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ghettoe · 08-30-2010, 05:45 AM

So, I am new to riding and have yet to purchase a manual. I plan to sometime after I've sotted out my college life. Anyway, I know I should check my bike before every ride (which I try and do) but are there certain maintenance things I should do after I ride?

pushrod · 08-30-2010, 08:18 AM

Post-ride?

Well, there isn't much. Give the bike a quick visual inspection.

Remove any foreign objects from the front and leading edges of the bike. Around here, that is usually bugs. You may find small rodents, slow-moving old folks, etc.

Give the bike a quick wipe-down, if you got rained on, or if it was a 'messy' ride.

If your bike has a chain, depending on the distance, you may want to dose it with chain lubricant.

Truth be told, I usually back my trusty steed into the garage, throw the cover over it, and hook up the battery tender.

'Of course, I'm lucky to be able to ride most days of the week.

seruzawa · 08-30-2010, 08:22 AM

No. Unless you have an old Britbike. But then you'd be stopping every couple of hours to tighten everything up anyhow.

A Star Ride · 08-30-2010, 01:48 PM

I try to clean my bike after riding as to not have to get held up before my next outing, but mine is a pain in the @$$ to keep clean. Bug guts & road grime come off easier when fresh.

The_AirHawk · 08-30-2010, 02:23 PM

Only a poser and a fool point and laugh at a dirty, bug-splattered motorcycle. Especially if it has out-of-state tags.

pushrod · 08-30-2010, 02:35 PM

We have a delightful critter, Plecia nearctica - called a 'Love Bug.' They show up twice a year, usually when the weather changes.

The name comes from their behavior. You see, the (larger) female and the male fly around whilst 'coupled,' in a "Push Me-Pull You" configuration.

They are drawn to their favorite place to be (rotting vegetation) by the smell of methane, or some other organic vapor. Coincidentally, automotive exhaust has a good bit of whatever floats their boat, so they tend to congregate in the roadway.

They can be encountered in onesies (okay, 'twosies') or by the thousands.

And here is where this is pertinent to this thread. The contents of their stomachs can wreak havoc on a paint job. So, you gotta wash most of the buggers (to use a phrase) off ASAP.

And they get everywhere. I had to clean them off the 'leading' edge of my spokes.

It's easy to spot cagers from out of state. They'll be sailing down the road, and get into a swarm. Then, they hit the wipers and smear the juice all over the windshield, rendering themselves blind.

'Locals' learn to look between the carcasses, and clean the windshield at the next gas stop. Lemme tell you, the wash bucket at the gas station is FOUL!

Lovebug - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The_AirHawk · 08-30-2010, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pushrod

We have a delightful critter, Plecia nearctica - called a 'Love Bug.'

'Locals' learn to look between the carcasses, and clean the windshield at the next gas stop. Lemme tell you, the wash bucket at the gas station is FOUL!

You definitely don't wanna use it to clean your visor, I've hit piles of fresh dog-squeeze with a weedwhacker that gots NOTHIN' on the contents of that bucket........

MOKE1K · 08-31-2010, 03:03 PM

Oh the love bugs,......let me tell ya about the love bugs in Florida.

08-30-2010, 05:45 AM	#1
ghettoe Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: NJ Posts: 32	Things to do after every ride. So, I am new to riding and have yet to purchase a manual. I plan to sometime after I've sotted out my college life. Anyway, I know I should check my bike before every ride (which I try and do) but are there certain maintenance things I should do after I ride?

08-30-2010, 08:18 AM	#2
pushrod Founding Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Baja 'Bama Posts: 3,478	Post-ride? Well, there isn't much. Give the bike a quick visual inspection. Remove any foreign objects from the front and leading edges of the bike. Around here, that is usually bugs. You may find small rodents, slow-moving old folks, etc. Give the bike a quick wipe-down, if you got rained on, or if it was a 'messy' ride. If your bike has a chain, depending on the distance, you may want to dose it with chain lubricant. Truth be told, I usually back my trusty steed into the garage, throw the cover over it, and hook up the battery tender. 'Of course, I'm lucky to be able to ride most days of the week. __________________ You would not understand, this is not how I am... I have become - Comfortably Numb.

08-30-2010, 08:22 AM	#3
seruzawa Robby Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: 8501 ft. Posts: 16,803	No. Unless you have an old Britbike. But then you'd be stopping every couple of hours to tighten everything up anyhow. __________________ I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain.

08-30-2010, 01:48 PM	#4
A Star Ride Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: central Va Posts: 1,126	I try to clean my bike after riding as to not have to get held up before my next outing, but mine is a pain in the @$$ to keep clean. Bug guts & road grime come off easier when fresh. __________________ White Trash Hick from Appalachia

08-30-2010, 02:23 PM	#5
The_AirHawk Founding Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Livin' in a Van: down by the Mariana Trench Posts: 10,891	Only a poser and a fool point and laugh at a dirty, bug-splattered motorcycle. Especially if it has out-of-state tags. __________________ *Parfois, on fait pas semblant* Sometimes, it's not pretend Oderint Dum Metuant Let them hate so long as they fear политики предпочитают безоружных крестьян Politicians Prefer Unarmed Peasants Nothing to see here, Citizen. Move along now...

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08-30-2010, 02:35 PM	#6
pushrod Founding Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Baja 'Bama Posts: 3,478	We have a delightful critter, Plecia nearctica - called a 'Love Bug.' They show up twice a year, usually when the weather changes. The name comes from their behavior. You see, the (larger) female and the male fly around whilst 'coupled,' in a "Push Me-Pull You" configuration. They are drawn to their favorite place to be (rotting vegetation) by the smell of methane, or some other organic vapor. Coincidentally, automotive exhaust has a good bit of whatever floats their boat, so they tend to congregate in the roadway. They can be encountered in onesies (okay, 'twosies') or by the thousands. And here is where this is pertinent to this thread. The contents of their stomachs can wreak havoc on a paint job. So, you gotta wash most of the buggers (to use a phrase) off ASAP. And they get everywhere. I had to clean them off the 'leading' edge of my spokes. It's easy to spot cagers from out of state. They'll be sailing down the road, and get into a swarm. Then, they hit the wipers and smear the juice all over the windshield, rendering themselves blind. 'Locals' learn to look between the carcasses, and clean the windshield at the next gas stop. Lemme tell you, the wash bucket at the gas station is FOUL! Lovebug - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia __________________ You would not understand, this is not how I am... I have become - Comfortably Numb.

08-31-2010, 03:03 PM	#8
MOKE1K Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Kalapana, Big Island Posts: 3,956	Oh the love bugs,......let me tell ya about the love bugs in Florida. __________________ "YOU CAN'T BOLT ON SKILL" "The only thing limiting your bike, is you" We survived Bush you'll survive Obama! "the most fundamental fact about the ideas of the political left is that they do not work. therefore we should not be surprised to find the left concentrated in institutions where ideas do not have to work in order to survive." --thomas sowell