Many riders fear locking up their brakes or haven't learned to swerve to avoid an accident.
Many inexperienced riders (and too many seasoned riders) use only their rear brake in an emergency, resulting in unnecessary impacts in some cases and unnecessarily high impact speeds in other cases. Your rear brake can only provide about 30% of your motorcycle's potential stopping power. The front and rear brakes can and should be used together to maximize braking effectiveness.
Experienced motorcyclists learn to "cover" the front brake lever by lightly resting a couple of fingers over the lever when riding in traffic and near intersections to give their reaction time a head start.
Emergency stopping and swerving are techniques that you should practice and master before you find yourself in an emergency situation. The best place to practice such techniques is in a controlled environment such as the motorcycle safety foundation's (msf) rider training courses. The msf's motorcycle rider courses (fundamental techniques) and experienced rider courses (advanced strategies) present hands-on instruction of the bas1c principles of motorcycling and a variety of accident-avoidance maneuvers. Even a seasoned motorcyclist can improved his or her riding skills, and pick up a few new skills, through these courses.
Some insurance companies even offer discounts to course graduates.
If you don't have a helmet, buy a helmet and wear it every
time you ride
Special situations require special careRiding on hills
When climbing steep hills, the
motorcycle may begin to slow
down and show lack of power.
At this point you should shift to
a lower gear so that the engine
will again be operating in its
normal power range. Shift rapidly
to prevent the motorcycle
from losing momentum.
When ...
Front brake master cylinder parts inspection
Refer to “front brake master cylinder / brake lever disassembly and assembly”
.
Master cylinder
Inspect the master cylinder bore for any scratches or
other damage
Piston / rubber parts
Inspect the piston surface for any scratches or other
damage.
Inspect the primary cup, secondary cup ...
Engine oil and filter change
Change the engine oil and oil filter
at the scheduled times. The
engine should always be warm
when the oil is changed so the oil
will drain easily. The procedure is
as follows:
Place the motorcycle on the
side stand.
Remove the three screws of
the right fairing 1.
...