Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Got air? Tech. tip #2



Tech. tip #2.

I don't want all of my tech tips to be of the paint side of the motorcycle industry, so I thought I'd ask some advise of a motorcycle mechanic / bike builder. Scott Storms of Stormy Custom Bike Works in Blaine, MN. I reference to him as he is a friend of mine and local from where I come from, and I think one Hell of a Mechanic.

Scott, AKA Stormy, said he'd keep me in mind as he is wrenching, as ideas come up, he'll try to write them down.

He said the first thing to note that he sees far to frequently, is that 98 % of the bikes that come into the shop have underinflated tires. He said even my tires were low on air when I brought the bike in. He states that the average optimum P.S.I. for rule of thumb, should be at about 40 P.S.I. for motorcycle tires. Scott states that you should have a tire pressure guage with you when you ride for any long distances. Every so often, when you fill up with gas, check your tires. It only takes a second.

I'll keep this in mind, as I know, I'm guilty of sometimes just getting on and riding without checking my bike over properly, which scares the crap out of me after the Big Bear Chopper recall for frame welds failing.

The whole thing about low air pressure in motorcycle tires was just recently re-inforced by a blog post that Crusty the Biker http://crustythebiker.blogspot.com/ did that mentioned low tire pressure. I can't remember exactly what post, but I remember reading it and thinking that it was an important point to make as he owns a bike shop and he stated the same thing I had just heard from another bike shop the previous day.

So my Tech. tip is simple.

Make sure you check your tire pressure before you ride. I'ts your bike, and it's your life and safety we're talking about here.

Mr. Motorcycle