Okay, the first maintenance tip is real simple, Yeah an Oh Duh! It's "change the oil regularly" But seriously, what's regularly? For those that travel 10,000 to 15,000 miles a year you may already know the drill, but for those who own a garage kept bike and have 5,000 miles on it in 5 years, what's regular? For those who travel less, my suggestion would be to use thinner oils and every once in a while, put a teaspoon of oil in the cylinders as if you're storing the bike. The last thing you want is to go and crank up a bike with dry cylinders.
Now the flip side of that. Most serious touring enthusiasts seem to like using synthetic oils. Heck with the formulas now, you can go 15,000 miles between oil changes! Well GREAT!! I just have one thing for you to think about, the oil filter. Yeah I run synthetics but the way the bike is set up, the oil must be drained in order to change the filter. And since I'm not one to reuse the oil I remove (I highly recommend NOT doing that), I change my oil about every 5,000 miles since I don't like running too long on the filters.
Pre ride inspections are boring I admit. The "T Clock" inspection is used by most organizations and is a great way to check over a bike, but frankly when it comes to riding we all want to get on and go!! Yep, just ride and show off our nice shiny, clean bikes. As a matter of fact, most people clean and shine their bikes more then they maintain them. Yeah me too! Okay so that's not a real motorcycle tip.
But....Oh Duh!! What a concept!! Perform T Clock type inspections while you clean! When you are getting all the nooks and crannies free of dirt and debris, check things over. Keep your eyes out for leaks and loose hardware. Make sure everything is good and tight (Thanks to Henkel Technologies for LocTite) I think that Judy and I have found and fixed more issues while cleaning than at any other time. Fluid levels can be checked. Hmmm, see that ring of fresh fluid around the fork? It's almost nothing to change out a fork seal, but a pain when your bike is covered with oil from a blown fork seal and you are hours away from a repair shop on a holiday weekend. Yeah I've been there! Not fun.
Electrical problems can always be a pain in the you know what! From tracing the problem, to fixing it. First thing's first, CHECK THE FUSE BOX. I don't know how many times I have tried to solve a problem just to find out it was a fuse. Now, once you have the fuse changed, check it again to make sure you don't have an open short and just the act of putting in the fuse blows it. Also by locating a main fuse, you can tell what system is causing the problems. For example, the lighting system, accessories, etc.
Now you have the problem found, how do you fix it? Can you bypass it and isolate it from the system? If it's something that you can do without then isolate it. Now here is a great maintenance tip to help with that. Cut the wires to isolate the offending part and strip back the wires to reconnect. Slip some shrink tube onto one of the wires, then twist the wires together. Now just fold the twisted wire back and lay it flat. Slide the shrink wrap over the bare wires and heat slowly with a match or lighter to shrink it tight and seal it. Trust me this is next to a permanent fix. I have all my "extra" lights installed in this manner and it helps a ton when one of them burns out.
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Source: Motorcycle Touring Made Easy
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