NewbieAt50 Pre-ride Inspection Tips

We all love to ride.  Be it a long weekend ride out of town, our daily commute or a quick errand to run. Nothing beats getting to our desired destination than with our trusty bikes. One thing that can ruin a ride however is a breakdown on the road.  Imagine the hassle of having to push your motorbike to the nearest mechanic, petrol station or tire repair shop. We can however avoid this (up to a certain extent) if we do a pre-ride inspection.  Listed below are tips I learned from the Honda Safety Driving Center during my Basic Riding Course. Our instructors made sure we “routinely” did the check to our bikes before the start of every practical riding session.

1. Do a quick walk around your motorcycle.  Check if all the parts of motorbikes are in their right places and securely bolted on the bike. It’s also a good time to check body and paint job for scratches or dents or any damaged parts.

2. Check your tires and wheels. If your bike has a center stand, it will be best to use it during the inspection. Start with the front, check your tires by rotating them.  You will be looking for remaining thread life, foreign objects stuck between the grooves or sharp objects embedded on the rubber that may eventually cause a puncture.  Check also for possible cracks or cuts on your tires. Bring to the nearest tire repair shop to avoid experiencing a puncture along the way.  Check your rims for cracks or dings that may be dangerous on high speeds.  If your wheels are mounted with spoked rims, check each and every spoke making sure nothing is loose.  Repeat process for rear tire as well.

3. Check for fuel.  As most modern motorcycles have fuel level indicators on the panel, nothing beats the old fashioned way of physically looking down the gas tank to see if there is fuel left.

4. Check your electrical system.  Make sure your electricals work which includes the following:

a. Horn

b. Turn / Signal lights (left , right, front and rear)

c. Tail lights / plate light

d. Brake lights (front brake and rear brake)

e. Headlights (low and high beam)

5. Check view of side mirrors before heading out making sure you can see what’s behind you and the near proximity.

6. Straddle bike and push forward and check front and rear brakes.

Hope this list would be helpful in making your ride safer and hassle free.

Keep riding!