Spring Tune Up

[hamwallet]

Hey Gang,

Anyone have any tips for a spring tune up and what I should be doing prior to taking my bike out after a long hybernation in my garage?

Thanks!

 

[-LadyDirt-]

drain all your fluids? change yer oil..air filter..check the forks...tires..give it a nice bath to wash away accumulating dust over the winter..hmmm what else?

 

[-LadyDirt-]

I would maybe bleed the forks, especially if you didnt' do it prior to storing for the winter..that is, of course if your forks are still in good shape..if they're leaking fix them then try to bleed the forks every so often to releive air pressure in the forks and help your seals last longer

 

[ktm 13-44]

BRAND NEW GAS!!!!!!!!!!!

old gas sucks. GET RID OF IT!!!! If you really wanna get into it, take your carb off, blow lots of air through it to clean out and particulate that might have settled in your float bowl.

The whole bleed yoru forks thing LadyDirt was talkin about is a great idea. I need to learn to do that.

johnny

 

[-LadyDirt-]

Ok bleeding forks is easy, on the top if your fork tubes you shall see a tiny little screw..probably a small phillips or maybe a flat.. all you gotta do is unscrew each one just enough until you hear the air in the tube go..."ppppsssst"..shouldn't have to unscrew all the way. Once the air has bled out screw back on tight.. I try to do this especially if im jumping, after a long road trip and the bike has been tied down for a while.. basically anything that applies alot of pressure to the forks.. but I pretty much just try to bleed every other ride or so.. its simple, yet really helps saves having to do a fork job

 

[note]

I would change you plug, check your valves if she is a 4 thumper, maybey clean your carb.

 

[note]

lol ok maybe not dirty dirty gas, but my bike had a full tank sitting in it all winter, I simply drained it into a bucket and used that to clean off my air filter a bit, I only dip it in once and give a good swoosh then onto the bucket of hot soapy water to soak a bit and wring it out a few times.

Ok bleeding forks is easy, on the top if your fork tubes you shall see a tiny little screw..probably a small phillips or maybe a flat.. all you gotta do is unscrew each one just enough until you hear the air in the tube go..."ppppsssst"..shouldn't have to unscrew all the way. Once the air has bled out screw back on tight.. I try to do this especially if im jumping, after a long road trip and the bike has been tied down for a while.. basically anything that applies alot of pressure to the forks.. but I pretty much just try to bleed every other ride or so.. its simple, yet really helps saves having to do a fork job

on ktm's that screw is on top of the fork tube (under the handle bar). also If you notice that your fork is leaking a little pop off your fork seal with a flat head. clean all the crap out with contact cleaner, then lube up the inside with some bering grease, then pop here back in. "you got to lube the rubber just to be extra safe"

 

[-LadyDirt-]

I would change you plug, check your valves if she is a 4 thumper, maybey clean your carb.

I fouled my plug as soon as i started it for the first time after tuning it up and you don't have to "change" your sparkplugs.. the easiest most convenient and cheapest method to get more life out of your plug is simply scrub it and clean it wish a brush.. thats what I did this past weekend after I fouled it.. cleaned it out, put er back in fired it up and went for a rip!.. I mean having spare ones handy is always good but we've just been cleaning ours out and it works too

 

[note]

I got to get my bike ready too, im hitting up bruderhiem on friday.

 

[-LadyDirt-]

Im a little unsure about the conditions at Bruderhiem just yet but we are planning to go to Enoch sand dunes on Friday, its usually always pretty dry this time of year

 

[polarice]

then pop here back in. "you got to lube the rubber just to be extra safe"

sounds more like a sex show

 

[note]

then pop here back in. "you got to lube the rubber just to be extra safe"

sounds more like a sex show

its a quote from a movie actuly

 

[note]

Im a little unsure about the conditions at Bruderhiem just yet but we are planning to go to Enoch sand dunes on Friday, its usually always pretty dry this time of year

were is that? do you have directions? how far is it? ive never been there.

 

[hamwallet]

Ok i understand that you have to bleed the air in the forks but when do you have to repressurize them with fork fluid? How does all that air get built up in there anyways?

Thanks for your help guys, I never cleaned a carb before so I guess Ill have to pull out the manual if that's the case. What about break fluid, should that be alright?

 

[ktm 13-44]

Bleeding yoru brakes is always a good idea at the start of a season. Also a good idea to do 'em every so often as well.

my manuals are my best friends! KTM makes their manuals available on CD. I've printed each section off and thrown them into soem binders, but if you have your laptop out in the shop its nice too.

When i owned a YZ i had my shop book too. so handy. When it comes to cleaning a carb, its really not that difficult. you have to make sure not to let any dirt or grit touch ANY of the delicate parts. the slide, the needles... On your YZF i suppose you might have to remove your subframe, but that kind of a job really isnt too hard. Just be sure to keep track of each and every bolt you removed.

 

[-LadyDirt-]

haha when we ripped apart the KTM to do the top and bottom end, I took huge peices of cardboard, drew a little map of where the nuts n bolts go and I stuck them into the cardboard where I had drawn out the motor.. works for me:d

 

[ktm 13-44]

thats a genious idea! seriously!

 

[Thunderr]

For bleeding the air which builds up from the shocks doing their job, I would buy the little screw in schrader type. Relieving the pressure will prolong your shock life.

I also recommend using a fork saver when transporting your bike.

A great way to blow the seals is to ratchet her down with no fork saver.





you get the idea.

 

[-LadyDirt-]

We normally use a peice of scrap wood, cut them to fit the gap between fender and tire, we name it "the device" lol. Same thing though, just to help save the forks

 

[hamwallet]

Thanks, never thought of doing that before.