The Oil Change
Changing the oil is a crucial job, especially if your scooter has an engine cooled by air. Air cooled engines have an inclination to generate more heat as opposed to water cooled engines, e.g. those in trucks and cars. Mopeds also run at very fast revolutions, which can quickly damage oil. Scooter oil changes ought to be done every 500 to 750 kilometres. The oil ought to be substituted utilising a high quality oil made very hot temperatures. In colder climes, 10W40 oil functions better. In more humid regions, 20W40 is normally a more suitable oil.

The Cables for Your Throttle and Break
Over time, throttle and break lines extend and may impact on bike safety and functionality. Everyday oil will help keep the lines from tangling or stretching permanently. A few drops of WD40 or machine oil on the points where the brake cables leave the protective covers and go into the the controls can aid in lubricating the throttle and brake cables. Even though a lot of motorcycles come with self-tightening cables, it is a good move to have your cables have a once over with every oil change.

Bolts, Bearings and Fasteners
Wheel bolts, not to mention other motorcycle fixings, ought to be regularly examined for tautness. This job is frequently best done with every change of oil, however in some cases you may need to do spot examinations to guarantee that everything is tightened up well.

Suspension and Tyre Maintenance
You should on a regular basis examine the tyres for proper inflation pressure level. As time goes by, shock absorbers wear out and might result in tyres not having appropriate contact with the ground. Worn shocks and tyres impact negatively on the safety of your bike and ought to be replaced.

Finally it’s a great move to go online to develop your understanding of bike maintenance – simply type in related keyphrases in Google like scooter roller weights to acquire details on the topic of moped maintenance.

Buying second hand motorcycles from a dealer can be a safer option. Contrary to popular belief, dealers offer a range of benefits you’re not likely to receive from a private seller including:

A 30 day warrantee on the clutch and gearbox
You receive the maximum protection of the law
Obtaining credit is easier
The bike usually comes fully serviced

Buying Privately

While buying privately can save time and money, it carries more risk.
A number of people have actually purchased used bikes in Cape Town that were stolen. In some cases the vehicle has belonged to a finance company, as it was used as security for a lone. A few more pitfalls include:

The bike may not have been serviced and does not normally come with a warranty.
Remember that the buyer also has fewer rights
Unscrupulous dealers often pose as private sellers when wanting to rid themselves of a no-seller.

When buying second hand motorcycles…

Check the mechanical safety of the vehicle; there should never be any compromise on this point. Also, keep in mind that anyone who buys a stolen vehicle in South Africa has no rights.

Check the identification numbers. These are the number plate or vehicle registration number, the vehicle identification number (VIN) and last but not least the engine number.

Grey Imports

Many of the used bikes in Cape Town are grey imports, sounds bad but that just means they were not imported by registered dealer. Most of the time the bikes are fine. However, the clock readings on many of these are not accurate.

The best bet would be to consider the condition of the bike over what the clock reads. Here you will need the help of someone who knows the mechanics of motorcycles.

Take it to the AA

If unsure about the bike, but sure it’s a great deal you’d not like to miss. Take it to the AA for a check up. It’s worth the few hundred Rands you’ll spend.

BikeFinder presents users with photos of used bikes in Cape Town. Motorcycle dealers and their showrooms can be accessed via the BikeFinder website.

Armor is extra padding sewn into the jacket or pants to cushion likely spots of impact. Road rash is the not so fun part about riding a motorcycle. It is painful and bloody, but impacts can cause serious and sometimes fatal internal damage. So shoulders, elbows, buttocks, and knees are spots that you want to be well protected, as they are the most common of impact points. In any serious crash it isn’t hard to get a bruise on all of these body locations. Other common regions of impact are the chest, back, and collar bone. So as you can see armor placement is crucial.

Material used for armor is another major concern. They are usually composites of plastic and foam. Simple plastic plates would slash through the material and expose you to injury, so they put hard plastic plates inside a thick layer of firm foam. Some garments also have built in spine protectors. If not, however, and you feel that you are not properly protected, jacket liners with armor pads are available for purchase, which are called “body guard jackets”.

For the most part, jackets off the rack consist of small, medium, large, and extra large. But there is more to a well fitting jacket than that. Your protection depends on how well your equipment fits. If you luck out and find a jacket that you like and fits well off the rack, you’re in business. But if you don’t you can order custom made leathers. There is 5 companies worldwide that can do your custom fit; Langlitz, Bates, Z Custom Leather, Vanson, and Aerostitch. But don’t expect to order up your jacket and have it in a week. Each company can only produce about 1600 custom jackets per year, so there is a waiting list as long as the dictionary. So make sure you place your order well before you need to ride, or you could be hooped.

Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the article, this caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.

Tyler Brooker is the owner and operator of My Motorcycle Gear – http://www.my-motorcycle-gear.com, which is the best site on the internet for all motorcycle gear related information.