With no pollution and pleasant weather, every biker aspires to ride in rains. But for bikes, the rainy season brings a lot of wear and tear.
And if you don’t pay attention to the proper maintenance of your bike, then you might burn a hole in your pocket by spending on even more maintenance work.
Here is a few essential things that you should keep in mind while preparing your bike for the monsoon season:
1. Get Anti-Rust Protection Layer and Teflon Coating
Bike’s metallic body parts face a lot of abuse from water and constant moisture in the air. Hence, it is advisable to apply Teflon coating on metallic body panels of the bike to prevent them from rusting.
You can also apply anti-rust protection layer on the mainframe of the bike and other invisible parts including bike stand, engine guard, blots and latches among others. Anti-rust layer will protect these parts from catching rust easily and maintain their strengths.
2. Chain Cleaning
During monsoon rides, the chain of your motorcycle attracts a lot of moist dirt which goes straight into the sprocket and other parts of the engine. Also, water washes away the lubrication present in it which could hamper the performance of the engine. Not cleaning the chain properly could also lead to mud deposition on the engine block which affects its ability to cool down quickly.
Hence, it would be wise to clean the chain more frequently and apply chain spray on it.
3. Brake Pads
Brake pads face wear and tear on a regular basis. Thin brake pads might get stuck in the wheel and cause the bike to skid during rains. Drum brakes are most affected during rains and tend to lose their efficiency.
If your bike is equipped with disc brakes, then make sure that the disc is clean to avoid slippage. Besides, never apply brakes abruptly. Always stay calm and apply the brake gradually in slippery road conditions and maintain a safe distance from other vehicles.
4. Clean Air-Filter
Monsoon air has a high moisture content which could clog the air filter of your bike with more dirt than usual. This could lead to irregular ignition, brake malfunction and decrease in the pickup of the bike among others. Hence, reduce the cycle of cleaning air filter to keep it in good shape during monsoon.
5. Check Tyres
It is highly risky to be on slippery wet roads during the rainy season if your tyres have less treads. It is therefore important to check the depth of treads in the tyre to analyse its reliability. The minimum depth is at least 2 mm.
Also, cool weather during monsoon also contracts the air in tyres and they tend to lose the tyre pressure faster. Hence, get the tyre pressure checked regularly.
6. Cover you Bike
To protect your bike from unwanted water and moisture, invest in a good quality waterproof cover. Keep the bike covered while you are not riding.
It always better to be safe than to be sorry later. Make sure your motorcycle gets enough protection before it gets exposed to heavy rains.
Happy Riding!
