Every owner of a motorcycle must take care of his or her own and other road users’ safety. That is why it is so important to prepare properly for the season after the winter break.
Certainly, during the long winter break a lot of dust has accumulated on our motorcycle. When you find your vehicle among numerous items in your garage, you can start to get rid of the dirt from it. The first thing you should do is check your documents to see if there are any technical inspections that have been carried out. You should also pay attention to the date of your insurance policy, so that if it is about to expire you will be able to catch up with it before you even get on your bike.
One of the key steps in preparing for the summer motorcycle season is to properly check and prepare your helmet and the rest of your motorcycle outfit. They perform a very important function while riding. They help us take care, first of all, of safety on the road, but also increase comfort. Before the season starts, let’s make sure that our motorcycle outfit is complete, i.e. includes a jacket, appropriate pants and gloves. The listed elements should fit our body, but in such a way that we feel comfortable in them. Let’s check all fasteners, size and verify whether our outfit has not developed any defects or unwanted abrasions.
If we have taken care of the basic issues related to the necessary documents, motorcycle outfit and dusted off our vehicle, let’s move on to a more detailed inspection of the motorcycle. The basic thing we should always remember is to charge the battery after a long break. This is a mandatory action that will protect us from unwanted surprises on the road. It is important to check the pressure in the tires during the preparation. Its level may have dropped significantly during the downtime, which can result in a dangerous situation while driving. Taking care of these basic issues will allow us to guarantee the safety of ourselves, as well as other road users.
The simpler preparations, such as checking documents, attire or battery level, we are able to do ourselves. However, not everyone, who is not a mechanic, will cope with other necessary actions. Therefore, before the start of the season, it is worth going to a professional who will certainly help us take care of proper preparation, and thus safety on the road. In a specialist workshop experts will not only check the condition of your vehicle, but if necessary replace damaged parts.
Before setting off on your first ride of the season, make sure you check the engine oil level. If you haven’t changed it at the end of the previous season, do it during your current preparations, as contaminants in the old oil can lead to engine seal damage. The next step is to check the efficiency of the braking system. Let’s make sure that the brake discs and pads are working efficiently before we hit the road.
We have already performed a thorough inspection of our motorcycle (by a specialist or by ourselves if we are competent) and we are probably looking forward to the first kilometers of the season. However, there is still one final stage left, which also has a significant influence on our safety. Let’s make sure that such basic elements as mirrors, lights or horn work properly and are set properly. Next, let’s take care of fuel refills. Remember that the fuel may have lost some of its valuable properties over the winter period. This may seem like a trivial matter, but we often forget about the basics, which have a significant impact on road safety.
