Checking your bike before you ride is an important aspect of being an advanced rider. Most of us don’t ride our bikes everyday. They can sit for weeks at a time without being ridden for one reason or another. That’s why it is more important to give your bike the once over before you blast away.
To make this easy we have an acronym for this – POWDERY (we have an acronym for everything).
P – Petrol
Make sure you have enough fuel for the journey you are about to undertake. When doing our group rides we always make a point of checking everyone has a full tank. Also, if your bike has been sitting for any great length of time the fuel might be stale. Modern fuels need stabilizers added if your bike is going to be laid up for several months, perhaps over the winter.
O – Oil
Check your oil is at the correct level with the bike upright and level. Be careful not to overfill if it needs topped up. Also, as with petrol oil will get more viscous over time if the bike left standing. So, if it’s your first ride after a winter lay up, for example, it might be worth considering an oil change.
W – Water
Obviously this only applies if you have water a cooled engine. Make sure the water is between the low and high marks and never use tap water to top up the water level. Always use antifreeze as this also has anti-corrosive properties.
D – Damage
Check for damage on the bike and on your clothing. Little tears can easily be missed. On the bike check no nuts or bolts have loosened, the steering, suspension, and brakes move freely, check no wires have been trapped or none of the wiring has chaffed with use.
E – Electrics
Check lights, brake lights, indicators, horn etc all work. This is more important if your bike has been laid up.
R – Rubber
Check both your tyres pressures and tread depth as well as the overall condition or your tyres. Tyres will slowly deflate. Even over a couple of weeks you can lose 3 or 4 PSI depending bike and the tyres fitted.
Y – You
Are you feeling fit enough and well enough to ride? If you have a cold, flu or other ailment ask yourself: do you really need to go for a ride. Be concious of the fact that if this is your first ride in a while you will be rusty. So, if this is the case take it easy for a while.