DIY session with RE team & the Bikernis

I had been pestering VJ to help me understand the bike better. When I used to be riding a Kinetic I knew exactly where the problem was if there was one. My learning is mostly practicals, which meant I wanted to see what had to be done rather than hearing it in theory. The Bikernis team provided that opportunity to us ladies by organizing for a basic DIY session and thanks to Teknik motors team who patiently answered all our questions.

So what are the key points before you start off on a long bike ride...here you go:

• When choosing a bike, make sure both your feet touch the ground. :) this is advice is not necessarily for the experienced riders.
• Make sure your bike is serviced and all the identified issues are fixed before you leave for your ride.
• Check for Throttle cable, clutch cable, break pads, oil levels, filters/ strainers, tyres.
• Carry spare fuse, tubes, clutch cables
• Keep the surrounding of your fuel tank clean. 
• When checking oil level in your bike, take the bike off stand and make sure its on leveled floor. Start your bike and then do a check on oil level
• Break fuel will be visible only when it goes low (hydraulic breaks only)
• Air filter: If the vehicle does not have pick-up, you need to get your air filter checked. If riding on water terrain make sure your carry a spare air filter. Clean air filter also helps save fuel. Will cost your approx Rs.150-160. If at some point in time you do not have a spare air filter, you could try removing the air filter giving it a hit to clean and put it back on (preferably get it done through a mechanic :) )
• Fork point: to be checked atleast once a year. Make sure while cleaning water is not sprayed under the handle area as there are chances of rusting.
• Check for handle movement. If it moves smoothly from left to right and vice versa then all's good, else it would need service.
• If you get into a situation where your bike refuses to start and needs to be pushed, then get your bike into 2nd gear and push. Pushing gets easier on 2nd gear.
• When your bike is not in use you could save the life of your battery by making sure that a mat or a wooden board is kept under your center stand. Or disconnect the wires from the battery.
• If you plan to use the bike for charging your mobile then use the wiring from the ignition area and not straight from battery. Using battery area for charging will bring down the battery life.
• If your bike has a kill switch, then the right way to switch off your bike would be to bring your bike to a stop, use the kill switch to switch-off and then use the key to completely switch-off.

Hope some of the above points will help others too..

The 2hr session took place in the premises of Teknik motors, Indiranagar, Bangalore. 2hrs well spent with the team learning the importance & ABC of bike maintenance.