Tech Tips - T-Clocs
If you are a winter-weary motorcycle enthusiast, good news! Motorcycle season will soon be upon us and you’ll soon be hitting the open
roads on your favourite two-wheeler. After a long winter in extended storage, your bike will likely need some TLC. Start the riding season
right with the T-CLOCS inspection created by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. The following is a summary of their pre-ride inspection
checklist that will help you get your bike ready to ride after a long few months of extreme cold and harsh conditions.
T – Tires and Wheels
- Check the air pressure of your tires and inflate to the pressure specified in your owner’s manual.
Look for wear-and-tear on the treads, cracks, bulges or embedded objects.
- Check your wheels for roundness, cracks and dents, and bent, broken or missing spokes.
C – Controls
- Review the levers and pedals to make sure they’re still lubricated, and adjusted and fitted properly.
They should not be broken, bent, or cracked.
- Inspect cables to make sure they are not frayed, kinked, or folded into sharp angles. Also, test to make sure
your bike’s cables at no time interfere with your ability to steer.
- Check hoses for cuts, cracks, leaks, bulges, chafing or deterioration. Like cables, hoses should not interfere
with your steering or suspension, and should not be folded into sharp angles.
- Test that the throttle moves freely, does not stick and snaps closed when released.
L – Lights
- If you removed your battery over the winter, install it—your owner’s manual should tell you how. Check the
battery to make sure the terminals are clean and tight, it’s properly charged and secured. Check the vent
tube to confirm it is not kinked or plugged, and is routed properly.
- Look over the lenses on the bike to make sure they are not cracked or broken, are securely mounted and
do not have excessive condensation trapped within.
- Make sure the reflectors are not cracked, broken and are securely mounted.
- Review the bike’s headlamp for cracks. Confirm it points at the right height and direction. Test the operation
of the high beam and low beam options.
- Test the tail lamp and brake lights to make sure they work when they should, and they are not cracked.
Clean and ensure they are properly secured.
- Test both of the turn signals – left and right!
O – Oil and other fluids
- Check the levels and quality of the engine oil, hypoid gear oil, shaft drive, hydraulic fluid, coolant and fuel.
Replace or top-up fluids that need it.
- Check for leaks of these same fluids.
C – Chassis
- Review the condition of the frame, looking for lifting paint, cracks, or dents.
- Make sure the front forks and rear shocks are properly adjusted.
- Check the tension of the belt or chain. Lubricate the chain if needed, and inspect the teeth of
the sprockets confirming they are not hooked and are properly mounted.
- Replace broken or missing fasteners and tighten if loosened.
S – Stands
- For both center stands and side stands, make sure they are not cracked or bent and that it springs into
place and has the required tension to hold the bike in position.
For more spring-ready tips, check your owner’s manual. It’s sure to have a checklist for getting your particular make and model of bike
ready for a summer of riding after a long winter of inactivity. Also, don’t be shy to take it into a professional for a spring tune-up if you are
at all unsure or uncertain. It will be money well spent.