What does matter is your certainty that it’s not the thing preventing your bike from starting. Maybe you bumped it by accident, or maybe someone else did-it doesn’t really matter either way. That advice is still absolutely accurate for bikes that are carbureted rather than fuel-injected, but we’ll cover both situations here.Ĭheck whether your killswitch is engaged. What could be wrong? If you had the same Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic RiderCourse instructor that I had, now is when you’ll be hearing her yelling “THUMB KEY VALVE!” a few times in your head. You know the battery is fully charged and in good operating condition. It’s happened to us all: You hit the electric start button on your bike, and nothing happens. To avoid unnecessary frustration, be sure you know what you need and have the right supplies on hand before you bleed the system. However, you should also be aware that some clutches (Magura, we’re looking at you) want mineral oil instead. However, you can’t go backwards (use DOT 3 in an application that specifies DOT 4), because the operating temperature requirements won’t be sufficient for that bike, and you’re going to have a bad time.įor hydraulic clutches, some require brake fluid, just like your brakes-and just like your brakes, the reservoir cap should tell you what DOT specification to look for. With the glycol-based fluids, it’s OK to use a higher-number fluid in a bike that asks for a lower-number (for example, using DOT 4 in a bike that only specifies DOT 3). ![]() It should only be used in cases where it is specified by the manufacturer. DOT 3, DOT 4, DOT 5, and DOT 5.1 are the brake fluid types you’ll likely see, and a general rule of thumb is to stick with whatever your bike is asking for.īe aware that DOT 3, DOT 4, and DOT 5.1 are glycol-based, and can damage the paint on your bike if you dribble or spill, so be careful! DOT 5 is silicone-based, and cannot be mixed with other specifications of brake fluid. Unless the bike you bought has some funky aftermarket reservoir caps on it, most bikes will tell you what fluid is required for both the brakes and the clutch. However, most of the time, what you’ll really want to do is drain the old fluids, refill with new fluids, and THEN bleed the air out of the lines. Now, if you know (and trust) that the fluid was changed very recently (such as if you bought from someone you know well), then it’s probably fine to just bleed the brakes (or hydraulic clutch) and see if that fixes the problem. If you have a hydraulic clutch and your bike mysteriously wants to creep forward while you’re holding in the clutch lever, same thing. It’s also worth using a tiny (very tiny) dab of grease on the cable stoppers before you slide them back home into the clutch lever and throttle drum, because they need to move smoothly, too.ĭo your brakes feel mushy, either up front or in the rear? If so, the culprit is likely air in the lines. (You could do this on your own, too, but it will take more time and patience than asking someone you trust to help you.) Make sure to wipe up any excess lubricant that may drip down into places you don’t want it. There are specialty tools you can buy to help you do this, and they may work-but if you have a friend or family member who is willing to help you manually work the throttle cable back and forth in its sheath from either end, lubricating it without any special tools isn’t very difficult. Once the cables are clean (when the cleaner you’ve chosen starts to come out clear, not gunked up), repeat the process with cable lube. Alternatively, you can use a syringe to gently drip a liquid cleaner or lube in, drop by drop (aim for the wire for least messy results). ![]() Some people suggest using a plastic bag and rubber band funnel to channel your selected cleaner down the cable hole, which works very well for sprays. ![]() Don’t use WD-40 or harsh solvents here, because some cables may have plastic inside the sheath that can be negatively impacted by harsh solvents (and can accidentally make them harder to actuate smoothly). What should you clean the cables with? There are specialty cleaning chemicals just for cables that are your best bet, but plain old motor oil will also work.
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