filter or put on another. The biggest problem with cleaning while you are there is getting it to dry somewhere out of the dust, but warm enough to actually allow it to dry. I have seen lots of guys pushing their bikes because their filter plugged with dirt, don't be that guy. Tires & Tubes: Good tires can be the difference between washing out in a corner or making it up a hill. Just because your tires still have knobs on them doesn't mean they are still good. Front tires tend to start losing side lugs long before they look worn in the middle. Rear tires can lose lugs all over the place. Tubes also should be looked at carefully when changing tires, some people recommend always changing the tube when you change the tire. I don't personally belong in that group but if the stem is rusted at the base, lots of dingle berries on the tube that don't rub off easily, creases or small tears; replace the tube. Do yourself a favor and get a heavy duty tube. I have talked to people that won't run a heavy tube because of the weight. That's all fine and good, but keep in mind this desert riding/racing not supercross. Pinch flats can ruin your day. Last but not least is oil. I put oil last because of all the things that people neglect or ignore on their bikes this is by far the worst. Most modern bikes only hold about 1 quart of oil (some even less). Which means that it doesn't take long for that oil to get dirty. Once that oil is dirty and full of carbon it starts wearing things out prematurely. I have seen perfectly good engines ruined in a short period of time because the oil was let go too long. What kind of oil, synthetic vs. mineral, etc. etc. is up to you. Put keep in mind, just because synthetic oil doesn't start breaking down as fast as traditional it still gets dirty. Keep in mind that by taking care of things early you can save yourself lots of trouble and money later. Not to mention you can spend your time hanging out and having a good time rather than losing bolts in the dirt. But, remember, no matter how much you plan things can still go wrong with your bike or you (a crash for instance) so be sure you have water, a little food and a way to communicate. Most of us are not professional riders with a full support crew, so be smart and be safe! |
Rob BlazinaArchives
November 2023
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