#pre ride

[bluarabian]

[ianwatsons]

The Ultimate Pre Ride Motorcycle Checklist; Preride Cheat Sheet

Before you get on any motorcycle and take a ride there are a number of pre-ride checklist items that you should take care of. The temptation can certainly be real when you have rented a motorcycle or when you fire up your bike for the first time each year. Here are some main aspects of a motorcycle pre-ride check that you need to always look into before setting out.  Lights: You never know when you might hit some bad weather or fog. Some rides also have a tendency of lasting a little longer than they should. Be sure to always check your lights and make sure your turn signals, brake lights and headlights work before you go anywhere. This can prevent major accidents or you getting stranded in the dark. 

Air pressure: A worn or flat tire can be a major hazard on the road. Check the air pressure in each of your tires before setting out so that you can avoid a blowout, crash or a major mechanical issue due to a flat tire. 

Fuel: Always make sure you have enough fuel before starting out. Even a low tank of fuel can cause difficulty when it comes to running the engine. Running out of gas on a motorcycle is never fun so always be sure to top up your fuel or go to a service station shortly before starting out. You may also want to check the fuel to make sure that no moisture has seeped in and that you aren't using old fuel. If a vehicle sits over a long period or you used some kind of fuel treatment to winterize you bike it can run very rough. 

Do a walk around: checking for any oil, water fluid leaks or major damage can help to prevent accidents later on. A loss of fluids can cause major mechanical issues. If you happen to see fluids leaking around the bike you could consider giving small parts of the bike a quick shake to see where they may be falling from. If the bike doesn't look fit to ride after a walk around perform repairs first. 

Check your brake, throttle and chain tension: If you chain has far too much slack on it this can lead to damage in the sprocket teeth as well as a chance that the chain could grab at you mid ride. Checking your brakes is something that's worth doing just before you set off so that you can stop when the time counts. The lever tension and throttle controls should have a bit of play and if your throttle simply doesn't move it's probably adjusted far too tight. Make these adjustments before starting out and don't forget to check on the actual brake drums and cables to spot brake damage and assess it. 

Perform at least these basic motorcycle pre ride checks to ensure your safety on the road and the safety of those around you.  

If you want to learn how to ride a motorcycle and get your motorcycle licence -  CONTACT IAN WATSON'S PHONE: [phone] EMAIL: [email protected]

[sprintingforsigns]

The 2nd Annual Pre Eurobike Ride

Last years ride started as an idea to log some kilometres before heading off to Germany for Eurobike. It was great and spending a couple of hours in the saddle really set me up for checking out new products and meeting up with suppliers. So onto the 2nd Pre Eurobike ride. The strange thing was that this year I was the only one going, but this didn't hinder the enjoyment factor.

having spent a few more months on the South Coast I was able to piece together a great little ride which had a very Flanders theme to it, small lanes, crap surface and resonably rolling in nature. The recent weather had made a few sections a little more tricky that usual. There was lots of gravel on the roads, but thankfully due to the motorised traffic it had removed a nice safe channel either side.

I was joined by Neil, Paul and Jon, all passonate about bikes and the industry, so it made the conversation easy and flow. It couldn't be a more perfect day with clear blue skies and a temperature around 15 degrees, was about perfect considering the iffy weather we have had of late. With a 13 mile an hour Southernly wind it made certain sections a bit chilly.

The first section is probably my favourite bit in many ways and I have ridden it the other way round and it feels completely different. Both are fun, but for a first introduction into the area, clockwise is the way to do it. The first few miles are flat through the lanes till we hit a small section of the quick main road through Funtingdon, before we take the right hand turn to Petersfield. The terrain starts to become a little more rolling now and although its still on a main B road it feels remote, rural and stunningly beautiful.

Heading towards Upper Marden the road climbs up on a resonable grade which lasts for around 3km. As the law of nature dictates what goes up must come down, and the descent is fantastic and reaching the end of the road a left hand turn and a small climb later produces another blinding drop off the downs. I've hit 60kmph+ down this one. So next we head to Compton, but take a sneaky right hand turn at the farm, this is a great road which I found by pure accident.

As I live in an area which is at the foot of the downs this route tackles and crests over it a few times. I think I measured it with around a 1000 metres of climbing, but my little computer isn't as accurate as say a Garmin might be in capturing this data. That's probably a good enough reason to have one on it's own, I'd just have to set mine on the none tech geek setting. The bits in the middle ebb and flow with a mixture of lanes and B roads, and in some ways become a beautiful blur. I could lament more and more about the ride, but it's not really going to do it justice. I'm going to ride it again soon, and take some photo's, maybe even a movie of some sections. But if your ever in the area, give me a shout and I'll show you this route, it's a cracker.

Thanks to my riding partners today, a ride shared is definately an experience more than doubled.

[thepedalparty-blog]