My preparations for the motorcycling season

Guru Gora said:
Inspect bike for an hour prior to riding it.

Blimey.

An aircraft walk round takes about 3 minutes.

Bike - Tyres -Oil - Fuel - Go


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Part reason why I do not fly. Vehicle checks on a HGV equate to 15 minute before start of any journey, which needs to be shown as a minimum daily vehicle check before starting off.
Spending quality time doing the checks is not only sensible but making sure your vehicle is absolutely road worthy.
It can save a life, most importantly your own.

Perhaps I was overly judgemental on giving an hour for checks, but a simple peek and walk around doesn't always find potential issues, that can lead to failures later.
 
Wapping said:
Flying, at least in commercial aeroplanes, is the safest way to travel. Far safer than a car and streets ahead of travelling on two wheels.

:beerjug:
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Most people say that, but they do not allow you on board with a parachute, spoilers! :green gri
 
I’ve seen it on film Drop Zone, must be real


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I strip mine down every autumn after my main tour of the year. I usually do it over the three months or so before its service. I don't usually bother doing things like shafts, gearboxes, fuel tank, engine, steering or suspension, but almost everything else comes off. I can do brakes (pads). I prefer to leave the other stuff to pros who know what they're doing and do it much quicker than I can. Of all those things, on a GS, I only have the shaft inspected every three years and this year, before I sold it, I had the shaft seals replaced for good measure. I sold it to someone I knew.

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On the subject of "seasons" mine is short 😆 . My bike gets used, albeit intensively, for about a month a year in total over two main tours (3 this year) between May/June & September/October. Over that time I will do 10,000kms, though. I'm not much of one for day rides. The other bike in the background is the"hack" for going in to town but it's good for little else.

One of those tours (early summer) is what I call a "migration tour" to ride the bike from where I live most of the year, to where I spend my summers over a week or so. I usually try and scope out the routes I will use in Sept with my posse(s), if possible. It's then there for our September Werthers tour (most are retired).

You might be amazed to know that I spend fully 6-8 weeks in Asturias in July & August with The Picos on my doorstep, and yet I may only go out for 2 days, some years not at all, over the whole summer. What a waste, huh? 😆 There is one main reason for this: tourists, who are dangerous, but also because I have (if you can believe it) many other things to do. Family and friends time on holiday is precious.
 
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Guru Gora said:
Which bit
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That's only the case on short turnarounds and short-haul aircraft where there is no engineering cover. Often an engineer will meet an aircraft on arrival. Even so, all short-haul aircraft will have had a team of engineers poring over them at least once a day checking levels and testing systems before pilots get to an aircraft. Pilots then just check for external damage and leaks; the obvious stuff that may have happened when there was nobody there. Bird strikes and lightning strikes are more common than leaks or damage.

Long-haul is a completely different story and requires much more. They are always met by an engineer and if there is no cover, they ride in the aircraft such as in shuttles to small Caribbean Is. At base they are always given a full going over and in any case, daily wherever they are.
 
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I said walk round, which takes a couple of minutes.

I’ve been doing them professionally for 40 years, maybe I’ve been wrong the whole time…..
 
Guru Gora said:
I said walk round, which takes a couple of minutes.

I’ve been doing them professionally for 40 years, maybe I’ve been wrong the whole time…..
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Me for 32, but HxH seemed to think, from your post, that that's all they get as far as an inspection goes.

I don't think I implied anywhere that a straight walk round was lacking in any way.
 
My lighthearted point was that that is a long time to inspect a bike, in comparison to a pre flight walk round, fair play.

Anyway, back on topic…..

I’m dry only now, don’t mind the cold, so I’ll claim to be a year round rider, but not if it’s wet and I have a choice 👍🏽
 
Guru Gora said:
My lighthearted point was that that is a long time to inspect a bike, in comparison to a pre flight walk round, fair play.

Anyway, back on topic…..

I’m dry only now, don’t mind the cold, so I’ll claim to be a year round rider, but not if it’s wet and I have a choice 👍🏽
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You know, I don't mind getting caught in the wet, I quite like cool, it's wind that scares me. I've been caught out on a windy day in big-sky country. I don't know if it's better to go fast or slow.

The trouble here in Spain is, with the exception of the north where the roads are washed regularly, and the tarmac is better, it can be some weeks between rainfall and the roads just become ice rinks.
 
If I get caught I’ll crack on, but by choice I’ll give the wet a miss.

I’m too old and cosy now.

On tour, and committed to the next hotel , ferry or whatever I’ll suck it up as required.

Never really encountered any dramatic wind.

I’d be in a cafe awaiting a clearance


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A recap on what I said early regarding a pre-bike inspection before a journey, I did not mean for a journey a daily run etc. to your work or the nearby shops, of course a 1 hour check over the bike would not make much sense. Just a brief look over would be my normal thing as well....but for a longer journey fully laden planned ahead of time.

That quick look before you travel, really needs time spent on things like the following, checking tyres, air pressure, cuts, any nails, or even a stone stuck in deep tyre grooves, how much tread left, oil level, fluid levels in clutch and brake reservoirs. Are the panniers fully on correctly, anything hanging down that shouldn't be. Are there any droplets of oil, fluids on the ground under the bike, or misting on the fork stanchions?

Then the check list for what is required for the days run, or longer, time allocated for doing a secondary check. I make allowances for a bike check and perhaps allow room at the start of the day for 1 hour, for that good look over my bike, cuppa tea and the list of items, needed for the days trip, or longer.

Yes for a longer run I do spend time going over my bike, which I suppose might only take me 30 mins, because I know my own bike, and know what to look out for. I might add I usually drink a cuppa tea as I do my checks, never rush a cuppa.

I hope this helps explain why in my opinion, in my free time is for checking for any bad signs, or damage before any trip which can save me time wasted on an unnecessary recovery later.

Take care out there, but have fun. :D
 
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