Favorite Motorcycle Tech Tips

							Samuel Johnson, the guy who wrote the Dictionary of the English Language, once
said, 鈥淚 ntegrity without knowledge is weak and useless.鈥?There 鈥檚 more to
the quote, but the point here is, a little bit of knowledge can go a long way in life
鈥?especially if you 鈥檙 e working around bikes. And since we 鈥檙 e on the topic of
knowledge and integrity, our techs at J&P Cycles 鈥?with a combined 750 years of
technical knowledge 鈥?have agreed to share some of their favorite tech tips with us.
Think of it as a sort of Hints from Heloise, only for motorcycle riders instead of
housewives. You might want to write some of this stuff down:
  Electrical
  High-pressure car washes can force water into the plugs, wires and electrical
connector plugs. The water in these connectors can change resistance values and will
cause poor performance and misfiring even when everything appears to be dry.
  When working with electrical components and wiring connections, always use
dielectric grease in the connectors to prevent moisture and corrosion from building
up.
  When troubleshooting electrical issues, always start with a battery that you know is
good. If you suspect the battery is the issue, have it charged and load-tested before
beginning diagnosis.
  When installing additional electrical components to stock wiring harnesses on any
motorcycle, make sure you use heat shrink tubing and inline fuses on the power leads
and wherever connections are made. The idea is to waterproof them as much as
possible.
  Maintenance
  Always check the oil when the bike is in the position outlined in the manual.
  The first tool out of the toolbox should be your manual.
  Check your tire pressure when the tires are cold.
  When changing the motor oil and using a spin-on filter, always coat the rubber seal
with fresh oil.
  When installing the derby O-ring on pre-2000 model Big Twins, sometimes it 鈥檚
difficult to get it to seat properly and hold long enough to install the cover. Use a thin
layer of grease on the O-ring and you 鈥檒 l find the primary surface holds it in place
as well as adds a little extra seal to the derby cover.
  Exhaust
  Spraying ceramic-heat paint or high-temperature paint inside new exhaust pipes
before bolting them onto the bike may prevent discoloration on drag pipes that don 鈥
檛 have a heat shield option.
  After installing exhaust pipes, make sure you clean them before running the bike.
Fingerprints and oil can burn discolored spots in the exhaust.
  Boot and rain suit material can easily be removed from exhaust heat shields using
Easy Off oven cleaner. Just heat the pipes up to operating temperature and apply the
Easy Off. The material will wipe right off! But be sure to cover up anything that 鈥檚
painted because this product gobbles up paint, too.
  Carbs/Fuel
  Before trying to re-jet your carburetor, you should make sure that your timing is set
properly and 鈥?if you have a mechanical advance 鈥?make sure it 鈥檚 not worn
out. A worn-out advance unit will allow your timing to advance too far and show up
as a lean condition on a perfectly jetted carburetor.
 When experiencing starting issues, make sure there 鈥檚 gas in the tank.
 Engines
 The most common cause of pushrod cover leaks is the pushrod rubbing the inside of
the pushrod cover. One way that you can avoid this is to chamfer the inside edge of
the top tube at the middle and at the top.
 Adjust valves (as needed) with the engine dead cold.
 Brakes
 If you 鈥檙 e having trouble bleeding your brake or hydraulic clutch line, slowly pull
the lever in and let it flick back out. Keep doing this for a few minutes. Eventually
this will draw air up to the master cylinder and you 鈥檒 l start to see bubbles coming
up out of the cylinder.
 If you install all-new brake lines and you 鈥檙 e bleeding the system, make sure to
bleed the fittings that connect the line to the master cylinder and the caliper.
 Oil Tanks
 Never use a silicone sealant when installing oil pump gaskets. Silicone can clog oil
passages in your engine, causing costly damage. A good coat of aluminum-based paint
or a copper spray sealant can give good results on paper or Mylar gaskets.
 Driveline
 Sprockets are usually only good for the life of two chains, then it 鈥檚 best to
replace both sprockets and chain at one time. Worn out sprockets will ruin a new
chain in no time.
 Wheels
 It 鈥檚 a good idea to service front and rear wheel ball bearings every spring or
every 5,000 miles, whichever comes first. Keep the pressure washer away from the
bearings.
 Handlebar Controls
 Lubricate the throttle sleeve and housing with a light coating of graphite.
 To remove handgrips, use a long thin ice pick or screwdriver. Slip it lengthwise
between the grip and bar or the throttle sleeve as far in it will go. Spray WD 40 or
contact cleaner in the cavity created. With a twisting motion, remove the grip. If that
didn 鈥檛 work, repeat the procedure.
 For maximum life of throttle cables, lubricate every 5,000 miles. Lubricate the cable
with light oil or cable lube and lubricate the elbow with grease.
 Frames
 When installing shorter shocks, first check the tire fender clearance. In order to do
this, install one shock with the spring removed and compress the shock. You must
have at least a 1-inch clearance from the top of the tire to the fender to allow for the
growth at higher speeds. With shocks removed, check the swing arm bearings.
 Forks
 When replacing fork seals, always put a piece of wax paper over the end of fork
tubes before sliding the new fork seals on. This will protect the new seal lip.
  Windshields
  Never clean acrylic screens with ammonia-based cleaning products or glass cleaner.
The solvent action of the glass cleaner will destroy the acrylic. Do not allow brake
fluid, alcohol or strong solvents to come in contact with the screen. Permanent
damage will result.
  Parts Installation
  When installing parts and accessories, always be sure to read the instructions and
verify that all parts are included prior to disassembly of the motorcycle.
  Stay organized 鈥?when taking a part off, keep it in order of removal, including
bolts, washers and nuts. That 鈥檚 so when you install the new part, all you have to
do is follow the trail of parts. It also helps to keep tools organized. Only keep the tools
you will use in your work area.
  We hope some of these basic tech tips were helpful. For more technical-related tips,
feel free to check out The Tech Tips and Tricks series by Easyriders. As always, if you
have questions or need assistance picking out performance parts to suit your needs,
don 鈥檛 hesitate to chat with a J&P technician via Live Chat. Or call J&P 鈥檚
technical support staff at (800) 397-4844.
  You can find more information and all the motorcycle parts and accessories you need
at J&P Cycles. J&P Cycles carries Harley parts, Vintage Harley parts, metric cruiser
parts and Gold Wing parts.