This month we’ll talk about pre race prep and during the week bike preparation.

Usually there are a couple of really important things to do between race weekends. It’s always a good idea to strip (i.e. take the seat, tank, side panels off) and wash your bike(s) on the Monday after the race. That way you can see what’s broken, what parts are needed to be ordered and/or what work needs to be done. Not only does this keep your bike looking mint, it will make sure any parts that you’ll need will get there by Wednesday or Thursday. There’s nothing worse than waiting ‘till the last minute to get parts, especially before a big race. As I’ve seen many times at my shop, people have tried to work on their bikes covered in dirt. It doesn’t work too well. All you end up with is dirt in the airbox and carb and that kind of thing.

A good idea to start with is keeping a log or record of the total hours on your top end. Generally 125’s should get a new piston and rings every seven hours and a 250 can go a little longer, about ten depending on how much you practice during the week.

Seven hours doesn’t sound like a lot of time, but if you break it down, on a Sunday usually there’s only about two hours riding time at the most (if you ride three classes). Most people only get to ride a few hours during the week so that works out to a top end about once a month.

There are a few other routine things that should be checked weekly. The most important and probably one of the most overlooked things are air filters. Any racer should have at least three spare filters pre-oiled and in zip-lock bags ready to go for Sunday. It’s a lot easier to clean a bunch at once rather than keep cleaning one over and over again. The easiest way to do a bunch of filters at once is to fill one pail full of varsol (NOT GASOLINE) and one full of hot soapy water. First wash the dirty filters in the varsol to cut the dirty oil then rinse them in the soapy water to get rid of the dirt.

Once they are clean, hang them up until they dry. When those babies are dry, totally submerse the clean filter in a high quality foam filter oil. For those who don’t like getting their hands dirty, latex or rubber gloves work great. It’s not really necessary to grease the lip of the filter, unless that’s what your comfortable with (I feel that it just makes a big mess of the airbox).

Tranny oil is another priority. It should be changed after practice and between motos (especially at sand tracks). This will ensure smooth shifting and prolong the life of your clutch. The engine oil in four strokes is just as important change, if not more so than it is in two strokes. In some new thumpers, the oil also lubricates the engine as well as the clutch and tranny.

Other things not to forget are tire condition/pressure, brakes, chain/sprockets and spokes. Replacing or fixing them in your shop is a heck of a lot easier than just before your moto leaves the line! I can’t believe some of the things I’ve seen while waiting for my moto to start, loose axle nuts, broken spokes flat tires. EESHH!!

That’s it for now.

'Till next time, see you at the races!